Bella Young
Multimedia Correspondent
Father Sam Owusu, parochial vicar, Mary, Queen of Heaven Parish, Erlanger, celebrated his Silver Jubilee — 25 years in the priesthood, Sept. 15. His celebration was well attended by the priests of the Diocese of Covington, his family, friends and even a king from back home in Ghana. Though Father Owusu has been a priest for 25 years, it took him 15 years and a lot of challenges to make it to the priesthood.
Born in Ghana, Africa, to a large Catholic family, Father Owusu knew from a young age that he wanted to be a priest.
“When I was a kid, it started right from infancy, I was just a small boy. We are born into the Catholic faith; our great grandmothers introduce us to the Catholic faith,” said Father Owusu. “As I grew up, I developed a special interest, going to Mass every Sunday and other weekdays, more especially when I was an altar boy. I was in a mission house with a priest, I was an altar boy. I learned from the priest and that enticed me a lot to be someday like them.”
In Ghana, however, the path to the priesthood is long and difficult, taking 15 total years before becoming ordained. Father Owusu, however, was determined.
“The priests brought the information to those who were willing to enter into the seminary. They have entrance exams, one Saturday we went to the exams and behold, I got admission because I passed. Then it was time for us to get ready for seminary training,” Father Owusu said.
And though he was resolute in his conviction to join the seminary his parents were worried. “It was not until I was ready, when I was about to go, that I told them that this was my plan. I want to go to the seminary and be trained, if possible, to become a priest. They asked me if I could make it because many had attempted but couldn’t succeed. Many went and they failed, and they came back. They were worried if I could make it, if it is my choice, they give me their support,” he said.
With his parent’s support, Father Owusu began “Minor Seminary” which is the equivalent of high school. He attended St. Hubert Seminary in Kumasi for seven years. At the end of each year the seminarians must sit in front of a panel and be asked questions, to ensure that they are ready to move on to the next stage of their formation.
“Every single year you have to appear before a panel at the end of the academic year. You will be with them, and they will give you questions, assessing you. If they have any faults about you, it is there that they make it known to you … When you are in front of the panel, they will be bombarding you with questions. If you are not able to satisfy them, there is another question. During the time you are gone they will cast a lot on you by voting, ‘those who want him to be promoted to the next level show your hand,’” Father Owusu said.
Once Father Owusu completed Minor Seminary he had to complete one year of service to the nation.
“After the seven years we are asked by the Church and the National Government to national service, which is one year. That year is exposure to the world, exposure to people around you, to socialize, to mingle, in school you are not able to, so you are given that freedom and liberty. During that one year I was made a teacher. I was a full-time teacher. I was in elementary,” Father Owusu said.
After the completion of his year of national service he reapplied to attend Major Seminary, which would be another seven years of formation to the priesthood. The curriculum of Major Seminary is broken into three parts. There is one year for the study of spirituality, two years for the study of philosophy and four years for the study of theology.
Major Seminary is the last of many hurdles to becoming a priest, but the greatest of challenges still faced Father Owusu. When it was time to be ordained a deacon, the seminary would send banners to be published at the seminarian’s home parish, and any place they stayed doing mission work. These banners notified people of the seminarians upcoming ordination and invited anyone with grievances against them, or reasons that they should not be made a deacon, to come forward.
“Many people have suffered calamity of that,” said Father Owusu, “because based on the report from those mission churches, from your home parish, from the seminary, it can go against you. Normally, you always have to keep your fingers crossed, praying that you might not fall victim, otherwise it can be a big blow to you. You can become a disgrace to your family, very humiliating, and people look at you in a different eye. You pray that God will always save you out of trouble.”
After being ordained a deacon, Father Owusu was well on his way to being ordained a priest. On July 17, 1999, he was ordained a priest, making him one of only four people from the seminary class of 55 to make it all the way through the 15 years. Once ordained he worked at six different parishes within Kumasi, which is a city in the Ashanti region of Ghana.
In June 2007 he was asked by his Bishop to go serve the West African immigrants in Italy. During his five-year tenure there he was able to establish an additional Catholic church for the immigrant community. While in Italy he had the opportunity to travel to the Island of Malta, Germany, Spain, Sicily and France. While in Spain he attended the 2011 World Youth Day where he and the opportunity to concelebrate Pontifical Mass with Pope Benedict XVI. Upon his return from Italy to Ghana his Bishop asked him if he would consider going to Northern Kentucky.
“And I, like the prophet Isaiah said, ‘Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: whom shall I send and who will go? Then I said here I am Lord, send me,’” Father Owusu said.
Father Owusu’s first assignment in the Diocese of Covington was to St. Joseph Parish, Cold Spring. After leaving St. Joseph Parish he was assigned to St. Timothy Parish, Union, before landing in his current position as Parochial Vicar at Mary, Queen of Heaven, where, he said, he thoroughly enjoys saying Mass and the people of the parish and school.
