Catholic Site Honoring Mary Draws Thousands Thanks To Its Miraculous Waters
Tucked away in the mountain range of the Kenyan Rift Valley, amid flourishing forests overlooking the vibrant little town of Subukia, about 120 miles (193 kilometers) to the northwest of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, lies the Subukia Marian Shrine.
This is a special Catholic site dedicated to prayer in honor of the Virgin Mary that regularly hosts of thousands of pilgrims from many parts of the globe. For many, this serene place provides a perfect place for prayer and meditation. It is also the source of the legendary water of the Subukia Shrine.
The water emanates from a spring at the loftier reaches of the hill. It was at this spot that the statue of the Virgin Mary was erected. A steep climb to the spring, in the thick of the woods and along a stone-paved pathway punctuated by the stations of the cross, is one of the highlights of a visit to the shrine. Small reservoirs have been built from where people can fetch the water.
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Many people say the water at the Subukia Marian Shrine has special powers — and there have been various testaments over the years by faithful who profess to witness miracles after using it.
Thus, with every pilgrimage, hundreds line up to get the water. They come with bottles, cans and other containers of all sizes. Some drink it at the site; others wash their hands and faces with it. Many others carry the water with them to drink with their families. It is also sprinkled by some on their farms, homes, livestock and other valued possessions as a blessing.
“I believe that whenever I drink this water or use it at home, God performs miracles within my household,” Pauline Wangari, a Catholic faithful from Subukia, told a local TV station. “The water boosts my faith. We drink the water whenever someone falls sick in my family. I come here often, to refill my stocks whenever I run out.”
Her friend, Lucy Wanjiru, explained how she uses the water to bless her home.
“I fetch this water and take it home,” she said. “I bless my house and compound with it. I bless my children with it. I also bless my cow and the cow shed with it. I believe that this water has special powers.”
Known as the Village of Mary Mother of God (or more commonly as Subukia Shrine), this holy site is under the control of the Kenyan Episcopal Conference and managed by the Conventual Franciscan Friars.
The water was discovered three decades ago by accident. The date was Dec. 7, 1991, when workers were slashing the vegetation in the dense woods. One of the men, Henry Mutuku Musyoka, discovered the brook. It eventually led to the dedication of the brook and its water by the late Bishop Cornelius Kipng’eno Arap Korir.
The waters’ discovery marked the first miracle witnessed at the National Marian Shrine, according to Joseph Kiboi, a catechist at the shrine.
“Before the establishment of the shrine, the water was not available,” Kiboi said. “But as the workers were clearing the site, their supervisor Henry lifted a random rock from the ground, from which the water sprung out. This became the source of a rivulet, which has been flowing since.”
Kiboi said the shrine is the archetypal worship site described in Isaiah 2:2.
“It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it,” he said.
Kiboi said the shrine’s location adds to its appeal. Notable landmarks in this region include the passage of the equator, a popular tourist stopover along the road to Subukia, marked by a bright yellow signboard about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the shrine.
“The equator passes right near here, indicating that we are at the center of the planet,” Kiboi said. “The shrine is on a mountain and is a convergence point for people of all nations, as Isaiah prophesied. This shrine is open to people from all walks of life, regardless of their religion.”
One of the documented miracles from the shrine’s water was the healing of Helmut Mang, a German architect who later designed a majestic white cross overlooking the valley of the shrine.
In the mid-2000s, on a visit to the shrine with his wife, Mang, a violinist, was suffering from a hereditary disease that affected the fingers on his left hand. He dipped his entire arm in the holy water and beseeched the Virgin Mary’s intercession. Mang reportedly started to feel better afterward and eventually was completely healed.
For Charles Mwangi, a practicing Catholic, the waters do have healing powers. He only needs to bathe with it in order to alleviate any pain.
“Whenever you’re in pain, you need only mix the shrine water with some regular bathing water and take your shower or bath,” he said. “In fact, the aches you might experience from the rigors of your hike to the shrine will disappear.”
Joseph Maina is a Kenyan journalist. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and media studies from the University of Nairobi. For the past decade, he has served as a correspondent for various print and digital publications in his native Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa.