Meet Rev Fr Dr Emmanuel Mensah Boateng: First Ghanaian Catholic Priest/Medical Doctor
Over the years, priests have been known to provide mainly spiritual healing to the flock that they shepherd, while they allow the congregation to seek physical healing from physicians.
Even though both vocations are very demanding, some of them have decided to combine both in order to provide holistic healing to the people and ensure a healthy congregation or flock.
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One of such people combining both professions is Rev. Fr Emmanuel Mensah Boateng. He first trained as a minister of the word before opting for the medical school.
Rev Fr Boateng, now Rev Fr Dr Boateng, a priest with the Catholic Archdiocese of Kumasi, seems to be the first of his kind to achieve the feat of qualifying as a priest and medical doctor at the same time.
Even though the practice is not new in the faith, he is the first Ghanaian priest to have completed medical school and about to start his housemanship.
Rev Fr Dr Boateng completed his medical school in July and is getting ready for his house job.
Apart from him, there are two other priests in the medical school, one from the Sekondi-Takoradi Diocese who is currently at the School of Medical Science of the University of Development Studies (UDS) and another one from the Ho Diocese who has just returned from China after studying Medicine and is to write his licensure exams.
“So in all, we will be three priests. However, I am the first among them to become a priest/medical doctor at the same time,” he said.
Growing up, Dr Boateng said he always wanted to become a medical doctor but had to choose between the cassock and the stethoscope.
While at the minor seminary for his secondary education, he was allowed to pursue Science at the Opoku Oware Secondary School (OWASS), both catholic schools and a walking distance from each other.
After successfully completing the course at OWASS, young Boateng had the opportunity to go to the university to study Medicine, but instead opted for the seminary to become a priest.
As he puts it, “The priesthood was a priority on my scale of preference at that time, so I sacrificed the Medicine programme and chose the priesthood.”
Having made that decision to go into priesthood, he went to the St Paul Seminary at Sowutuom in Accra for his Philosophy studies and proceeded to the St Peter’s Seminary at Pedu in Cape Coast for
Theology. After that, he was ordained a priest of the Catholic Church in 2012.
And as fate would have it, he said, in 2014 he was asked by the Archbishop of Kumasi, Most Rev. Gabriel Justice Yaw Anokye, to proceed to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology to study Medicine.
New role
While waiting to start his housemanship, Rev Fr Boateng said the next two years would be mainly devoted to his medical work while assisting as a parish priest where he would be resident.
According to him, Jesus and the early apostles combined the priestly and healing ministries during their time on earth, “therefore, we have the same mandate and power to continue such great ministry”.
“Combining the two professions will not be a problem at all. I can even serve as a chaplain at the hospital and also minister as a priest to the sick and the dying. That will be an opportunity to heed the call of the new evangelisation echoed by Pope Francis,” he explained.
Comparing the seminary to the medical school, Rev Fr Dr Boateng said there was not much difference as both were very demanding and took a long time for completion.
“I am convinced both are equally demanding since they both share some similarities in terms of the duration, constant studies and discipline," he told The Mirror.
Rev Fr Dr Boateng said the only difference he observed throughout his studies was that one was more spiritually inclined and the other more physically demanding.
More doctors
who are priests
The trailblazer said there was the need for more priest-doctors in the system to man the various health facilities owned by the church and also provide both physical and spiritual healing to patients.
“It will be great if priests are trained as doctors who may work as chaplains and also physicians to bring treatment to the sick both spiritually and therapeutically,” he stated.
Science and religion
Asked if science and religion could coexist, he said: “Scientific research is a significant expression of humanity’s participation over creation.
“Science and religion are precious tools when placed at the service of humanity and can promote human being’s integral development for the benefit of all.”
He further explained that science and religion were ordered to humanity and creation, from where they take their origin and development.
“In the words of John Paul II science can purify religion from error and superstition, religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes,” he summed up.
Personal background
Rev Fr Dr Boateng was born to Mr Michael Mensah and Mrs Georgina Mensah. They come from Bechem-Brosankro in the Ahafo Region.
He is the second of six siblings and had his primary education at T.I. Ahmaddiya Junior High School in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.
For Rev Fr Dr Boateng, despite the demanding nature of both careers, he was ready to serve humanity both spiritually and medically.
