The Society of African Missions (SMA) Ghana Province has recorded a historic milestone with the ordination of four priests in a single ceremony, the first such event since the Province was established in 2019.
The ordination of Rev. Osei-Owusu Barnabas, Rev. Joseph Valentine Amoah, Rev. Justin Kwame Amissah and Rev. Walter Kofi Tottoh took place at the Our Lady Queen of Africa Catholic Church, Oshuiman, Accra, on 25th June, 2026, under the auspices of the Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana, Most Rev. Julien Kaboré.
The four newly ordained are from the Three SMA major Seminaries, Kenya, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire.
Speaking during the ceremony, the SMA Ghana Provincial Superior, Very Rev. Fr. James Owusu-Yeboah, SMA, described the occasion as a landmark achievement for the Province.
“Since the establishment of the SMA Ghana Province in 2019, this is the first time we have witnessed the ordination of four priests at once,” he said.
Fr. Owusu-Yeboah noted that the newly ordained priests also reflect the multicultural character of the Society of African Missions.
“It is a great joy to witness such a multicultural group of candidates, demonstrating the international nature of the Society of African Missions and, by extension, the Ghana Province,” he stated.
He explained that the missionary society transcends cultural, ethnic and linguistic differences in its mission to proclaim the Gospel.
“The Society of African Missions goes beyond cultural boundaries, languages and peoples,” he said.
The Provincial Superior thanked God for the gift of the new priests and expressed appreciation to their families, parish communities and formators for their commitment to nurturing vocations.
On behalf of the newly ordained priests, Rev. Fr. Osei-Owusu Barnabas thanked everyone who had accompanied them throughout their years of discernment and formation.
“As newly ordained priests in the missionary spirit of Melchior de Marion Brésillac, we are challenged to belong entirely to God and entirely to the people to whom we are sent,” he said.
He pledged that he and his colleagues would dedicate themselves to missionary service wherever the Church calls them.
The colourful celebration attracted clergy, religious, family members and faithful from Nigeria, the Republic of Benin, the Ivory Coast, Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire and across the country, who joined in thanksgiving and received the first priestly blessings from the newly ordained priests.
It followed the traditional rites of the Catholic Church, including the presentation of the candidates, the Litany of the Saints, the laying on of hands, the Prayer of Consecration, the anointing of hands and the investiture with the priestly stole and chasuble, signifying their transition from deacons to priests.
The 2026 SMA ordination marks another important step in the growth of the SMA Ghana Province as it continues to prepare missionaries for service in Ghana, Africa and beyond.
By Theresa Kpordzo//Newswatch
