Eleven SVD Novices profess first vows at Nkwatia

Nkwatia, Ghana – Joy filled the chapel of St. Peter’s Senior High School in Nkwatia on Monday, July 7, 2025, as eleven young men from eight African countries professed their first vows in the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), committing themselves to a life of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the missionary congregation.

The newly professed include Enning Albert (Ghana), Nzzangi Muuo Alex (Kenya), Busa Divin-Rocher (DR Congo), Lorabe Vila Mathurin (Chad), Shija M. Emanuel (Tanzania), Kiakpam K. Aime (Togo), Mbaihamne Jean-Chrysostome (Chad), Rakotoniaina S. David (Madagascar), Aduse-Poku Samuel (Ghana), Attengue Marc-Elliot (Togo), and Abongi Richard (DR Congo).

The event marked a milestone in their formation journey, following three years of philosophical studies and a year of intensive novitiate focused on understanding the SVD’s spirituality, charism, and mission.

In his homily, Provincial Superior of the SVD Ghana-Liberia Province, Very Rev. Fr. Cyprain Kuupol reminded the young men of the seriousness of their commitment. “You are deciding to live a life that is not common with all of us… You bear the marks of Jesus,” he said.

He challenged them to live visibly transformed lives: “Let the newness not just be interior, but let the outside world also see it.”

The vows were received during a solemn liturgy attended by family members, confreres, and well-wishers. Fr. Kuupol reminded parents and relatives that their sons now belong to the Society and to the Church.