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 seven administrative districts namely, Asunafo North, Asunafo South, Asutifi, Tano North, Tano South Districts all in the Brong-Ahafo Region and Ahafo Ano North and Ahafo Ano South Districts of the Ashanti Region. It has a population of 557,016. It is a rural diocese with limited socio-economic infrastructure. The Diocese has a Catholic population of 50,550 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.
Currently, the Diocese has eighteen Parishes and two Rectorates, constituting four deaneries namely Goaso, Kenyasi, Tepa and Bechem. When the Bishop took canonical possession of the Diocese the Asunafo District Assembly provided him with temporary accommodation. Within three years the Bishop’s Residence was completed. A two-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, Archbishop of Cape Coast. The Diocese has constructed a Pastoral and Social Centre complex at Goaso and work on the project is still on-going.
The Diocese began with twenty diocesan priests and, to date, the number has increased to forty-seven. There are eight Religious Congregations working in the Diocese with four Religious Men and thirty-eight 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, Holy Cross Brothers and the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI).
The Diocese has 76 Kindergarten, 82 Basic Schools (1 - 6), 43 Junior High Schools, one Girls’ Senior High School (OLA) at Kenyasi and St. Joseph’s College of Education at Bechem.
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, and St. Edward’s Maternity and Clinic, Dwinyama.
The Diocese has great potential for growth.