Legio Maria

Legio Maria (Latin, “Legion of Mary”) — also known as Legio Maria of African Church Mission, and Maria Legio — is a Spirit Initiated Church (SIC) or new religious movement initially among the Luo people of western Kenya which is an extension of interpreted Third Secret of Fatima to a new, albeit African, context.The religious movement was initiated by repeated appearances of a mystic woman to several Roman Catholic members delivering messages about the incarnation of the son of God as a black man. These appearances are said to have begun around 1938, almost simultaneous with the beginning of Edel Quinne's lay catholic mission to Africa. By the early 1960s the movement had assembled a good number of catechists, acolytes, and believers in a spiritual return of Jesus Christ. The continuous expansion of this movement coupled with its belief in Simeo Ondetto as the returned Son of God led to theological tension, and eventual break with lay catholic movement, Legion of Mary.

Gaudencia Aoko achieved great feats for Legio Maria. Born among the Luo of western Kenya, Aoko was only 20 when she joined Legio Maria. The death of her two children, apparently thought to be due to witchcraft pushed her to seek divine intervention from the 'risen prophet Simeo Ondetto' leading to her eventual conversion. Soon after she received visions to pray for the sick with Rosary and to battle witchcraft. Going back to her homeland in Alego, Siaya, of Western Kenya, Aoko exorcized evil spirits, burnt amulets, and converted many people to the Legio movement." Migori