Ghanaian archbishop visiting northeast Iowa

By Jill Kruse
Witness Editorial Assistant

DUBUQUE — The Most Rev. Matthias Kobena Nketsiah, the archbishop of Cape Coast, Ghana, is visiting the Archdiocese of Dubuque July 11-16. He is residing at St. Columbkille Parish in Dubuque during his stay and is expected to help celebrate the Sunday morning Mass there on July 16 at 10 a.m.

During his visit, Archbishop Nketsiah will meet with Archbishop Michael Jackels and with area priests, including those from the Archdiocese of Cape Coast who are currently serving in active ministry in the Archdiocese of Dubuque.

The Archdioceses of Cape Coast and Dubuque maintain a fruitful relationship that dates back to 2012 when a priest from the African archdiocese began serving at St. Thomas Aquinas Church and Catholic Student Center in Ames while pursuing a doctorate degree at nearby Iowa State University. His ministry at the parish led to other African priests coming to serve in northeast Iowa.

There are currently six priests from the Archdiocese of Cape Coast serving in the Archdiocese of Dubuque, as well as an additional priest from another diocese in Ghana and one from Nigeria.

Seventy-five-year-old Archbishop Nketsiah is from the Central Region of Ghana and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Cape Coast in 1970 and holds a Doctorate Degree in Canon Law from the Pontifical Urban University in Rome. He was ordained an auxiliary bishop in 2007, appointed as an apostolic administrator in 2009 and appointed the archbishop of Cape Coast in 2010.

Archbishop Matthias Kobena Nketsiah of the Archdiocese of Cape Coast, Ghana (front row, right), enjoyed lunch with area priests, deacons and parishioners at the Morocco Supper Club in Dubuque on July 12. (Photo by Pat Derby)