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Stephen Ogoe (“Pastor Steve”) is a mystic, speaker, writer, and spiritual advisor.
Born and raised in Ghana, his hometown is Elmina. From the age of seven, he was raised in Kumasi, having been adopted by his aunt. He has three sisters. He had a younger brother, Alex, who died in February of 2011.
Stephen attended Prempeh College, a top high school in Ghana, where he majored in History, Geography, and Economics. During the annual speech and prize-giving day in 1993, he won the prize for best student in his class. After high school, he gained admission to Wesley College of Education where he majored in Physical Education and Mathematics. Upon graduation, he became a certified public-school teacher and taught Math for two years at the Atasomanso M/A Junior Secondary School (1998-2000).
From the age of four, Stephen became fascinated with the idea of becoming a Catholic priest. Most of his family attended the Catholic Church. He received infant baptism when he was two months old and was given the name, “Stephen,” having been baptized by the Rev. Fr. Stephen Veronica Kyei. He became an altar server at the age of thirteen.
As he grew, his interest in becoming a priest intensified. He mentioned this to
his family, but they dismissed it as a childhood fancy that was sure to
disappear once he grew up. Nevertheless, after graduating from junior high
school, he sought admission to St. Hubert’s Seminary in Kumasi. To
his disappointment, however, his aunt informed him that the seminary could not admit him for two reasons.
First, Stephen was a product of a new educational system, and the seminary did nothave structures in place to accommodate him. At that time, the seminary’s structure was based solely on the O’ Level-A’ Level educational paradigm. Second, Stephen suffered from terrible asthma, and according one seminary official, this health condition disqualified him from admission to the
seminary. Hence, his dream of becoming a priest would not be realized until
several years later.
In the summer of 1999, while teaching in junior high, he applied for admission to St. Paul’s Catholic Seminary in Accra. Unfortunately, for reasons hard to explain, the priest in charge of processing the applications forgot to include Stephen’s file. So, he waited another year and re-applied. This time, he gained
admission.
During the three years at St. Paul’s, the core of his studies was philosophy, from African Philosophy to the various philosophies of the West, including
Sociology. After a vigorous campaign in his senior year, he was elected President of the Student Representative Council. This position enabled him to expand his leadership, organizational, and communication skills. He was known for his dynamic speeches, his calmness under pressure, and his uncanny ability to navigate the complex world of seminary politics.
Toward the end of his philosophy studies, he was selected by his bishop to continue his education in Rome (2003-2006). He obtained his Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology (Magna cum laude) at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. He simultaneously received further training at the Collegio Sedes Sapientiae (of the Opus Dei) where he resided along with students from other parts of the world.
He was a member of the college choir and also played for the college soccer team. In his final semester, he was appointed (student) Master of Liturgical
Ceremonies. He further had the honor, among other things, of serving at Mass presided over by John Paul II at St. Peter’s Basilica, including joining the
faithful in bidding farewell to John Paul and welcoming Joseph Ratzinger to the papacy. On May 6, 2006, Stephen was ordained a deacon in Rome.
He returned to Ghana in August of 2006 and practiced diaconal ministry for a year. Along with seven other deacons, he was ordained a priest on July 14, 2007. His first assignment was as an Associate Pastor at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Amakom (2007-2009). Here, among other responsibilities, he initiated and led Love Encounter with Fr. Ogoe, a series of lectures and talks designed to help young adults become better equipped for the adventures of dating, romance, and marriage. Following the success of the program, he obtained financial sponsorship from a church member which enabled him to air this program on radio for two years.
In September of 2009, Stephen was back to the seminary, this time as a formator and lecturer, joining four other priests to serve as the initial faculty in the newly founded St. Gregory the Great Major Seminary in Kumasi. He served as the seminary’s first Spiritual Director, overseeing and facilitating the spiritual activities of the seminary. In addition, he gave lectures in Spiritual Theology. From 2010-2011, he also served as the Spiritual Director of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the Archdiocese of Kumasi.
In June 2011, his bishop arranged for him to continue his education in the USA. He began in Detroit, Michigan, where he completed post-graduate studies in theology at the Sacred Heart Major Seminary (2011-2013, Summa cum laude). While studying in Detroit, he resided at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Wayne, where he provided pastoral assistance from time to time.
He moved to Virginia in the summer of 2013 and was welcomed by Fr. Bob Cilinski to reside at the All Saints Catholic Church in Manassas. In the Fall of the same year, he began doctoral studies (Doctor of Ministry) at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
During his studies in DC, he had an experience of religious conversion. In February 2014, a biblical exposition by Joseph Prince (Pastor of New Creation Church, Singapore) got his attention. He began to re-examine some of the doctrinal and theological positions of the Catholic Church in light of Scripture. Some of the issues he examined included purgatory, sacramental confession, Mary’s role in salvation, justification, the priesthood, and forgiveness of sins.
After a year of reflecting on these matters, he concluded that there was sufficient disparity between the Scriptures and some of his previously held beliefs about God and the salvation of the world. He decided to side with Scripture. Consequently, in March 2015, he formally left the Church.
In the period since he exited the Catholic Church, he co-founded and pastored Charis Temple (2015-2019), a non-denominational church based in Virginia. In early 2019, he stepped down to focus on improving and ‘re-creating’ himself through self-study and personal renewal, in preparation to launch the next phase of his life journey.
Along the way, he has learned Reiki as well as other healing modalities. He has followed and drawn inspiration from several spiritual and thought leaders, including Mary Baker Eddy, Ernest Holmes, Neville Goddard, Edgar Cayce, Rev. Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter, Dr. Joe Dispenza, and Esther Hicks, to mention a few.
Stephen is competent, compassionate, and articulate. His ability to inspire, motivate and enlighten his audience is remarkable. He has superb listening skills as well. Through writing and speaking, he focuses on giving the world what he has : to encourage and enlighten as many people as possible through insightful and impactful teachings. He draws most of his spiritual and motivational insights from the Bible.
In addition to English, Stephen speaks fluent Italian, Asante Twi, and Fante. He knows some French, as well as conversational Spanish.
He loves sports, especially volleyball, track and field, swimming, American
football, and martial arts. For relaxation and recreation, he likes to listen
to classical music (Beethoven, Vivaldi, Handel), walk in nature, or watch historical documentaries.
He is currently based in Kumasi, Ghana.
He is the author of The Seven Stages of Spiritual Growth (2020), and Confession: The Road to Freedom (2010).
He also has a weekly podcast, Will You Marry Me?, which is dedicated to helping those who wish to marry by sharing insights on the dynamics of human nature and relationships.
You can reach Stephen for speaking engagements, feedback, or questions by contacting him here.
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