Missionary of Africa Appointed Bishop for Ghana’s Wa Diocese

CANAA || By Damian Avevor, Ghana || 18 February 2016

Pope Francis has appointed Father Richard Kuuia Baawobr, a member of the religious congregation of the Missionaries of Africa as the new Bishop of Wa in Ghana, to take over from Bishop Paul Bemile, who has retired after attaining the canonical age of 75.

The appointment was announced February 17, in a Press Release by the Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana, Archbishop Jean-Marie Speich.

The bishop-elect was born on June 21, 1959 in Tom-Zendagangn, Ko in the Nandon District of the Wa Diocese. He had his Primary education at Tom-Zendagangn from 1965 to 1972 and continued at the St. Francis Xavier Minor Seminary at Wa from 1971 to 1977. He had his Secondary Education at the Nandom Secondary School.

In 1979, he went to the St. Victor’s Major Seminary at Tamale as a Diocesan Seminarian. Feeling God’s call to be a Missionary, he joined the Missionaries of Africa, popularly known as White Fathers in 1981 after his Philosophical Studies.

He had his Novitiate at Freibourg, Switzerland from 1981 to 1982 and studied Theology at the Missionary Institute in London from 1982 to 1987.

The bishop-elect took his Missionary Oath on December 5, 1986 at St. Edward College, London, UK and was ordained to the priesthood at Ko on July 18, 1987.

He studied Biblical Exegesis from 1991 to 1996 at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome where he obtained a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture and Doctorate Degree in Theology with specialization in Biblical Theology.

He also trained in Ignatian Spirituality at Le Chateland in Lyon, France.

As a Religious, his appointments include: Assistant Parish Priest at Kinshasa, DR Congo from 1987 to 1991; Formator of the Missionaries of Africa in Kahangala, Tanzania from 1995 to 1999; Director of the Formation House of the Missionaries of Africa in Tolouse, France from 1999 to 2004.

He was the First Assistant General of the Missionaries of Africa from 2004 to 2010 and elected Superior General of the Society from 2010 to date and assumed the mantel of Chancellor of the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies (PISAI).

He has published commentaries on the Sunday Gospels (Years A B C) and on the Second Reading of Sundays for Christian Communities (Years A B C) and Guidelines for Facilitators for Bible Study and Sharing Groups.

He has also published articles in other scientific journals. Since 2004, he has been serving on the General Council of the Missionaries of Africa, first of all as Vicar General and since 2010 as Superior General.