In her apparitions at Kibeho, Our Lady urged the seers to guard against idolatry, to engage in heartfelt prayer, to undergo penance for sin and to be committed to forgiveness. These were messages not only for the visionaries, but for the people of Rwanda and for citizens of the world at large.
Learn more about Our Lady, the Seven Sorrows Rosary, and the message of Kibeho in a new book from Marian Press, To Weep Like Mary: The Extraordinary Gift of the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows by Wincenty Łaszewski.
By Maria V. Gallagher
Forgiveness leads to healing.
It is one of those moments that is seared into my memory because of the power of forgiveness associated with it. And it especially resonant as we approach the feast of Our Lady of Kibeho on Nov. 28.
World-renowned speaker Immaculee Ilibagiza stood in a secular college campus lecture hall and revealed how she had forgiven the individuals who had murdered members of her family during the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
With an abundance of grace and wisdom, Immaculee provided an incredible example of mercy in the midst of unspeakable wrongs. While determined to hold the attackers accountable for their crimes, she demonstrated that forgiveness ultimately led to a path of healing for her.
The apparitions
Years earlier, the Blessed Mother had come to southern Rwanda in a series of apparitions instructing residents to be faithful to prayer. She appeared in the Diocese of Gikongoro, in the town of Kibeho, marking the only Marian apparition in Africa approved by the Vatican.
The apparition came out of the blue, on Nov. 28, 1981, witnessed by 16-year-old Alphonsine Mumureke at her high school. Alphonsine heard a voice crying out, “My daughter.” Seeing a beautiful woman before her, Alphonsine felt prompted to ask, “Who are you, my Lady?”
The woman said in response, “I am the Mother of the Word. I come to console you, because I have heard your prayers.” In this way, the woman confirmed she was the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, the Word made flesh.
Alphonsine faced some skepticism from fellow students, so she asked the Blessed Mother to appear to her classmates. In short order, two other students came to see the visions as well — Natalie Mukamazimpaka and Marie Claire Mukangango. It was particularly significant that Marie Claire witnessed the apparitions, since she had been especially skeptical. In her apparitions, Mary urged the seers to guard against idolatry, to engage in heartfelt prayer, to undergo penance for sin and to be committed to forgiveness. These were messages not only for the visionaries, but for the people of Rwanda and for citizens of the world at large.
A dire warning
Little could have prepared the seers for the vision of Aug. 15, 1982. For it was on that day that the Blessed Mother presented a horrifying scene: individuals committing murder, with rivers of blood marking the ghastly crimes. The vision carried with it a warning that Rwanda needed to turn back to God or face disastrous consequences. The visionaries cried out in anguish after witnessing the scene of possible calamities to come.
But the people did not listen, and war broke out between two rival tribes, the Hutus and the Tutsis. This resulted in the killing of hundreds of thousands of people — Immaculee survived by hiding out in a pastor’s bathroom for weeks with a group of other women. Despite the intensity of her suffering, she found the grace to forgive those who orchestrated the genocide.
In 2001, the Vatican declared the witness of three visionaries to be authentic. This resulted in Kibeho being referred to as “the Lourdes of Africa” for its supernatural significance.
More than a half a million people come to Kibeho each year as pilgrims wishing to experience the land of apparitions. The Blessed Mother also stressed to visionary Marie Claire the importance of praying the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of Mary, which Mary had originally introduced to St. Bridget of Sweden in the 14th century.
Our Lady of Kibeho, pray for us!
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