About Us
Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Kpando Agbenoxoe, is under the Diocese of Ho.
Discover our Story
In every generation, the human being searches for a quiet place appropriate to be in tune with his/her God. In the Catholic Church, the establishment of a Grotto, a place of worship dedicated to Jesus, or the Blessed Virgin Mary (the Mother of Jesus Christ) or to one of the Saints, is a practice that dates back to many kiloannum. Abraham went to Mount Moriah to sacrifice his son Isaac, Jesus went to Mount Tabor to pray – Matthew 17: 1 – 9, the Gethsemane Garden prayer – Luke 22: 40 – 46, etc). The establishment of Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in Agbenorxoe was for a similar purpose and summarized in its twofold mission as a Centre of pilgrimage and a place of prayer.
Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Kpando Agbenoxoe, is under the Diocese of Ho. It is located in the Kpando Municipality on the Kpando – Nkonya road; a 3 kilometer journey from the Post Office in Kpando. It takes 10 to 15 minutes, with a good car, from the Central Bus Station in Kpando to Kpando-Agbenorxoe (Ref. Anthony Delali Azah, 1st July 2023, Handing Over Note, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish and Grotto, p.1).
The Parish was carved out from the Immaculate Conception Parish in 1990 by His Lordship Most Rev. Francis A. K. Lodonu (Ref. Theodore Gakpe-Ntsri, 2007, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church Agbenoxoe-Kpando Centenary Celebration 1907-2007, p.9).
Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto – Kpando Agbenorxoe and Rev. Fr. Van Dyke (the Dreamer): The Era of Rt. Rev Bishop Anthony Konings
When the heavens anoint your dreams, myriads of angels themselves labor the dreams into realities that satisfy the spiritual hunger of millions. We thank Rev. Fr. Van Dyke who dreamt about the Grotto of Agbenorxoe for his astute spirituality at the time. “In 1950, Rev. Fr. Van Dyke, then in charge of Kpando Parish, together with a number of distinguished Catholics from Kpando and other parishes in the Keta Diocese, made a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in France. They were so impressed with what they saw in France that they decided to build a similar place of worship in Kpando” ibid.
CONSECRATION OF THE GROTTO
“On February 11, 1957, the Rt. Rev Bishop Anthony Konings, Bishop of Keta Diocese, consecrated the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Agbenoxoe, to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God” ibid.
“A site was chosen on the slopes of Toga (Big Mountain) at Agbenoxoe and construction started in 1951. As no machines for construction were then available, citizens of Agbenoxoe did most of the construction by hand, using cutlasses, hoes, pickaxes and spades. The bulk of the work involved excavating the level space, which forms the place of worship, and building a road to link the Grotto with the town.
Occasionally, Catholics from other parts of Kpando Parish, especially from Dafor and Fesi/Bame offered assistance. It is an inspiring sight to see Fadaga (Head Priest) – Father Van Dyke, in a T-shirt, busily splitting stone, with sweat flowing down his face” ibid. p. 10.
“Later, sites for fourteen Stations of The Cross were prepared and Mr. Joseph Anani, a renowned sculptor and Catholic from Kpando-Aloyi, moulded and erected statues at the stations. Some individuals and parishes in the Diocese paid for these constructions” ibid.
The Grotto “marks one of the most important phases in the development of the Catholic Church at Agbenoxoe [and in general, Ho Diocese]. The event transformed the town into a major centre of worship for Catholics from all over Ghana and beyond and thus turned it into a tourist centre” (Ref. Theodore Gakpe-Ntsri, 2007, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church Agbenoxoe-Kpando Centenary Celebration 1907-2007, p. 9).
“On February 11, 1957, the Rt. Rev Bishop Anthony Konings, Bishop of Keta Diocese, consecrated the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Agbenoxoe, to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God” ibid.
The Era of Most Rev. Francis Anani Kofi Lodonu
“On 20th June 1975 the See [of Keta Diocese] was moved from Keta to Ho with the new designation of Keta-Ho Diocese. Most Rev. Francis A.K. Lodonu, who had been the Vicar General of the Keta Diocese since 1972 and Auxiliary Bishop since June 1973 was ordained as the Bishop of the Keta-Ho Diocese in August 1976, succeeding Bishop Konings whose resignation on health grounds was accepted in April 1976. Thus, the development of the Grotto alongside the growth of the Agbenoxoe Church came under the leadership of Bishop Lodonu” ibid. p. 11.
The “Development of the Grotto … [saw] A giant 8-metre statue of Mary … built by Mr. Francis Anani, son of Joseph Anani. It was dedicated by Bishop Francis Lodonu in 1980. The statue can be sighted 2-3 kilometres from Kpando-Nkonya road driving from Nkonya towards Kpando” ibid.
“Recently, work has started on construction of a Guest House to cater for pilgrims who spend two or three nights, or sometimes even more, worshipping at the Grotto” ibid.
“Nowadays, about 20,000 pilgrims and tourists come to the Grotto each year and there is hardly any weekend without a couple of visitors or worshippers. The feast of Assumption (August 15) and Immaculate Conception (December 8), in particular, bring large numbers of pilgrims. Also very notable are annual pilgrimages by students from Secondary Schools, Training Colleges and Technical Institutes in the Volta Region” ibid.
Bishop Lodonu added other statues including the Divine Mercy and the Archangel Michael Statues. A new Chapel and Priests’ Residence were also built.
The largest pilgrims to the Grotto took place from 15th to 17th December, 2000 when the whole Accra Province Dioceses (Ho, Keta/Akatsi, Jasikan, Koforidua, and Greater Accra) converged for the celebration of the Jubilee Year of 2000 (Ref. Ibid p.12).
current era
The Era of Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD
In a quest to ensure the achievements of the full potential of the Grotto, the Bishop, Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD separated the Grotto from the Our Lady of Lourdes Parish and placed them under the care of two separate managements: A Grotto Development Committee mandated to assist the Bishop in the spiritual and infrastructural development of the Grotto, and parish priests to cater for the pastoral needs of the parish respectively.
The Superior of the first OMI Mission in Ghana, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Onukogo Mwaneri is the parish priest with Rev. Fr. Jean Baptiste Apouvi as the assistant priest, while Rev. Fr. Daniel Aliou Mane is the Rector of the Grotto and the Mission’s representative on the Grotto Development Committee.
First Grotto Development Committee
“On 29th August, 2018, by the authority of a letter of appointment from … Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD, the former Vicar General (V. G.) of the Diocese, Very Rev Fr. William Horlu inaugurated the first nine-member Development Committee for the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto … for a 5-year term…” (Catholic Diocese of Ho, Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, Kpando, Agbenoxoe, Handing Over Notes 2023 p.1). The first Committee was chaired by Mr. Bernard W. Quarshie.
Current (Second) Grotto Development Committee
On September 24, 2023, Most Rev. Emmanuel Fianu, SVD, appointed the following and were sworn into office on Friday, 27th October, 2023 as members of the Second Grotto Development Committee:
- Mr. Alexander Kafui Azasu (Bishop’s Nominee – Chairman)
- Rev. Fr. Dr. Isaac Benuyenah (Ho Deanery Rep. – Vice Chairman)
- Rev. Fr. Daniel Aliou Mane, OMI (Grotto Rector)
- Rev. Fr. Denis Kuma Asare (Diocesan Liturgist)
- Rev. Fr. Mark Torwoe, CSsR, (Bishop’s Nominee)
- Sr. Genevieve Afordofe, SMMC (Bishop’s Nominee)
- Mr. Emmanuel Alorbi (Agbenoxoe Community Rep.)
- Mr. Anthony Godsway Tsra (Hohoe Deanery Rep. – Secretary)
- Mr. Aloysius Joe Kudjo (Kpando Deanery Rep.)
