FIVE Catholic priests in the Catholic Diocese of Koforidua have jointly invested GH¢1.6 million from their personal resources to construct a church to serve four communities in the New Juaben South Municipality of the Eastern Region.
The 300-capacity church, located at Trom and named St. John Vianney Catholic Church, is expected to bring worship closer to residents of Trom, Bornya, Korle and Abansro.
The Vicar General of the Diocese, Monsignor Francis Twum-Barimah, will oversee the new church and provide pastoral services.
The Catholic Bishop of Koforidua, Most Rev. Joseph Afrifah-Agyekum, who led the dedication of the church at Trom, described the initiative as exceptional, saying he had not witnessed a similar undertaking in his more than 40 years in the priesthood.
He commended the five priests for conceiving the idea and completing the project within eight months.
“I want to thank God for the thoughtfulness of some of my priests, who conceived this idea and presented it to me towards the end of last year. Thank you for this parish and for completing it in eight months,” he stated.
Bishop Afrifah-Agyekum said the project demonstrated that infrastructure could be delivered at a lower cost through efficient management of resources and urged the government and other institutions to learn from the initiative.
The convenor of the five priests, Very Rev. Fr. Ebenezer Kenneth Abban, who is also President of the Koforidua Diocesan Priests Association (KODPA), Director of the Diocesan Health Services and Hospital Manager of St. Dominic Catholic Hospital, Akwatia, acknowledged the collective sacrifice that made the project possible.
He, however, singled out Very Rev. Fr. Joseph Quainoo Aggrey for his initiative and commitment.
“Although five of us contributed in our own strength to build this church, special mention should be made of the initiator, Very Rev. Fr. Joseph Quainoo Aggrey. We could not believe what we saw; in our minds, this was to travel beyond this year,” he commended.
The other priests who contributed to the project are Rev. Fr. Michael Numekevor Jnr., Esq., Diocesan Civil Lawyer and priest in charge of lands and estates; Rev. Fr. Eric Evans Akahono, Parish Priest of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, Akyem Oda; and Rev. Fr. Derrick Eyram Senanu, Parish Priest of St. Peter Catholic Church, Somanya.
The project brings to 54 the number of parishes and quasi-parishes in the Catholic Diocese of Koforidua, he said.
The assigned catechist, Mrs Rose A. Dadjawah, a resident of Trom, noted that the new church would provide a more suitable environment for worship and encourage more Catholics to participate in church activities.
A resident, Francisca Ayitey, recalled the difficulties she encountered travelling from Trom to St. Dominic Catholic Church, particularly when she was pregnant.
“Praise be to God, I used to go for Mass at St. Dominic from Trom even when I was pregnant. Getting taxis on Sundays was not easy,” she disclosed.
Previously, Catholic faithful in the four communities had to travel more than three miles to attend Mass at St. Dominic Catholic Church, Adweso, St. George Cathedral or St. Bakhita Catholic Church at Old Estates, with transportation difficulties, particularly on Sundays, discouraging some from attending services.
BY AMA TEKYIWAA AMPADU AGYEMAN, KOFORIDUA
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