Every year on January 25, thousands of faithful from across East Africa converge in Mawego, Homa Bay County, for the annual pilgrimage of the Legion Maria of African Church Mission.
For the faithful, it is a day of prayer that binds faith, memory and destiny.
The pilgrimage begins in far-flung regions, with believers travelling in groups before finally gathering at St Philip Rapar Mawego Church where prayers are offered before the faithful quietly disperse, returning home renewed and ready to repeat the sacred journey the following year.
Founded in the early 1960s, the church refers to Mawego as ‘Dho ranga Polo’ - the gate to heaven. The name reflects a deeply held belief: that prayers offered at St Philip Rapar carry a special closeness to heaven.
A painting of the founder and spiritual leader of Legion Maria of African Church Baba Simeon Melchior Messiah at the point where he was involved in an accident in Mawego in Homa Bay County on January 31, 2026. Members of Legion Maria of African consider this place as a holy ground.
Photo credit: George Odiwuor | Nation Media Group
Much like Muslims journey to Mecca for the annual Hajj to fulfil divine command, seek forgiveness and strengthen faith, members of the Legion Maria of African Church Mission travel to Mawego Kobuya each year to reaffirm their spiritual commitment.
Though the pilgrimage lasts only one day, its significance in the lives of the faithful is profound.
The annual gathering traces its meaning to a directive left by the church’s founder Baba Simeon Melchior Messiah (Ondeto), who instructed his followers to assemble at Mawego every year for prayers. In obedience to that command, believers lay aside their daily economic pursuits and travel to the lake region in search of divine intervention.
Baba Simeon issued this instruction after travelling to Mawego on January 24, 1967. Had he not done so, St Philip Rapar might have remained an ordinary place of worship, indistinguishable from many others.
But a freak accident, barely a kilometre from the church, altered the course of the church’s history and transformed Mawego into sacred ground.
On the evening of January 24, 1967, Baba Simeon had attended the funeral of Mama Mtakatifu, a member of the church in Ondhoya, before travelling to Got Calvary (Got Kwer in Suna, Migori) - the religious shrine of the church and his eventual burial site.
From there, he moved to Jerusalem in Kadem, where he stayed briefly, before proceeding to a place known as Nazareth and later to Kadhola.
According to St Philip Rapar Mawego priest Fr Gabriel Christopher Owino, Baba Simeon was accompanied by Cardinal Clemence Ange, his driver, Mother Susana Dira Ouma, Dalmas Oyier, Peter Okello Mumbo and Priska Nyar Okello. They were travelling in a saloon car.
The group had initially planned to travel directly from Migori to Kisumu, but chose instead to pass through Mawego in Homa Bay.
“Baba wanted to visit one of his tailors who lived in Mawego. He was called Lucas,” Fr Gabriel said.
The journey from Migori was uneventful until the vehicle neared St Philip Rapar church. It was about 10pm and the road between Kendu Bay and Mawego was rough and poorly developed.
As Cardinal Clemence Ange drove, he became disoriented and veered left, causing the car to hit a large rock by the roadside.
Fr Gabriel explained that the driver later reported seeing Baba Simeon standing on the road yet the spiritual leader was seated beside him in the passenger seat.
“He suddenly turned the steering wheel to avoid hitting Baba when he became confused by what he was seeing. The car hit a rock and stopped,” the priest explained.
The accident left Baba Simeon with injuries to his mouth, several teeth knocked loose by the impact. The journey to Kisumu was abandoned.
News of the accident quickly reached St Philip Rapar. Christians dropped whatever they were doing and rushed to the scene, about a kilometre away. They helped the occupants out of the vehicle and carried Baba Simeon to the church.
Cardinal Chermelengo Joseph Onyango Abuto, who recounts the incident, said the spiritual leader had been on his way to rest in Mawego when the accident occurred.
A signage showing the point where the founder and spiritual leader of Legion Maria of African Church Baba Simeon Melchior Messiah was involved in an accident as he was travelling to St Philip Rapar Church in Mawego, Homa Bay County, on January 31, 2026. Members of Legion Maria of African consider this place as a holy ground.
Photo credit: George Odiwuor | Nation Media Group
“He was taken to the church where he bled,” the cleric said.
Today, the accident site is regarded as sacred. A modest structure marks the spot, bearing basic information about the incident and those involved.
“His most peaceful Baba Simeon Melchior Messiah. The founder and eternal spiritual leader of Legion Maria of African Church Mission,” reads part of the inscription.
The names of those present during the accident are listed, alongside an image of a classic Peugeot 404 shown crashed against a rock. It remains unclear whether the photograph depicts the actual vehicle involved, given the scarcity of photography at the time.
Every Sunday, worshippers at St Philip Rapar Mawego pass by the site, pausing briefly to pray before continuing to church. They kneel or bow towards the rock that nearly claimed the life of their spiritual leader, who they believe still had a divine mission to fulfil.
Another moment of deep significance followed Baba Simeon’s rescue. Upon arriving at the church, he asked for two basins, into which his blood drained. Fr Gabriel said the basins were filled.
Members of the church were instructed to take the basins away and keep them safely. Believers hold that the blood is still preserved in a sealed room.
“They were sealed with concrete,” Fr Gabriel said.
As he recovered, Baba Simeon instructed a church member to retrieve the damaged car from the accident scene. A man known as Onjing was assigned the task.
It is claimed that he pulled the car back to the church on his own. “It was a miracle Baba performed while at the church. He gave strength to the man he sent to collect the car,” Fr Gabriel said.
Concerned about their leader’s health, members urged him to seek medical attention. They proposed taking him to Russia (Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital), but he declined, insisting he was well.
It is reported that he was eventually placed in a car to be taken to Kisumu, but the vehicle could not move beyond a kilometre.
“The vehicle reached Kanu trading centre before reversing on its own back to the church. Baba then changed his mind and asked to be taken to Manyatta (corner Legion). He instructed that herbal medicine be prepared for him,” Fr Gabriel said.
According to the priest, everything that transpired on the night of January 24, 1967 holds deep meaning for the faithful. It is why members of the Legion Maria commemorate the accident each year with a memorial service.
“Baba told us that he opened Dhoranga Polo, the gate to heaven, here at St Philip Rapar. He said the accident happened so that Christians could seek the Kingdom of God through the church,” Fr Gabriel said.
Stories of Ondeto are best told by members of the Legion Maria of African Church Mission themselves. Bernard Otieno, a resident of Kobuya, said he has never paid close attention to the rock revered by the faithful.
“I have seen members of the church praying there and gathering in large numbers every year, but I have never really paid attention to what led to this,” he said.
Others in the area have heard differing versions of events, sometimes at odds with the church’s teachings.
The Legion Maria of African Church Mission traces its roots to the Catholic Church but has evolved distinct beliefs and practices, incorporating African traditional elements. The church is led by a Pope.
Its members are easily recognised by their robes, similar in form to Catholic vestments but worn in vivid colours - red, blue, green and yellow - and by rosaries bearing images of Ondeto around their necks.
For the faithful, Mawego remains more than a place on the map. It is memory made sacred, a gate they believe opens heavenward, once a year, and forever.
