As part of the celebration of the Jubilee Year for Consecrated Persons in Ghana being marked in Sunyani, three panelists speak from different angles of hope.
Mad. Rhodaline Conduah, the Municipal Coordinating Assembly at Techire and Accra, spoke on: Jubilee of hope, the lay person’s perspective on the role of Consecrated Persons in the Church and society.
According to her, the Church has two dimensions: the laity and Consecrated Persons who have roles in the Church.
“We are the Church and the Church is a mystical body of the Church. We form part of the people brought into unity of God the father, God the son and God the Holy Spirit.
She said to be consecrated is to be chosen by God exclusively and set apart.
This, she intimated that obliges the Consecrated Persons to a new way of life and calling.
Mad. Conduah said this call is a gift from God and can only occur whenever God wants it and wills it and can never be forced.
Consecrated Persons are therefore sent to preach the gospel by their way of life.
According to her, once God has chosen you, you must walk the talk of God, saying that Religious Persons have a mission to proclaim the Good News and the lay persons are there to help the Religious do their work.
“When the lay people and Consecrated Persons come into communion to do the work of God, they move the kingdom of God forward. It is good to collaborate to work together and not be in competition with one another,” she added.
The three vows of Consecrated Persons are the declaration of their own choice to God.
She asserted that Consecrated Persons give life and hope to people just as Jesus was doing, urging them to keep doing it.
“We thank you and we bless God for your life acknowledged,” she stated.
In her view, the respect given to Consecrated Persons should manifest in society.
“And so, this respect should not be taken for granted but the Religious must be the salt and light of the world as lay persons see Consecrated People as “GPS” pointing directions and guidance to improve upon the lives of the laity.
For her, she sees Consecrated Persons as teachers of morals, speaking against the moral decadence in our society.
Mad. Conduah indicated that winning souls for Christ is the business of the laity and the Religious and “if we want the Church to grow, we must open up to collaboration and listen to one another.”
Another Speaker, Sr Josephine Gyamfi Appiagyei SSL highlighted on “A time to sow seed of Hope as Consecrated Persons.”
She reminded the Religious that the Holy Father, Pope has invited all Religious to celebrate 2025 as a jubilee year and not as a single event but as a pilgrimage.
He said in the light of the Jubilee Year, Consecrated Persons are invited to revisit stories of Holy places of their beginnings.
She noted that there are seeds of hope down when the Consecrated Person engages and interacts with people of all faiths and none, social statutes, political affiliation, ethnic background which we tend to allow to cause division and stereotype.
According to her, “by accepting our vowed life, we only accept that we are stewards, taking care of God’s creation.”
In her view, Sr Josephine said “We can only sow seeds of hope when we accept to go where and do whatever we are told to by our Superiors.”
She added: “Our close intimate relationship with God can only be fostered through prayer,” urging the Religious not to give up on prayer even when we think we are reaching nowhere.”
She pointed out that even when one is dozing in prayer, “by remaining diligent whether we are acknowledged or not, we raise the expectation of others in something good to come.
On his part, Rev. Fr. Stephen Oscar Amo OFM said, the time to renew the face of the earth as Consecrated Persons is now.
With a jubilee, there was the need to start a new life, a new beginning, a new faith.
He asked: How have the Consecrated Persons lived?
He asked this in line with the eras of Religious Life up to this time, saying the Religious Life and charism therefore have a double meaning, first, a divine gift to humanity at large.
Secondly, he said the appropriation of that gift happens through a range of specific orders and congregations.
Do we have religious in this era who are ready to be Martyrs? He queried.
According to him, “We are the beneficiaries of a powerful historical dimension of a wide range of religious life in the church. Fr Stephen elaborated some ways to help improve our religious life.”
He suggested five ways to move forward as recruitment, apostolate, and interpretation of dreams, personality and Liturgy.
On recruitment, he said there was the need to be realistic in what information is given to the aspirants before they are recruited so that they know they have come to live a life of Christ.
On Apostolate, he said there should be a collaborative ministry and “We must collaborate with the Church as Religious wherever we find ourselves.”
He urged the Religious to learn the language of the people where they are called to minister.
On Interpretation of dreams, he advised that Religious to refrain from giving false interpretation of dreams to the faithful in their Pastoral ministry.
“Our first apostolate is our community presence not our profession,” he added.
Touching on Personality, he said the Religious have a mandate of working on themselves and their personalities must be worked on.
“We have forgotten our roots that we don’t even regard and treat others well which is a shame. We like to break records outside but neglect those we are,” Fr. Oscar lamented.
On Liturgy, he advised against the unnecessary adulteration of the liturgy by Religious.
By Sr. Emmanuella Dakurah HHCJ (Sister Communicator)
