TEDPA PARTICIPATES IN THE 2019 NUGDPA CONGRESS
19 members of the Techiman Diocesan Priests’ Association (TEDPA) participated in the 27th National/ 15th Biennial Congress of the National Union of Ghana Diocesan Priests’ Associations (NUGDPA) from the 7th to 11th January, 2019, at the Navrongo Campus of the University of Development Studies (UDS). The TEDPA team, led by the President, Rev. Fr. Martin Oduro Bilson, set off from Techiman on Monday 7th January and arrived safely to participate in this year’s Congress.
The Congress which brings together all the Diocesan Priests of the Catholic Church in Ghana was under the theme: Challenges in Catholic Marriages, the Role of the Priest. In his opening remarks, the President of NUGDPA, Very Rev. Fr. Francis Appiah Kubi indicated that the theme chosen was very timely and relevant since it offered the Priests, who are the immediate pastors of Souls and Ministers of the Family and Marriage, the opportunity to address the challenges faced in Catholic Marriages today.
In his Keynote Address, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Abasi indicated some contemporary challenges faced by Catholics in their marriage and family life and proposed certain roles that Priests can play to journey with couples in their challenges. Fr. Abasi indicated that Polygamy, High Cultural demands, Serial monogamy couples ‘Living apart together’ and influence of the Media, among other things, affect the family and Marriage today. As a way forward, priests were asked to take their time to prepare couples for marriage adequately and journey with them throughout their marriage life. Those who face challenges should receive close pastoral care and counseling.
The congress offered the Congress Fathers the opportunity to listen to talks from Rev. Fr. Atta Danna on the Challenges In Catholic Marriage: Canonical Perspective; Rev. Fr. Gregory Dery on Challenges In Catholic Marriage: Civil Law Perspective and Rev. Fr. Matthias Mornah on ‘Our Call to Holiness in the light of 'Gaudete et Exsulatate’
The Congress came to a successful end on Thursday 10th January, 2019.