Our History

Early beginnings: The St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Achimota, Accra, traces its origins to the posting of Roman Catholic priests to the Achimota School.

The Achimota educational facilities were built during the period of Roman Catholicism’s inactivity in the Gold Coast. The Achimota School records indicate that the staff for the school arrived in October 1924. One of the founding fathers of Achimota School Sir Gordon Guggisberg desired to make Christian education very much part of the school. The very first day of establishment saw the inclusion of Reverend Ministers as members of staff. The Roman Catholic Church had barely taken off its evangelization work in the Accra area. Indeed by 1927, the Roman Catholic Church in the Gold Coast had only eight (8) outstations. Four of these were along the Accra-Kumasi railway (completed in 1923); one station was in Kibi, one in Ada and two along the commercial areas of the Volta River. There was therefore little the church could do about bringing a Minister of Religion to the School. It was not until 1934 that  Rev. Fr. Andrew van der Bronk, SMA (later Bishop of Kumasi) was posted to the Achimota School.  He was in residence at the Sacred Heart Parish, Derby Avenue. He initially used a bicycle and peddled every day to Achimota School to teach Scripture and Doctrine. He said Mass for the students and staff of the school as well as residents living within the school’s environs; Achimota, Kissehman, Anumle, Legon, etc. He used the premises of the Music School of Achimota School for this purpose. Rev. Fr. Andrew van der Bronk, SMA served as a tutor in Achimota School from 1934 to 1938. He was replaced by a fellow Dutchman Rev. Fr. J. de Bronk, SMA who worked from 1938 to 1939.   Propaganda Fides in Rome, requested the SMA to hand over the management of the Roman Catholic Church in the Accra Area to the SVD in 1938. Rev. Fr. J. de Bronk left the school during this period and handed over the teaching assignment to Rev. Fr. Alphonse Elsbernd, SVD.

The Handing Over to the SVD Missionaries: Fr. Elsbernd held the post for six months until in August 1939, Fr. Harold Rigney, SVD an American, took over the teaching position. The Achimota School at the time had nearly 100 students and staff who were Roman Catholics. He also took residence at Derby Avenue and commuted to work at the school but with a small vehicle he had brought down to the Gold Coast. He continued with evangelization and said Mass for the growing Catholic Community. In 1940 he was assigned an official bungalow on the School campus as a tutor. Fr. Rigney left in 1941 to join the United States Armed Forces as a Chaplain during the Second World War. When Fr. Rigney left the Achimota School, Rev. Fr. Andrew van der Bronk, SMA who had returned to the Gold Coast but was stationed in the Kumasi area, returned to the school and continued his work as a tutor and chaplain until October 1946 when he was posted to Egypt. The SVD had no readily available replacement for the position of tutor and chaplain. Rev. Fr. Alphonse Elsbernd replaced him for six months, then Rev. Sister Bertille S.Sp.S. took over the school’s teaching assignment and religious instruction duties. The Achimota School was an important post for the Church and efforts were made to retain a Catholic Priest at the school all the time. Rev.Fr. Leslie Hartfield, SVD, an Englishman and former Army Chaplain became the next priest posted to the school in the 1947 academic year.

An important aspect of the Roman Catholic Church in Achimota occurred during this period. During the Second World War and specifically in 1940 the Achimota School was chosen as one of the premises the Allied Forces needed to prosecute the War in the West African Coast. There was a need for the School to re-adjust to this need. The students of the Secondary School had to be evacuated in 1940 to Aburi for short periods. In 1942, the Kindergarten and Lower Primary Departments were moved out of Accra to Aburi and other parts of Ghana. This was to make room for the Armed Forces. The Allied Forces Army occupied the entire Western Compound. The Secondary School was crammed into the Eastern Compound and had to share their already congested accommodation with students from a Higher High School of Yaba, Nigeria whose premises had equally been occupied by the Allied Forces to prosecute the Second World War. The Allied Forces left in 1945 at the end of the Second World War and their facilities such as the Dining Hall on the Western Compound were taken over by Achimota School. Rev. Fr. Hartfield who was the Catholic  Chaplain ensured that the Roman Catholic Church was also a beneficiary of some of these structures. For example, the current Girls Gymnasium in the Eastern Compound became the new premises for the Roman Catholic Church. The Sacristy was the Guard House and the main gymnasium was the main church itself. Later, Rev. Fr. Hartfied began discussions to use a disused armory for the growing community of workers and other nearby inhabitants such as Anumle, Kissehman, Achimota, Legon, etc. as a Church. He was instrumental in naming the new premises St. Thomas More Church. This was simply to spite his compatriots -the British. For him, if the British murdered such a great man, the Roman Catholic Church was honouring him with the very edifice of their power- the Armory. THE FIRST MASS TO DEDICATE THE CHURCH WAS CELEBRATED IN THE DISUSED ARMORY on SUNDAY, June 22, 1947., Rev. Fr. Maurice Lesage, SVD took over from Fr. Hartfield in 1948 and intensified the use of the disused armory and the adjoining washrooms as well.

Rev. Fr. Maurice Lesage, SVD was a Biology Teacher in addition to being a teacher of Religious Studies and Doctrine just like his predecessors. He was popularly called “Snake Father” due to his interest in keeping live snakes as well as keeping dead samples in the laboratory. Fr. Lesage was posted to Mount Mary Training College in 1955 and was replaced by Rev. Fr. Franz Huber, SVD. In 1950, Rev. Fr. Dr. Koster, SVD joined Fr. Lesage in residence to begin work at the University College of the Gold Coast. They were thus in charge of the church community in Achimota School and St. Thomas More Church. In September 1950, Fr. Koster left the residence to the University College of the Gold Coast, to lecture in Physics.  Fr. Huber continued serving the church community for non-students of the Achimota School now  St. Thomas More Church until he was replaced by Rev. Fr. John O’Sullivan, SVD in 1962. Fr. Lessage was instrumental in raising funds to accelerate the completion of the roofing of Aggrey Chapel in 1954. The school chapel on the third floor of the administration block could not contain the growing number of students. There was therefore the need to construct a new chapel for the Achimota School. The school ran out of funds and requested Fr. Lessage to support the roofing of the chapel (the current Aggrey Chapel) with funds. He agreed to help on condition that the school gave the old chapel to the Catholic chaplaincy for use by the Catholic students. This is the chapel on the third floor of the administration block. Rev.  Fr. O’Sullivan, SVD was the last SVD Chaplain for the Achimota School and the St. Thomas More Community.

The Diocesan Priests and St. Thomas More Church: Rev. Fr. Joseph Addy became the first diocesan priest to serve as the Catholic chaplain of Achimota School and priest in charge of the St. Thomas More Church Community, serving from 1970 to 1982. He was also a French tutor and introduced the celebration of French Masses in the school.

Rev. Fr. Samuel Batsa took over as Catholic chaplain of Achimota School and priest in charge from 1982 to 1984.

Rev. Fr. Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle served from 1984 to 1992 until he was appointed Bishop of the newly created Diocese of Koforidua. The old church structure was renovated and redesigned during this period to accommodate the growing numbers.

Fr. Thaddeus Nelson Adjakpey was appointed as Catholic chaplain of Achimota School in 1992 and subsequently became the priest in charge until 2000. The St. Thomas More Church Community was then put under the pastoral care of St. Francis Xavier Parish, Kotobabi. With this new arrangement, Fr. Seth Arwo-Doqu became the priest in charge from 2000 to 2003. He worked with Frs. Edmund Donkor-Baine, Henry Frimpong, and Dominic Amegashiti. It was during his tenure that the construction of the St. John Fisher Chapel in New Achimota began. Fr. Arwo-Doqu was instrumental in the ongoing land case.

Fr. Isaac Maunger took over from Fr. Arwo-Doqu in 2003 and subsequently became the priest in charge of the community. He worked with Frs. Thomas Betuyre and Nicholas Larsey.

In 2006, Rev. Fr. Benjamin Ohene was appointed as tutor and Catholic chaplain of Achimota School. Fr. Ohene’s appointment saw the reversal of the pastoring of the St. Thomas More Church Community from St. Francis Xavier Parish back to the Achimota School chaplaincy. He worked with Fr. David Andoh. Fr. Annor-Ohene, a priest from the Diocese of Techiman who had come to Accra to study, and Fr. Marciano Ziem, a priest from the Diocese of Wa working at the National Catholic Secretariat (NCS), also offered pastoral help to the community during this period. Construction work on the St. John Fisher Chapel progressed steadily during this time.

In 2011, Fr. Ohene was transferred to St. Thomas Aquinas School as Assistant Headmaster and was replaced by Fr. George Obeng Appah as tutor, Catholic chaplain of Achimota School, and priest in charge of the St. Thomas More Church. He worked with Frs. Blaise Attachie, Bright Fumey, Emmanuel Kwofie, and Clement Quagraine. Additionally, Fr. Michael Aggrey, a priest from Accra working as a formator at St. Paul’s Seminary in Sowutuom, and Fr. Michael Awuah Ansah, a priest from the Diocese of Koforidua working at the NCS, along with Frs. Oppong Febri and Clement Amankwah from the Diocese of Sunyani, and Fr. Joseph Asante from the Archdiocese of Kumasi, who were studying in Accra, offered pastoral support to the community at different periods.

On Sunday, January 7th, the second Mass at St. Thomas More was moved to the new site at New Achimota (St. John Fisher Chapel). This move aimed to accelerate the construction work on the new chapel, allowing parishioners to witness the development and be motivated to contribute to the project, which was at the roofing stage. The St. John Fisher Chapel was completed in 2015 and dedicated by Most Rev. Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle. In March 2018, work on the rectory began and was completed within a record time of nine months. The Christian Mothers’ sponsored grotto project was also completed in 2016.

On Sunday, February 28th, 2021, Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie raised the St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher Church to parish status. Consequently, Rev. Fr. George Obeng Appah became the inaugural parish priest of the newly erected parish.

In 2022, Fr. Evans Halolo was appointed as the Catholic chaplain following the transfer of Fr. George to Akramaman SHS, Amasaman, as Assistant Headmaster, and he joined the pastoral team of the parish community.

The sod was cut in February 2022 for the commencement of the Children’s Block, which was completed in June 2024. It was dedicated by Most Rev. Anthony Narh Asare, Auxiliary Bishop of Accra, on June 23rd, 2024.

The history of Ss. Thomas More and John Fisher Catholic Church is a testament to the unwavering faith and dedication of its community. From its early beginnings, nurtured by committed priests and parishioners, the church has grown into a vibrant parish.

Each milestone, from the dedication of St. John Fisher Chapel to its elevation to parish status, reflects the enduring spirit and unity of our congregation. The recent completion of the Children’s Block and our continued spiritual growth highlight that our journey is ongoing.

As we honour the past, we look forward with gratitude and commitment, ensuring that our legacy of faith, service, and community continues to inspire future generations.