Rwanda: Mission of Mercy
"It is true that the Mother of God appeared in Kibeho on the day of November 28, 1981 and during the following months."
— Bishop Augustin Misago of Gikongoro, Rwanda
This approval from Bishop Misago on June 29, 2001, has helped make Kibeho the "Lourdes of Africa." Thousands make a pilgrimage there annually to a shrine that was built in honor of Our Lady of Kibeho.
At the Bishop's urging, the Marians of the Immaculate Conception are in the process of building a Formation Center near the shrine in order to help insure that the many pilgrims who now flock there receive sound teachings about Mary to avoid any misinterpretation of the apparitions.
It's fitting that the Marians call their Formation Center in Kibeho "Cana," to honor Mary's famous intervention at the wedding feast of Cana in which Jesus performed His first miracle of turning water into wine. That miracle was preceded by Mary's words to the wedding servers, "Do whatever He tells you" (Jn 2:5).
"She's instructing us to do His will," said Fr. Leszek Czelusniak, MIC, who leads the Marian mission in Kibeho.
Brick by brick, Fr. Leszek and local laborers have built a small residence for the Marian missionaries, an outdoor field altar, and a chapel, all anchored on a hilltop by an 18-foot-tall statue of Jesus, The Divine Mercy. The Marians, however, realize they haven't the infrastructure to handle the increasing needs in Kibeho. They are eager to begin the next phase of the Formation Center, a 14-bedroom pilgrim house to give people in formation a place to stay. The projected cost is $300,000.
"This is a very important place — a spiritual place," said Fr. Leszek, "and we have the opportunity to do a lot of good here."
Rwanda could use it. This is a land still reeling in the aftermath of a civil war 13 years ago that claimed the lives of nearly a million people. In Kibeho, itself, 25,000 people were massacred.
"We still see terrible wounds that affect people," says Fr. Leszek especially the youth. But we also see a real hunger for God."
The Marians, through their devotion to Mary and their expertise in the message of The Divine Mercy, can play a huge role in bringing peace and reconciliation to Rwandans. They've already helped many to understand Mary's central message in Kibeho, which is one of prayer, penance, fasting, conversion, reconciliation, the importance of the Rosary, and preparation for the return of Jesus.
Although still incomplete, the Marians' Formation Center has already hosted a national pilgrimage for the youth, conferences, retreats, Eucharistic adoration, and prayer events.
"I think that in five years, our center will be famous throughout Africa," says Fr. Leszek. "What we do, we do for God. We are always open to the call of God. It is the will of God, as Our Lady of Kibeho reminded us, to have harmony in the world. Her message in Kibeho is a message for the world: to pray, pray, pray, and repent. That's what it's all about."
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A Gift of Mercy has been made in your name to help the Marians of the Immaculate Conception in Kibeho, Rwanda. At this site of the first Church-approved apparitions of Our Lady in Africa, they minister to countless hearts seeking freedom from the wounds of hate, the memories of violence, and the despair of guilt and shame. The message of Our Lady and of The Divine Mercy is a precious balm of Divine forgiveness and mercy.
