St Kizito Parish Holds 75th Anniversary

Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie being welcomed by the parish priest and other visiting priests to the church premises

St Kizito Catholic Church Nima, has held a thanksgiving service to climax their 75th anniversary celebration.

The celebration was also used to confirm 174 candidates into the catholic faith.

The Metropolitan Archbishop Of Accra, Most Reverend John Bonaventure Kwofie who was the special guest of honor concelebrating with Rev Friar Ernest Dugah, parish priest, Rev Friar Daniel Attipoe parochial vicar of the church and other visiting priests from the archdiocese of Accra urged Christians to be brave to say no to all the evil going on in our world today.

He said some Christians are not able to condemn evil doings within our societies because they lack the courage to do it.

“As Christians we must let the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit which is wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord, be alive in our everyday lives,” he averred.

Adding he noted that Christ Jesus, whom we follow, gives us a big example of service and love and continued to love mankind to the end.

However, the metropolitan arch bishop of Accra revealed that many Christians, out of pride, cannot simply give an example of service to others.

“As we live in the world each day, we meet temptations that are against our faith and practices and we must pray that God helps us desist from such practices to be able to be truthful Christians.”

He urged the congregants to be united and love one another as Jesus Christ loved us.

“Love to the end, sacrifice for your brother or sister and love one another and if you do that we shall live in peace within our family and country.”

The chairman of the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) of St Kizito Catholic Church, Superintendent Dr Francis Offei in a remark said St Kizito Parish has been a pioneer parish with groups and societies from the tribes across the length and breadths of our country and beyond with the vision of being a model parish in the archdiocese of Accra both spiritually and physically.

“This culture diversity has not divided us but has rather kept us together as one Christian family with a commonwealth in heaven.”

Dr Offei noted that over the past 75 years, the church has demonstrated this unity in diversity to the admiration of other parishes, which has earned them the name, the AU Parish.

Oral history affirms that Nima Catholic Church community as it was first called was started in 1943 through the efforts of one Mr John Savie from Tsevie in Togo.

The church started with a nucleus of Ewes, Igbos of the then Eastern Nigerian, Nawudibas from Northern Togo and a number of Beninese.

The church was then conducted in a room of a house near Nima Mamobi Gutter by priests from Sacred Heart Parish, Derby Avenue at Korle- Worko.

In 1947 the church acquired a land at Nima roundabout, its current place and constructed a classroom unit for its Sunday masses and the running of the school.

(lindatenyah@gmail.com)

By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey