Accra Gets New Archbishop

Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie has been named new Metropolitan Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra.

The new Accra Archbishop until his current appointment, was Catholic Bishop of Sekondi-Takoradi Diocese.
His Holiness, Pope Francis announced these appointments at the Vatican and same has been simultaneously released by the Catholic Secretariat at a conference held in Accra, Today.

Most Rev. Kwofie replaces Most Rev. Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle who has been transferred to the Central Region as the new Metropolitan Archbishop of Cape Coast after the retirement of His Grace, Archbishop Matthias Nketsiah.

The New Accra Bishop

Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie was born on the 26th of April 1958 and is a native of Apowa in the Sekondi Takoradi diocese.

He attended the St. Theresa’s Minor Seminary, Amisano and also attended the Spiritan Postulancy St. John XXIII Seminary, at Ebolowa in Cameroon.

The clergyman received his bachelor’s degree in theology from Paul’s College-Seminary in Liberia/ Urbaniana University in Rome and continued his studies in pastoral leadership formation at Lumko Institute, South Africa. He earned his S.S.L. from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome.

Additionally, he holds a certificate from the Ghana Institute of Management and Professional Studies in Accra.
He was ordained a Priest of the Holy Catholic church on the 23rd of July 1988 after his priestly training.

Most Rev. John Bonaventure belong to the Congregation of Holy Spirit (CSSP), a Catholic religious mission group, he twice served as Provincial Superior of the Congregation for West Africa, between 1995 and 2001.
He was also the first assistant to the Superior General of the congregation until 2012.

He was elected Co-ordinator of the Continental Conference of Major Religious Superiors in Africa from 2003 to 2005.

Kwofie’s experience is rooted in his roles as an academic, a pastor and a leader in his congregation.
Most Rev. Kwofie has served in various capacities as assistant priest and lecturer at the Pontifical Bible Institute in Rome.

Since his Licentiate in Sacred Scriptures in 1995, Most Rev. Kwofie has spent most of his time in the ministry of leadership in the Spiritan Congregation, either at the provincial level or at the congregational level.

His pastoral work has touched parishes in Bohyen Bamtama, the Archdiocese of Kumasi and the Archdiocese of Accra, the capital city of Ghana.

Additionally, he has done pastoral and missionary work in The Gambia.

Between 1996 and 2003, he taught at the Spiritan International School of Theology (SIST) in Nigeria, an affiliate institute of Duquesne University, lecturing on Biblical Theology to MA students.

Kwofie has served in a variety of leadership roles with the Spiritan Congregation, which is the order that founded and operates Duquesne.