OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL PARISH, KWAHU TAFO
Our Lady of Good Counsel parish, is situated in the Kwahu East District of the Eastern Region with its centre in Kwahu Tafo. Her outstations cuts across the Kwahu East and South Districts of the Region. Fr. Eugene Bruce Konuah Asante, SVD is currently the Priest-in-Charge assisted by Fr. Daniel Odei Dankyi, SVD.
The Parish has twenty-three outstations, ten (10) Primary Schools, seven (7) Junior High Schools, one (1) Senior High School and one (1) Technical School. There are also many different groups and societies in the main parish and the outstations as well. Some of these groups includes Catholic Youth Organization (CYO), Tarcistians, Children of Mary, Alter Servers Association, Knights and Ladies of Marshal and St. John International, Christian mothers Association, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) and Aged group among others. The Parish is also blessed with a Grotto (Marian Shrine) which covers a land area of approximately 10 acres. The Nkawkaw Deanery usually climax its yearly rosary here at the end of the rosary month of October every year.
PROGRAMME SCHEDULES OF THE MAIN STATION
STATIONS AND DATES OF ESTABLISHMENT
STATION |
FOUNDER/YEAR |
FIRST MASS |
KWAHU TAFO |
OP. KWADWO FORDJOUR IN 1925 |
REV. FR. JOSEPH STAUFFER (SMA) ON 15TH DECEMBER, 1926 |
MPRAESO |
OP. EMMANUEL KWASI ADDAE IN THE EARLY FORTIES |
REV. FR. C. J. HODAPP IN 1951 |
OBO |
OP. YAW DEDE IN THE EARLY FIFTIES |
|
TWEREDURASE |
MISS BENEDETTE, ADUSA NYAME, GODFRED ADAMA AND JOHN OFORI IN 1993 |
REV. FR. SABASTIAN SPERL |
BEPONG |
OP. KWASI ADDAE (ALIASE KWASI ROMAN) IN 1932 |
|
ASAKRAKA |
OP. JOSEPH DUA (ALIASE AGYA FORDJOUR) IN 1934 |
REV. FR. LEMENS (SMA) IN 1934 |
NTOMEM |
|
|
ODOTOKAW |
MR. THOMAS K. DONKO 1989 |
|
ADAWSO |
MADAM AGARTHA OWIEREDU AND MR. ALFRED GADRI |
REV. FR. NORBERT MUSHOFF IN 1978 |
NKYENEKYENE |
OP. JOSEPH K. YEBOAH IN 1985 |
REV. FR. NORBERT IN 1985 |
PITIKU |
MIGRANTE FISHERMEN FROM SETTLERS MEPE LEAD BY MR. GILBERT KOFI AGBAGLI |
|
ASUBONE |
PETER TSIDI ON 1ST MAY, 1994 |
REV. FR. GREGORY ON 24TH JANUARY,1995 |
NKETEPA |
MR. JOHN KOFI ZEGGEY IN 1982 |
REV. FR. SEBASTIAN SPERL |
AMATEY |
|
|
KWAHU AMANFROM |
MIGRANTE FISHERMEN SETTLERS FROM VOLTA REGION IN 1964 |
|
KOTOSO |
OP. EMMANUEL KWASI ADDAE IN 1952 |
REV. FR. JOHN DAUPHINE |
ASEMPANEYE |
MESSRS RUBEN ADZOM, VIKU DONU AND DIEGO JOHN IN 1981 |
REV. FR. NORBERT MUSHOFF |
AHINASE |
OP. JOSEPH KOFI BRIGYAN IN 1934 |
REV. LEMENES ON 31ST OCTOBER, 1934 |
BONKRASE |
MR. GIDEON FRANK KOFI GLI IN 1976 |
REV. FR. NORBERT IN 1983 |
NTESO |
MADAM MARGRET DANSOA IN 1955 |
REV. FR. C. J. HODAPP IN 1956 |
ANKOMA |
MR. OKAE IN 1953 |
REV. FR. C. J. HODAPP |
OFRAMASE |
OP. THOMAS ASANTE |
|
AWESASU
|
MR. JOSEPH AMANORTEY IN 1961 |
|
BREIF HISTORY OF THE OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL PARISH
The Our Lady of Good Counsel parish was established in 1926 by the Society of African Mission (SMA). The pioneers of the church were converts from the then dominant Christian religion in the Kwahu District, Presbyterian Church. These converts broke away due to a compulsory heavy levy imposed on them by the then Presbyterian Catechist. The converts went to Nkawkaw and registered as catechumens of the Catholic Church. The first missionary to visit the station was Fr. Joseph Stauffer, SMA from Saltpond in the Cape Coast Diocese on 14th December, 1926. He officially opened the Church with mass on 15th December, 1926, a day on which seven people were baptised. From then on, many other priests visited the parish to open outstations.
In 1939, an agreement was reached between the SMA and the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) to hand over the Koforidua Church which included Kwahu Tafo to the SVDs. In January, 1941, Fr. Alphonse Eksbernd, SVD took over the Koforidua mission with Fr. Anthony Bauer, SVD as his assistant in charge of outstations. He later became the first Priest Resident at Kwahu Tafo in 1942. In 1943, Fr. Aloysius Torbek, SVD became the Assistant priest at Tafo in charge of some outstations including Nkawkaw. He was later transferred to Nkawkaw to cater for the stations down the scarp.
From1940, the following became Parish Priests until date
NAME OF PARISH PRIEST |
PERIOD AS PP |
MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS |
1. Fr. Anthony Bauer, SVD |
1941 - 1950 |
Ø |
2. FR. John Dauphine, SVD |
1950 - 1954 |
ü Built the two-story mission house ü Constructed a building for St. Joseph Clinic ü Established three middle schools within the Parish |
3. Fr. Cletus Joseph Hodapp, SVD |
1954 - 1964 |
· |
4. Fr. Joseph Paridon, SVD |
1964 - 1968 |
|
5. Fr. James William Keck, SVD |
1968 - 1972 |
|
6. Fr. Norbert Mushoff, SVD |
1972 - 1987 |
|
7. Fr. Vincent M. Burke, SVD |
1989 - 1991 |
|
8. Fr. Marek Dabrowski, SVD |
1991 - 2001 |
|
9. Duah Prempeh, SVD |
2001 - 2005 |
|
10. Alex Awuah, SVD |
2005 - 2011 |
|
11. Fr. Henry Kwaku Duah, SVD |
2011- 2019 |
|
12. Fr. Eugene Bruce Konuah Asante, SVD |
2019 - |
|
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT
1. Fr. Eugene Bruce Konuah Asante, SVD on 0249373177/ 0208427108
2. Fr. Daniel Odei Denkyi, SVD on 0272631040