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The lives of Four Ghanaian Bishops celebrating Episcopal silver jubilee today


On May 28, 1995, His Eminence Jozef Cardinal Tomko, ordained 5 priests as Bishops at then Independence Square in Accra.

The Bishops, Archbishop Philip Naameh, Bishop Gabriel Mantey, Bishop Joseph Osei-bonsu, and Bishop Anthony Adanuty today May 28 mark 25 years in their ministry.

Archbishop Thomas Kwaku, the other member of the five ordained has however passed on to glory.

 

Most Rev. Philip Naameh

MOST REV. PHILIP NAAMEH

Most Rev. Naameh was born on September 8, 1948, in Nandom-Ko in the Upper West Region. He had his elementary education from 1957 to 1962. He then continued to St. Charles Minor Seminary and Government Secondary School in Tamale, where he had his Secondary School and Sixth Form Education respectively. In 1971, he entered St. Victor’s Major Seminary in Tamale for his Philosophical and Theological studies. He was matriculated into the University of Ghana, Legon, in 1973, where he later obtained a Diploma in Theology in 1976.

In December 1977, he was ordained as a Catholic priest for the Archdiocese of Tamale. In the same year, after his ordination, he did his Pastoral ministry in the Archdiocese of Tamale at the Cathedral. While in the Archdiocese of Tamale, he was in charge of the Laity council, was the Local Manager for Catholic Schools, and the Diocesan Vocations Director. From 1981 to 1986, he left for Germany for studies and obtained a Ph.D. in Theology from the Westfälische Wilhelms Universität, Germany.

He came back to Ghana in 1986 after his Ph.D. From 1986 to 1995, he was a Lecturer at St. Victor’s Major Seminary. He entered the school of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London in the UK for an MA in African History in 1992.

He was appointed bishop of the then newly created Diocese of Damongo by St. John Paul II in 1995 and was ordained as the first bishop of Damongo on May 28, 1995. He shepherded the Diocese of Damongo from 1995 to 2009.

On 12 February, Bishop Philip Naameh was appointed the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Tamale by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. He was enthroned Archbishop on 25 April 2009.

 

 

Most Rev. Anthony Kwami Adanuty 

 MOST REV. ANTHONY KWAMI ADANUTY

Most Rev. Anthony Kwami Adanuty was born on May 11, 1940, at Kpando to Mr. John Komla Adanuty of Kpando and Mad. Monica Abla Agbezuge of Anfoega. He had his elementary education at Kpando and Anfoega, and proceeded to St. Theresa’s Minor Seminary at Amisano, and then to St. Peter’s Major Seminary, Cape Coast. He was ordained priest on July 31, 1966, at Kpando in the then Keta-Ho Diocese.

Soon after his ordination, he was posted to St. Mary’s Seminary Secondary School at Lolobi as a teacher and taught for one year from 1966 to 1967. During this period he was also the assistant priest of Lolobi Ashambi Catholic Church.
From 1967 to 1968, he was admitted to the Urbanian University of Rome to pursue a licentiate programme in theology. And between 1968 and 1971, he continued his studies at the Pontifical Biblical Institute of Rome as a student in exegesis and obtained a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture.

Until his appointment as Bishop, the then Monsignor Anthony Adanuty worked in the Vatican as an officer in the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (Propaganda Fide). He was responsible for territories of Eastern and Southern Africa, as well as the Islamic section in Mission territories.

He was elected Bishop on December 19, 1994, consecrated Bishop on May 28, 1995, and enthroned as the first Bishop of the new catholic diocese of Keta-Akatsi on June 10, 1995. He was enthroned with a Papal Bull to Educate, to Govern, and to Sanctify in the Diocese of Keta-Akatsi.

The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, over the years, assigned several responsibilities to him. He served in the following capacities: Chairman of the Department of Judicial Matters, Chairman of the Department of Social Communications, Chairman of the Standard Newspapers and Magazines Limited, Chairman of the Department of Socio-Economic Development and the Vice Chairman of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

Upon attaining the natural and canonical age of 75, he became the first  Bishop Emeritus of Keta-Akatsi Diocese in 2016. he now resides in Abor near Akatsi.

 

Most Rev. Joseph  Osei – Bonsu 

MOST REV. JOSEPH  OSEI – BONSU

Most Rev. Joseph Osei-Bonsu was born on 8 February 1948 in Jamasi, Ashanti.  He studied at the St. Teresa’s Minor Seminary at Amisano from 1962 to 1969.  In 1969 he entered the St. Peter’s Regional Seminary, Pedu, Cape Coast, from where he proceeded in 1970 to Ushaw College, a Catholic Major Seminary in Durham, England, to continue his training for the priesthood. While at Ushaw College he obtained a B.A. (Hons) in Theology at the University of Durham in 1974.  On completion of his studies at Ushaw College in 1975, he returned to Ghana and was ordained a priest at the St. Peter’s Cathedral, Kumasi, on 3 August 1975 by the Most Rev. Peter Kwasi Sarpong.

He worked at the St. Mary’s Church, South Suntreso, Kumasi, for one year as an Assistant Parish Priest.  During this time he looked after 49 outstations of the St. Mary’s Parish.  In September 1976 he went for further studies in the United Kingdom.  He obtained a Ph.D. in New Testament Exegesis at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, in December 1980. In April 1981 he was appointed lecturer in the Department for the Study of Religions, University of Ghana, Legon, where he taught New Testament Studies, New Testament Greek, and Early Church History.

From October 1992 to January 1995 he was the Head of the Department for the Study of Religions, University of Ghana.  He also taught New Testament at St. Paul’s Seminary, Sowutuom, Accra, on a part-time basis.  In 1992 he was appointed by the Pope to be a member of the International Theological Commission based in Rome.  He held this post until October 1997.

Pastorally he worked as Chaplain to the Catholic community at the University of Ghana and at Kwabenya from 1981 to 1995.  For over ten years he was the National Chaplain of the International Movement of Catholic Students (Pax Romana), Ghana Federation. Apart from a year’s sabbatical at St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, U.S.A., in 1987-1988, he worked at the University of Ghana from April 1981 till January 1995.

Granted a year’s sabbatical leave by the University of Ghana in January 1995, he went to Rome lecture in New Testament Exegesis at the Pontifical Beda College, a seminary for late vocation students.  While he was at the Pontifical Beda College, he was appointed the first Bishop of the newly-erected Diocese of Konongo-Mampong on 17 March 1995.  He was ordained bishop on 28 May 1995 along with four others in Accra.  He was installed the first bishop of the Konongo-Mampong Diocese on 11 June 1995.
He is the Chairman of the Board of the Trustees of the Otumfuo Education Fund, Kumasi, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Catholic University College of Ghana at Fiapre, near Sunyani, and a former member of the Ghana Education Service Council of the Ministry of Education.

From 1992 to 1997 he was a member of the International Theological Commission based in Rome and at that time under the presidency of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI.  He is currently a member of the Methodist-Catholic Dialogue Commission which comes under the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in Rome.  He is the Chairman of the Ghana Association of Biblical Exegetes (GABES). Currently, he is the president of Ghana Bishop’s conference (G.B.C)

Most Rev. Gabriel Akwasi Ababio Mantey 

MOST REV. GABRIEL AKWASI ABABIO MANTEY

Most Rev. Gabriel Akwasi Ababio Mante has been the bishop of the Jasikan Diocese since its inception. He was born  27th July 1947 in Nkonya Ahenkro where he had his elementary and GCE O & A level before proceeding to the Major seminary for his formative years. He was ordained a priest on the 2nd July, 1977in Nkonya where he began his pastoral years. He furthered his studies in Theology in Rome and was later consecrated as a bishop on 28th May 1995.

 

 

 

 

ARCHBISHOP THOMAS KWAKU MENSAH,

Archbishop Thomas Kwaku Mensah (2 February 1935 – 10 April 2016) was the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kumasi, Ghana. Ordained to the priesthood on 3 June 1973. He was consecrated bishop on 28 May 1995, enthroned Archbishop on 26 March 2008 and retired on 15 May 2012 due to his age and health condition. He passed unto glory Sunday 10th of April, 2016.

 

Source: Radio Angelus

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