Our History

Early on in his administration, having been installed as the first Bishop of Sunyani in 1973, Most Rev. James Kwadwo Owusu, saw the great need for promoting local vocations to the priesthood and religious life, specifically in the Sunyani Diocese, which was mainly rural and lacking in social amenities, and where primary evangelization was the main concern. He started inviting local young men and women to join the priesthood and religious life. He established a minor seminary, St. James Seminary, in 1978 for the priestly formation of young men responding to the call of God to work in God's vineyard. Also, he envisioned a congregation of women religious engaged in primary evangelization in the Diocese. Upon the Bishop's tragic death in a car accident in December 2001, almost 21 years after its foundation, St. James Seminary had been able to produce more than sixty priests. Meanwhile, the envisioned religious congregation of women had not been realized owing to a lack of personnel to help form the young women who responded to the call.

The second Bishop of Sunyani, Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, immediately upon his consecration in June 2003, took upon himself the responsibility to realize the vision of his predecessor as regards the establishment of the religious congregation. He ceaselessly requested a number of religious congregations of women for assistance in the formation of the young women in the diocese interested in becoming part of the congregation the late Bishop envisioned. He then further clarified the charism of the congregation and later was inspired to adopt the spirituality and Rule of St. Benedict to serve as guide for the Congregation-a spirituality which he himself has adopted since his seminary days. He named the congregation the Congregation of the Sisters of the Incarnate Word. With him as chairperson, he formed a formation team composed of the formators from the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus (HHCJ), School Sisters of Notre Dame, and Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit (SSPS), Sr. Vida Cabeltes, RVM Benedictine Monks of Kristo Buase and a priest of the Diocese. On October 7, 2008, four candidates were received into Postulancy to start their formation. With the permission of the Superior General of the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus (HHCJ) who had accepted that her Congregation would mentor the young Congregation, she appointed two HHCJ Sisters, Sr. Agatha Ifenkwe, H.H.C.J and Sr. Florence Badu, H.H.CJ to serve as the formators. Other members of the formation team were: Sr. Mary Kay Gosch, SSND, Sr. Donna Webber, SSpS, Sr. Vida Cabeltes, RVM and Msgr. Richard Kyeremeh. For lack of enough space in the formation house, the second batch of candidates was admitted to the postulancy in 2010 as the first batch continued their formation in the Novitiate.