Accra, July 22, GNA - The Very Reverend Father Stephen Kwaning, Vicar General of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra, on Friday called on Catholics to hold fast to the celebration of the holy Eucharist and spread and promote its culture as it symbolised a source of hope for them as disciples of Christ.

The Eucharist is the central act of the catholic worship, which was instituted by Jesus Christ on the night he was betrayed and by celebrating it "we proclaim and perpetuate in a unique way the paschal mystery of the Lord until his second coming", Very Rev Fr Kwaning said. Very Rev. Fr Kwaning, who is also the Parish Priest of Christ the King Catholic Church, was speaking at the Fifth Biennial Grand Convention of the Accra branch of the Knights and Ladies of St. John International, which is under the theme: "The Eucharist As The Source Of Hope For The Knight."

The five-day convention would provide members with the opportunity to review their progress, growth and plan for the future.

It would also enable members to review their spiritual strength and remember others who have been called to God's Kingdom.

He said the Holy Eucharist was the inexhaustible source of the Church's objective holiness, the power of her unity, bond of her communion, source of dynamism in preaching the gospel, principle of evangelising activity, font of charity, heart of human promotion and the anticipation of her glory in the eternal banquet.

He said the late Pope John Paul II declared the years 2004 and 2005 as the years of the Eucharist, adding that various individual Popes had also made contributions towards the understanding of the mystery of the Eucharist and urged members to champion the cause of encouraging unity in society.

Since the Holy Eucharist is a source and summit of the Christian life, a Catholic Knight is by definition a Eucharistic person. He entreated the Knights to be committed to inspiring hope in other believers, strive to abide in his communion with God and see God's love as a gift, "which invited us to share in the intimacy of the Divine life itself".

The Knight should deepen the unique friendship with God in which his heart was elevated and oriented towards for purification and perfection.

A Knight's unflinching support of and contribution to the renewal of parish life could not be overemphasized since his vocation was nothing short of a call to be perfect and holy just as God. Mr Samule Kofi Asubonteng, a member re-launched the late Archbishop Kodwo Amissah's Memorial Educational Fund.