Father Raphael Assamah
Meet Fr. Raphael
I was born on July 4, 1976 in Ghana. My basic and tertiary education were in Ghana. After discerning the voice of God through retreats and spiritual directions, I entered St. Paul's Major Seminary in 1999 to study Philosophy, Sociology and Spirituality. In 2003, I studied theology and education at St. Peter's Regional Seminary in Pedu, Cape Coast, Ghana. After a successful pastoral year, three of us were ordained as Deacons on January 6, 2008 and later into the priesthood on August 23, 2008 for the Archdiocese of Accra.
My first assignment was at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, in Accra, the capital city of Ghana. While there I oversaw the youth programs and was chaplain to some societies in the Archdiocese. There was a need for priests to assist in Jamaica, so the door was opened for volunteers, and I opted as fidei donum (the Gift of Faith) priest for the Archdiocese of Kingston, Jamaica.
While in Jamaica I worked at St. Pius X and St. Peter Claver Catholic Churches respectively. It wasn’t until later that I was asked to assist as a Priest in the Diocese of Des Moines where I served in Shenandoah and Hamburg as the Pastor of St. Mary’s Churches. I obtained my Master’s in Theology and Christian Ministry from the Franciscan University of Steubenville.
Recently, Bishop Joensen asked me to serve as the Pastor of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Parish in Des Moines and I arrived here on the 7th of July to assume my new duties. I enjoy walking, music, playing the guitar, reading, cooking, washing my own car and meeting people.
Parish
News
Christian Unity Prayer Service
St. Theresa Parish is hosting the neighborhood Prayer Service for Christian Unity at 6 p.m. on Thursday, January 23. Join members of neighboring congregations as we pray together here at St. Theresa Parish Thursday. Since 1968 Christians around the world have set aside a week of prayer for Christian unity. Last year, Windsor Heights Lutheran hosted […]
Rosary Making Class
Join Paul Chicoine in a wire rosary making class at St. Theresa. Paul will teach you how to fix and makerosaries. You can purchase all rosary supplies from Paul at cost if you would like. Please RSVP to Paul, 515-979-3822, to which classes you would like to attend. All classes are 7-8:30 p.m. in the parish […]
Cards & Games
Join us for Cards and Games on Wednesday, January 22, from 1-3 p.m. in the East Meeting Room. Take a break and enjoy some time for yourself! Bring a treat to share, a friend to introduce, and an eagerness to have fun. Learning new games is exciting, but meeting new people is more exciting! RSVP to […]
Pilgrimage to Italy
Come along with Fr. Dan Kirby and Fr. Mike Mahoney on an extraordinary ten day journey to Italy in October of the Holy Year of 2025. We invite you to attend a presentation by Travel Tyme on January 27 at5:30 p.m. at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church in Norwalk to learn about this very […]
Understanding Catholic Social Teaching
Catholic Charities and Diocese of Des Moines Director of Social Justice, John Huynh, D.Min., is hosting a monthly speaking series on Catholic Social Teaching across the Diocese of Des Moines. On February 11th at 7 p.m., John will be discussing Catholicism’s preferential option for the poor alongside the Catholic Charities Food Pantry at St. Theresa […]
Altar Server Training
All boys and girls, third grade through high school are invited to our next altar server training on Tuesday, February 18, 5 p.m. in the church. Contact Josh Tyrrell tyrrell.w.j@gmail.com or 319-931-6724 with questions.