Divine Word Father Stanley Uroda, 72, a missionary in Ghana and two-term provincial in the United States, died March 18 following a battle with cancer.

Born in Detroit, Father Uroda entered the high school seminary in 1962, professed vows in 1971 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1974.

After earning a master’s degree in education from Loyola University Chicago in 1976, Father Uroda was sent to Ghana for his first assignment. In 1984, he returned to the United States, and the following year was appointed as formation director of Divine Word Theologate in Chicago. He was elected vice provincial in 1990.

Father Uroda served as provincial superior for two three-year terms beginning in 1996. After completing his second term as provincial, he served as a parish priest in West Virginia.

In 2005, he returned to the Divine Word Theologate as rector. After nine years, he was asked to go to Vietnam.

When he returned to the United States in 2018, he became the superior for the Divine Word Community in East Troy, Wisconsin. In 2020, he moved to Techny for health reasons.

He is survived by his sisters Antoinette Alwin, Dorothy Alwin and Mary Seder.