Accra, May 23, GNA – The Christ the King Catholic Church on Sunday marked its 70th Anniversary with a farewell mass to its Parish Priest, the Reverend Father Andrew Campbell (SVD).
The Anniversary was on the theme: “Celebrating Our Faith and Love: Doing Something Beautiful for God.”
The Church was inaugurated on May 22, 1951 on a Trinity Sunday by The Reverend Father Charles Erb with about 600 parishioners.
It eventually had a swelling number of parishioners, necessitating the establishment of a bigger structure to accommodate the numbers, and became the fourth mission station church at Osu in Accra, in 1956.
Rev. Fr. Campbell, the Outgoing Parish Priest, said the Church, since its inception, had transformed many lives through its social intervention projects.
By the special grace of God, he was retiring as a Parish Priest with pride knowing that the Church, under his leadership since July 2009, had undergone significant transformation.
Rev. Fr Campbell said his greatest joy within 50 years of missionary work in Ghana was having to help establish adoration chapel projects, which served as prayer avenues for hundreds of parishioners, including non-Catholics, who had committed themselves to meeting regularly to pray.
He said the Church, no matter the circumstances, must not lose sight of infrastructural development, a step that had modernised the Christ the King Hall for social functions.
Rev. Fr Campbell said the Church currently had only one seminarian and two sisters, which, he said, was not encouraging.
“We need to encourage the vocations to see more youth join the priesthood and the religious leadership because we need more of them in the church,” he said.
Rev. Fr. Campbell encouraged Christians to embrace the Eucharist, Mass, and Confession, and urged them to get closer to God to see His hands in their lives and marriages.
He admonished the congregation to extend sincere and wholehearted support to the incoming Parish Priest to enable the Church achieve her goals.
“I pray that our 70th Anniversary further unites and keeps us to sustain the godly spirit in us to the glory of God,” he added.
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who graced the occasion, presented a cheque for GHS100,000 and GHS50, 000 to the outgoing Parish Priest and the Christ the King Church, respectively.
The Anniversary Committee members expressed profound gratitude to Rev. Fr. Campbell, Rev. Fr. Raphael Hessah, the Parochial Vicar, and Rev. Fr. Wisdom Dordunu for their pastoral care, prayers and guidance in the successful planning and execution of the Anniversary.
Dignitaries present include Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, and Mr Henry Quartey, the Greater Accra Regional Minister.