Thirty- four years in Priesthood is no mean achievement as Fr. Bonaventure Kwegyir Kweku Quaidoo, a priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra marked this milestone yesterday May 12 at the St. Monica Catholic Church at Fanmilk Ablekuma in Accra.
Ordained a Catholic Priest on May 12, 1990 in Tamale by the Servant of God Peter Porekuu Cardinal Dery, Archbishop Emeritus of Tamale, Fr. Quaidoo is currently the Rector of the St. Monica Rectorate, where he celebrated the anniversary yesterday.
As he marked 34 years in priesthood yesterday, he is living a life dedicated to serving God and humanity. He was born and raised in Accra, and he is the second male child of his parents. His educational journey began at the Christ the King International School and University Primary School in Accra from 1961 to 1966. He then attended St. Augustine’s College, Cape Coast, for his fifth and sixth forms.
Mr. Patrick Kwame Kusi (P.K.K.) Quaidoo an APSUNian, was a renowned Ghanaian, former politician and Minister of State in the first Republic, was the father of Fr. Bonaventure.
Fr. Bonaventure’s passion for music led him to pursue a preliminary course in music at the University of Ghana’s School of Performing Arts. He further honed his skills by taking advanced exams and earning a higher certificate in violin playing. He even played with the National Symphony Orchestra as a violinist for a year before joining the Franciscan Friars.
Despite being told he wasn’t academically inclined for the priesthood, Fr. Bonaventure persevered and began his Novitiate training from 1978 to 1979. He then entered St. Peter’s Regional Seminary, Pedu, in September 1978. Later, he became a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Tamale during the time of Peter Cardinal Dery.
Fr. Bonaventure’s path to the Accra Archdiocese was influenced by his mother’s desire to have him closer to her, as all his siblings were living outside the country. The Most Rev. Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, then Archbishop of Accra granted her wish, and Fr. Bonaventure returned to Accra.
As a priest, Fr. Bonaventure sees his primary responsibility as helping people encounter Jesus. He believes in assisting parents in their parental roles without neglecting them and works to bring families together through social visits and praying the Rosary.
Throughout his 34 years as a Roman Catholic Priest, Fr. Bonaventure has served in three Dioceses: Tamale, Damongo, and Accra. He has also composed Masses in different dialects to make the liturgy more enjoyable for diverse cultures.
Fr. Bonaventure draws inspiration from nature and hopes on his retirement, he would dedicate his life to music and prayer. He wishes to leave a legacy of good deeds and hopes that his life has impacted others positively.
To young individuals seeking to deepen their faith, Fr. Bonaventure, in an interview at the Centre of Spiritual Renewal where 20 Religious Women Communicators are having a media training, advised them to focus on God rather than material wealth. He encouraged the Church to engage with the youth, understand their problems, and empower them to take responsibilities within the Church.
He joined the Sisters during one of their training sessions on May 8 and he was marveled and appreciated the efforts of the Sisters. He commended the initiative, hoping it will also combine music and art to spread God’s word creatively.
As Catholic Priest in Ghana’s Accra Archdiocese, he is known to be very vociferous on issues of national concern. In 2020, he was reported to have expressed concern over rising cases of indiscipline and lack of respect for elders and family values, a situation he says calls for total change of heart of the people of God in the West African country who he says go to churches and mosques in large numbers.
“Sixty to seventy percent of Ghanaian Muslims go to Mosques on Fridays, Adventists go to Church on Saturdays and Christians on Sundays. How come they commit the very atrocities that are contrary to the Bible or Quran?” Fr. Bonaventure Quaidoo, Parish Priest of St. Stephen Catholic Church at Darkuman, Accra asked as reported by aciafrica.org on Sunday, September 20.
In a homily during a send-off Mass upon his transfer from St. Stephen’s Parish at Darkuman to St. Monica at Fan Milk, he lamented that “the canker of corruption, an act of indiscipline, is almost everywhere in the Church and political sphere and lack of concern by those in leadership positions.”
“We must go back to the basic set of society which is the family and teach children how to live by the Gospel values,” he said.
By Sr. Francisca Yaa Konadu Yiadom//Newswatcgh.com
