The Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, CSSp, Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, during the climax of the 25th Anniversary of Council 74 and Court 67 of the Noble Order of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall, has urged for more collaboration with the Knights of St. John International (KSJI)
In his homily during the anniversary Mass on November 30, 2025, at the Holy Spirit Cathedral, Archbishop Kwofie revealed he had been personally invited by the Marshallans some years ago, adding that he couldn’t refuse to be part of the milestone event.
He also congratulated them, saying, “I congratulate you for getting this day and working towards it.”
Archbishop Kwofie used the celebration to call for a revival of the traditional guard of honour between the Knights of Marshall and KSJI.
He said, “There is something I want to see you do more and more with the KSJI. That will show the bonding, the cohesion between the Marshallans and the KSJI. It seems you have given up on staging the guard of honour.”
The Archbishop also paid tribute to Sir James Marshall, the 19th-century British magistrate after whom the Knights are named, and to the SMA Fathers and OLA Sisters who played a role in promoting the Catholic faith and girl-child education in the God Coast.
“A priest who came and is lost in the pages of the history of early Christianity was Fr. Gommenginger, a Holy Ghost Father from Alsace who wrote a similar report. Whether he came before Sir Marshall or Sir Marshall came before him is yet to be known”, he stated.
He also mentioned, “So came the SMA Fathers and started evangelization work in earnest. School apostolate and evangelization went hand in hand. Interest in the education of the girl-child made the SMA priests invite the OLA Sisters in 1883, and they started a girls’ school later.
He therefore called on all Marshallans to “give thanks to Sir William Marshall for being instrumental in the evangelizing mission of the Gold Coast.”
Delivering his reflection, Archbishop Kwofie also urged them to listen to St. Paul’s call in Romans 13:11, which highlighted the need to be spiritually awake.
He said, “Sometimes we act as if we are spiritually dead. God, in fact, is distant from us. The Bible is telling us, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you”.
By: Veronica Sena Amenya//Newswatchgh.com
