Members of Knight of St John International in a group photograph
The Academic Dean of the Catholic Institute of Business and Technology, Rev. Fr. John Kobina Louis, has said Knight of St John International (KSJI) is the beacon of hope for the Catholic Church in West Africa.
Therefore, members of the noble order of KSJI should avoid acts that would destroy the image of the Catholic Church and live life to become a source of inspiration for others to emulate because KSJI is a source of encouragement for the realization of the Church’s mission.
Rev. Fr. John Kobina Louis was speaking in Accra on the theme: “KSJI, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, a Beacon of Hope for the Catholic Church” at the Seventh Biennial West Africa Summit of the Knights of St John International and Ladies’ Auxiliary.
The four-day Summit brought together leaders of the group in the sub-region such as Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
Rev. Fr. Kobina Louis indicated that KSJI of today should constantly keep in mind as well as strive to achieve the mission of Catholic Church in West Africa, so that it will become a true beacon of hope.
He explained that the mission of the Catholic Church in West Africa is the same as the mission that Jesus Christ entrusted to the apostles and the early disciples as stated in Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age”.
He noted that the apostles after they had received the commission from Jesus Christ, needed to be empowered to fulfil the mission of the Lord and in Acts 1:8-9, the Jesus Christ pointed out to them that “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”.
Rev. Fr. Louis, further charged the leadership of KSJI to design and diligently implement comprehensive and systematic programmes for the enhancement of spiritual, moral and social formations of their members.
“For the group to grow in quality and quantity, there should be programmes to help develop the private prayer lives of members, re-assess the content of its programmes to impact positively on the spirituality of members,” he said.
Rev. Fr. Louis also called for a diocesan policy that facilitated job training and employment and at the same time ensure discipline and good performance by employees and good remuneration by employers among Catholics.
He then urged the leadership to design and implement strategies aimed at evangelizing non-Catholics to attract some of the would-be converts into the KSJI.
