Catholics across Ghana gathered in prayer on Saturday, March 7, to commemorate the death of the Servant of God, Peter Cardinal Porekuu Dery, and to pray for the success of his ongoing beatification process.
The annual observance, set aside by the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC), calls on parishes and the faithful across the country to celebrate Holy Mass each year and seek divine favour for the cause of the late cardinal’s beatification.
In Accra, members of the Board of Trustees and friends of the Cardinal Dery Foundation (CDF) joined parishioners at the Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Madina, for a memorial Mass concelebrated by Rev. Fr. Satya and Msgr. Alex Bobby Benson.
In his homily, Msgr. Benson — a founding member of the Cardinal Dery Foundation and a close associate of the late cardinal — described the Servant of God as a shepherd who evangelised not only through preaching but also through his commitment to human development.
He recalled Cardinal Dery’s dedication to improving the lives of people in northern Ghana, particularly through the establishment of schools, the promotion of girls’ education, and the economic empowerment of women.
Msgr. Benson urged members of the foundation and the wider Catholic community to keep alive the values and mission of the Servant of God, especially among the youth who may not know his story.
He also encouraged the faithful to continue praying fervently for the success of the beatification process.
At the end of the Mass, the congregation recited the official prayer for the beatification of Cardinal Dery.
Notable persons at the Mass at Queen of Peace include Mr. Peter Sangber-Der, Mr. Ambrose Yennah, Mr. Saman Nobiya, Bridget Naazie Esq, Dr. Remy Pouru and Dr. Mrs. Victoria Kunbuor.
Meanwhile, in the Archdiocese of Tamale, the commemoration was marked with a Novena at the Cardinal Dery Centre — the late cardinal’s former residence — leading up to a memorial Mass on March 7 at Holy Cross Parish.
The celebration began with a candlelight procession accompanied by the recitation of the Holy Rosary.
The Mass was concelebrated by several priests, including the Executive Secretary of the Cardinal Dery Foundation, Very Rev. Fr. Sebastian Zaato.
Delivering the homily, the Vicar-General of the Archdiocese of Tamale, Very Rev. Fr. Hilary Pogbeyir, highlighted Cardinal Dery’s remarkable contribution to the empowerment of women in northern Ghana.
He noted that in many traditional societies at the time, women were marginalised and denied opportunities for education and participation in decision-making.
Cardinal Dery, he said, courageously challenged these cultural barriers by promoting female education, supporting girls’ schools, and encouraging women to take active roles in the Church and society.
Fr. Pogbeyir recalled that the Servant of God sometimes went as far as negotiating with families so that young girls could remain in school rather than be forced into early marriage.
He also praised the late cardinal for supporting institutions such as St. Francis Girls’ Secondary School and St. Anne’s Vocational Institute, which helped train and empower generations of young women.
Born on May 10, 1918, in Zimuopare in the Upper West Region, Cardinal Porekuu Dery was baptised in 1932 in Jirapa. He was ordained a priest on February 11, 1951, became Bishop of Wa in 1960, and later Metropolitan Archbishop of Tamale in 1977.
In March 2006, he was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope Benedict XVI, becoming one of the most prominent church leaders in Ghana’s history.
Cardinal Dery died in Tamale on March 6, 2008.
The cause for his beatification was formally launched in 2013, and the process has since progressed steadily. Church authorities have already completed extensive interviews with witnesses and compiled documentation to be sent to Rome for the next stage of evaluation.
Catholics across the country continue to pray that the Church will one day recognise the Servant of God formally among the blessed.
