The National Executive Committee of the Association of Catholic Teachers (ACT)- Ghana, has declared a week-long prayer session for the speedy recovery of Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, Episcopal Chairman for Education and National Spiritual Director of the Association following the announcement of his illness recently.
“August 16 to 23, 2020 has been declared as a prayer week for the speedy recovery of Most. Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, Episcopal Chairman of Education, ACT Patron and Archbishop of Accra Catholic Archdiocese,” the Association said in a statement at the end of its recent virtual meeting.
The week-long Prayer Session sanctioned by the National Executive Committee of the Association will include Rosary and Divine Mercy Prayers for the Archbishop who is responding positively to treatment.
The public was first informed about the health of the Archbishop through a statement issued by the office of the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Accra, Very Rev. Fr. John Kobina Louis.
The message in the statement informed the faithful that “Our dear Archbishop, Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie fell ill a few days ago. He is however responding to treatment well.”
“Let us all pray fervently and offer Masses for his speedy and full recovery,” said a message read during Saturday Anticipatory and Sunday Masses in all Parishes in the Archdiocese on Sunday, July 26, 2020.
The message read in Parishes and their numerous outstations, therefore, stated that the Archbishop “needs a lot of rest to aid his recovery, so no visits to him are allowed now.”
The message however directed that the faithful who want to send messages of speedy recovery to the Archbishop should do so through Parish Priests or Priests in charge and “such messages will be delivered to him by his Secretary or his Vicar General.”
Mr. Williams Boakye-Baafi, the National Coordinator of the ACT told Newswatchgh.com in an interview that the prayer session has been categorized into two with prayer topics focusing on good health, strength and speedy recovery as well as the God’s blessings.
He said in order to achieve this, “the Association has urged all its members in the country to embark on private rosary prayers once each day and also pray the Divine Mercy prayer preferably at 3pm each day during the prayer week.
“The Association will also have nationwide virtual prayer session on Sunday, August 23, 2020 to end the week-long prayer session for the Speedy Recovery of the Archbishop, he told Newswatchgh.com.
According to the National Coordinator, “Members will also pray for the team of medical professionals taking care of him for God to give them the wisdom and the spirit of dedication to take good care of him.”
He said since Archbishop Kwofie is the national patron and Spiritual Director ACT per its Constitution, “The Association has urged all it branches in the country to request Mass intention for the Speedy Recovery and also to thank God for the life of the National Spiritual Director of the Association on Sunday, August 16 and Sunday, August 23, 2020 respectively, he noted.
Adding, Mr. Boakye-Baafi said “He (Archbishop Kwofie) is a father to us all and has been playing his role at the Spiritual Director of the Association and he has the Association at heart.”
“We are aware that he is responding to treatment and we hope and pray that God will hear our prayers and heal him for us,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, groups, societies and individuals have also instituted prayers of healing for the Archbishop, with the launching of a prayer programme dubbed “Call to Effective and Intensive Prayer and Fasting for Archbishop Kwofie.”
The prayer is aimed at bringing Catholics together to pray for speedy and miraculous healing of the Accra Prelate who doubles as the Apostolic Administrator of the Sekondi-Takoradi Diocese.
Part of the prayer for good health for the Archbishop Kwofie reads:, “Omnipotent and eternal God, the healer of all our infirmities and the everlasting Salvation of all who believe in Thee, hear our fervent prayer for Thy Servant, Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, for whom we plead the aid of Thy pitying mercy, that, with his bodily health restored, he may accomplish the task entrusted to him by Thy divine grace, and give thanks to Thee in Thy Church.”