THE Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Tamale, Very Rev. Fr. Matthew Yitiereh, has urged Marshallans to blaze the trail of Sir James Marshall in the new evangelization for the transmission of the faith.
He said the new evangelization drive, instituted by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in his Apostolic Exhortation titled “Africae Munus” in 2009 and an earlier Apostolic Exhortation from a synod by Bishops issued in 1995 titled “Ecclesia Africa” sought to reignite the Church’s activity in her efforts to evangelize the whole of Africa and beyond.
Delivering the keynote address at the third North Regional Conference in Tamale, Very Rev Fr. Yitiereh, underscored the pivotal role played by Sir James Marshall in the evangelization efforts in the Gold Coast and called on Marshallans to do same in the new evangelization.
Disturbing stories
He decried what he termed the double standards exhibited by some Marshallans in their marriages and spiritual lives.
“There are disturbing stories about Marshallans living double standards in their marriage lives like ordinary Christians. Lately, there is even a more disturbing story about Marhsallans consulting pagan oracles and Mallams for their own welfare. Christ is no more powerful enough for them,” he lamented
He, therefore, urged Marshallans to be more vigilant in their apostolate and to live above the problems of the ordinary Christian faithful and continue to be models and agents of evangelization.
He stated that in the light of those disturbing stories, there was need for Marshallans to constantly refer to their aims and objectives that encouraged them to be supportive of one another.
Very Rev. Fr. Matthew Yitiereh said the new evangelization focused on those Christians who were not practicing their Christian faith as they should or what he termed “lukewarm Christians” who according to him, were within “our Churches, families, communities, or even members of the Marshallan fraternity and are growing in numbers as a result of pervasive secularization and globalization.
“All those Christians who no longer live by the tenets of the Christian faith or who do not live by the Gospel values or whose lives are not governed by the Christian principles are subjects of the new evangelization,” he stressed.
He noted that a new pastoral situation had arisen today in the parishes that needed urgent attention, saying “we shouldn’t be content to care for only those regular in Church but reach out to the lost ones, if the new evangelization drive was to be accomplished”.
Very Rev Fr Yitiereh, therefore, urged Marshallans to seek out those joining other spiritual Churches, lodges and secret societies such as the Free Masons as well as target and help out those Catholics living in irregular marriages.
He added that if evangelization was to be effective, there was need to intensify Christian formation at all levels through catechesism, lamenting that many Catholics were poorly formed in their faith and were therefore ill-prepared and so turn elsewhere in their bid to find solutions that work for them, and called for ongoing Christian formation to be put in place for Church members.
He lamented that some people leave the Church due to lack of attention bordering on moral, spiritual or financial issues and advocated for support systems to be put in place to give every member a sense of belongingness to the Church.
Motto
He said based on its motto of Unity, Charity, Fraternity and Service, every member of the Society was expected to champion the cause of charity, be a faithful friend to the poor, distressed and needy in society since those virtues constituted the bedrock upon which Christianity was founded.
He added that going by the aims and objectives of the Society such as to inculcate in members loyalty and fidelity to the State and the Church, to honour, defend, promote and live the Catholic faith, prepare members for the apostolate of the Church and help individual members to develop spiritually, he said “this is what you are called to profess and live”.
Very Rev Fr. Yitiereh said to live faithfully and loyally to the Church, to honour, defend and above all promote the Catholic Church and help individual members to develop spiritually was in its self, to evangelize.
He acknowledged with gratitude, the roles played by members of the Society in Church and as benefactors to Seminarians and other institutions in the self-reliant Church as highly commendable and solicited their generous support either in cash or in kind to enable the Tamale Archdiocese successfully host the Plenary Assembly of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference scheduled for 7th -17th October, 2016.
The high point of the 3-day Regional Conference was the elevation of three Knights, Brothers Marshall Ziema, J. I. Guo and E. K. Nyonyoni from the rank of Past Grand Advisers to the rank of Honourary Past Regional Grand Knights while seven Ladies, Sisters Patricia Zan, Mary Alidu, Immaculate Maar, Janet Yahaya, Felicia Gbele, Christiana Mwine and Leonida Ob-Baa were also elevated from the rank of Honourary Past Noble Ladies to the rank of Honourary Past Regional Noble Ladies.
At a dinner and awards night held on the second day of the Regional Conference, Worthy Bro. Samuel Zan Akologo, the Assistant Chairman, Strategic Plan of the Supreme Council and Council 102 and RL. Sis. Patricia Dunenye of Court 12, won the respective Knights and Ladies highest awards of the night, the Regional level awards, and were presented with Citations by Sir Kt. Bro. John Abraham and the Regional Noble Lady, RL. Sis. Fedelia Benebere in recognition of their meritorious services as part of the activities to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Noble Order. The Council and Court level awards were won by Worthy Bro. Malex Alebikiya, Assistance Supreme Youth Coordinator (North) of Council 27, Bro. Christopher B. Bakaweri of Council 102 and Bro. Bore Jonas of Council 93 as well as Sisters Elizabeth Paaya of Court 12, Gladys Buah PNA of Court 89 and RL Agartha Musah of Court 102. They were also each given Citations.
Subsequently, Worthy Bro. Cosmas Alhassan DRGK, who is also the Assistant Supreme Propagandist and MRL Sister Alice Belbaar, were chosen as the regional candidates to compete for the ultimate at the national awards to climax the 90th anniversary of the Noble Order slated for November, 2016.
The Supreme Council was represented at the Regional Conference by Sir Kt. Bro. John Abraham, the Immediate Past Executive Secretary of the Supreme Council Secretariat and Worthy Bro. Dr. Andre Kwesi Kumah, the Supreme Physician while the Grand Court was represented by a Standing Committee Co-opted Member, Respected Lady, Sis. Alberta Puobiereh and the Assistant Grand Youth Coordinator (North), Respected Lady Sis. Vida Abaseka.
By Bro Francis Monnie, Council 27