The Navrongo-Bolgatanga Catholic Diocese has climaxed its 120th anniversary celebration with a Diocesan Pastoral Congress, as Bishop Most Rev. Alfred Agyenta paid tribute to the early missionaries whose work has grown into a “mighty tree” of faith across northern Ghana.
The congress, held under the theme, “Beyond 120 Years as a Local Church: Embracing Synodality in the Spirit of Evangelisation and Service,” brought together religious leaders, lay faithful, youth, institutions, and people of goodwill.
Speaking at the event, Bishop Most Rev. Agyenta said the seed of the Gospel was sown in 1906 by the early Missionaries of Africa. That seed, he noted, was watered by generations of co-workers and blessed by “the Lord of the harvest” to grow into the Tamale Ecclesiastical Province, which now comprises the five dioceses of northern Ghana.
“From the initial mission station of 1906, today the local church of Navrongo-Bolgatanga has 27 parishes, with a Catholic population of 195,944,” he said.
According to him, the diocese is served by 80 diocesan priests, 90 missionary priests, 49 consecrated men and women, and 138 catechists.
Beyond evangelization, the Bishop outlined the diocese’s contribution to human development: 13 health facilities, one college of education, five senior high schools, and more than 378 basic schools run in partnership with the state.
Social intervention programmes include two children’s homes, women’s development enterprises, agricultural and livelihood programmes, and peace-building initiatives.
Marking 120 years of evangelization, the diocese held its first-ever Pastoral Congress, inspired by the Church’s call to synodality.
“This historic pastoral event is designed to help us as a local church take stock of the past, chart new paths for the future, and carry on the mission of Christ with renewed zeal in response to changing times,” Bishop Agyenta said.
Keynote speaker, Peter Cardinal Appiah Turkson, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academies, commended the diocese for achieving 120 years of growth despite its diversity. He urged the Church to maintain its focus on evangelization and service as it moves beyond the anniversary.
The congress concluded with commitments from stakeholders to strengthen synodality, walking together as a Church, and to deepen service to communities across the diocese.
A1 Radio | 101.1 MHz | David Azure | Navrongo
