Local Religious life

Father Kuukole makes lasting impact on archdiocese

Father Beyuo Kuukole, chaplain of the African Catholic Community of Kansas, bows before the altar at Prince of Peace Church in Olathe on Nov. 7, 2021. The special ceremony inaugurated the community into the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

by John Sorce
john.sorce@theleaven.org

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — In early February, a beloved priest here in the archdiocese will be heading back to his home country.

Originally from Nandom in the northwestern corner of Ghana and the Diocese of Damongo, Father Beyuo Kuukole arrived in the United States in 2014, when he was sent to Catholic Theological Union in Chicago for a year of study.

He then arrived in the archdiocese in January 2015, when he enrolled at Benedictine College in Atchison for a master’s program in Catholic school leadership.

After graduation in 2017, Father Kuukole joined the campus ministry office at Bishop Ward High School in Kansas City, Kansas, before moving on to St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Leawood until 2019.

That’s when he was assigned to Christ the King Parish in Kansas City, Kansas, and worked as chaplain at Providence Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas, and at Saint John Hospital in Leavenworth, where he has been ever since.

The opportunity to work at a hospital is something that was close to Father Kuukole’s heart, as he lost both of his parents within a 10-day span in December 2018.

“I was in a hospital a lot as a seminarian and when I lost my parents, it was a reason to go back and care for people who needed attention from a priest,” Father Kuukole said. “I started to look and found that Providence needed a chaplain around that time. Father Mark Mertes graciously let me come here and St. John’s to work.”

One of the first people he met on the job was Deacon Darwin Dupree, who he credited for teaching him the role of a chaplain.

“His ability to work and get along with everyone is top-notch,” Deacon Dupree said. “He is very determined, and it seems like he’s never tired and is always positive in his ministry. He’s been a great blessing here.”

A challenging time

A few months after arriving at Providence, the United States was faced with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I could tell you stories upon stories of what I saw and experienced during that time,” Father Kuukole said. “There were times when I cried. There were times that I was the only one with someone who was dying. There were times where family members were watching from outside the window as I did the anointing of the sick.”

Despite the challenges, he said, “I cannot thank God enough for the opportunity to give anointing of the sick to people who were in their final moments.”

Uniting others

Another notable characteristic about Father Kuukole is his ability to create community.

After being approached by Thomas Miano — a parishioner of Prince of Peace in Olathe but originally from Kenya — about having a monthly Mass for Africans, the pair helped create the African Catholic Community of Kansas in 2019.

“One thing that stands out about Father Beyuo is his ability to unify people,” Miano said. “He listens to all sides of people within this community. He is very good at bringing people together and I am not sure we are going to find anyone who does that as well as him.”

Church planting

Father Kuukole will be heading back to Ghana and his diocese on Feb. 7 and feels the call from God to plant a church in what he described as a “very remote area.”

“There is no structure in place to begin a parish,” he said. “There may be a few baptized people, but I will have to find most people to come into the faith. So, this is going to be beginning a ministry from scratch.”

His goal is to raise $50,000, which will be sufficient to build a good-sized church in Ghana.

Thanks to several generous people, Father Kuukole has already received several donations for his new church, including a processional cross, a monstrance for eucharistic adoration and a $10,000 donation that will go toward building the church.

“I did not make any effort for these gifts,” Father Kuukole said. “It just happened out of the kindness of their hearts. And how did it happen if there is no God?”

A lasting legacy

Father Kuukole has done and seen a lot over the last decade. He is hoping to see the various ministries he has been involved with continue well into the future and would like to make sure everything is in place before he leaves.

“I am grateful to God for what he has done through me during my time here, and I pray those ministries continue,” he said. “The worst type of leadership is when something suffers when you are not there. So, I hope to have the right people in place to where nobody will notice I am not there.”

No matter what happens in the future, Father Kuukole’s impact is sure to be felt in the archdiocese for years to come.

“I cannot be grateful enough to the archdiocese, the archbishop and everybody I’ve met in Kansas City,” he said. “I am very grateful to all the priests, deacons and all the lay faithful.

“If I start naming names, I will leave some people out. But I am so grateful to everyone who has made my time here very meaningful.”

To contribute to Father Kuukole’s new ministry in Ghana, checks can be mailed or dropped off at Christ the King Church, 3024 N. 53rd St., Kansas City, KS 66104.

About the author

John Sorce

John comes to The Leaven after spending two and a half years as the Sports Editor at The Emporia Gazette. Born in Staten Island, New York, and raised in Central New Jersey, John felt a pull to the Midwest after becoming a Royals fan at a young age and always had his sights set on settling down in the Kansas City area. He majored in Communication at Monmouth University and wrote for numerous publications in the Garden State, including the Asbury Park Press and NJ Advance Media. He has been to over 20 current and past MLB stadiums, with his favorites being Kauffman Stadium and PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

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