The words ite missa est (the Mass is ended) have been heard countless times by every regular Mass attendant. For many, these words are only a curtain call, signifying the end of the Eucharistic celebration. These words, however, mean more than that. They are a call to action; in that they commission all who participate in the Mass to become what they have celebrated. Ite missa est underscores a crucial point: namely, how we pray and worship are linked to how we live—our desires, emotions, attitudes, beliefs, and actions. This truth notwithstanding, there is often a gap between worship and our daily lives. This gap is understandable, given that worship and action are not necessarily or inevitably contingent upon each other. As Carson et al. have noted, the person who inhabits the “space of worship” must exercise agency in order to carry the “signs of grace” received within the “sacred space” of the Mass across the thresholds of liminality and into the world outside the Mass where they interact and act out what they have (or ought to have) become (106). The questions to ask are: What do congregants bring to worship (experiences)? How do they respond to what is articulated in the liturgical rites (engagements)? How are they able to transition these temporal and spatial boundaries of liminality beyond the Mass when the priest says, ite missa est (expectations)? What would better enable what is meant in the rites to alter their attitudes and actions in the socio-economic and political spaces they inhabit (enablers)?
The affirmations of Don Saliers, Gordon Lathrop and Nathan Mitchell on the link between liturgy and the formation of attitudes and social relations open a way to examine in this blog post how the liturgy can alter attitudes and actions in general, with emphasis on both grand (high-level, systemic) and petty (administrative) corruption in Sub-Saharan Africa. The perception, incidence, and consequences of corruption are particularly an existential threat in Africa due to their far-reaching implications for lives and livelihoods, as well as the transformation of the continent. Ghana is no exception to the general trend of the pervasiveness of corruption in Africa. Even before independence in 1957, there were reported accounts of corruption within the country’s political fabric. Since independence, corruption has been used as a primary justification for the various coups in the country. Following the return to constitutional democratic governance under the Fourth Republic in 1993, corruption has remained endemic in the nation’s fabric. Consequently, political parties have made the pledge to fight corruption a permanent feature of their campaign manifesto pledges. During the 2024 election campaign, the National Democratic Congress, the main opposition party, promised to “launch a ruthless war against corruption.”
A trend analysis of the corruption perception index scorecards over the recent past illustrates the intractable nature of corruption in Ghana. According to the 2025 Afrobarometer survey, three-fourths (74%) of Ghanaians say the level of corruption in the country has increased over the past year. According to the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), the country loses approximately USD 3 billion annually to corruption. This is in a country where nearly 3 million people live in extreme poverty, defined as living on less than USD1.90 per day. Worship, with its “meaning-laden symbols, repeating rituals, sacred texts, shared song, prescribed prayers, re-enacted narratives” (Carson et al., 106), has a way of moving the worshiper away from what is proscribed to what is prescribed; in effect, from the vices of corruption to the virtues that promote the common good.
The insights expressed here are based on interviews with parishioners of the Christ the King Catholic Church in Accra, Ghana. By using the liturgy as a frame for interrogating and understanding the dispositions and practices of individuals who are capable of reflecting, responding to, or even remedying the pervasiveness of corruption – or, otherwise, thwarting efforts made by institutions to fight corruption through the liturgy – we can gain concrete insights on how the liturgy can help to curb corruption and corrupt practices. The interviewees who operate in different professional capacities in the public and private sectors help flesh out the relationship between what is celebrated in the Eucharist and what is lived when it comes to corruption issues. In this post, their first names are used to attribute their views, often using direct quotes to illustrate their points.
The Mass comprises the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Christian tradition refers to these two parts as the tables of the Word and the Eucharist. They are so closely united they form a single act of worship. Each part of the celebration presents a powerful tool for forming the participants. The interviewees’ responses indicate that people are becoming more conscious of their responsibility to make their workplaces an extension of their participation at Mass. This view is reflected in the following response by Ian: “If you have participated fully at Mass and listened especially to the liturgical prayers, when Father says, ‘go the Mass is ended,’ you have to try to become what you have celebrated. Participation at Mass should keep your mind focused on making sure that your integrity is intact in whatever situation you find yourself.”
The penitential rite is a significant point for altering the actions and attitudes of participants at Mass. The silence before the community’s collective confession provides a fruitful mode of formation. Reflecting this conclusion, Sammy noted the importance of the penitential rite in helping people form a different orientation towards corruption: “If you have a conscience and you come to Church, the penitential rite alone should affect your approach to life. When you start focusing on what you have done over the week, you get to see whether you engaged in corruption or corruption-related acts. For example, Nana sent me to buy something for 20 cedis, and I came back and told him it was 25. When you have gone through the penitential rite, you get to know I need to correct myself in my subsequent dealings.” Moses corroborated Sammy’s submission by also stressing that “the act of penance is very necessary and important if we can address corruption effectively.”
Additionally, the readings and the homily present an essential means of forming people to change acts that relate to corruption. Since “the power of the Word resides in its ability to shape the imaginations of those who hear and respond to it” (Morrill, 37), the homily, which follows the proclamation of the Word of God, becomes a significant moment for the preacher “to link the message of a biblical text to a human situation, to an experience which cries out for the light of God’s word” (Evangelii Gaudium, no 154). Interviewee Innocent, in his response to a question on what he expects to hear in a homily, noted that the homilist “must link the spiritual component of homily or reflection with actual contemporary everyday issues that we face in life since the world of the Bible is not the same as our times.” Citing a homily he heard on Vocations Sunday, Philip noted there are two expectations he has of a homily: he has to be spiritually nourished and empowered to go out and take on the world. In his words, “A homily must impact and stir us to be moved to make that change because we as individuals are going to commit that change, so if you are not delivering to impact us to be moved to make that change, there is no hope.” Interviewee Alphonse also mentioned, “We want to see how the homily affects our individual lives not only in the Church but also in the society. I see there is a direct link between what is preached and what is expected to be lived.” These responses corroborate Christian Smith’s argument that the homilist “needs to get perfectly clear upfront regarding what exactly the people who hear it should walk away believing, thinking, knowing, or doing as a result. In what specific way should the listeners be different as a result of hearing the homily?” These questions serve as relevant guides in using the homily to form consciences when it comes to issues of corruption since they provide ways to craft messages that engage the attention of people.
After listening to the Word of God and professing their faith, the community offers intercessions, also known as “Prayers of the faithful.” These prayers have an essential connection with our imagination. Since our prayers must influence our actions, it is necessary to incorporate prayers that address the corruption plaguing society. Philip noted, “If we are deliberate in throwing in aspects of homily points into the prayers of the faithful, they will shape the minds of whoever is participating in the Mass to eschew practices that hurt the country.” The role that the prayers of the faithful can play in addressing corruption means that instead of prayers that run parallel to life, the intentions must reflect the urgent needs and social issues of the day. This would imply consistently mainstreaming the issue of corruption into prayers of the faithful to cultivate dispositions that are averse to the giving and taking of bribes.
Some respondents emphasized the importance of receiving the Eucharist, the fight against corruption, and the need to extol the virtue of integrity. Christian noted, “You cannot come to Communion and go to cheat one another.” Alphonse put it differently, “The high point of the Mass is the Eucharist. In receiving the Eucharist, you become an “alter Christus” – the other Christ. So, you are literally a tabernacle among your people. What does tabernacle mean? Do you go and coerce people or do things that benefit you as an individual? If you believe what you have received, it should influence you.” Benard stated, “Using the same hands that are used to receive Holy Communion to receive bribes or to change the books is a contradiction.”
Participating in the Mass raises the awareness of the congregants to reflect on how the Mass shapes their moral compass. Joshua emphasized, “Participating in Mass reinforces my commitment to integrity. The Mass helps me to align my values and prevents me from doing things that are unethical and incorrect.”
The relationship between participation at Mass, reception of Communion, and confronting corrupt practices while growing in virtue, as espoused above, amplifies Cavanaugh’s notion of making society an extension of the altar. Cavanaugh contends that the Eucharist should be understood as the ongoing action of Christ, which empowers Christians to go out from the altar into the streets and reconcile the world to God. Members of the Body of Christ ought to take what is celebrated on the altar out into the streets and invite others to participate in it. In this way, they embody the social implications of the celebrations by taking the self-giving of Jesus as the paradigm and inspiration for confronting the injustices in society.
Since one of the hallmarks of ritual is its power to shape the visions, commitments, and attitudes of worshippers, the ethical dimension of the Eucharist must be emphasized so that people can become what they celebrate. As Saliers has emphasized, “Participation in the symbolic action requires more than participation in the phenomena of worship; it requires participation as a living community engaged in the struggle to show in life what is implied in the gathering” (Saliers, 224). Eucharistic practices are important not only in countering the dispositions that foster corruption, such as greed and self-serving behaviours, but also in forming alternate ways of acting with integrity. If the alternative imagination and formation that the Eucharist provides are to gain traction, it is imperative for more engagement and formation from the pulpit, during catechetical instruction, and at societal levels. These engagements will gradually result in citizens who model a different mindset that frowns on corruption. When Justice Gbiel Simon Suurebaareh, a nominee to the Supreme of Ghana, was questioned during his vetting on June 17, 2025, on bribes, as part of his answer, he said, “By my Catholic upbringing, it will be against my conscience to accept a bribe for it to influence me in decision making because in am bound by judicial oath to give judgment based on evidence and the application of the law.” The way he (a very devoted Mass attendee at Christ the King Parish) brings together his Catholic faith and professional practice into the public space is a good sign that with sustained formation and catechesis, the liturgy will form an alternative social imagination that can alter attitudes and actions and ensure concrete practices that will help confront corruption outside the Church’s walls. Such practices will include not giving or accepting bribes, carrying out one’s profession ethically, and respecting the dignity of work while shunning grand (high-level, systemic) and petty (administrative) corruption.
