The Most Reverend The Most Reverend (abbreviated as The Most Revd or The Most Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian clergy and Christian minister, ministers. It is a variant of the mor ...

Joseph Henry Ganda (22 March 1932 – 9 August 2023) was a Sierra Leonean Roman Catholic

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

of the Archdiocese of Freetown and Bo. Born in the village Serabu in the

Bo district Bo District is a district in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. It is one of the sixteen districts of Sierra Leone. Bo District is the second most populous district in Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is the city of Bo, which is a ...

on 22 March 1932, Ganda was the first in the area to study for the priesthood. He completed seminary training at Bigard Memorial Seminary in

Enugu Enugu () verbally pronounced as "Enụgwụ" by the Igbo indigenes is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by the states of Benue and Kogi, Ebonyi State to the east and southeast, Abia State to the so ...

, Nigeria in 1955 returning home a Deacon. On 9 April 1961, he was ordained the first priest of Sierra Leone (just two weeks before its political independence). He was made the first Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Kenema in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone in 1971. On 23 November 1980, he was installed as the first native-born archbishop of the Archdiocese of Freetown in Sierra Leone. While archbishop, Ganda oversaw the construction of the St. Paul Cathedral in

Kenema Based on the 2021 national mid-term census, Kenema has a population of 255,110. making it the second most populous city in Sierra Leone after Freetown, and the largest city in the country's Eastern Province, Sierra Leone, Eastern Province. Kenema ...

, the St. Paul's Seminary in Regent, Freetown, and he is credited with encouraging young people to join the service of the Church, either as priests or nuns. Ganda retired 2 March 2007, after almost thirty-six years of Catholic ministry. He was replaced as archbishop by Edward Tamba Charles.

Early life and education

Joseph Henry Ganda was born to Catholic parents in the village of Serabu in the district of Bo. As a newborn, he got the measles and, afraid he would succumb, his mother had him baptized by a catechist. He recovered and his parents baptized him a second time at the Sacred Heart Church in Serabu. As a child, he was sickly and was treated at the hospital. Ganda received his primary education at the Sacred Heart Primary School. He was an altar boy at his local church. Even as a small child, he dreamed of being a priest. He attended St. Edwards Secondary School in

Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...

. Ganda applied to Bigard Memorial Seminary in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

in 1955. The Bishop approved his application however he requested that Ganda do a year-long probation at the Catholic Training College in Bo under the supervision of Fr. Andrew O’Toole. Ganda distinguished himself during his probation, teaching French to the first students at Christ the King College. Ganda entered Bigard Memorial Seminary in 1955. He remained there for 7 uninterrupted years of training and returned to Sierra Leone as a Deacon.

An Historic Ordination

Ganda's ordination took place on 9 April 1961 at the Immaculate Heart Church in Bo. As Ganda was Sierra Leone's first diocesan priest, it was a historic event. His ordination was attended by Sir Milton Margai, Prime Minister of Sierra Leone, all members of parliament, over 100

paramount chief A paramount chief is the English-language designation for a king or queen or the highest-level political leader in a regional or local polity or country administered politically with a Chiefdom, chief-based system. This term is used occasionally ...

s and

imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

s, 30 missionary priests and over 3000 people. The event widely reported in the national newspapers. Just two weeks after his ordination, Sierra Leone achieved

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

from colonial rule. Ganda celebrated his first mass in his hometown in Serabu at the Sacred Heart Church. A month after his ordination, he returned to Biggard Memorial Seminary and completed his studies.

Death

Joseph Ganda died from prostate cancer on 9 August 2023, at the age of 91.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ganda, Joseph 1932 births 2023 deaths Alumni of St. Edward's Secondary School, Freetown Roman Catholic bishops of Kenema Christ the King College Presidents of Inter-territorial Catholic Bishops' Conference of The Gambia and Sierra Leone Sierra Leonean expatriates in Nigeria 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Sierra Leone 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Sierra Leone Sierra Leonean Roman Catholic archbishops People from Bo District 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Africa 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Africa Bishops appointed by Pope Paul VI Deaths from prostate cancer