Joseph Oliver Bowers
Joseph Oliver Bowers SVD (born March 28, 1910 in Mahaut, Dominica , Lesser Antilles ; † November 5, 2012 in Agomanya , Ghana) was Roman Catholic Bishop of Accra in Ghana and of Saint John's-Basseterre in the Caribbean .
Life
Joseph Oliver Bowers, son of the local sheriff Montague Bowers and his wife Mary, went to the United States to study priesthood after graduating from Dominica Grammar School . He joined the religious order of the Steyler Missionaries in Bay St. Louis , Mississippi , USA . In 1933 he took his first vows . After completing his studies, he was ordained a priest on January 22, 1939 . His mission was the USA, where he worked in pastoral care in the Mississippi area. He served as a missionary in Ghana.
On November 27, 1952 he was by Pope Pius XII. appointed auxiliary bishop in Accra and titular bishop of Cyparissia . Six weeks later he was appointed bishop of Accra . He received his episcopal ordination from Francis Cardinal Spellman on April 22, 1953 in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Co- consecrators were Richard Oliver Gerow , Bishop of Natchez , and Adolph Alexander Noser , Vicar Apostolic of Accra. He was the first black bishop consecrated in the United States. In 1957, together with the Steyler missionary sister Providentia Hein, he founded the order of the Handmaids of the Divine Redeemer (HDR) in Accra , which mainly works for the poor in education and health, as well as a school named after him. He is also the founder of St. John College and Seminary in Koforidua, which has since been renamed Pope John's Senior High School and Minor Seminary , one of the best schools in Ghana.
He was the council father of the Second Vatican Council and attended the first three sessions.
In 1971 he was appointed by Pope Paul VI. appointed first bishop of Saint John's in Antigua and Barbuda . The diocese has been called Saint John's-Basseterre since 1981 .
His resignation was granted in 1981 by John Paul II . He then lived in Nevis, Dominica, and most recently since the 1990s with sisters in the congregation he founded in Agomanya in eastern Ghana.
Honors
- Honor from the Dominica Academy of Arts and Sciences (DAAS) for his leadership and legacy, selflessness and piety (2007)
- Ghana National Award, Jan. 2012
Web links
- Entry on Joseph Oliver Bowers on catholic-hierarchy.org
- Biography of Joseph Oliver Bowers ( Memento from May 26, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bishop Oliver Bowers wrote this to Ghana News Agency on November 6, 2012
- ↑ a b c d Bishop Joseph Oliver Bowers ( Memento from May 14, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) , DAAS, accessed on May 24, 2012 (English)
- ↑ Un Français à la tête du trio des vétérans du Concile , Zenit, October 13, 2012 (French)
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Adolph Alexander Noser |
Bishop of Accra 1953–1971 |
Dominic Kodwo Andoh |
| - |
Bishop of Saint John's 1971-1981 |
Donald James Reece |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Bowers, Joseph Oliver |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Dominican religious, Roman Catholic bishop |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 28, 1910 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Mahaut, Dominica , Lesser Antilles |
| DATE OF DEATH | 5th November 2012 |
| Place of death | Agomanya , Ghana |