Accra: Over seven thousand individuals were evangelised during this year's One Week Evangelisation Programme hosted by St Joseph the Worker Parish, Vume, in the Ada-Battor Deanery of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra. The outreach, led by Rev. Fr. Joseph Egblewogbe with Rev. Fr. John Ametefe as the Assistant Priest, aimed to spread the Gospel of Christ to unreached areas within the Archdiocese.
According to Ghana News Agency, the week-long evangelisation initiative is an annual activity in the Archdiocese of Accra, spearheaded by the Catholic Charismatic Renewal - Network of Prayer Groups. Mr. Sylvester Bagooro, a member of the Evangelisation team, highlighted that the programme seeks to engage host communities and surrounding areas by identifying potential locations for new outstations and initiating their establishment with parish support. Since 2011, Catholic evangelisers from various parishes have been mobilised to rural communities within the Archdiocese to share the Catholic faith through diverse approaches, including Rosary Prayer walks, Eucharistic processions, and house-to-house evangelisation.
For this year's programme at Vume, 249 Catholic evangelisers were mobilised and prepared for the mission. They used the Vume Catholic Primary school as their base to reach out to communities such as Tefle, Sokpoe, Kasie, Agave, and Dzabetato, as well as institutions like the police station and local hospitals. By the end of the week, a total of 7,029 people were evangelised, including seventy-two lapsed Catholics who were encouraged to renew their faith.
A three-day Crusade held from August 28-30, 2025, featured Very Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Obeng Cudjoe, who urged attendees to embrace Christ. The Crusade included altar calls and healing ministrations, with medical screenings provided to 438 adults in Vume and surrounding areas. Over 50 Catholic health professionals participated, supported by health professionals from Accra and the Comboni hospital.
Mr. Bagooro noted two primary challenges: the need for more outstations in towns like Tefle, Sokpoe, and Dzabetato, and the need for innovative financing for evangelisation efforts. He emphasized the importance of establishing churches in communities eager for places of worship and highlighted the financial challenges faced by the programme, which began with an estimated budget of GHS 245,000.00. Despite these challenges, the programme was supported by fundraising efforts and the generosity of Catholics in the Archdiocese.
The success of the initiative was attributed to the support of the Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, CSSp, his Auxiliaries, and other spiritual leaders and lay members who contributed to the programme's success.
