History of the Catholic Diocese of Obuasi
The Church by its nature and origin is intrinsically Missionary (cf. Ad Gentes, 2) as an instrument and means of salvation. This stems from the fact that its founder, Jesus Christ, had the mission of saving mankind through his passion, death and resurrection (the paschal mystery) and its sanctification in the Holy Spirit. Continuation of this mission was entrusted to the apostles through the divine mandate (Mt. 28:48ff), who unfolded it by preaching and forming Churches. Therefore Ad Gentes has a clear affirmation in the Church’s mission when it states:
“In the missionary activity of the church begins the planting, then newness ... the church’s missionary activity does not cease but there lies upon the particular churches, the duty to continue this activity of preaching the gospel to those still outside” (A.G, 6).
The Early Beginnings
The seed of the Catholic Church was sown at Elmina in the then Gold Coast in May 1880 by the first Dutch missionaries of evangelization Frs. Augustine Mureau and Eugene Murat belonging to the Society of Missionaries of Africa (S.M.A.). For effective pastoral ministry, the early missionaries made frantic efforts to spread the gospel throughout the entire Asante Kingdom. Thus, the Church in Ashanti did not center her evangelization only in Kumasi, the capital and center of the Ashanti Church. From Kumasi, the faith started spreading to other places.
The Building of St. Thomas Church
The next Church to be established was at Obuasi in 1904. Due to trading activities, many Fantes from the coast settled along the railway routes of Ashanti and were not only interested in their business ventures, but also nurtured and shared their faith, which became the bedrock of the Obuasi Church that centered on George Moses, Jacob Honney (baptized Catholics from Elmina and leaders of this community), Afua Owusu and John Kofi Nti (catechumen from Obuasi), M.K. Wonkyi, Mary Anderson, Mary Ayee (a catechumen from Elmina), Mary Warman, Mary Simmons and Mary Adams. Initially, the A.O.T.C premise near the Obuasi Urban Council Offices was used for Church services. Later, there was relocation into the rented house of Mr. Prah, a Methodist, for thirty shillings.
In June 1905, Rev. Fr. Joseph Oge (S.M.A.) arriving from Cape Coast to Obuasi by train celebrated the first Mass and baptized five infants. A year later he made plans to build a small Church which was done through communal labour and voluntary contributions. The Catholic faithful in Obuasi therefore completed the construction of a Church building, and in 1907, John Welbeck Mills, a native of Cape Coast became the first catechist working in that capacity until 1926.
The St. Thomas Cathedral, as it now stands, was built by a Catholic Contractor Mr. J. B Arthur under the leadership of the late V. Rev. John Oostenbach, the SMA Parish Priest of Obuasi.
The St. Thomas Parish
On May 4, 1926, Rev. Fr. Philip Muntzinger (S.M.A.) was appointed the first residential Priest of the Obuasi Church dedicated to the patronage of St. Thomas the Apostle, though his stay was short- lived as he passed on to eternity in August 1927. As a remembrance to his name, the Catholic Church at Tutuka was named after his patron saint Philip.
However, from 1938 onwards, George David Tsiquaye (Father of Fr. Paschal Tsiquaye and Bro. Joseph Tsiquaye) of Dominase, British Komenda, was appointed a full time catechist, and being helped by Charles Huchison, P.A. Nortey and Albert Goode, the Church became so vibrant that other Churches were opened.
Thus, the Obuasi Church which was started in 1904 with a small group of people gave birth to Churches at Tutuka, Akrokerri, Akrofuom, Anyinam, Bogobiri and Abompe-Kokoteasua.
BECOMING A DIOCESE
(Its Creation and the First Bishop)
With the growth of the Church in the Kumasi Diocese coupled with the increasing number of priests and for effective pastoral ministry throughout the diocese, the Holy See saw the need to divide the Kumasi diocese, hence, Obuasi and Konongo-Mampong dioceses were carved out of it on March 3, 1995. History was then made in the Catholic Church in Ghana when five new dioceses comprising Kete-Akatsi, Jasikan, Damongo together with Obuasi and Konongo-Mampong were created in the bull signed by the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II. The first bishop appointed for Obuasi was the Most Rev. Thomas Kwaku Mensah, the then Secretary General of the Ghana Bishops’ Conference, and was consecrated on 28th May, 1995, at the Elwak Stadium, Accra, and installed on 3rd June, 1995, at the Len Clay Sports Stadium, Obuasi, thereby taking canonical possession of the Obuasi Diocese accordingly. He then appointed Msgr. Augustine Bio as the first Vicar General of the diocese. Consequently, as a result of the creation of the diocese, the St. Thomas Parish in the Obuasi town was apparently by law raised to the status of a Cathedral, becoming the Seat of the diocese with Msgr. Joseph Amoako- Adusei as its first Cathedral Administrator. The Cathedral Church building as it stands now was built under the leadership of Fr. John Oostenbach (S.M.A). He was succeeded by Fr. Gerard Noom (the last S.M.A. parish priest) who was also succeeded by Monsignor Augustine Bio as the first Ghanaian Parish Priest.
Initially the diocese began with twelve parishes and a rectorate demarcated into three deaneries namely: Obuasi, Agroyesum and Bekwai within the administrative districts of Adansi, Amansie and Bosomtwe-Atwima Kwanwoma covering the area of 6,350 sq. Km. It had 26 native and three missionary priests. However, after almost twenty- five years of its creation, currently covering 13 districts out of the 43 districts in the Ashanti region, the diocese has 42 Parishes and Rectorates within 6 deaneries in Obuasi, Tutuka, Agroyesum, Agric- Nzema, Kuntanase and Bekwai, receiving pastoral assistance from 6 missionary priests and 84 native priests out of which 5 are on retirement and 21 are abroad offering studies in Doctoral and Masters Programmes in various disciplines, while others are either on Sabbatical or on sick leave or on partnership programmes with some dioceses (in U.S.A or Canada). The Religious men and women are 12 and 21 respectively being found in the Congregations of the Sisters of the Handmaids of the Holy child Jesus, the Holy Family, St. Louis, Loreto, Hospitallers, Daughters of the Most Blessed Trinity (F.S.T.), Mary Immaculate, Clarisians, Spiritans, SMA and the Marist Brothers of Schools. Seminarians in both Major and Minor seminaries are 43. The Catholic Population has now risen to about 118,744 including over 780 catechists.
The Second and Third Bishops
After shepherding the diocese of Obuasi for exactly fourteen years (1995-2008), the first bishop, Most Rev. Thomas Kwaku Mensah, was transferred to Kumasi Archdiocese as the Archbishop by the Holy See due to the attainment of the canonical retiring age of Most Rev. Peter Kwasi Sarpong, the then Metropolitan Archbishop. This necessitated the appointment and transfer of Most Rev. Gabriel Justice Yaw Anokye, the then Auxiliary Bishop of Kumasi, to be the substantive Bishop of Obuasi on May 4, 2008. The second Vicar General of the Obuasi diocese in the person of V. Rev. Fr. Joseph Maxwell Appiagyei was then appointed by the new Bishop till 2012, when Bishop Anokye was as well transferred back to Kumasi as the Metropolitan Archbishop by the Holy Father Benedict XVI, once again following the retirement of Most Rev. Thomas Kwaku Mensah. This made the See of Obuasi vacant for about two and a half years until November 22, 2014, the eve of the Solemnity of Christ the Universal King, when at exactly 11.00 am, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, newly appointed Rev. Fr. John Yaw Afoakwah, a native priest from Akrokerri-Bobriase and a Rector at St. Louis Rectorate, Bodwesango, as the substantive bishop of Obuasi diocese, ordained and installed on January 10,2015.