The Annual sports and culture programme of the Catholic Organisation for Social and Religious Advancement (COSRA) has ended at the Catholic University College of Ghana at Fiapre in the Bono Region.
COSRA was founded at the Holy Spirit Cathedral by Monsignor Jonathan Thomas Aryikai Ankrah in 1969 and was formally inaugurated in 1970.
Sports and culture are two of the key pillars of the Catholic Organisation for Social and Religious Advancement.
This year’s programme was under the theme: “Fratelli Tutti Through Sports and Culture.”
The various COSRA groups across the country participated in activities including; Soccer, Volleyball, Table Tennis, Sack Race and Lime and Spoon. The rest include; Eating Competition, Tug of Peace and indoor games made up of ludo, draught, playing cards and oware.
National President of COSRA, Dr. Stephen Nabareseh in an interview with Citi News noted that, “You cannot take Christianity out of sports. In the olden church, sports was one of the things they organised. Sports is one way of preaching the gospel and bringing people together, that is why we have taken sports as one of our national activities.”
He also commended all members of COSRA who have travelled from far and near to take part in this year’s programme.
As part of this year’s programme there was a cultural night where the Kumasi Province performed something on Naming Ceremony, Cape Coast Province displayed something on Marriage Ceremony. The Accra Province on their part performed something on a funeral ceremony, Tamale Province treated the gathering to a traditional dance.
Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, Bishop of Sunyani Catholic Diocese, who spoke at the opening ceremony of the programme commended the group for the successes they have chalked over the years.
He urged them to continue to use their programmes to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The programme was graced by the Sunyani East Municipal Chief Executive, Ansu Kumi and traditional leaders from the Fiapre Traditional Council as well as the Sunyani Traditional Council.