Legio Hill – (the true ‘African Church’ shrine)

legio maria shrine hill ©muoki kioko

A shrine hill of the ‘legio Maria’ religious sect in western Kenya.

A sect with millions of followers in Eastern Africa, said to have started in early 20th century as an off shoot from the roman catholic mixed with local beliefs.

“One factor that led to the rise and development of Legio Maria was the mythical stories about a woman called Min Omolo Ka-Nyunja. The Luos have two stories, the Simbi Nyaima Narrative (a crater lake in Karachuonyo of Homabay County believed to have been caused by a mysterious wandering woman) and the Nyamgondho Kombare Narrative (story of a woman fished out from the lake) which converge with the Legio Maria narrative of Min Omolo Ka-Nyunja (the story of Mama Maria who was a wandering woman across the Luo nation). Former Catholics who converted to Legio Maria, such as Petro Oswago, Juma Pesa, and Atila Timotheo, recounted how this woman visited them in Catholic and called them out to join the new Legio Maria movement. When this old woman, around 90 years of age, finally met with Simeo Ondeto and called him her spiritual son, the spiritual link between Ondeto, this woman, and the mythical stories retold among the Luo coalesced into a powerful force for propelling the formation of a new religious movement”.

A Havard University citation quotes

” the scant scholar-ship on Legio Maria does more to demonstrate the prejudices of
Western theological and secular thinking than to understand the move-
ment on its own terms. This article argues that Legio Maria’s particular
ways of worshiping, believing and remembering the past make it a truly
African church”

– This makes it an very interesting unique experience for Outsiders seeking an unusual African experience. In fact should one want to experience an authentic African religious ceremony they should Target to attend one of this religion’s ceremonies as part of their lives bucket list.

 

 

*All quotes have links within quotes attached to sources of information.