Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie has announced the transfer of priests in Accra with Fr. John Armah Koufie, Fr. Joseph Arthur, Parish priest of St. Dominic Taifa, Fr. William Abaiku Apprey, Chaplain of St. Thomas Aquinas Chaplaincy, Legon on Fidei Donum.
According to the release dated August 17, Fr. John Armah Koufie is set for mission in the Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom.
The mission places of Fr. Arthur and Abaiku Apprey however have not been disclosed.
Fidei Donum which means “Gift of Faith” it refers to a specific program and concept established by Pope Pius XII in 1957 to address the needs of the Church in mission territories.
It is aimed at promoting the growth and development of the Church in mission territories by sending priests, religious, and laypersons from more established dioceses to serve in less developed areas. This program is a practical expression of solidarity and support within the global Church.
It would be recalled that Archbishop Kwofie called on priests in Accra to avail themselves voluntarily to be sent to the Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom for missionary work.
The appeal came after a request from the Vicar of the Vicariate of Donkorkrom Bishop John Alphonse Asiedu reached out to his counterpart in Accra to extend a hand of fidei donum.
Archbishop Kwofie made the appeal at the 2024 Chrism Mass held on March 27, urging his priests to consider volunteering for mission in Donkorkrom.
“I want to use this opportunity to ask that any priest willing to go on this mission should see me as soon as possible. Else, with my consultors, I will mission someone to Donkorkrom,” Archbishop Kwofie said.
It would again be recalled that Rev. Fr. Stephen Kofi Sakpaku ended voluntary missionary work in the Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom on April 30, 2023.
Fr. Sakpaku arrived in Donkorkrom in the year 2012 serving the people of God in Donkorkrom for 11 years.
Within this period, he worked in various capacities including bursar of the Vicariate, Pastor of St. Theresa Parish, Samanhyia and St. Joseph the Worker Parish, Maame- Krobo as well as being part of the college of consultors of the Vicariate.
Donkorkrom, formerly part of the Accra Archdiocese, was transferred to the Koforidua Diocese in 2007, along with Koforidua. In 2013, it gained autonomy from the Koforidua Diocese and was established as the Apostolic Prefecture of Donkorkrom.
The Donkorkrom Apostolic Vicariate comprises eight Parishes on the mainland and one island mission, which is also considered a Parish for the island Stations.
Mainland Parishes within the Vicariate include Ekye Amanfro, Fori Fori, Maame Krobo, Tease, Samenhyia, Donkorkrom, Amankwakrom, and Mary Mother of God Parish, Adeemra. The latter, for an extended period, stood as the sole Parish in the entire Afram Plains, managed by a single Priest, until it eventually gave rise to the aforementioned parishes.
Currently, the Vicariate is served by 17 Priests, comprising eight Diocesans, seven Divine Word Missionaries, and two Spiritans. Additionally, there are several Women Religious Congregations operating within the Vicariate, including the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Spirit (SSPS), Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary (MSHR), Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church (SMMC), and Handmaids of the Divine Redeemer (HDR).
In terms of healthcare facilities, the Vicariate boasts two Health Centres: Holy Spirit Poly Clinic in Kwesi Fante and Holy Rosary Health Centre in Amankwakrom.
Regarding education, there are numerous Catholic Basic Public Schools in Donkorkrom, supplemented by two Private-Catholic Basic Schools: St. Joseph School in Maame Krobo and Mater Ecclesia in Kwaekese. Additionally, the Vicariate hosts two Second Cycle Public-Catholic Schools: St. Fidelis Senior High Technical College in Tease and St. Mary’s Vocational Technical College in Adeemra.
