The concept of priesthood in Ghana with a particular reference to the Catholic Church

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2013-08-26
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Abstract
The study sought to examine the concept of the Catholic priesthood in the light of its historical development, theology, vocation and challenges associated with it. The study made use of qualitative and quantitative methods of research. It used the descriptive research design in a social survey, with the Catholic Archdiocese of Kumasi as a case study. Non-probability (quota and purposive) sampling technique was used to select Catholic priests from the Archdiocese for interview (via the use of questionnaires). The findings were analysed manually and descriptively. For the Catholic Church, priesthood is a divine call to service through which the individual participates in the priesthood of Jesus Christ through the ministry of the Church in spite of the challenges associated with it. It was also revealed that the evangelical counsels; vow of poverty, obedience and chastity/celibacy were some of the challenges in the priestly ministry. The vow of obedience stood out as the most common challenge to most priests. The study recommends that the Church should continue assisting priests in times of challenges. Parish priests and priests in hierarchical positions should maintain a brotherly relationship with assistant priests.
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A thesis submitted to the Department of Religious Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy,
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