Accra-Ghana, The Society of the Divine Word (SVD) has celebrated 150 years of missionary work worldwide, with the Ghana-Liberia Province highlighting its significant contributions to health, education and social development.
At a thanksgiving Mass in Accra, Provincial Superior Very Rev. Fr. Cyprian Kuupol praised the resilience of missionaries since the congregation’s arrival in the then Gold Coast in 1938.
“By dint of the good seeds sown by the twelve pioneer confreres who rose above numerous uncertainties and challenges to extend the Society of the Divine Word to the then Gold Coast in 1938, our society can now boast of 190 Divine Word missionaries in the Ghana-Liberia Province,” he said.
Across the world, the SVD now numbers 5,754 priests, brothers, novices and scholastics in 79 countries, making it “the largest international missionary congregation in the Catholic Church.”
In Ghana, the Province has spearheaded parish formation in the Afram Plains, Yendi, Techiman, Koforidua and Accra, and continues to drive education and health interventions.
On health, Fr. Kuupol noted: “It is notable that our Orthopaedic Training Centre, which started on a small scale in Adoagyiri-Nsawam, has expanded to Walewale in the Northern region, offering hope to persons with disabilities.”
The Province has also supported vulnerable groups. “Conscious efforts have also been made towards diverse social intervention activities such as care for women accused of witchcraft, street children, people affected by leprosy and its related challenges, widows, orphans, destitutes, among others,” the Superior said.
In education, he announced plans for a new school: “The Province holds the vision of building yet another school at Bortianor Hills in Accra – a project towards which you have all contributed today.”
Fr. Kuupol concluded by urging continued commitment to the SVD mission: “Let us celebrate this significant milestone not just as a reflection of our past but as a springboard for our future.”
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