Meet the recently ordained auxiliary bishops of the Catholic Church's Accra Diocese.

Two auxiliary bishops are now serving the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra.

The Most Rev. John Kobina Louis, Titular Bishop of Fessei, and the Most Rev. Anthony Narh Asare, Titular Bishop of Castellum in Numidia, both Catholic priests, received their episcopal ordination yesterday in the Holy Spirit Cathedral in a solemn but colorful rite.

For the Catholic Church in Ghana, the simultaneous appointment of two auxiliary bishops for a single diocese is a first of its sort.

Following a request to Rome for assistance in the administration of the archdiocese made by the Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, they were appointed as auxiliary bishops.

Additional Bishops

The bishop has the highest status among the diocesan episcopal authorities in the Catholic Church, followed by a coadjutor, any auxiliary bishop, and finally, emeriti bishops.

Since auxiliaries are appointed at the Diocesan Bishop's request, their functions may vary from diocese to diocese and from one Diocesan Bishop to another. However, in general, auxiliaries may help with confirmations, baptisms, ordinations, special masses, or even with the regional administration of a particular area of the diocese. They are obligated to carry out their responsibilities with care, in agreement and fellowship with the Diocesan Bishop.

In order to ensure pastoral effectiveness and fill a variety of positions within the archdiocesan curia, the archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra may ask the newly elected auxiliary bishops to serve as moderators with pastoral responsibility of some chosen deaneries of the archdiocese.

Ordination

The ordination service was presided over by the Most Rev. Henryk M. Jagodzinski, Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana, who served as the principal consecrator. The Most Rev. Kwofie and the Most Rev. Mathew Gyamfi, Bishop of Sunyani and President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference (GCBC), served as the principal co-consecrators.

The Most Rev. Jagodzinski performed the anointing on the heads of the two auxiliary bishops in accordance with the church's rite of ordination. He also gave them the book of the gospels and performed the ring and mitre and pastoral staff investitures, which serve as symbols of their pastoral office and fidelity, respectively.

The senior ordinating bishop and all the other bishops gave the two auxiliary bishops brotherly kisses as well.

Catholics from all over the nation and from other sister African nations, as well as the families and friends of the two auxiliary bishops, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament Andrew Asiamah Amoako, Chief of Defence Staff Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, other government officials, and some members of the diplomatic community, attended the lovely ceremony.

Homily

The Metropolitan Archbishop of Kumasi, the Most Reverend Gabriel Justice Yaw Anokye, urged the two auxiliary bishops to remember that their archbishop must increase while they decrease, emphasizing that this meant they must uphold the truth, which is Jesus Christ, in an eight-point homily advice.

"The crimson of your episcopal robes denotes your willingness to stand up for the truth—Jesus Christ—at all costs, even to the point of spilling blood.

Therefore, always stand up for the truth alongside your bishop. Never allow any inconsistency between the three of you.Only one bishop and two auxiliary bishops are present.

"My brother Louis, there is nothing else for you to do but to live like John. Cardinal Tony, you are Anthony, the Franciscan friar, theologian, and pastor who fought for the truth until his death in Padua, Italy, Paris, Portugal, and Lisbon, Portugal. Your name and calling are that. The Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana exhorted, "You must stand up for the truth.

He additionally urged them to keep in mind that, in their capacity as auxiliary bishops, the archdiocesan bishop's strategic planning initiatives rather than their own acted as the archdiocese's compass.

According to observations made by anatomists, Most Rev. Anokye stated that the body's most critical organs—the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and pancreas—did not produce any noise while performing their functions without fanfare or pumps.

He instructed the two to steer clear of anything that was nice, inexpensive, or attractive.

Positive Messages

The Most Rev. Kwofie named both of them as vicar generals in his address and urged churchgoers to pray for them and assist them in their mission.

The Most Reverend Jagodzinski congratulated them and prayed that God would guide them in being excellent stewards of His flock.

The Most Rev. Gyamfi read the message from the GCBC, welcoming the two auxiliary Bishops to the conference and expressing the hope that they would contribute their diverse backgrounds and experiences to the conference's work.

"There is no doubt that our brother Archbishop Kwofie, who has not had the best of health in almost three years, has felt greatly relieved by your appointment and ordination today. We also think that your new position as auxiliary bishops will ease the pastoral obligations placed on our brother, Archbishop Kwofie, in the Accra archdiocese," he added.

Most The fifth of Rev. Asare's eight siblings. In September 1988, he started his seminary training at the Sowutuom Philosophy Campus. He entered St. Peter's Seminary in Pedu, Cape Coast, in 1991, and on July 22, 1995, Archbishop Dominic Kodwo Andoh consecrated him as a priest for the Clergy of Accra at the St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Tema Community 8.

On the other hand, Most Rev. Louis was baptized in 1965 at the Holy Spirit Cathedral by the late Very Rev. Fr. Charles Schneider. He was born in Accra in 1964. In September 1986, he was accepted at the St. Peter's Seminary in Pedu, Cape Coast. In 1991, the then-Rt Rev. Dominic Andoh consecrated him as a deacon at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Mataheko.