Father Raymond Akumbilum Asagdem, SVD, was born and raised in northern Ghana. After college, he entered the Society of the Divine Word in 2007 and came to the U.S. in 2011 to study theology at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. In 2013, he completed a cross-cultural mission in Bolivia, where he learned Spanish, taught catechism and high school religious education, and helped form a parish youth group. This experience affirmed his calling as a Divine Word Missionary. He returned to the U.S. in 2015 and earned a Master of Divinity and an M.A. in Theology (World Mission), leading to his ordination on May 18, 2018. He served as associate pastor and director of Hispanic ministry at Sacred Heart Parish in Memphis (2018–2020), then as associate dean of students and a theology instructor at Divine Word College in Epworth, Iowa (2020–2023). Fr. Asagdem currently resides in Chicago while pursuing an M.A. in Sociology at Loyola University. He draws inspiration from Matthew 5:16 — “Let your light shine before others” — a guiding verse that reminds him that our service, especially to the poor, gives glory to God.
