SPIRITAN ORDINATION 2015: EJISU BY Bishop Kwofie
Greetings from Ejisu.
Spiritans ordained 5 priests and two deacons at the Spiritan University College on Saturday, 8 August by Most Rev John Bonaventure Kwofie, CSSp, Bishop of Sekondi Takoradi Diocese. Please, find attached the homily of the bishop. Make a story out of the homily. I am attaching a picture.
My Dear People of God,
I would like to add my voice to the welcome address presented to by the Spiritan Provincial Superior. I also would like to congratulate you, candidates for ordination today, on allowing God to realize His purpose in you.
You are coming from different parishes and dioceses in Ghana to be sent to different dioceses in and outside Ghana: Rev. Clement Owusu Otchere, from St. Paul’s Parish, Nyinahin; Rev. Prince Andrew Nimo Fofie, from Holy Rosary Parish, Suame-Kumasi; Rev. Juventus Assamoah Bonsu from St. Augustine Parish, Brofoyedur; Rev. Nathanael Ewusi from Corpus Cristi Parish, New Tafo-Kumasi and Rev. Lucas Binnah, Jnr from St. John the Evangelist Parish, Apowa. We also have Bismark Adu-Gyamfi from Corpus Cristi Parish, New Tafo, Kumasi and Stephen Asante-Antwi from Dunkwa-on-Offin.
We thank you, parents, for having permitted them to respond to the call from God to serve Him as priests. We thank you all who have travelled from different places, from Nigeria and Angola and elsewhere, to pray with and support these your friends and relatives. I believe you are with sentiments of happiness and at the same time apprehension. Happiness for witnessing this ordination rite; apprehension because you are wondering, “what will these young men turn out to be”?
By their choice of the Spiritan vocation, these young men have given themselves to the worldwide Spiritan mission, the worldwide mission of the Church, A church without boundaries; even if some of them will be working in their home country Ghana. Jesus in the Gospels tell us, “Go out to the whole world proclaim the good news”.
My dear Ordinandi, allow me to address you a few words. The Ordination Rite has already began. You have been called and presented. You have answered “Yes, Here I am”. As the ordaining Bishop, I have also elected you for ordination; two of you to the deaconate and five to the priesthood. The people of God have also expressed their consent by applauding and in so doing their happiness to see you advance to the altar eventually as deacons and priests. Very soon we all gathered here, led by the choir, will invoke the assistance of the heavenly community of saints in the litany of saints.
During this time, you will lay prostrate on the ground as a sign of your total submission and abandonment to God who has called you. The Bishop will eventually impose his hands on you to ordain you as Deacons and Priests, and in the case of those being ordained priests, all the priests here will do the same. The presence of priests at your ordination and the very action of each priest walking to you and laying hands on you underlines the fact that the ministerial priesthood is a family, a fraternity, and the priestly fraternity is happy to welcome you.
The prayer of consecration will then be prayed over you; first for those being ordained deacons and then those being ordained priests. Let me highlight three elements in this all-important prayer of priestly consecration – what does it do to you? 1. God has always called and elected men, like Moses, to lead and shepherd His people. You in your time have become one of them – a shepherd and a leader.
2. Like Aaron, God has always called and elected men to offer Him sacrifice on behalf of His people for their sanctification. You, in your time, have become one of them – a priest.
3. Through Jesus, God called men and sent them forth as apostles to proclaim the good news of salvation of His Son Christ Jesus. You have today become one of them – an apostle, ready to be sent where the Church needs apostolic workers.
In order to respond to these priestly duties diligently, you will be anointed with the oil of chrism so that you will become like Christ, priests, shepherd and prophet. You will then receive from the people of God vessels for your priestly office – a paten and a chalice - in order to offer sacrifices to God.
My dear friends, before all these take place, the Bishop will examine you regarding your intention for deaconate and priestly ordination. This will be done by means of four pertinent questions (in the case of those for the priesthood) and five questions (those for the deaconate) to which you are undoubtedly going to answer, “I am” to each of them. If you would to hold on to anything I am saying to you today, pIease, remember this: The “I am”, are indeed mere words that can be said anywhere. But today, you are saying them at a liturgical assembly during an ordination rite as a public promise: to God, to the Church and the people of God.
These words cannot be taken back or revoked once they are uttered. They are words that will constitute for you a mission and ultimately a program of life. These words have creative force and will recreate you and mold you into the image of Christ if you allow yourself, if you avail yourself of the grace of this recreation.
The response, “I am”, will establish you as a co-worker with your brother-priests and the Bishop in caring for the flock the Lord will entrust to us. To this flock, you will be a teacher of the values of the kingdom; you will be their advocate for peace and for justice; as a Spiritan, you will be expected to defend them against anything that oppresses them – human beings, policies, traditions, etc. You will offer them compassion.
You will the healer and comforter of the broken-hearted or those who suffer different forms of spiritual and physical affliction. You will be the voice of the neglected, the forgotten, the poor and the marginalized of society. Your “I am” will require you to faithfully celebrate the sacraments Christ has handed down to His Church for the edification and sanctification of His people. Your “I am” will make you a preacher of the Gospel that is Jesus Himself and a gospel proclaimed by Him for the life of the world. The people look up to you as their teacher – not so much from what you say but more importantly, from what you do.
Do not trivialize the lessons your life can impact on the people. Your “I am” will establish between you and the Lord Jesus an inseparable bond that will need to be constantly nurtured daily through the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and personal prayer. Like Mary, your “I am” will change you; it will change your very person. It will make you a new personality because it will make you radiate the presence of God wherever you are.
We have just read from the Book of Jeremiah, the Letter to the Hebrews and the Gospel according to John. Let me call your attention to one point about the prophet Jeremiah. The prophet Jeremiah complained a lot against God during his ministry as prophet. He complained against God because he was given a very difficult mission. He was set over nations and kingdoms to uproot, to knock down, to destroy and to overthrow (Jer 1:10). How was he to do this? By means of the spoken word. He was therefore constantly at war against kings, legislators, religious leaders, etc. because what he said was not pleasant to them. He did not tell the people sweet and nice things like we hear in “your life will not be the same” churches. He was frank with the truth about their lives and the judgment that will come to them. He called them to remain faithful to the tenets of the covenant. He spoke to them about God’s judgment.
The people gave him a nick-name. They called him “the prophet of doom”. This did not please him either because he knew he was genuinely serving Yahweh. He did not understand why he should suffer so much for doing God’s work and become a laughing stock to the people. He continually questioned God in his prayers, “why should my suffering be continual”, and he cursed the day his mother bore him (15:10).
Yes, Jeremiah’s ministry was a hard one. The people did not praise him because he was a tough man. Yet he left us a legacy of a servant of God whose interior life and a life of renunciation and suffering made him the prophet who prefigured Christ in an excellent way. Don’t run away from it if God wants to use you as our Jeremiah today. Recognize that he chose you even before you were born and appointed you a prophet for His own purpose and a “watchman” for his people. The purpose for electing you a priest is God’s not yours.
But please, don’t get it wrong. In the midst of suffering, of insults and hard work, Jeremiah knew joyful moments. His mission was not only to overthrow and knock down and destroy and uproot but also to plant and build. Planting and building are positive activities and I believe joyful. There are joyful moments in the priesthood. Put it this way, the priesthood is a joyful vocation. You will find joy if you give yourself totally to God’s work. Recognize that as a priest, you have been chosen from among human beings to act on their behalf in their relationship with God. You will be happy when you do this faithfully – with total dedication.
You and I are citizens of a great nation; a nation that hungers greatly for God and His word. This is a nation whose FM stations consistently and regularly produces religious programs. Here is a nation whose preachers are uncountable. Yet here is a nation that is totally confused by these same preachers because we are unable to know the God of Jesus Christ; a nation brought down by corruption. You are going to add your voice to the many preachers. May the word you speak bring hope to our people.
May your word set them free from the yoke of superstition and witchcraft. May it open up for them opportunities to renew their faith in the God who revealed himself in His Son Jesus Christ. May our people hear in your word the voice of God that assures them, “I am the Lord who hold you by your right hand and say to you, “Fear not, I will help you” (Is 41:13). May the Lord who comes to us through the words of scriptures come alive as you minister at His altar.
Spiritans ordained 5 priests and two deacons at the Spiritan University College on Saturday, 8 August by Most Rev John Bonaventure Kwofie, CSSp, Bishop of Sekondi Takoradi Diocese. Please, find attached the homily of the bishop. Make a story out of the homily. I am attaching a picture.
My Dear People of God,
I would like to add my voice to the welcome address presented to by the Spiritan Provincial Superior. I also would like to congratulate you, candidates for ordination today, on allowing God to realize His purpose in you.
You are coming from different parishes and dioceses in Ghana to be sent to different dioceses in and outside Ghana: Rev. Clement Owusu Otchere, from St. Paul’s Parish, Nyinahin; Rev. Prince Andrew Nimo Fofie, from Holy Rosary Parish, Suame-Kumasi; Rev. Juventus Assamoah Bonsu from St. Augustine Parish, Brofoyedur; Rev. Nathanael Ewusi from Corpus Cristi Parish, New Tafo-Kumasi and Rev. Lucas Binnah, Jnr from St. John the Evangelist Parish, Apowa. We also have Bismark Adu-Gyamfi from Corpus Cristi Parish, New Tafo, Kumasi and Stephen Asante-Antwi from Dunkwa-on-Offin.
We thank you, parents, for having permitted them to respond to the call from God to serve Him as priests. We thank you all who have travelled from different places, from Nigeria and Angola and elsewhere, to pray with and support these your friends and relatives. I believe you are with sentiments of happiness and at the same time apprehension. Happiness for witnessing this ordination rite; apprehension because you are wondering, “what will these young men turn out to be”?
By their choice of the Spiritan vocation, these young men have given themselves to the worldwide Spiritan mission, the worldwide mission of the Church, A church without boundaries; even if some of them will be working in their home country Ghana. Jesus in the Gospels tell us, “Go out to the whole world proclaim the good news”.
My dear Ordinandi, allow me to address you a few words. The Ordination Rite has already began. You have been called and presented. You have answered “Yes, Here I am”. As the ordaining Bishop, I have also elected you for ordination; two of you to the deaconate and five to the priesthood. The people of God have also expressed their consent by applauding and in so doing their happiness to see you advance to the altar eventually as deacons and priests. Very soon we all gathered here, led by the choir, will invoke the assistance of the heavenly community of saints in the litany of saints.
During this time, you will lay prostrate on the ground as a sign of your total submission and abandonment to God who has called you. The Bishop will eventually impose his hands on you to ordain you as Deacons and Priests, and in the case of those being ordained priests, all the priests here will do the same. The presence of priests at your ordination and the very action of each priest walking to you and laying hands on you underlines the fact that the ministerial priesthood is a family, a fraternity, and the priestly fraternity is happy to welcome you.
The prayer of consecration will then be prayed over you; first for those being ordained deacons and then those being ordained priests. Let me highlight three elements in this all-important prayer of priestly consecration – what does it do to you? 1. God has always called and elected men, like Moses, to lead and shepherd His people. You in your time have become one of them – a shepherd and a leader.
2. Like Aaron, God has always called and elected men to offer Him sacrifice on behalf of His people for their sanctification. You, in your time, have become one of them – a priest.
3. Through Jesus, God called men and sent them forth as apostles to proclaim the good news of salvation of His Son Christ Jesus. You have today become one of them – an apostle, ready to be sent where the Church needs apostolic workers.
In order to respond to these priestly duties diligently, you will be anointed with the oil of chrism so that you will become like Christ, priests, shepherd and prophet. You will then receive from the people of God vessels for your priestly office – a paten and a chalice - in order to offer sacrifices to God.
My dear friends, before all these take place, the Bishop will examine you regarding your intention for deaconate and priestly ordination. This will be done by means of four pertinent questions (in the case of those for the priesthood) and five questions (those for the deaconate) to which you are undoubtedly going to answer, “I am” to each of them. If you would to hold on to anything I am saying to you today, pIease, remember this: The “I am”, are indeed mere words that can be said anywhere. But today, you are saying them at a liturgical assembly during an ordination rite as a public promise: to God, to the Church and the people of God.
These words cannot be taken back or revoked once they are uttered. They are words that will constitute for you a mission and ultimately a program of life. These words have creative force and will recreate you and mold you into the image of Christ if you allow yourself, if you avail yourself of the grace of this recreation.
The response, “I am”, will establish you as a co-worker with your brother-priests and the Bishop in caring for the flock the Lord will entrust to us. To this flock, you will be a teacher of the values of the kingdom; you will be their advocate for peace and for justice; as a Spiritan, you will be expected to defend them against anything that oppresses them – human beings, policies, traditions, etc. You will offer them compassion.
You will the healer and comforter of the broken-hearted or those who suffer different forms of spiritual and physical affliction. You will be the voice of the neglected, the forgotten, the poor and the marginalized of society. Your “I am” will require you to faithfully celebrate the sacraments Christ has handed down to His Church for the edification and sanctification of His people. Your “I am” will make you a preacher of the Gospel that is Jesus Himself and a gospel proclaimed by Him for the life of the world. The people look up to you as their teacher – not so much from what you say but more importantly, from what you do.
Do not trivialize the lessons your life can impact on the people. Your “I am” will establish between you and the Lord Jesus an inseparable bond that will need to be constantly nurtured daily through the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and personal prayer. Like Mary, your “I am” will change you; it will change your very person. It will make you a new personality because it will make you radiate the presence of God wherever you are.
We have just read from the Book of Jeremiah, the Letter to the Hebrews and the Gospel according to John. Let me call your attention to one point about the prophet Jeremiah. The prophet Jeremiah complained a lot against God during his ministry as prophet. He complained against God because he was given a very difficult mission. He was set over nations and kingdoms to uproot, to knock down, to destroy and to overthrow (Jer 1:10). How was he to do this? By means of the spoken word. He was therefore constantly at war against kings, legislators, religious leaders, etc. because what he said was not pleasant to them. He did not tell the people sweet and nice things like we hear in “your life will not be the same” churches. He was frank with the truth about their lives and the judgment that will come to them. He called them to remain faithful to the tenets of the covenant. He spoke to them about God’s judgment.
The people gave him a nick-name. They called him “the prophet of doom”. This did not please him either because he knew he was genuinely serving Yahweh. He did not understand why he should suffer so much for doing God’s work and become a laughing stock to the people. He continually questioned God in his prayers, “why should my suffering be continual”, and he cursed the day his mother bore him (15:10).
Yes, Jeremiah’s ministry was a hard one. The people did not praise him because he was a tough man. Yet he left us a legacy of a servant of God whose interior life and a life of renunciation and suffering made him the prophet who prefigured Christ in an excellent way. Don’t run away from it if God wants to use you as our Jeremiah today. Recognize that he chose you even before you were born and appointed you a prophet for His own purpose and a “watchman” for his people. The purpose for electing you a priest is God’s not yours.
But please, don’t get it wrong. In the midst of suffering, of insults and hard work, Jeremiah knew joyful moments. His mission was not only to overthrow and knock down and destroy and uproot but also to plant and build. Planting and building are positive activities and I believe joyful. There are joyful moments in the priesthood. Put it this way, the priesthood is a joyful vocation. You will find joy if you give yourself totally to God’s work. Recognize that as a priest, you have been chosen from among human beings to act on their behalf in their relationship with God. You will be happy when you do this faithfully – with total dedication.
You and I are citizens of a great nation; a nation that hungers greatly for God and His word. This is a nation whose FM stations consistently and regularly produces religious programs. Here is a nation whose preachers are uncountable. Yet here is a nation that is totally confused by these same preachers because we are unable to know the God of Jesus Christ; a nation brought down by corruption. You are going to add your voice to the many preachers. May the word you speak bring hope to our people.
May your word set them free from the yoke of superstition and witchcraft. May it open up for them opportunities to renew their faith in the God who revealed himself in His Son Jesus Christ. May our people hear in your word the voice of God that assures them, “I am the Lord who hold you by your right hand and say to you, “Fear not, I will help you” (Is 41:13). May the Lord who comes to us through the words of scriptures come alive as you minister at His altar.
