Filipino Missionary Priest Fr. Sofronio Endoma Dies at 73 After 38 Years Serving Ghana

• Fr. Sofronio Endoma, a Filipino Divine Word missionary priest, died at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra on Tuesday, October 21, 2026
• Endoma arrived in Ghana in 1988 and spent nearly four decades serving communities across the country, including remote island settlements in the Afram Plains
• The Diocese of Donkorkrom and church leaders from both Ghana and the Philippines paid tribute to his decades of faithful missionary service

Fr. Sofronio "Boy" Endoma, a Filipino Divine Word missionary priest who gave nearly four decades of his life to communities across Ghana, died on Tuesday, 21 October 2026. He was 73.

Endoma passed away at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana's capital. The Diocese of Donkorkrom, one of the communities he served, confirmed his death and offered a moving tribute to the man who had become a familiar face across some of the country's most remote areas.

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"We mourn the loss of a dear missionary, Rev. Fr. Sofronio Endoma, SVD," the diocese said. "May the Lord whom he so faithfully served grant him eternal rest."

A Life Dedicated to Service in Ghana

Born in Cebu City, Philippines, in 1952, Endoma took his first steps towards the priesthood when he entered the Divine Word novitiate in 1981.

He completed his formation at Divine Word Seminary in Tagaytay City and was ordained a priest in 1987.

Just a year after his ordination, he arrived in Ghana in 1988 and began what would become a lifelong mission. Over the following decades, he served in Battor, Accra, Kwahu Tafo, and Donkorkrom.

Among his most significant contributions was his ministry to island communities in the Afram Plains, a major agricultural and fishing region in eastern Ghana.

Tributes Pour In From Ghana and the Philippines

His death drew heartfelt responses from clergy on both sides of the globe.

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Fr. Stephen Kofi Sakpaku of the Archdiocese of Accra remembered him warmly.

"We thank God for his life, priesthood, and years of faithful service," Sakpaku said.

"May the Lord welcome him into His loving embrace and comfort his family, his SVD confrères, and all who mourn him."

From the Philippines, Bishop Pablito Tagura, SVD, of the Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose in Mindoro, also expressed grief at the news.

"So sad to read the passing away of Fr. Boy; he is now with the Lord, giving him his eternal reward for his selfless and dedicated service in His vineyard in Ghana," Tagura said.

Fr. Endoma's story is one of quiet, enduring commitment. Having left his homeland more than three decades ago, he chose to plant roots among Ghanaian communities that few outside their borders would ever know, offering ministry in places where access and infrastructure posed constant challenges.

Source: YEN.com.gh