Archbishop Palmer-Buckle urges newly professed Brothers to let the Seven Sorrows of Mary shape their lives and mission
CAPE COAST, GHANA — 19 SEPTEMBER 2026 — In an atmosphere of prayer, thanksgiving and joy, the West African Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross celebrated the Perpetual Profession of Vows of five Brothers and the silver Jubilee of Brother Patrick Baah C.S.C at Holy Family Catholic Church, Brafo-Yaw, Cape Coast.
The celebration brought together members of the Congregation, clergy, religious, family members, friends and parishioners to witness a profound moment of commitment as five Brothers made their definitive profession of religious vows.
The five Brothers are Brother Eugene Ayensu, CSC; Brother Richmond Kakra Asaffua, CSC; Brother Peter Gaglosu, CSC; Brother Godfred Kyeremeh, CSC; and Brother Augustine Maison, CSC.
The occasion was not only a celebration of their individual vocations but also a celebration of the continuing presence and mission of the Congregation of Holy Cross in West Africa.
Presiding over the celebration was Most Rev. Gabriel Charles Palmer-Buckle, Archbishop of Cape Coast, who, in his homily, offered the newly professed Brothers a profound reflection on the Blessed Virgin Mary, particularly her Seven Sorrows.
For the Archbishop, Mary’s sorrows are not simply moments of suffering recorded in the life of the Mother of Jesus. They reveal a deeper spirituality of faithfulness — the capacity to remain with God even when the journey becomes painful, uncertain or difficult.
He therefore challenged the Brothers to allow the reflection of the Seven Sorrows of Mary, their patroness, to become part of the fabric of their religious lives.
Mary’s journey was not free from suffering. From the prophecy of Simeon to the loss of Jesus in the Temple, from encountering her Son on the way to Calvary to standing beneath the Cross, Mary experienced moments that tested the depths of her faith.
Yet she remained faithful.
It was this fidelity that Archbishop Palmer-Buckle placed before the newly professed Brothers as a model for their own vocation.
Perpetual profession, after all, is more than a solemn ceremony. It is a commitment to remain faithful to Christ through every season of life.
There will be moments of joy and moments of sacrifice. There will be successes and disappointments, moments of clarity and moments when the road ahead appears uncertain.
The Archbishop’s reflection invited the Brothers to look to Mary whenever their vocation demands perseverance.
At the foot of the Cross, Mary remained.
And in the life of a religious Brother, there will also be moments when remaining faithful becomes the greatest act of service.
The celebration therefore carried a message that extended beyond the five Brothers themselves. Their profession becomes a witness to a world in which commitment is often measured by convenience and permanence can appear increasingly difficult.
By professing their vows perpetually, the Brothers publicly declare that their lives belong to Christ and that they are willing to spend those lives in service of God and His people.
Their vocation is also connected to the charism of Holy Cross: to bring the hope of Christ into the concrete realities of human life through education, evangelization, pastoral ministry, formation and service.
A celebration of fidelity
The celebration at Brafo-Yaw also carried another significant dimension.
Alongside the five Brothers making their Perpetual Profession, the Holy Cross family celebrated Brother Patrick Baah, CSC, who marked 25 years of religious profession.
His silver jubilee offered the community a living testimony to the same spirit of perseverance that Archbishop Palmer-Buckle placed before the newly professed Brothers.
Twenty-five years of religious profession represents a significant journey of prayer, community, sacrifice and service.
In celebrating Brother Patrick’s anniversary alongside the Perpetual Profession of the five Brothers, the occasion brought two generations of consecrated life together: one celebrating twenty-five years of fidelity and five others beginning a new chapter of definitive commitment.
The contrast was also a reminder that vocation is lived one day at a time.
A perpetual profession is made on one day, but it is fulfilled through thousands of ordinary decisions — to pray, to serve, to forgive, to remain faithful, to persevere and to choose Christ again.
A new chapter
For Brothers Eugene Ayensu, Richmond Kakra Asaffua, Peter Gaglosu, Godfred Kyeremeh and Augustine Maison, 19 September 2026 will therefore remain a defining day in their religious journey.
Their vows have been made.
Their commitment has been publicly witnessed.
Their mission now continues.
And the image placed before them by Archbishop Palmer-Buckle offers a spiritual compass for the road ahead: Mary, standing faithfully through sorrow, trusting God even when she could not see the whole picture.
The story of the Seven Sorrows ultimately becomes a story of hope.
Mary’s sorrow did not have the final word.
The Cross did not have the final word.
And for those who give their lives to Christ, suffering and sacrifice are never separated from the hope of the Resurrection.
As the five Brothers begin this new chapter of their consecrated lives, the Holy Cross family joins them in prayer, asking God to strengthen their vocation, deepen their fidelity and make their lives instruments of Christ’s presence wherever they are called to serve.
And for Brother Patrick Baah, CSC, the community gives thanks for twenty-five years of religious profession and service, praying that the years ahead may continue to bear abundant fruit.
Five Brothers.
One perpetual commitment.
Twenty-five years of fidelity.
And one enduring hope:
Ave Crux, Spes Unica — Hail the Cross, Our Only Hope.
Congratulations to Brothers Eugene Ayensu, CSC; Richmond Kakra Asaffua, CSC; Peter Gaglosu, CSC; Godfred Kyeremeh, CSC; Augustine Maison, CSC, and Brother Patrick Baah, CSC.
May God bless and strengthen them in their vocation and mission.
