TAMALE, Diocese of. - Located in the northern part of the Gold Coast, entrusted to the Society of Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers), suffragan of the archdiocese of Cape Coast.
This territory was erected on 11 Jan. 1926 as an apostolic prefecture of Navrongo, by detachment from the apostolic vicariate of Ouagadougou, and then enlarged with part of the then apostolic vicariate of the Gold Coast (now archdiocese of Cape Coast); it was elevated to an apostolic vicariate on 26 Feb. 1934; finally to a diocese under the name of T., on 18 Apr. 1950. It has an area of 78,958 sq. km., with about 860,000 inhabitants, of whom 35,567 are Catholics (with 2,954 catechumens and 4,022 postulants); 5,284 Protestants; over 193,000 Muslims; more than 715,000 pagans. Native priests 5; foreign 49; foreign brothers 6; sisters 50, of whom 28 native and 22 foreign; a novitiate with 9 novices; a major seminary with 13 students, and 4 minor students, catechists 198; male teachers 36 and female teachers 6; 10 quasi-parishes, 69 secondary mission stations; 10 churches, 65 chapels. Hospitals 2 with 227 patients during the year 1951; dispensaries 13; 1 orphanage with 13 orphans and 11 orphan girls; two leprosariums; 3 homes for the aged; there are also works for maternity and childhood; 2 periodicals with a total circulation of 4,600 copies. Schools 29 with 1,712 pupils of both sexes. There are associations of Catholic Action.
Bibliography5 works
Carlo Corvo