Divine Word Missionaries in Ghana-Liberia Acclaimed for 150 Years of Zeal, Steady Growth

Accra, 08 September, 2025 / 3:30 PM

The Apostolic Nuncio in Ghana has lauded members of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) for their missionary zeal, steady growth and service to the people of God in Ghana and Liberia over the past 150 years.

In his homily during the Eucharistic Celebration to mark the sesquicentennial anniversary of the SVD Ghana-Liberia Province on September 7, Archbishop Julien Kaboré credited the Society’s growth and missionary impact to the visionary leadership of its founder, St. Arnold Janssen, and recognized the 150-year-old Society as one of the largest missionary Societies in the Catholic Church.

“It is today one of the largest missionary institutes in the Church,” he said at St. Charles Lwanga Abeka Parish of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra, alluding to  the SVD, founded in 1875.

He added, “Over 150 years, the Society has grown steadily, with a distinctive emphasis on multicultural communion, biblical apostolate, justice and peace, social communications, and all this reflects the luminous vision of its holy founder.”

Recalling the words of the late Pope Francis to participants in the SVD General Chapter in June 2024, the Vatican Diplomat said, “The Pope’s message remains timely.”

Archbishop Kaboré encouraged SVD members in Ghana and Liberia to continue embracing the Holy Father's invitation “to always turn to the Verbum Dei, the Word of God, Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, who is the light of the nations (Lumen Gentium) and the face of the Father’s mercy.”

“From Jesus Christ flows the vitality of your mission. Remaining with him, dwelling in his love, and bearing witness to him, this is the source of your authenticity and fruitfulness,” he said, echoing the words of the late Pope Francis, who also highlighted two essential dimensions of missionary life: fidelity and creativity.

He explained, “To be a faithful disciple means to live in fidelity to baptismal grace, to persevere in daily conversion and joy, to let the Gospel illuminate our faces so that others, through our witness, may encounter the love of God.”

“Such fidelity,” he emphasized, “demands both courage and humility, the courage to endure trials and temptations, and the humility to acknowledge our sins while trusting in God’s mercy.”

The Holy Father's representative in Ghana since June 2024 reminded the SVD members in Ghana and Liberia that “missionary creativity does not arise from strategies only, but also from a deep communion with Christ in his Word and in spirit.”

“Missionary creativity is not produced only by mere human ingenuity, but the fruit of abiding in him who is the source of all life,” he said.

He encouraged SVD members to follow the example of their founder, “to discern with docility the promptings of the Spirit, to approach with humility the challenges of our time, and to proclaim with joy the saving Word of God.”

“Be peacemakers in the world scarred by violence, injustice, corruption, ecological wounds. To be bearers of hope in societies marked by uncertainty and fear, expressing the charism of inculturation,” he said, and underscored the importance of approaching “every culture with respect, and openness.”

He further urged the SVD members to embody sincerity in their mission, building communities where attentive listening, open dialogue, and collective discernment under the guidance of the Spirit help form a Church that is hospitable, missionary in nature, and genuinely evangelical.

The 150th anniversary, he said, is a moment “of profound thanksgiving for the countless graces bestowed upon the Society of the Divine Word: missionary zeal, intercultural witness, service of the poor, promotion of justice and peace, and care for our creation.”

“How fitting it is then that we rejoice also with the Church in Ghana, which this year celebrates 75 years of the establishment of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, while at the same time commemorating 75 years of collaborative missionary presence of the Divine Word missionaries in this land. To God be praise and glory,” said the 57-year-old Burkinabe Vatican diplomat.

In his September 7 homily, Archbishop Kaboré entrusted the SVD, the Church in Ghana, and the missionary vocation to Mary’s intercession, saying, “Mary, Mother of the Word made flesh, star of evangelization, dawn of salvation, we entrust to your intercession the Society of the Divine Word.”

“We entrust to your intercession the Church in Ghana and our own vocation to be disciples and missionaries. Accompany us in our journey, protect all missionaries of the Divine Word, and guide us to Christ your Son, our Savior, and our hope,” he implored, and went on to invoke the intercession of the newly canonized St. Carlo Acutis.

He said, “Let us ask him to pray for all of us, especially the Divine Word missionary, whose current mission is also in social communications, that we may always find the ways to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. Amen.