Mission & Vision
A vibrant self-sustaining church, evangelizing in the spiritual and human development of its people
Archdiocesan Vision Statement
The Tamale Archdiocese envisions to be "a vibrant self-sustaining church, evangelizing in the spiritual and human development of its people."
Insights into the Vision
- The vision idealises the conditions that the church wishes to reflect in 10-15 years. In this vision, the church is focused on the thriving vitality of the spirit and the human form in a constantly evangelizing state. The Church visualises a condition in which the Word, rather than the provision of material goods and services, is the primary focus of evangelisation.
- The Church is experiencing an era of competition from the so-called Charismatic and Pentecostal groups through "evangelisation by propaganda," whose agenda is to attack the Catholic Church. Catholics who are not well-anchored face the temptation of losing their ground unless they have become evangelised in a spiritually vibrant and self-sustaining state. The Church is seeking a new trajectory of evangelisation based predominantly on the Word.
- Finally, this vision is consistent with the attainment of a new conversion for all who work in the Church, according to which personnel will constantly renew themselves to be of greater service to the Church and their communities. Parishes will have peace-building functions, and schools will have a complete religious education.
The Word rather than the provision of material goods and services is the primary focus of evangelisation. The Church is seeking a new trajectory of evangelisation based predominantly on the Word. Parishes will have peace-building functions, and schools will have a complete religious education.
Archdiocesan Mission Statement
Tamale Archdiocese exists "to establish God's kingdom, uniting people in a sustainable, peaceful environment through the proclamation of the word and Human promotion for quality of life".
— Romans 14:17-19
Insights into the Mission
- The Church all over the world has a universal mission, that of winning souls for Christ through preaching the word. The kingdom of God does not mean food and drink but "righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17-19). It does foresee "uniting people" and realizing a sustainable environment.
- The mission of the Archdiocese is to respond to challenges, both external and internal, that affect evangelisation: high levels of poverty, unemployment, illiteracy (especially among females), poor access to water, environmental degradation, high divorce rate, and conflicts. The population is predominantly Muslim and polygamous, with a very high proportion of young people.
- Changing external conditions affect the availability of external funds, and hence the Church must rethink its traditional mode of intervention to source funding from within as much as possible.
- The church recognises its mission in the next 10-15 years needs to address the very important issue of pursuing evangelisation, promoting peace, and contributing to human welfare, but with a push towards a high degree of self-reliance.
- The need to unite people makes the peace initiative important as an objective. The call to the proclamation of the word invites all the faithful to an unequivocal commitment to evangelisation and its strengthening. Hence, human promotion suggests seeking to meet the basic needs of people also in a sustainable manner.
Winning souls for Christ through preaching the word. Respond to challenges, both external and internal, that affect evangelisation. Rethink its traditional mode of intervention to source funding from within as much as possible. Pursuing evangelisation, promoting peace, and contributing to human welfare, but with a push towards a high degree of self-reliance. Seeking to meet the basic needs of people also in a sustainable manner.
OLA Cathedral 5-year Strategic Plan Framework (2025 to 2030)
The strategic plan gives the direction in which the OLA Cathedral Parish intends to move within the next 5 years by clearly outlining the objectives, milestones, and activities to be undertaken. It is developed with the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders of the Parish and outlines the resources needed to achieve the objectives.
Spirituality
OLA Parishioners live lives that reflect their complete and absolute trust in God and accept all happenings in their lives as God's will.
Pastoral Care
A Parish Community that is united in its diversity and provides for the spiritual, social, and economic needs of its members irrespective of their ethnic, social, and economic background.
Liturgy
OLA Cathedral conducts its liturgy in line with the Catholic doctrine while reflecting/incorporating the diverse needs of the congregation.
Finance & Investment
By 2027, OLA Parish will have a solid financial base (cash and investments) that will enable the parish to meet its financial obligations with minimal external support, if any.
Evangelisation
Catholic population in the OLA parish increases by 2% by 2027.
Human Development
OLA parishioners, especially the youth, are sufficiently equipped with the relevant education, skills, and attitude to be candidates of choice for jobs in the formal and informal sectors.
Welfare
The parish has and implements an active welfare policy that meets the welfare needs of its members.
Development of the Strategic Plan
The idea of the strategic plan was conceived by the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC), and the Laity Council (LC) was tasked to develop the same. The rationale for the development of the strategic plan includes:
- Ensuring that activities of the Parish are aligned with the overall vision and mission of the Tamale Arch Diocese
- Ensuring focus and synergy of the activities of the Parish
- Ensuring that all aspects of the Pastoral life of parishioners are addressed.
The choice of the process adopted for the development of the strategic plan was informed by the need to build on the strengths of the Parish, take advantage of opportunities available based on the peculiarities of the parish as a cosmopolitan church, and minimise any weaknesses and threats that are likely to hinder the progress and development of the Church.