Archbishop Emeritus Akwasi Sarpong To Visit Worcester

By Paul Awortwi-Mensah

The Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kumasi, His Excellency Peter Akwasi Sarpong will pay a two-day visit to the Worcester Community in Massachusetts from Saturday October 12, 2013 to Sunday, October 13, 2013.

Archbishop Sarpong, who is on a private visit to the USA will arrive in Worcester on Saturday, October 12, 2013 at 6:00pm whereby he will meet the Ghanaian Community at the Parish Hall of the St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church at 570 Lincoln Street for a welcome and an open forum where he will answer questions on religious, cultural and social developments in Ghana.

Archbishop Emeritus Sarpong will officiate at a Mass with the Ghanaian Catholic Community in Worcester and its environs at the St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church at 570 Lincoln Street on Sunday, October 13, 2013 at 2:00pm.

This is the first visit of Archbishop Emeritus Sarpong to the Worcester Community and the second by any Archbishop or Bishop from Ghana to the City.

In August 2009, Archbishop Emeritus Thomas Kweku Mensah, who was then the Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kumasi paid a six-day visit to the Ghanaian Community in Worcester.

Archbishop Emeritus Peter Akwasi Sarpong was born at Maase-Offinso in the Ashanti Region of Ghana on February 26, 1933. He was ordained priest on December 11, 1959 and ordained a Bishop on March 08, 1970. By dint of hard work, he was elevated and appointed Archbishop on July 14, 2002. He retired on March 26, 2008.

Archbishop Emeritus Sarpong completed his Masters of Theology at the University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome and then Master of Letters in Social Anthropology at the University of Oxford in 1964 and went back home to serve his church and his Motherland.

Having served as the Chaplain of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and as the Assistant Parish Priest at St. Peter’s Cathedral, he was appointed Rector of St. Peter’s Mayor Seminary the and was the first African to become a Rector of a Major Seminary in Ghana.

Philosophically, he became Bishop at a time where anything that came from the Missionaries were perceived as good but anything African (including the cultural practices such as dancing, drumming, festival celebrations etc.) were totally and shamefully condemned by Christianity.

He was originally a liberal theologian, but adopted conservative views on issues bothering on culture and religion. His prolific writings including over thousand articles and over 20 books defend traditional Catholic doctrine and values in the light of Ashanti traditions and customs. This feat has given him a mark as a religious figure that is equal to none and who needs to be quoted but not to quote anyone when it comes to culture and religion.

Besides inculturation, Archbishop Emeritus Akwasi Sarpong distinguished himself as a highly regarded theologian, respected for his ideas and prestigious for his character on issues bothering on culture, religion peace and justice.

For this reason, he has travelled extensively on all the six continents and has lectured widely on various topics, notably, African Theology, African Sociology, Justice and Peace. He is internationally known for his strong stand for justice, peace and truth and for his challenging ideas about Africanising the liturgy of the Catholic Church.

Several of Archbishop Emeritus Sarpong’s students and friends from his academic career are also prominent churchmen today and confidantes of him, notably President John Agyekum Kufour, the former President of Ghana, Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson and many more.

Archbishop Emeritus Sarpong is very well known for his ecumenical and inter-religious endeavors and overtures.