The St Mary's Sanctuary Buoho Grotto is one of the Christian Pilgrimage for Catholics in Ghana located at Buoho in the Afigya-Kwabre District of the Ashanti Region of Ghana
History
The Sanctuary was completed within a period of eight months and dedicated on 12 November 1949.The St. Mary’s Sanctuary at Buoho which until 1995, a property of the then Kumasi Diocese (now Kumasi Archdiocese) belongs to the Konongo-Mampong Diocese at the moment. This diocese owns the sanctuary on account of the fact that Buoho community falls under Mamponteng district, and following the division of the then Kumasi Diocese into the dioceses of Obuasi, Konongo-Mampong and Kumasi in 1995; Mamponteng district became part of the newly created Konongo-Mampong diocese; the sanctuary is now in the hands of the authorities of the Konongo-Mampong diocese headed currently by Most Rev. Joseph Osei Bonsu, the first bishop. This grotto had the late Very Rev. Fr. Daniel Tawiah Yesereh, the first Asante to be ordained into the Catholic Priesthood as its architect. The sanctuary was founded in 1949.
Father Tawiah who had a lifelong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and tremendous faith in the intercessory power of the Holy Rosary once worked at the St. Peter’s Cathedral (now St. Peter’s Basilica) as the assistant Parish Priest. It is said that his first sermon at the Cathedral in October 1944 was on the Holy Rosary. People at the time did not know much about the Rosary and Fr. Tawiah had to work tirelessly to nurture and sustain devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary through catechisms, devotions and grand celebrations of the feast days of Mary.
In 1948, he led a pilgrimage of the then Cathedral Parish to a grotto in the Western Region at a place called Egyam nearTakoradi. On his return he decided that a grotto should be built near Kumasi. A site was eventually chosen near Buoho and the land was readily given by the then Asantehene, the late Otumfuo Sir Nana Agyeman Prempeh. A plague presently at Buoho indicates that the Asantehene, the late Otumfuo Opoku Ware II, took care of the entire survey work at that time. Upon the acquisition of the land, real work started in earnest in March 1949 with the permission and moral support of Bishop Hubert Paulissen, the then bishop of the Kumasi diocese. Funds for this task were made available by both Catholics and non-Catholics in Ghana (then Gold Coast) and overseas.
The erection of the grotto and the Calvary was completed within a period of eight months so that on 12th of November, 1949 the sanctuary was solemnly dedicated by Bishop Paulissen with a huge congregation of about 20,000.
Initially, Fr. Daniel Tawiah Yesereh provided a small resting place down the hill, set up the Stations of the Cross and put up the altar on top of the hill. People began to flock to the place after it had been started. A group of devotees of Our Lady called Pilgrims of Our Lady was founded. This society produced the constitution that was approved by Bishop Hubert Paulissen. It was later endorsed by Bishop Andre Van den Bronk.
The following year that is in 1950 the papal legate at the time, Most Rev. David Matthew attending a Eucharistic Congress, made a pilgrimage there with bishops, prelates and priests from all parts of the world. While there he bestowed the papal blessing on the establishment.
At a point in time, the founded / director fell out with the Bishop and there was a long period where he ceased to be in charge. It was not until 1970 that the grotto operated again, even if not with the efficiency of the founder. It was nearly obliterated from the history of the church but through the help of Our Lady, people loyal to Fr. Tawiah constituted themselves into a force to run the place and priests from time to time visited the place and said Mass for those who went there.
This went on for nearly 20 years. When Bishop Joseph Amihere Essuah became bishop of Kumasi and an attempt was made to bring Fr. Tawiah back from his exile but it failed. This was in the year 1962.
When Bishop Akwasi Sarpong became the bishop of Kumasi in 1970, he kept up contact with Fr. Tawiah. He lifted the suspension on Fr. Tawiah and welcomed him back to the priestly fold and then appointed him the director of the grotto again. Fr. Tawiah quickly revived the enthusiasm in and for the grotto. He put up certain structures for the convenience of pilgrims and renewed the Stations of the Cross. Gradually it regained its fame and people from everywhere came to it. These included Catholics, Protestants and even Muslims.
In 1995, the Kumasi Diocese was divided into three and Buoho, in the district of Mamponteng, became part of the newly created Konongo-Mampong Diocese. The Bishop of the Diocese sustained interest in the place, which has been further developed to include a shelter for the place of the Mass. The Directors have been able to construct a road, which would take people who cannot walk up the hill there. The Sanctuary is blessed with a large Church, a hostel, a canteen, a bungalow among other useful structures.
There are now regular all night vigils and big celebrations of the year, especially celebrations of the feast Our Lady. The Buoho Grotto was originally named St. Mary’s Shrine but Fr. Tawiah thought that the word “shrine” could be misunderstood to mean the shrine of a place of an obosom. That was why he preferred the word “Sanctuary”. The Sanctuary is now firmly established and has become the venue for important spiritual exercises. Priests go there for retreats, as do lay men and women, societies, associations, young men and women, seminarians, sisters, novices and others.