“Where Is God?”: Priests and Religious Reflect on Spiritual Dryness at the 2026 Canonical Retreat of the Priests of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra

From Sunday, 14th to Friday, 19th June 2026, the priests of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra gathered at St. Paul’s Catholic Seminary, Sowutuom, for their annual Canonical Retreat. The gathering was not only to fulfil the canonical requirement of making an annual retreat but also to provide the priests with the opportunity to withdraw from their daily pastoral responsibilities and spend quality time with the Lord.

This year’s retreat was facilitated by Very Rev. Fr. Michael Boakye Yeboah, Acting Rector of St. Gregory the Great Provincial Major Seminary, Parkoso. On the first day of the retreat, the retreat master and the priests were welcomed by Rev. Fr. Henry Ahorlu, President of the Accra Archdiocesan Priests Association (AAPA). In his welcome address, he encouraged the priests to participate fully, actively, and consciously in the retreat experience.

Introducing the theme of the retreat, the retreat master drew inspiration from his book entitled Where Is God? As Priests and Religious Struggle with Dryness. The focus of the retreat was spiritual dryness in the priesthood. He explored the theme from four main dimensions: the knowledge dimension, the credo dimension, the witness dimension, and the mission dimension.

Speaking on spiritual dryness in the priesthood, the retreat master described dryness as a disconnect from the sacred. He explained that this disconnect can take different forms, including a disconnect from oneself, from the bishop, from the bishop’s motto, from the presbyterium, and even a feeling of abandonment.

Reflecting on the nature of the priesthood, he emphasised that “the priesthood is not an event that happens on ordination day. Ordination is not an event that happens on Sundays. It is a process.” He noted that one of the major causes of spiritual dryness is the absence of spiritual direction and encouraged priests to seek spiritual guidance.

From a positive perspective, he explained that spiritual dryness can become an instrument for spiritual growth and maturity. He referred to the experiences of saints such as St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, St. Teresa of Ávila, and St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa), for whom moments of dryness became opportunities for deeper faith and transformation rather than obstacles.

Most Rev. John Kobina Louis, Auxiliary Bishop of Accra, conveyed the greetings of the Archbishop, Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, CSSp, to the priests. The Archbishop and Most Rev. Anthony Narh Asare were unable to attend because they were paying a courtesy visit to the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Dr. Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu.

Quoting from a message of Pope Pius X, Bishop Louis reminded the priests that “the priest cannot be good or bad for himself alone. His conduct and way of life have far-reaching consequences for his people.” He added, “A truly good priest is an immense gift wherever he may be.”

In an interview with DEPSOCOM Accra, several priests expressed their satisfaction with the organisation of the retreat, particularly with the reflections and guidance offered by the retreat master.

For Rev. Fr. Victor Yaw Ampeam, Assistant Priest of St. Bakhita Parish, Tema Community 20, who was attending the Archdiocese’s canonical retreat for the first time, the experience was deeply meaningful. “This is my first year of experiencing the canonical retreat of the Archdiocese of Accra. I must say that this retreat, being the first of its kind for me, is revealing. There are things that I took for granted, or I thought everything was okay being a priest, and it never crossed my mind that these were things we were supposed to pay attention to.”

He added, “This retreat has allowed me to reconnect with my God. The retreat master has done very well by touching every aspect of the life of a priest.”

Rev. Fr. David Osei Dumfour, Assistant Priest of Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church, Dansoman Last Stop, who was attending the canonical retreat for the third time, also expressed his appreciation for the experience. “This year’s retreat has been great. The facilitator has made us aware of a lot of things: how to take care of ourselves physically and spiritually, and how to care for one another,” he said. He continued, “Even though I have been a priest for three years, this retreat has helped me understand many things I have failed to do. It is a reawakening for me, giving me the need to reconnect with God, heal my dryness, and continue to impact lives faithfully and wonderfully.”

Rev. Fr. Frederic Kofi Doe, Assistant Priest of St. James Catholic Church, who attended his second canonical retreat, described the experience as “striking.” “Last year was wonderful, but I would say this year has been striking. It has made me reflect deeply on my priesthood and how best I am called to live my priestly life,” he said. He added, “It has been so powerful that it speaks to the heart and speaks to the priesthood. My take-home message is that a good priest is a blessing to the world. If I want to be a blessing to the world, I must endeavour to be a good priest. The difficulty is not that I will be perfect, but that I will do all I can to make my good better and my better best.”

For Very Rev. Fr. John Neumann Tettefio, Bursar of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra, the retreat theme and conferences focused on what he described as the core responsibilities of the priesthood. “This is very good for us and needed at this time,” he said. “I am very impressed because many of the things that are our core responsibilities seem to be drifting to the periphery, while we replace them with other things as though they are the centre.” He added, “I see these conferences as a wake-up call for us to make a U-turn and return to the essential duties of the priest.”

Each day of the retreat began at 7:30 a.m. with Lauds (Morning Prayer), followed by breakfast, conferences, Holy Mass with Midday Prayer, lunch in silence, further conferences, Eucharistic Adoration, the Rosary, Vespers, Night Prayer, and magnum silentium from 8:00 p.m. until the following morning. During the retreat, priests also had the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation.

The Blessed Sacrament was exposed in all the halls of residence, giving priests the opportunity for personal adoration and quiet prayer. For many of them, it was a moment to step away from the demands of parish life and spend intimate time alone with the Lord in the Eucharist.

The retreat ended successfully, with joy, spiritual renewal, and satisfaction evident on the faces of the participants.

Story by:
Fr. Januarius Akpabli
DEPSOCOM ACCRA