TAMALE, DIOCESE of. - Situated in the northern part of the Gold Coast, entrusted to the Society of the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers), suffragan to the archdiocese of Cape Coast.
This territory was erected on 11 Jan. 1926 as the apostolic prefecture of Navrongo, detached from the apostolic vicariate of Ouagadougou, and was then enlarged with part of the then apostolic vicariate of the Gold Coast (now the archdiocese of Cape Coast); it was raised 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 approximately 860,000 inhabitants, of whom 35,567 are Catholics (with 2,954 catechumens and 4,022 postulants); 5,284 Protestants; over 193,000 Mohammedans; more than 715,000 pagans. Native priests 5; foreign priests 49; foreign brothers 6; nuns 50, of whom 28 are native and 22 foreign; one novitiate with 9 novices; one 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 admitted during the year 1951; dispensaries 13; 1 orphanage with 13 boys and 11 girls; two leprosaria; 3 homes for the aged; there are also maternity and child welfare institutions; 2 periodicals with a total circulation of 4,600 copies. Schools 29 with 1,712 pupils of both sexes. There are Catholic Action associations.