PAY MORE ATTENTION TO THE YOUTH AS CARDINAL DERY DID - MSGR BOBBY BENSON

The Catholic Church in Ghana has been urged to play more attention to issues pertaining to the formation of and transformation of the youth. The call was made during a homily at a Mass held at the Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), recently, by Rev. Monsignor Alex Bobby Benson, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Cardinal Dery Foundation (CDF)

According to Msgr. Bobby Benson, the youth in the Church seem to be neglected at the Parish, Diocesan and national level, saying that “our attention tothe youth is woefully inadequate.” All the youth groups, he noted, were very vibrant in the late 1970s, the 1980s, and the early part of the 1990s.

He observed that this was made possible through the great efforts of the Bishops’ Conference of Ghana and in particular the personal interest dedication and commitment of the late Peter Cardinal Porekuu Dery.

Msgr Bobby Benson told the congregation that “the Old Man, as we used to refer to Cardinal Dery, came down to the level of the youth and knew how to encourage, scold and commend those of us who were either leaders or members of the various youth groups not only in Catholic Educational Institutions but also those who were in Secular Institutions”

Rev. Fr Prof. John Appiah-Poku, a Lecturer at KNUST gave a personal testimony of the invaluable services that Cardinal Dery rendered the youth who included Catholic and non-Catholic and even Muslims, “He helped to form me in my youth Ministry”, Fr Appiah-Poku emphasized.

During one of the three Masses of that Sunday, Msgr. Bobby Benson, on behalf of the Parish Priest, Rev. Dr. Peter Addai Mensah, inducted into Office a new Parish Pastoral Council for the KNUST Chaplaincy.

Msgr. Bobby Benson and other members of the Board of Trustees of the Cardinal Dery Foundation were at the KNUST Chaplaincy to create awareness about the Beatification Process of the Servant of God, Peter Cardinal Porekuu Dery and to raise funds for the activities of the Foundation in the realm of education, particularly the girl-child; water and sanitation and health.

In another development, a meeting of former Young Christian Students (YCS) took place at the KNUST Chaplaincy to look at what could be done to salvage the YCS National Training and Formation Centre at Oforikrom, in Kumasi which is in a very deplorable state.

The meeting also discussed the need for the formation of a Committee to prepare a National Strategic Plan for the revival and strengthening of all Catholic youth groups in the Church in Ghana.

The plan will eventually be submitted to the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference for consideration.

Source: The Catholic Standard

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