HISTORY

History of the Good Shepherd Church, Community 2, Tema

In 1965, barely three years after the dedication of Our Lady of Mercy Church (OLAM) in Community 1 the need to establish another parish in Community 2 became paramount. It was a commonplace in those days to see Catholics trooping to Church in Community 1 on Sunday mornings in taxis, tro-tros and even on foot.

The late Mr. J. K. C. Fynn who, incidentally, was the President of the Parish Council of Our Lady of Mercy (OLAM) and a resident of Community 2, consulted with Rev. Fr. Theodore Van Einthoven, the then Parish Priest of OLAM, about the creation of a new out-station for Catholics in Community 2.

Fr. Einthoven initially did not lend his support to the creation of a new out-station, arguing that the number of existing out-stations at that time was already large. He was also not convinced that the population of Catholics in Community 2 was large enough to justify the creation of a new out-station. However, after some deliberations, a compromise agreement was reached, namely, that a priest would say Mass there on alternate Sundays.

Announcements were made at OLAM inviting all Catholics residing in Communities 2 and 5 to assemble at the Aggrey Road School, Community 2, for the commencement of Sunday morning services.

Consequently, on one Sunday morning in August, 1965 at about 8.15 am, a Reverend Father arrived and introduced himself as Rev. Fr. Charles R. Schneider. He celebrated Mass on the verandah in front of the Home Science Centre of the School. After Mass, Rev. Fr. Schneider shook hands with all who were present. That day can be considered as the birthday of the Good Shepherd Church in Community 2 which started as an out-station of Our Lady of Mercy.

Some weeks later, Fr. Schneider was replaced by Fr. Louis Gusmao de Santos. Meanwhile, attendance at Sunday morning services had started to gather momentum. Catholics in Community 2 who hitherto were attending Church Services at OLAM had decided to join the congregation at the Aggrey Road School. A priest was now celebrating Mass on every Sunday and not on alternate Sundays as before.

In May 1967, Fr. Henk Janssen, who had been the Parish Priest at Yendi, was transferred to community 1 OLAM where three or four Dutch Priests were working. Fr. Janssen opted to start a new mission in Community 2. He was a very independent-minded person and always wanted his work to be a challenge. He was, therefore, posted to Community 2 as Priest-in-Charge.

Fr. Janssen plunged into serious work immediately on arrival at his new station and on 27th May, 1967, the first 32 catechumens were baptized. Marriages were blessed and youth work was emphasized.

At the time of Fr. Janssen’s arrival, the congregation had become so large that Sunday services were now being held under the pavilion in the centre of the school compound.

Fr. Janssen’s first priority was, therefore, to put up a Church building and a presbytery. A plot of land measuring two acres had already been purchased from the Tema Development Corporation in February 1966 at a cost of ¢720.00 (Seven Hundred and Twenty Cedis). To raise some funds for the construction of the church building and the presbytery, Fr. Janssen organized the first harvest festival in 1967.

It may be worthwhile, at this juncture, to narrate an interesting event which occurred at this festival. The chairman for the occasion was one Dr. John Ackah Blay Miezah, a very flamboyant and yet an affable person, who was reputed to be a multi millionaire. In his closing remarks at the end of the harvest sales, he said, inter alia: “I would like to make a humble donation of ¢100.00 (One hundred Cedis) to this infant Church.” The applause which greeted this announcement was surprisingly muted. This is because the congregation including Fr. Janssen himself could not believe their ears. The cheque for the ¢100.00 was then given to Fr. Janssen who examined it and cried out: “Yes, ¢100.00.” The whole congregation then burst into a rapturous applause. It must be mentioned here, in passing, that ¢100.00 in 1967 was a lot of money. A bag of cement in those days cost ¢0.85 (eighty-five pesewas) as compared to the current (January, 2005) price of ¢50,000 (fifty thousand Cedis). So the initial disbelief and the later rapture of the congregation can well be understood and appreciated.

With the money obtained from the harvest sales and a donation from external sources, Fr. Janssen engaged a building contractor, Borini Prono, who was then constructing houses in Community 5 to undertake the construction of the chapel and the presbytery. The project was completed within eight months at a cost of ¢4,500.00 (Four Thousand Five Hundred Cedis) and on June 9, 1968, Bishop Joseph 0. Bowers, the then Bishop of Accra Diocese, blessed the chapel and presbytery and dedicated the parish to the Good Shepherd.