How A Ghanaian Roman Catholic Priest Founded A Sacred Place Of Grotto Of The Lady Mary Formerly Inhabited By Evil Spirits

This place is called Manfo in the Ahafo-Ano South District in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. It is about 230 kilometers from the national capital, Accra.

Around the 1950s, a Roman Catholic Priest called Rev. Father Paul Amoako was posted to the area for parish duties. When the priest arrived in the area, it was a typical conservative African traditional society with the indigenous people worshiping river gods and other spirits. Church members were relatively few in those days and it was quite difficult for the church to win new converts.

While Father Amoako was undertaking his parish duties, it was said he discovered that a particular place of the town is the highest point of the entire area. He then turned that particular area to his prayer place. Little literature available about the discovering made by the priest at the district archive department, indicates that the priest used to go to the place very late in the night to pray.

But traditional rulers in the area were quick to warn him that the place was inhabited by wild animals and evil spirits from ancient times and he should stop praying at the place for his own safety.    

Mr. Kojo Mensah, who was very young when the priest arrived in the town, described how fearful the area was at the time as children were completely forbidden from going near to the place.

``I can say that the area was very dangerous. We were told as kids that the place is where human sacrifices were offered to the gods in the past and due to that sacrifices, evil spirits have taken over the place and harm anybody who dares go into the forest’’, he said.

Description of the place paints a picture of a thick forest when the priest first made his appearance at the place to pray.

The story continued that through constant praying and fasting at the spot, the father grew from strength to strength spiritually and this inspired other church members to follow him. Soon, the place which used to be a dangerous area became a place where church members who want spiritual growth from God turned their attention to.

It is said the priest then named the place Victory Grotto of the Lady Mary and urged his followers to treat the place as a holy site where they can go and seek spiritual growth from God.

Today, the place has now become a sacred spot of worship for Catholics and even non-Catholics throughout Ghana and some neighboring countries.

Thousands of Christians flock to the place to pray for spiritual powers and God’s blessing all year round. Tourism experts have advised the District Assembly in the area to fully develop the area into a big tourist attraction site to generate revenue from the numerous visitors who visit the area.

Rev. Father Paul Amoako might have thought that he was looking for a quite place to say his prayers but today, it has become one of the holy places in Ghana and beyond.