History of the Church and how we came to be.
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Ghanaians from most of the other Christian denominations had mobilized themselves to worship together.
Unfortunately there was no Ghanaian Catholic Community anywhere. Mainly because there are so many
parishes all around our neighborhoods that asking people to travel long distances to commune together was
proving to be difficult. Getting together then had to be about more than for Mass only.
There were a lot of Ghanaians who were nostalgic for the liturgy as is celebrated in Africa and wished for a
celebratory atmosphere which felt like home away from home.
In 1994, Mr. Fritz Omane, Mr. Mike Adjei, Mr. Frank Obuor Mensah, among others approached Rev. Fr.
Joseph Anyimadu- Wireko, who was then in residence at Holy Rosary Church, to help us. He willingly
agreed to do so, and thus Fr. Joseph became our first Chaplain.
The dedication of the early members was astounding. This core group called every catholic that they knew.
We started attending the regular 11am Mass. We would then meet after Mass to go through some teachings
and to also learn some of the latest hymns in our vernacular. Considering that some of the members left Ghana
when the Mass was still sung in Latin, this was no easy feat but we persevered. Some of the early members
who would become invaluable included Nana Yaw Acheampong, Bobo, Kwamena Panford, Vida Benn,
Theresa Biney-Amissah,
George Anane, Tony Owusu-Ansah, Naa Opoku, Stella Wilson, Joseph Mensah, Kwame Kuffuor, Rose
Duah, and Alberta Osei, among others.
On Easter Sunday 1995, we celebrated our first Ghanaian Mass at 5pm. It was truly “kra behwe”!!!! We had
some of the Ghanaian Priests visiting us whenever they could. Our membership grew steadily, with members
coming from as far as Brooklyn, Queens and New Jersey. We were able to start a Choir under the direction of
Mr. Joseph Amoh. We also started preparations for our inauguration, set for Sunday September 24th, 1995,
exactly 10 years ago! Archbishop Akwasi Sarpong graciously accepted our invitation to preside over the
celebration. We invited family and friends from far and near, and it was a truly grand occasion.
In June of 1996, we had to leave Holy Rosary Church. Fr. Joseph mounted a frantic search to find us a new
home by the weekend in order not to disband the budding group. Everywhere he turned, Fr. Patrick
Hennessey’s name came up. Thankfully, Fr. Hennessey, of blessed memory, graciously welcomed us into
Christ the King Parish, our home till today! Fr. Hennessey introduced us to Bro. Tyrone Davis, Executive
Director of the Archdiocesan Office of Black Ministry. Bro. Tyrone soon invited the Community to
celebrations at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where we would not only sing but also read the Scripture in Akan, the
first African dialect at the Cathedral! We were sad when Fr. Hennessey was transferred in 2000, but we kept
in touch and were even more saddened when he passed away just over a year ago. With our love and
appreciation, we wish him eternal rest! Our current Pastor, Fr. Fernando Hernandez came after Fr. Hennessy
left in 2000, and we have been together since then.
In April 1998, we were blessed with the dedication of our Choir Robes. What a great day that was. Shortly
afterwards, our growing community was plagued by discord, which resulted in a section of the community
breaking away and making a home at St. Margaret Mary Church, where they have been till today. Thankfully,
even though the situation shook our faith, it did not destroy us, and sad as it may seem that brothers and
sisters cannot serve our Father together, we take consolation in the fact that we are still striving to serve Him,
and only He knows where he will take us.
We are proud to note that we have grown steadily in number. We have been blessed with many new members
receiving the Sacrament of baptism, Holy Eucharist and Holy Matrimony. Sadly though, we have also lost a
few members of our family, but we trust that they are resting peacefully with the Lord and watching over us.
From our humble beginnings have sprung up sister Communities: St. Catherine of Genoa in Brooklyn, NY; St
Mary’s in East Hartford, CT; St. Mary’s, Newark, NJ; St. Peter’s, Worcester, MA and St. Margaret Mary,
Bronx, NY. We have brothers and sisters in Queens, NY, Ohio, and Lowell, MA, who are also getting
organized. We thank God for all of them and pray for His mercy on us all.
Some of our Bishops from Ghana who have visited us include Archbishop Palmer-Buckle of Accra, Bishop
Atuahene of Goaso, Bishop Gyamfi of Sunyani and Archbishop Milingo from Rome. We have also been
blessed this year with pilgrimages to Rome, to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in
Washington, DC, and Pope John Paul II Center, where a video showing our Community at Mass is played for
visitors to the center.
By getting together, we have also been able to get our Youth - many of whom have never been to Ghana-
organized and have exposed them to our rich culture, giving them a firm foundation in the faith. It is our
prayer that they will carry on from where we have begun, taking our Church into the future.
It is our fervent prayer that our Good Lord will continue to bless our family at Christ the King, as well as all
our sister-apostolates, strengthening us, keeping us united, and helping us move forward in numbers, in love
and in spirit - Amen
Unfortunately there was no Ghanaian Catholic Community anywhere. Mainly because there are so many
parishes all around our neighborhoods that asking people to travel long distances to commune together was
proving to be difficult. Getting together then had to be about more than for Mass only.
There were a lot of Ghanaians who were nostalgic for the liturgy as is celebrated in Africa and wished for a
celebratory atmosphere which felt like home away from home.
In 1994, Mr. Fritz Omane, Mr. Mike Adjei, Mr. Frank Obuor Mensah, among others approached Rev. Fr.
Joseph Anyimadu- Wireko, who was then in residence at Holy Rosary Church, to help us. He willingly
agreed to do so, and thus Fr. Joseph became our first Chaplain.
The dedication of the early members was astounding. This core group called every catholic that they knew.
We started attending the regular 11am Mass. We would then meet after Mass to go through some teachings
and to also learn some of the latest hymns in our vernacular. Considering that some of the members left Ghana
when the Mass was still sung in Latin, this was no easy feat but we persevered. Some of the early members
who would become invaluable included Nana Yaw Acheampong, Bobo, Kwamena Panford, Vida Benn,
Theresa Biney-Amissah,
George Anane, Tony Owusu-Ansah, Naa Opoku, Stella Wilson, Joseph Mensah, Kwame Kuffuor, Rose
Duah, and Alberta Osei, among others.
On Easter Sunday 1995, we celebrated our first Ghanaian Mass at 5pm. It was truly “kra behwe”!!!! We had
some of the Ghanaian Priests visiting us whenever they could. Our membership grew steadily, with members
coming from as far as Brooklyn, Queens and New Jersey. We were able to start a Choir under the direction of
Mr. Joseph Amoh. We also started preparations for our inauguration, set for Sunday September 24th, 1995,
exactly 10 years ago! Archbishop Akwasi Sarpong graciously accepted our invitation to preside over the
celebration. We invited family and friends from far and near, and it was a truly grand occasion.
In June of 1996, we had to leave Holy Rosary Church. Fr. Joseph mounted a frantic search to find us a new
home by the weekend in order not to disband the budding group. Everywhere he turned, Fr. Patrick
Hennessey’s name came up. Thankfully, Fr. Hennessey, of blessed memory, graciously welcomed us into
Christ the King Parish, our home till today! Fr. Hennessey introduced us to Bro. Tyrone Davis, Executive
Director of the Archdiocesan Office of Black Ministry. Bro. Tyrone soon invited the Community to
celebrations at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where we would not only sing but also read the Scripture in Akan, the
first African dialect at the Cathedral! We were sad when Fr. Hennessey was transferred in 2000, but we kept
in touch and were even more saddened when he passed away just over a year ago. With our love and
appreciation, we wish him eternal rest! Our current Pastor, Fr. Fernando Hernandez came after Fr. Hennessy
left in 2000, and we have been together since then.
In April 1998, we were blessed with the dedication of our Choir Robes. What a great day that was. Shortly
afterwards, our growing community was plagued by discord, which resulted in a section of the community
breaking away and making a home at St. Margaret Mary Church, where they have been till today. Thankfully,
even though the situation shook our faith, it did not destroy us, and sad as it may seem that brothers and
sisters cannot serve our Father together, we take consolation in the fact that we are still striving to serve Him,
and only He knows where he will take us.
We are proud to note that we have grown steadily in number. We have been blessed with many new members
receiving the Sacrament of baptism, Holy Eucharist and Holy Matrimony. Sadly though, we have also lost a
few members of our family, but we trust that they are resting peacefully with the Lord and watching over us.
From our humble beginnings have sprung up sister Communities: St. Catherine of Genoa in Brooklyn, NY; St
Mary’s in East Hartford, CT; St. Mary’s, Newark, NJ; St. Peter’s, Worcester, MA and St. Margaret Mary,
Bronx, NY. We have brothers and sisters in Queens, NY, Ohio, and Lowell, MA, who are also getting
organized. We thank God for all of them and pray for His mercy on us all.
Some of our Bishops from Ghana who have visited us include Archbishop Palmer-Buckle of Accra, Bishop
Atuahene of Goaso, Bishop Gyamfi of Sunyani and Archbishop Milingo from Rome. We have also been
blessed this year with pilgrimages to Rome, to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in
Washington, DC, and Pope John Paul II Center, where a video showing our Community at Mass is played for
visitors to the center.
By getting together, we have also been able to get our Youth - many of whom have never been to Ghana-
organized and have exposed them to our rich culture, giving them a firm foundation in the faith. It is our
prayer that they will carry on from where we have begun, taking our Church into the future.
It is our fervent prayer that our Good Lord will continue to bless our family at Christ the King, as well as all
our sister-apostolates, strengthening us, keeping us united, and helping us move forward in numbers, in love
and in spirit - Amen
Ghanaian Catholic Community
At Christ The King Church
At Christ The King Church
Sunday Mass at 5PM
| 141 Marcy Place | Bronx, NY 10452 |Tel: 718 538 5546 |