Standing two meters tall and enclosed by a small fence, the statue of Our Lady of Unity attracts the attention of passersby on the road to Asueyi, a village in Techiman, central Ghana. Bold letters along the fence read: “Welcome to Our Lady of Calvary Grotto.” This prominent sign reminds visitors that the 100-hectare forest, once a sacred site for the Jama people, is now a place to practice the Christian faith.
The transition from one form of worship to another wasn’t easy. In 1966, Mathew Kwadwo Okrah, a parishioner from Techiman, discovered this area of hills and large trees, which was then used for Jama rituals and worship. At the time, Catholics had to travel over 100 kilometers to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption at the nearest Marian site in Kumasi.
“Every time Mathew Okrah passed by, he felt this place had something unique to offer,” recalled Father Pius Frimpong, the grotto’s rector. “That year, after returning from Kumasi, he realized this location was much more suitable for celebrating the Assumption.”
Difficult negotiations
Okrah discussed his find with a Dutch missionary in Techiman, Father Willebrordus Henricus Huismann, who had just returned from the Fatima sanctuary in Portugal. “He was looking for a mountainous place to create a prayer site like Fatima, which is on a hill,” said Andrew Ntim Acheampong, a lay witness to the sanctuary’s construction. “Mathew Okrah’s description of the forest piqued his interest.”
After visiting the site, the priest and parish elders approached the Jama Traditional Council to acquire it. “Initially, it was hard for them to accept, as it was a significant forest used for their traditional rituals and worship,” the rector explained.
The Catholic delegation persisted, and the Traditional Council, aiming to build a royal palace, proposed that Catholics help construct the palace in exchange for part of the forest. This would allow both faiths to conduct their worship there. “The church refused, as having two different worship practices on the same land wasn’t feasible,” the rector added. After further negotiations, the church secured the entire land in exchange for building the Jama’s palace.
Challenges and growth
After acquiring the land, transforming it into a Christian sanctuary wasn’t easy. “It was a dense forest, without electricity and far from the city, but Father Huismann and some elders went there to pray,” Father Frimpong continued.
Even after construction began, there were setbacks. In 1983, when the Dutch priest and some faithful built an altar, it was found destroyed the next day. “At first, we thought it was wild animals, but it turned out to be people unaware that the place now belonged to the Catholic Church,” said Acheampong, who remained close to the missionary until his death in 2013. “Three days of fasting and prayer were declared. After that, the altar was rebuilt and never destroyed again,” the rector noted.
Tens of thousands of visitors
The site officially opened for Catholic worship in September 1985, during the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on the 14th. It was initially named “Grotto of the Holy Cross of Calvary.” Following a visit from Bishop James Kwadwo Owusu of the Sunyani Diocese, it was renamed “Our Lady of Calvary Grotto.”
Today, the grotto is a well-known international Marian sanctuary and tourist attraction. “For the Assumption, the grotto can host over 10,000 pilgrims,” the rector assured. “Annually, we receive over 30,000 visitors: they come day and night, individually, as families, or in groups from Ghana and across West Africa.”
Brigitte Florence Effi, responsible for an apostolate in Côte d’Ivoire, came to the grotto to offer prayer intentions and light candles. “I first visited in 2012, invited by a priest for a retreat,” she explained. Since 2013, she has brought dozens of Ivorian pilgrims for the Assumption. “Moved by that initial experience, I decided to start this mission to unite all peoples through prayer.” Her group donated the statue at the grotto’s entrance and inside the chapel.
A place of fulfillment
“The sanctuary has grown significantly,” Acheampong said happily. “We are proud of the infrastructure, especially the pastoral center for pilgrims.” His wife, Thérèse, dreams of a papal visit. “Francis is a bit too tired to come here, but I hope a pope will come to commune with the faithful one day. It would be another Pentecost!”
Until then, pilgrims and visitors must walk 300 meters from the first entrance to the second, meditating on the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary depicted on small plaques along the way. Beyond the buildings, the pilgrim discovers a forest with tall trees, hills, and giant statues of the Stations of the Cross, creating a unique landscape and atmosphere. “The way the mountains are arranged reminds me of Christ’s transfiguration,” Acheampong said. “In the quiet of these mountains, our prayers and activities become solemn. It’s a retreat place for the faithful seeking to escape the noise and connect with the Creator.”
The grotto’s beauty, uniqueness, and the testimonies of answered prayers inspire curiosity and motivate many Christians worldwide. “God is everywhere, but He is more present in some places than others,” the rector stated. “Childbirth, better financial situations, marriage, work, deliverance—people’s testimonies here are exceptional.”
While most visitors are Catholic, believers of other faiths also visit the forest, though not necessarily to pray. “Some pastors building their churches come here to pray and entrust their projects,” Father Frimpong noted. “They aren’t Catholic but come based on others’ testimonies.”
Many visitors take sand, spring water, and tree leaves or bark from the grotto. “My grandmother, (who is) over 100 years old, asked for some soil from the grotto,” recalled Acheampong. “When we sent it, she placed it on her chest and prayed, ‘Holy Mother, thank you for everything. Now, I want to go in peace, for I am tired.’ Her prayer was answered the next day.”
“Visitors believe that since the place is blessed by the Lord, everything there has been touched by God,” Father Frimpong explained. “We recommend not consuming them but using them externally only.”
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