The Immediate past Provincial Superior of the Society of Divine Word Missionaries (SVD), Ghana /Leberia Province, has commended the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit (SSpS) congregation in Ghana for their collaboration over the years with the SVDs.
Rev. Fr. Dr. Cyprian Kuupol, made the commendation during the installation of Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Andrew Aboagye Obeng, as the new Provincial Superior of the SVD Province of Ghana/Liberia.
He was successfully installed at the SVD Mac Carty Hill residency in the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra on June 1, 2026.
He would serve as Superior from now to 2029.
Fr. Kuupol lauded the SSpS Sisters who were well represented at the installation of Fr. Obeng for always availing themselves to support the SVDs in every activity, a gesture, he would go a long way to build both groups.
He thanked the Sisters for their support during his tenure and also applauded the SVD lay mission partners for their support and encouraged them to give the same support to the new provincial Superior and his team.
Fr. Obeng takes over the office from the Fr. Kuupol, who successfully ended his two terms from 2020 to May, 31 2026 with his Counsellors Fr. Stephen Dogodzi, Vice Provincial, Bro. Charles Ashun, Admonitor, Fr. Jojo George Monoth, Council Member and Fr. Marek Dabrowski, Council Member.
At the beginning of the installation celebration, the letter of appointment by the Superior General of the Society of the Divine Word, Very Rev. Fr. Anselmo Ribero Ricardo, SVD was read to the hearing of all gathered by Very Rev. Fr. Jojo Monoth, SVD.
After the letter of appointment was read, Fr. Kuupol handed over the guiding tools to Fr. Obeng to accompany him in mission of governance, administration, of coordination and admiration.
The Holy Bible was given to him in the hope that the Divine Word communicates through his leadership, and may the Holy Spirit guide every decision he would make on behalf of the Province.
The SVD constitution was handed over to him in fidelity in their Charism, in their Spirituality and in the missionary mandate. Next was the handbook the Provincial Superior. This book is to assist him in governance, coordinating and animating resources in justice and fraternal charity.
The homilist, the Most Rev. Gabriel Edoe Kumordji, SVD, Bishop of Keta-Akatsi, congratulated Fr. Obeng and his Counsellors for accepting to lead the Province for the next three years.
He lauded Fr. Kuupol and Counsellors for their services to the Province for the past three years and more.
Basing his reflections on the readings of the day taken from 2Peter 1:2-7 and Mark 12:1-12, Bishop Kumordji prayed that Fr. Obeng and his team would receive grace and peace and be multiplied in the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord
Knowledge, to Bishop Kumordji, is the ability to grasp what is good and what is correct, saying that under the mandate of Fr. Obeng, he is not going to depend on his own logic.
According to the Bishop, the new Provincial Superior is expected to depend on the word of God and that is why the Holy Bible was given to him.
He added that, “we are all tenants of the Catholic Church and also tenants of the Society of the Divine Word and the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit,” stating that “In this case, our founder did not travel to another country, but he did everything as a Congregation and handed it to us and what have we done?”
“We saw it and were attracted to it and came and went through vigorous training,” the Bishop intimated, saying that God had given us everything and has made a fence to protect us.
He reminded the SVD fraternity that, the new Provincial Superior would be the one who the Congregation would be sending for some of the fruits of the service of the people who had been given the vineyard of the Lord.
“We are looking for the fruits of a true SVD, evangelization, accountability and representing the Gospel wherever we are,” Bishop Kumordji stated.
In addition, he advised Priests, Religious and the whole Christian community to avoid the use of Artificial Intelligent negatively but learn how to use it wisely which the Holy Father spoke about passionately.
In the message, Fr. Kuupol expressed gratitude to all as he reflected on the remarkable journey of service of six successful years in the moments of faith, trial, sacrifice, growth, bereavement and achievement which strengthened him both physically and spiritually during the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.
He thanked his Counsellors and all his confreres for the confidence in him and his team.
His words of appreciation also go to the SVD Bishops as well as Bishops in the various Dioceses with whom the Society has worked over the years.
Addressing the congregation, Fr. Obeng thanked the Superior General of the SVD for in confidence in him and entrusting him with sacred office to serve the Ghana / Liberia Province for the next three years.
He said that he found himself drown to participant in the SVD renewed vision of responding to a broken world which is in need of compassion.
“Mine is not just to lead the strong but more significantly, but to lift up broken confreres and remind them that they are loved and care for,” he stated, adding, “I come as one who serves and recognizing and respecting the personal dignity of each confrere and keeping in view the goals of the society of the Divine Word.”
According to him, through fraternal discussions and prayer, “We will together seek to discern the will of God in every situation. Thus, in loving one another, we may set up a city in the hilltop”.
He thanked his Counsellors: Fr. Stephen Dogodzi, Vice Provincial, Bro. John Bissue Kobina, Admonitor, Fr. P.C. Alexander Chandy, Council Member and Fr. Bere Blolong Bernardus, Council Member for accepting to work with him in order to obtain the goal of the province.
He also pleaded with the SSpS sisters and the SVD lay partners to collaborate with them in line with our Founders wishes.
By: Sr. Cynthia Addi-Chanagea, SSpS (Catholic Sister Communicators Network, Ghana – CASCON-GH)
