At the request of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the Holy Father has conferred awards on the following people for their contribution to the development of the Church in Ghana.
Sir Henry Paul Nelson, KSG
Prof. George Hagan
Mr. Benedict Assorow
Mrs. Josephine Rosemond Van Lare
Rev. Sr. Ancilla Mary Fox, SSL
The conferment of the awards will take place during Mass at the Holy Spirit Cathedral on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at 9.00 am.
Sir H. P. Nelson: was for a very long time, Financial Adviser to the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference. He was once the Chairman of the National Catholic Laity Council and he served for two terms of three years each in this capacity. In 1983, he was appointed Secretary General of the Pan-African Catholic Laity Co-ordinating Board and in 1985, he was appointed Consultor of the Pontifical Council for the Laity by Pope John Paul II of Blessed Memory. Sir Henry Paul Nelson has been given the award of Knight Commander of St. Gregory the Great.
 |
Mrs. Josephine Rosemond Van Lare was seconded to the National Catholic Secretariat from the Ministry of Health in January, 1979 as National Co-ordinator for promoting and initiating Natural Family Planning and Family Life Education in Ghana.
She introduced the Billings Ovulation Method in Ghana.
In 1991, she was appointed Consultor for Natural Family Planning/Family Life Education by the International Federation on Family Life Promotion.
In 1993, she was appointed Executive Secretary for the Catholic Health Service by the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference. She held this position till 2000 when she retired.
Mrs. Vanlare has been given the award Dame of St. Gregory the Great.
 |
Professor George Panyin Hagan: A member of Commandery No. 351 of the Knights of St. John International, he served as a member of the Search and Planning Committee for the building of St. Paul’s Major Seminary, at Sowutuom. For 10 years, he lectured on “Christianity and Inculturation” at Kenema Pastoral Centre in Sierra Leone.
The Centre brought together Priests, Nuns, and Lay Faithful from all over Africa to study culture and evangelisation.
He contributed to the preparatory document for the Synod of the Accra Diocese and contributed a paper on Catholicism and the Culture of the Central Region to the Synod Conference in Cape Coast.
At one time or the other, he served as a member of the following bodies:
AECAWA Rectors Committee
Catechetical Committee of AECAWA Bishops
Planning Committee on the Catholic University and produced the first draft of the University brochure.
Board of Governors of St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School
St. Augustine’s Secondary School Board of Governors.
Anti-Apartheid Committee (representing the Church) and he served with distinction.
Professor Hagan has been given the award of Knight of St. Gregory the Great.
 |
Mr. Benedict Batabe Assorrow: After serving as Assistant Executive Secretary of the Department of Social Communications of the National Catholic Secretariat from 1981 to July 1983, he was appointed acting Executive Secretary from 1983 to July, 1988 when he was appointed substantive Executive Secretary of the Department in August 1988.
He served in this capacity until December, 2006 when he was appointed Director of Communications at the Secretariat of Symposium of Episcopal Conferences and Madagascar (SECAM). He served variously as Executive Secretary of the Catholic Media Association of Anglophone West Africa (CAMAWA) and Pan-African Episcopal Commission for Social Communications (CEPACS).
He initiated the first sponsored Catholic Television Programme, Catholic Digest in Ghana in 2003. He was appointed Consultor in Communications by Pope Benedict XVI in October 2006. Mr. Assorrow has been given the award of Knight of St. Gregory the Great.
 |
Rev. Sr. Mary Ancilla Fox, SSL: A Sister of the Congregation of St. Louis, Sr. Ancilla was posted to Ghana from Nigeria in 1955 to start a New Foundation in Asankrangwa with Sisters Ide Woulfe and Salome Moran from 1955-1958. In 1958, she was posted to St. Patrick’s Clinic at Maase/Offinso which was founded in 1951.
She developed this Clinic which became a hospital now known as the St. Patrick’s Hospital, Maase-Offinso.
She opened a Nursing Training School which was attached to the hospital.
After pursuing a Nursing Administration Course at the Royal College of Nursing, London, she was posted to the National Catholic Secretariat on her return to set up the Department of Health in 1973.
She headed this department till 1985 when she handed it over to Mrs. Lucy Osei-Kofi, to establish the Catholic Drug Distribution Centre and the Production Pharmacy which she also managed till 1990, when she handed over to Rev. Sr. Bernadette Honny, HHCJ. Sr. Ancilla has been given the award Pro Ecclesia et Pntifice.
Issued: by the National Catholic Secretariat
More News... |
