Supporting Capuchins in Ghana
The Capuchin Fathers have been very successful in setting up a new parish in the east of Ghana. The friars lack adequate vehicles to travel to more isolated communities to spread the Catholic Faith. ACN has committed to providing funds in order to help the friars spread the Faith.
By ACN Staff
St. Michael’s Parish. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)
Ghana is located in the west of Africa. The majority of the population is Protestant, with the Catholic faithful making up around 15% of the population. There is also a reasonable number of people who still practice traditional African religion, with many of them being interested in converting to Christianity. For these people, conversion to Christianity would mean liberation from sorcery, magic and evil spirits.
A baptism in St. Michael’s Parish. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need).
The parish of St. Michael in Kpassa has only recently been set up. It is now flourishing with many people converting to Catholicism in the local area. Kpassa is a town with a population of around 45,000 people. It is located in the east of Ghana, around 400 kilometres from Ghana’s capital, Accra. The parish includes numerous outlying villages and smaller settlements. To help minister to scatted communities 17 outstations have been set up with each having two cateshists. The outstations are visited regularly by the priests who are based in the town.
In 2008, the Capuchins first set up the mission in Kpassa, with it being raised to a parish in 2010. The priests are kept very busy in ministering to the faithful in the parish. Some of the outstations are located as far as 45 kilometres from the centre of the parish. This can be a long journey, especially when we consider the quality of the roads in the area. Four villages are currently in the process of developing their own outstations to facilitate the priests regularly celebrating Holy Mass in their communities.
Fr. Robinson Melkis with his parishioners. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)
There are some other villages that are so remote that the Capuchins have not yet been able to proclaim the Gospel to the people there. The big hurdle is the long distance and poor quality of roads. The friars need a four-by-four all-terrain vehicle in order to spread the Good News to the people located in these remote villages. There are currently three priests in the parish and all they have for transport is one motorcycle and one used car. It is therefore impossible for them to travel to the remote villages while still ministering to those have embraced the Catholic Faith in the parish.
The parish priest, Fr. Robinson Melkis wants to be able to minister more intently to his parishioners’ needs and also spread the Gospel to those living in more isolated areas. He turned to ACN for help in obtaining a suitable vehicle to more efficiently travel throughout the parish. ACN has promised €10,000 to help provide this vehicle. If you would like to help us with projects like this one, please consider making a donation.