The Catholic Diocese of Goaso is the sixteenth diocese in Ghana to be created by the Holy Father Pope John Paul II. Until October 1997, the Catholic Diocese of Goaso was part of the Catholic Diocese of Sunyani. The installation of the current and first Bishop, Most Rev. Peter Kwaku Atuahene, took place on Sunday, February 8, 1998, at Goaso.
The Diocese is co-terminus with nine administrative districts namely, Asunafo North, Asunafo South, Asutifi North, Asutifi South, Tano North, Tano South Districts all in the Ahafo Region of Ghana, and Ahafo Ano North and Ahafo Ano South East and South West Districts of the Ashanti Region. It has a population of 787,648. It is a rural diocese with limited socio-economic infrastructure. The Diocese has a Catholic population of 70,406 and began humbly with eleven parishes. A year later, the Bishop raised Bomaa, an outstation of Bechem parish, to a Rectorate.On November 25, 2002, St. Michael’s Church, Kukuom, an outstation of St. Anthony’s Cathedral Parish was created a Rectorate with ten outstations resulting in the canonical alteration of the St. Anthony’s Cathedral Parish, Goaso, and St. Peter’s Parish, Sankore.
St. Anthony’s Rectorate, Yamfo, was elevated to a parish status on 6th December 2002. On March 31, 2003 St. Matthew’s Church, Kunsu, an outstation of St. Anthony’s Parish, Dwinyama, was created a Rectorate with 13 outstations resulting in the canonical alteration of St. Anthony’s Parish, Dwinyama.On April 27, 2003 and June 22, 2003 St. Anthony’s Church, Hwidiem, and St. Joseph’s Church, Nkaseim, both outstations of St. Peter’s Parish were created Rectorates with six and eight outstations respectively resulting in the canonical alteration of the St. Peter’s Parish, Kenyasi. St. Anthony’s Church was renamed Holy Spirit Church while St. Joseph Church took the name Blessed Sacrament Church.
The Holy Spirit Rectorate, Hwidiem, St. Michael’s Rectorate, Kukuom, and Blessed Sacrament Rectorate, Nkaseim, were elevated to parish status on 30th April 2004, 20th May 2004 and 18th June 2004 respectively. Our Lady of Victory Church, Manfo, an outstation of St. Mary’s Parish, Tepa was on 24th January 2005 raised to the status of Rectorate with 16 outstations resulting in the canonical alteration of St. Mary’s Parish, Tepa.On November 1st, 2014, St. Paul’s Church, Kasapin, and St. Anthony’s Church, Ayomso, outstations of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Parish, Mim and St. Anthony of Padua Cathedral Parish, Goaso were created Quasi Parishes with ten and six outstations respectively resulting in the canonical alteration of the Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Parish,Mim and the St. Anthony of Padua Cathedral Parish, Goaso. St. Anthony’s Church was renamed St. John Paul II Quasi Parish, Ayomso.
On May 31st, 2015, St. Patrick’s Church, Makranson, an outstation of St. Matthew's Parish was created a Quasi Parish with two outstations resulting in the canonical alteration of the St. Mathew's Parish, Kunsu. On June 7th, 2015, the St. Francis Xavier Church at Kwapong, an outstation of St. Michael's Parish Kukuom was created a Quasi Parish with four outstations resulting in the canonical alteration of the St. Michael's Parish, Kukuom.
Currently, the Diocese has thirty four Parishes and Quasi Parishes, constituting six deaneries namely Goaso, Kenyasi, Tepa and Bechem, Dwinyama and Sankore.
When the Bishop took canonical possession of the Diocese the then Asunafo District Assembly provided him with temporary accommodation. Within three years the Bishop’s Residence was completed. A one-storey Catholic Secretariat building has been built and in use. The Parish Social Centre at Goaso was renovated and converted into a Cathedral, which was dedicated to the glory of God on June 12, 2004 by His Eminence Peter Cardinal Appiah Turkson, then Archbishop of Cape Coast. The Diocese has constructed a Pastoral and Social Centre complex at Goaso, comprising of thirty sixteen two-bedded rooms, thirty six single rooms with toilet and bath in each room, an office block with meeting rooms, a kitchen and dinning room complex, a big conference hall and a four-room dormitory block.
The Diocese began with eighteen diocesan priests and the number has steadily increased to eighty. There are fifteen Religious Congregations working in the Diocese with eight Religious Men and eighty Religious Women. The Congregations are the Our Lady of Apostles (OLA), Religious of the Virgin Mary (RVM), Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus (HHCJ), Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny (SJC), Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters (IHM), St. Louis Sisters (SL), Society of the Holy Child Jesus (SHCJ), Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit,(SSpS), the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI), the Society for African Missions (SMA), the Congregation of the Missionaries Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (the Claretian Missionaries – CMF), the Congregation of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (JMJ), Daughters of the Blessed Trinity (FST), Servants of the Paraclete (sP) and the Congregation of the Holy Spirit,(CSSp).
The Diocese has 75 Kindergarten, 76 Basic Schools (1 - 6), 59 Junior High Schools, one Girls’ Senior High School (OLA) at Kenyasi, St. Joseph’s College of Education at Bechem, and St. John of God College of Health, Duayaw Nkwanta. Health institutions rendering health services in the Diocese include St. Elizabeth Hospital, Hwidiem, St. John of God Hospital, Duayaw Nkwanta, St. John’s Health Centre, Domeabra, St. Edward’s Hospital, Dwinyama and Holy Spirit Clinic, Dantano, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Clinic, Mim, St. Peter’s Clinic, Donkorkrom and St. Raphael Clinic, Afrisipakrom.
The Diocese has great potential for growth.
Current General Statistics of the Diocese
Total Number of Deaneries 6
Total Number of Parishes/Rectorates 34
Total Number of Catholics 70,366
Total Number of Diocesan Priests 80
Total Number of Diocesan Priests in the Diocese 57
Total Number of Diocesan Priests outside the Country/Diocese 23
Total Number of Fidei Donum Priests 1
Total Number of Priests Religious 9
Total Number of Ghanaian Religious Brothers –
Total Number of Ghanaian Sisters 35
Total Number of Expatriate Sisters 33
Total Number of Catechists 521
School Number No. of Students
Kindergarten 75 6,942
Primary 75 16,838
Secondary (JHS and SHS) 59 9,541