Cathedral of the Holy Spirit of Accra
The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, the seat of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Accra, presides over the Catholic life of the capital of Ghana. Built by the Divine Word Missionaries between 1952 and 1957 according to the plans of the Swiss priest Joseph Jud, his 41-meter tower is one of the most recognizable silhouettes of Adabraka. On May 8, 1980, John Paul II celebrated Mass in Accra during his apostolic pilgrimage to Africa, confirming the centrality of this church in Ghanaian Catholicism.
🌹 Wonders and anecdotes
- In 1938 the first Missionaries of the Divine Word (SVD) arrived in Accra, whose presence made possible the foundation of the diocese and the subsequent construction of the cathedral between 1952 and 1957 under the project of Father architect Joseph Jud SVD.
- The first bishop of Accra, Adolph Noser SVD, took canonical possession of the diocese on September 27, 1953 in the cathedral still unroofed, a sign of the faith that he held all the work until its consecration in 1957.
- Joseph Oliver Bowers SVD, second bishop of Accra and born in Dominica, is buried in the cathedral; during his pontificate he founded the diocesan Congregation of the Servants of the Divine Redeemer, the first female religious congregation rooted in the local Church of Ghana.
- On May 8, 1980, John Paul II celebrated the Eucharist in Accra on his apostolic journey to Africa - the first of his numerous pilgrimages to the continent - honoring the Ghanaian Catholic community and affirming the universality of the Church.
- In 1992 John Paul II raised the diocese to the Metropolitan Archdiocese, giving the palate to Dominic Kodwo Andoh, the first Ghanaian to rule the Church of Accra, with the cathedral as the throne of the new headquarters.
- Since 2015 the cathedral has been facing a comprehensive restoration project that renews its structure - 224 feet long, 64 feet wide and 135 feet wide - to preserve it as a mother of the more than 62 parishes and rectories of the archdiocese.
Holy Spirit
The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit of Accra is the mother church of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Accra, which includes the Grand Accra Region and parts of the Volta Region. In 1957, thanks to the commitment of the Divine Word Missionaries, its neo-Gothic forms of Western influence are a milestone of the Adabraka district. Today is presided over by Archbishop John Bonaventure Kwofie, C.S.Sp., enthroned in March 2019, who from this temple guides the spiritual life of thousands of Ghanaian faithful.
"Lady of all grace, intercede for the faithful of Accra so that, under the action of the Holy Spirit, they may grow united in faith and in service to the poorest.
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