The Accra Archdiocese of the Catholic Church has launched its 120th anniversary celebration with a call to recognize the importance of the youth since they constitute the future of the church.

The celebration on the theme, “120 Years of Catholic Mission: Honouring the Past, Celebrating the Present, Building the Future,” is scheduled from December 2, 2012 to November 24, 2013.

Launching the anniversary, Most Reverend Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, said the event would be celebrated within the Catholic Archdiocese and some parts of North Tongu and South Tongu.

It would focus on indispensable parameters and goals of evangelisation which are spiritual growth and development, knowledge and intellectual appreciation of the Catholic faith and the spirit of fellowship and communion.

He said the occasion would be used to critically examine the work of the Catholic Church in the past 120 years to enable it to forge a better evangelisation strategy for the future challenges.

“This is already being done by the ongoing Strategic Development Committee seminars for the past four months,” he said.

Most Rev. Palmer-Buckle said the outcome of the seminars would be used to draw a five-year development programme from 2013 to 2018 to renew the Church’s commitment to the future mission of the Church.

He said it was important for the Church to recognise the importance of the youth and invest in them for the Church's development because, more than one-third of the church's population of about 420,000 parishioners in the Archdiocese of Accra are young people below 25 years.

“These young people are to be the most cherished treasure and asset of our Church and we hope to invest much in them if indeed they are to be the future of our Church,” he added.

In addition, he launched a logo competition for the 120th anniversary for young people below the age of 25 and commended members of the Church for their contribution towards the Church's growth.

Some activities to mark the anniversary include the Archdiocesan and Parish opening of 120th anniversary celebrations, commemoration of the 120th anniversary of first Holy Mass, commemoration of the consecration of Sacred Heart Catholic Church.**