Christians must emulate St Augustine’s virtues — Bishop Kobina Louis
The Auxiliary Bishop of the Accra Catholic Archdiocese, Most Rev. John Kobina Louis, has urged Christians to emulate the virtues exemplified by St Augustine of Hippo and remain spiritually prepared for the return of Jesus Christ. He said the life and teachings of St Augustine offered important lessons on Christian discipline, personal conversion, charity, perseverance […]
Bishop Kobina Louis of the Accra Catholic Archdiocese has urged Christians to emulate the virtues of St Augustine of Hippo and remain prepared spiritually for the return of Jesus Christ. The bishop made this call during a Mass to mark the 2026 Feast of St Augustine at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra. He highlighted the life and teachings of St Augustine, touching on Christian discipline, personal conversion, charity, perseverance, and maintaining a strong relationship with God.
The bishop reflected on St Augustine's journey from his secular years and conversion to his priesthood, episcopacy, and contributions to the Catholic Church. He drew lessons from St Augustine's writings in relation to the day's readings from 1 Corinthians 1:17–25 and Matthew 25:1–13, especially the parable of the ten virgins. The bishop explained that the ten virgins symbolized the entire Church, with their virginity representing purity of life and disciplined use of the senses, while the lamp signified good works and the oil represented love and charity.
He cautioned that the failure of the five foolish virgins to prepare adequately served as a warning that even those who identify as Christians can remain spiritually unprepared. The bishop reminded Christians that even those who fall asleep, wise or foolish, should be prepared for Christ's return as death is inevitable. He stressed that aspects of a person's spiritual life, such as holiness, charity, relationship with God, perseverance, and personal conversion, cannot be transferred to another at the point of judgment.
Therefore, Christians must cultivate their own relationship with God and ensure they have their own "oil" to prepare for Christ's return. The commemorative Mass was attended by distinguished alumni of St Augustine's College, including former Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, Ing. Dr Robert Adjaye, Bernard Yaw Atta-Sonno, Engr.
Eric Atta-Sonno, and Robert Oracca-Tetteh. The event was followed by a presentation on the construction of a two-storey, 14-unit staff accommodation facility by APSU ’02, the current host year group for the college's 97th Anniversary and Speech Day project.
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