March 28, 2024

Sincere appreciation

Father James has fond memories upon leaving area parishes for Council Bluffs

Though he’s been far from his homeland of Ghana for quite some time now, it’s clear to see that the impact Father James Ahenkora has made in his time in all of the parishes and the countries he has served is vast.

Ahenkora, who is almost 12 years into the priesthood in the Catholic church and began serving St. John’s Catholic Church and St. Patrick’s in Massena in October 2016, has been transferred to St. Patrick Catholic Church in Council Bluffs, beginning Sunday, July 25.

Ahenkora originally was assigned to Greenfield and Massena for a six-year term, but an emergency in Council Bluffs left that parish without a priest and one was needed in short order, so Ahenkora stepped up to the plate.

Ordained in 2007, Ahenkora served for six years as an assistant pastor in Ghana, in West Africa. He then volunteered to be a priest for the archdiocese of Kingston, Jamaica in the West Indies. After traveling several times between Jamaica and the United States, Ahenkora and his friend, Father Raphael Assamah, who now serves a parish in Shenandoah, were both grateful when a letter to Bishop Richard Pates asking that they be transfered to the Des Moines diocese yielded positive results.

“It was really exciting because we really wanted to have an experience of a church here in the U.S.,” Ahenkora said. “To be able to come and be the pastor of a church here was very exciting.”

Ahenkora states that his first impressions of Greenfield were excellent — pictures online of the Warren Cultural Center and other area attractions. Then, when he arrived, the people matched the first impression for him.

“I would say my time here has been wonderful. When I came here and saw the community, I would say I fell in love with the community. It’s what I thought it would be — very peaceful, quiet and all, and I really love that,” Ahenkora said. “The most important thing for me here has to do with the people. They’re wonderful people, very warm and welcoming. That’s not only our parishioners. I came to this town to live here, so that’s [everybody].”

Three areas Ahenkora wanted to focus on when he arrived to minister in Greenfield were hospitality, spirituality and service — making sure those who visited the church felt welcome, making sure those who wanted to grow in their Catholic faith are able to do so and to make sure the church was making an impact on its community.

“The first Sunday of each month we’ve had Visitor Sunday, and it’s been good because we’ve seen growth in our congregation where a few people have come on board because they were invited to church,” Ahenkora said.

One of St. Johns’ newest ministries, the Stewardship Ministry, held a Saint Johns Festival outside the church Saturday night. Sadly, the event became just as much of a farewell to Father James as it was a parish festival. The band Fletcher Chapel played, there was food and drinks and plenty of outdoor activities for all to enjoy. Ahenkora enjoyed the event thoroughly.

“It was wonderful, it went really well. We had a lot of non-Catholics, a lot of community members participating. I was very, very impressed with the attendance. It was a good time,” Ahenkora said. “I just want to express my appreciation to the church and to the community members. I felt very much at home here in this Greenfield community and I want to extend my sincerest appreciations to everybody.”