Many Catholics including the Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana, His Excellency Julien Kabore, Priests, Religious and Lay faithful working in Donkorkrom Diocese and beyond have commended the beautiful liturgy of the recent Installation of the First Bishop of Donkorkrom Diocese, in the Eastern Region of Ghana, which took place on August 8, 2026.
The commendation came owing it to the able and indefatigable mentorship of the Very Rev. Fr. Cyprian Kuupol, SVD, a renowned Liturgist.
Fr. Cyprian is the immediate past Provincial Superior of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), Ghana – Liberia Province, who recently handed over to the Very Rev. Fr. Andrews Aboagye Obeng, SVD.
In an interview with the Department of Social Communications (DEPSOCOM) of the Catholic Diocese of Donkorkrom, after the Installation Mass, at the St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Donkorkrom, the SVD Priest maintained that the Catholic Liturgy must be celebrated as it is supposed to be, particularly the Roman Rite.
“We should all endeavour to celebrate the Liturgy as the Church has offered, with our cultural values, properly made use of, so that the mystery is well celebrated for the glorification of God, and the sanctification of people,” he stated.
This, he explained, was why he and the Installation Central Planning Committee had tried to add certain cultural values to give the Installation of the First Bishop of Donkorkrom Diocese, a bit of the Ghanaian colour, and which warranted separating the Mass from other related activities.
The liturgist was however critical about adding too many things to the Liturgy that do not make meaning to the Mystery that is being celebrated.
The SVD liturgist further revealed in the interview that as part of preparations prior to the Installation Ceremony, he, alongside Bishop Asiedu and the Nuncio had sat down to brainstorm on how best they could make the celebration “soul-nourishing, and not just to organise a glamour”.
Their aim was to celebrate “a Mystery, a Thanksgiving, in a simple, fitting manner,” he confessed.
Sharing his experience of the over two weeks of intense preparations towards the Installation of the Most Rev. John Alphonse Asiedu, SVD, in Donkorkrom, and its ensuing outcomes, Fr. Kuupol was particularly impressed about the spirit of collaboration and cooperation that existed between him, the Installation Central Planning Committee and the various groups directly connected with the liturgy.
He had come to Donkorkrom after the Committee had been formed, and it had had two meetings already. Nevertheless, members were willing to relax their already existing structures, to make room for new ideas, modifications, adoptions, and this, for him, made the work even much easier, as they were ready to listen, share ideas and allow discussions to happen.
The liturgist was further fascinated by the speed with which the children of Donkorkrom were able to master and recite the Poems for the Installation so well, within just three days of preparation, and also the students of St. Mary’s Vocational/Technical Senior High School, who were disposed to learn and improve on the cultural presentations within a very short notice.
He was grateful to his confrere, Very Rev. Fr. Bernard Adjei Appiah, SVD Cathedral Administrator, for his cooperation, especially in composing the poems for the children to recite.
He lauded the Mass Servers, who had been deliberately selected from different Parishes within the Diocese, for the ceremony, who had to walk long distances to come to the Cathedral for rehearsals for a number of days, not leaving out the Choristers, Organists, who sacrificed so many evenings for the rehearsals, and eventually put up a wonderful performance on the day of the Installation.
He was further impressed with the Diocesan DEPSOCOM for their cooperation and collaboration with other Media houses that were present for the occasion, in maintaining a smooth execution of their duties within the context of the liturgy.
To him, everyone, was willing and ready to help, including the laity, the Nuncio, the Bishops, Priests, all in a bit to portray a good liturgy.
In his own unique way, the Installation Liturgist was careful to utilize the talents in Donkorkrom, as opposed to hiring people from outside to come and put up a show, which will leave no lasting impact on the inhabitants after all.
He believed it was worthwhile making use of the children of Donkorkrom soil in the cultural presentations and others, even if training them demanded a little more time and energy, as it evidently left a very good mark on the children, with the hope that they will continue living what they celebrated on August 8.
The Priest worked in collaboration with the Donkorkrom Diocesan Liturgist, Rev. Fr. Philip Desmond Gyapong, in promoting this all-inclusive liturgy style.
Fr. Kuupol, who happened to have undergone Religious Formation under Bishop Asiedu (then Fr. Asiedu) and later became his Co-formator, was the same person who had been invited to Donkorkrom to help organise the Liturgy for the Episcopal Ordination of Bishop Asiedu for the then Donkorkrom Apostolic Vicariate in 2019.
He had also heeded the invitation at the prompting of Bishop Gabriel Edoe Kumordji, SVD, then Apostolic Vicar of Donkorkrom; his one-time Formator, and the one who had actually sent him to go and study Liturgy.
He clarified that his coming to Donkorkrom to assist with the Liturgy for the Bishop’s Installation, was not simply occasioned by the fact that the Bishop is a member of the Society of Divine Word (SVD), but because his services were needed, and so he had to put other things aside to respond to the need; after all, he had been trained by the Church for that.
Fr. Kuupol studied Liturgy at the Pontifical Institute of Liturgy, St. Anslem – Rome, where he did the Licence from 2007 – 2010 and Doctorate from 2014 – 2018, after returning to teach Liturgy, Sacraments and Latin at St. Victor’s Major Seminary, Tamale – Ghana, from 2010 – 2014.
The SVD Priest, having worked with, and under the newly installed Bishop Asiedu, and shared life with him, expressed with absolute surety that the Bishop has all it takes to serve the Church of Donkorkrom and its environs, in that capacity.
“I am not surprised,” he said, maintaining that the Bishop “has the ability to do it, in his own style and in a unique way”.
By way of immortalizing the Installation of Bishop Asiedu and honouring the soul of his late brother, who was a great Poet and a good friend of the Bishop, and would have gladly produced a Poem for him, were he to be alive, Fr. Cyprian, who also possesses some Poetic skills, which happens to run in the family lineage, composed a Poem for the Bishop titled “A New Dawn: The Birth of Donkorkrom Diocese” which was inserted on page 42 of the Installation Booklet.
On a lighter note, responding to a question posed by DEPSOCOM whether he would ever like to come and work with Bishop Asiedu in the newly erected Donkorkrom Diocese, the former SVD Superior humbly said “I leave that one to the discernment of my Superiors, with the help of the Holy Spirit”.
By Sr. Sylvie Lum Cho, MSHR (DEPSOCOM, Donkorkrom Diocese)
