ABOUT MARRIAGE SANKOFA
Marriage Sankofa is a ministry offering an alternative Biblical vision of sacramental marriage to the contemporary secular post-Christian narrative on marriage. Supporting and signposting all our clients and enquirers, including: married couples desiring enrichment, married couples in difficulty, priests, seminarians, School children, university students, and young adults discerning marriage.
Our Background
Sankofa is a Ghanaian word that means to return to the past to fetch. Marriage Sankofa is about a return to the biblical principles of catholic Christian marriage.
The founder, Aba Shields, has a BSc in French, Economics and International Business from the University of Surrey. Whilst pursuing a successful career as a head-hunter in the IT world, she was invited several times by Parish priests in Ghana and England to converse with engaged couples about marriage. The role of marriage coordinator in her parish of St Thomas More, Bramley, Surrey was her first public post, which she assumed with her husband David for several years.
She became a stay-at-home mother for 15 years and then took an MA in Catholic Applied Theology with a pathway in Marriage & family Life from the Maryvale Institute in Birmingham. This increased her ardour and zeal for the subject of marriage and family. Upon receiving MA, Aba interviewed exceptionally well for the privileged role of Marriage and Family Life project worker. Eventually, she grew into the post of project coordinator for the catholic diocese of Portsmouth where she worked for 7 years. The passion and fervent prayer to continue working in this much needed arena of marriage and family life, was how the ministry of Marriage Sankofa Limited was birthed.
David and Aba were married in 1998, having met at the University of Surrey in Guildford. They dated for six years, discerning their vocation to marriage with care and prayer.
As a practising Catholic married couple, they are blessed with four children and the support of a large extended family. David is of British and Maltese heritage, while Aba is Ghanaian, and together they value the richness of their shared cultures.
David and Aba are deeply committed to accompanying couples in marriage preparation. They believe that journeying with engaged couples is a privileged encounter and are passionate about preserving and strengthening the sanctity of marriage.
Aba also supports couples and spouses experiencing difficulties. She does so with a deep sense of gratitude, being very conscious of the support she and David received from mature couples and priests during challenging seasons of their own marriage.
Together, David and Aba enjoy travelling, long walks, hosting, and discovering new foods and drinks. They remain grateful for God’s enduring grace in their lives, sharing that they love each other more today than when they were first married.
As they continue to navigate the joys and challenges of married life, they entrust their faith, family, and ministry to the guidance and intercession of Our Blessed Mother.
We are glad we found each other.
David & Aba
COMPANY PURPOSE
Marriage Sankofa is your one stop shop, for many things related to marriage and family life, in the catholic Christian world. We do this through supporting and signposting.
WHAT WE DO
We offer services for couples and families, such as marrigage preparation and enrichment programs. Our goal is to provide guidance for navigating marriage and family life.
OUR COMMUNITY
Join our community committed to nurturing strong, faith-filled marriages and families. We create a supportive network for couples to connect and uplift each other.
OUR Mentor Couples
Well catechised Catholic married couples who accompany our engaged couples in our marriage preparation, sharing their experiences and wise counsel.
Friends of Marriage Sankofa
OUR Intecessors
Devout and prayerful people often married themselves with many years of experience. These couples / spouses devote time to intentionally pray for the work of Marriage Sankofa and are sometimes called upon for prayer in specific situations couples bring to us
