Knights and Ladies of Marshall conference to begin June 30

The Second Annual Regional Conference of the Accra East Regional Council and Court of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall, a Catholic friendly society, takes place from June 30 to July 1.

The two-day conference on the theme: “The Marshallan - In Search of a Pure Heart and Steadfast Spirit” with the sub-theme, “The Role of the Marshallan in Sustaining National Peace and Development”, will be held at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).

These were contained in a statement jointly signed by Worthy Brother Paul Essel, Accra East Regional Grand Knight and Respected Lady Sister Cecilia Gonzalves-Cosmas, Accra East Regional Noble Lady in Accra, copied to the Ghana News Agency.

The statement said the keynote address would be delivered by the Reverend Monsignor Francis Adoboli, Vicar General of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra, and the Chairperson would be the Most Respected Lady Sister Christine Abavana, Past Noble Advisor (PNA), Past Grand Lady (PGL).

The conference which would bring together members of the Marshallan Fraternity from Accra East Region is aimed at developing the Marshallan as an instrument of peace, especially as Ghana goes into another historic elections on December 7.

“The objective of the conference is to ensure the total development of the human person physically, spiritually and socially, taking into accounts the historical times such as Election 2012,” the statement said.

The Noble Order of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall is a Catholic friendly society founded in 1926 with two primary objectives; to bring Catholic men and women together for effective lay apostolate and Catholic action, and to provide a friendly social forum for Catholics who might otherwise be attracted to non-Catholic lodges.

The Noble Order was named after Sir James Marshall, an English Judge of the then Gold Coast whose relentless efforts led to the re-founding of the Catholic Church in the Gold Coast (Ghana) in 1880 after nearly 250 years of the breakdown of the first attempt at establishment by the Portuguese in the 15th Century.

At present, the Noble Order whose headquarters is in Sekondi has an approximate membership of about 8,000 literate practicing Catholic men and women, spread through 108 Councils and 103 Courts in Ghana, Togo, Benin, Liberia and London.

The Order also has Junior Order wings attached to the adult Councils and Courts.

The fundamental principles of the Noble Order are Unity, Charity, Fraternity and Service.

The Society also pledges unqualified loyalty to the Holy Mother the Catholic Church to support and defend the evangelistic mission of the Church.**