Two Ghanaian seminarians of the Roman Catholic Church have been ordained deacons in Rome, marking a significant milestone in their journeys toward the priesthood and drawing expressions of pride from the Ghanaian Catholic community.
Ebenezer Addai, of the Diocese of Sunyani, and Bismark Anokye, of the Diocese of Obuasi, were among 19 young men ordained at the ceremony held on 25 April 2026 in Rome, Italy.
The ordination was presided over by Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, the Filipino pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation, one of the most prominent figures in the Roman Catholic Church’s global missionary work. Cardinal Tagle has previously presided over diaconate ordinations at St Peter’s Basilica representing the Church across multiple nations.
In his homily, Cardinal Tagle paid tribute to the communities behind each ordinand, noting that every ordained minister is the fruit of prayer, love, encouragement, and the testimony of the people who shaped him. He specifically acknowledged the role of parents and the home dioceses of the newly ordained, whose support made their paths to ordination possible.
The diaconate is the formal entry point into the clerical state in the Catholic Church, representing the culmination of years of academic and spiritual formation in seminary. Deacons may preach, baptise, witness marriages, and assist at the Eucharist before advancing to priestly ordination.
The ordinations of Addai and Anokye have been warmly received by Ghanaian Catholics both at home and in the diaspora, with many taking to social media to congratulate the new deacons and their families.
