The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has called on Ghanaians to be grateful to God for his blessings and protection and for 60 years of her political independence.

The Bishops said even though the country may not have achieved all her dreams and aspirations - there is the need to be thankful for the conspicuous blessings and peace bestowed on the citizens by God.

This was contained in a statement titled “Lenten pastoral letter for 2017” signed by the metropolitan Archbishop of Tamale and president of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Most Rev. Philip Naameh.

The statement said, aside God sparing Ghana misfortunes - such as civil strife and war, She has chalked laudable successes and there are still very good prospects of a better future.

“Dearly beloved in Christ Jesus and dear fellow citizens of Ghana, in life, every one may (in fact one should) have expectations and even big dreams of progress, success and development. If, however, at sixty he/she has not achieved all the goals, he/she still has good reason to thank God, and to celebrate the gift of his/her life.

Similarly, when our forefathers and mothers struggled for independence, they surely had grand expectations for Ghana’s self-government. Even if, as a country, we may not have achieved all of our expectations and goals, Ghana has made significant progress. Secondly, even though our democratic forward-march has suffered some political challenges and derailment in the past, God has spared us the worst, namely civil strife, wars etc. Our dear country Ghana has certainly chalked laudable successes and there are still very good prospects of a better future. So, dear fellow citizens, let us continue to give thanks and praise to God Almighty, the most Merciful Creator”.

The statement also highlights the re-consecration of Ghana to the sacred heart of Jesus. The Bishops together with the Apostolic Nuncio and the entire Catholic faithful will embark on a spiritual exercise to re-consecrate Ghana to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as a prayerful contribution to God in thanksgiving for the 40th anniversary of the apostolic nunciature and for the 60th of Ghana’s independence.

The ceremony of re-consecrate will be done in an ecumenical and inter-faith prayer service at the Holy Spirit Cathedral, Accra, on Saturday, march 4, 2017 to be presided over by the apostolic nuncio to Ghana Most Rev. Jean Marie Speich and the president of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, Most Rev. Philip Naameh together with other bishops and dignitaries.

“In acknowledgement for all these endowments, on the dawn of independence, specifically on the March 03, 1957, at the Holy Spirit Cathedral, Accra, Ghana was consecrated to God through the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. On that occasion the Most Rev. William Thomas Porter, SMA, and the then Archbishop of the Gold Coast stated that: ‘the people can embark on the task of promoting the true welfare of the country when they realise that God is their Father and that His laws are their surest protection and shield’. It is therefore, our intention also, in line with the above exhortation to renew the consecration of our nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the occasion of this Diamond Jubilee of our Independence,” the statement said.