The Chiefs and People of Nangodi and Sakoti in the Upper East Region on Friday honoured Most Reverend Monsignor Roger Aboteyuure, a Catholic Priest, for contributing to the development of the two areas.

Msgr Aboteyuure was born into a royal family at Atulababisi in Bolgatanga, Upper East Region and was ordained priest in the Roman Catholic Church in 1965 and has rendered about 29 years service to the two traditional areas.

A citation by the Paramount Chief of Sakoti, Naba Sigri Bewong and the Paramount Chief of Nangodi, Naba Kosom Yelzooya, respectively, commended Monsignor Aboteyuure for building the Kongo Spiritual Renewal Centre, which serves as a pilgrim destination for Catholics.

“In addition, you have built in Kongo an almost incomparable Grotto, housing a well with holy water from Lourdes in France for the benefit of the numerous pilgrims that flock to the grotto annually”.

The priest was also commended for putting up accommodation and a social centre for the comfort of the pilgrims during their stay at the Spiritual Renewal Centre and also providing homes for priests and brothers at the Social centre to assist in evangelization.

“You have spiritually transformed thousands of Nabdams particularly women, to become Christians of Catholic Faith and the number continue to grow from strength to strength”.

The Chiefs and People of Nangodi and Sakoti also paid tribute to him for nurturing the barren Kongo hill into a green forest, providing dugouts, wells, schools and sponsoring many students from the areas who had graduated from tertiary institutions and were now on their own.

He was additionally commended for being the first person to bring electricity to the Nabdam area by connecting the Kongo Community to the National grid before the government expanded the project in 1997.

“Furthermore on Cultural Promotion, Msgr Aboteyuure, you adopted the “Sakoti Wongo” group, a dance group, which was not well known in the country. You inspired and trained the dancers and provided them with costumes, boots among many other things and the group is now performing excellently at the Regional and National levels to the pride of “Nabdams”.

The Bishop of the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese, Most Reverend Alfred Agyenta, thanked the Chiefs and People of the two traditional areas and said the citation was an honour not only done to Msgr Aboteyuure but to the entire Catholic Church.

He said one of the cardinal principles of the Catholic Church was to create the necessary environment that would easily pave way for spiritual development and that was why the Church was doing everything possible to enhance the social wellbeing of the people.

He appealed to the Chiefs and people in the two traditional areas to support the Church in expanding its activities.