Father David Paintsil, wearing a traditional Ghanaian smock over his clerics, prays the rosary during a recent visit to the Chancery in Davenport.
By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
Father David Paintsil considers his strong devotion to Mary a “treasure” that he wants to share with the world. “It’s not just a personal devotion,” said the priest, pastor of St. Mary parishes in Lone Tree and Nichols, and St. Joseph Parish in Hills. “I also believe you should help people develop that devotion.”
His appreciation for Jesus’s mother began as a child growing up in Ghana. “My mother introduced us to that devotion; we prayed the rosary every day at home,” said Father Paintsil. “This became a personal devotion for me, even after I responded to the call to priestly vocation.” He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Cape Coast, Ghana, and has been serving in the Diocese of Davenport since 2023.
Arguably, the largest fruit of his devotion is located on a 100-acre plot of land 6,000 miles away in Jukwa-Krobo, Ghana. About 15 years ago, while leading a Marian procession in his home diocese, Father Paintsil sensed the presence of Jesus’s mother. “Our Lady was up to something, but what she was up to, I needed to discern and pray about.” In time, he came to understand what Mary might be telling him: build a shrine where the faithful could gather for pilgrimages, retreats and celebrations of various Marian feasts.
The first step to fulfilling that vision was to find a plot of land near Jukwa-Krobo, where he served as a parish priest. He approached the mayor, a non-practicing Catholic who owned many acres of land, and asked if he’d consider selling an undeveloped section for the shrine. “Father, consider it donated,” he told the priest. It was a small miracle that allowed Father Paintsil room to develop a dream.
Aside from the land and an Immaculate Heart of Mary statue, Father Paintsil had few resources. However, “local support was strong,” and plans gradually came together. He and local Catholics began planning activities and pilgrimages on the land, “and it kept growing.” It caught the attention of the Archbishop of Cape Coast, who made it an official diocesan shrine. Formally established in 2014, it is now known as the Pilgrimage Center of the Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Coast. Thousands of Catholics visit the shrine every year, Father Paintsil said.
No matter where he is serving — Ghana or Iowa — the priest continues to find ways to bring people closer to Jesus through Mary. He regularly leads the rosary online with “thousands of people.” Next month, the Hills parish will participate in the Eucharistic Rosary Congress (see sidebar).
On Oct. 10, Father Paintsil will lead a Marian procession between Iowa City and Hills. “Together, we will walk prayerfully to Hills, meditating on the mysteries of the rosary and asking our Blessed Mother to renew us in faith and to revive our diocese through evangelization and an increase in vocations,” Father Paintsil wrote in the parish bulletin. The procession will begin at 8 a.m. at St. Mary Parish in Iowa City and will conclude with Mass at Hills City Park with Bishop Dennis Walsh at 11 a.m. Lunch and hospitality will follow.
The priest hopes to establish a Marian shrine in the Diocese of Davenport, similar to the one in Ghana, though it remains just a dream for now.
