In the evaluation of the facts and the messages, only the public apparitions are taken into consideration. Our Lady promised that millions would come to the Shrine to seek her help, and that they would be blessed and strengthened. At 1630 hrs the RPA fired warning shots and nine more IDPs were killed in the resulting stampede. Support La Croix International's unique blend of international Catholic journalism by making it available to people in Asia and Africa who can't afford a subscription and often don't have credit cards to pay for it either. Sanctuary Our Lady of KibehoB.P. In the 23-page document, the Bishops reasons were thoughtfully and systematically penned. There are more reasons to believe in the apparitions than to deny them. I am the mother of the word, replied the woman, whom Alphonsine immediately recognised as the Virgin Mary. Get the latest from La Croix International. Rwanda and Burundi were ruled separately under two different Tutsi monarchs. Augustin Misago, Declaration bearing the final judgement on the event of the "Apparitions of Kibeho", n 14.). With the help of an Ivorian-Congolese (D.R. These witnesses, historically linked, were the only ones on the scene for some months, at least up to June 1982. The last place, hell, was a most fearsome hot furnace where the only light was a shade of red that reminded Anathalie of congealed blood. Anathalie had to avert her gaze from the horrific scene of anguish and misery. It would be unfortunate to misuse them as a kind of good luck charm" (abapfumu). She was able to return to Rwanda in early December 1996. It was 28 November 1981, and when Alphonsine reported what she had seen, her friends ridiculed her, her teachers scolded her and her village shunned her. Script error: No such module "Draft topics". In this context, Mons. You should enable them to normally operate within their surroundings and go about their usual activities. 5 . Their conclusions showed that from the eight supposed visionaries taken as samples for investigation, only three showed the required criteria of credibility and confidence in what concerns the apparitions of Kibeho. Young and powerless, their warnings went unheeded. Within one hour of the presidents death, a bloody massacre unfolded which was to prove the accuracy of the prophetic visions. - Developed by jofarsystems.com. When Alphonsine asked why she was crying, Our Lady shed even more copious tears. He prayed that it would be a holy place of prayer, conversion, and reparation for the world. Under the guiding hand of Our Lady, her feisty, rude behavior ceased. The Tutsis ruled Rwanda in the early part of the century and were considered the upper class. In 1900, they built (of thatch) the first Catholic ChurchThe Church of the Holy Spirit of Save. The natives harvest bananas, sweet potatoes, and cassava for their own use throughout the year. These witnesses, historically linked, were the only ones on the scene for some months, at least up to June 1982. Their message is in conformity with the Sacred Scripture and the living Tradition of the Church. The message Nathalie received was special due to it's content on expiatory suffering and incessant prayer for a world which hastens to its ruin and is at risk of falling into the abyss. When asked about her future plans at the time of the apparitions, Alphonsine used to express her wish to join the religious congregation of the Benebikira Sisters. On June 24th, 1982, the Blessed Virgin asked Nathalie to remain at Kibeho and, until further notice, fully engage herself in prayer life and mortifications for the salvation of the world. The world is in rebellion against God. Amen. All Rights Reserved. This situation was subject of controversial public discussion, led by the investigation commissions as well as by temporary observers. Alphonsine Mumureke (16) was away at a boarding school, helping out in the cafeteria, when she heard somebody in a strong but lovely voice "soft as air and sweeter than music" say, "My child " Going out into a hallway, she immediately saw a brilliant, luminous, white cloud, materializing in mid-air a few feet in front of her. It is 36 km from the Bishop of Gikongoros residence and 30 km from the Bishop of Butares residence. between November 28th, 1981 and November 28th, 1982. Fortunately, the Benebikira Sisters had just come back to Kibeho and reopened their convent, the school and the health centre. \rDans la suite elle fut admise lInstitut Suprieur de catchse dAbidjan affili lUniversit Catholique dAfrique de lOuest. Today, Kibeho is best known as a place of apparitions and pilgrimages. He looked after her until his death in December 1998. Shortly before the apparitions she was admitted in Kibeho College in October 1981 in order to continue her studies after primary school. In this Declaration, the Bishop of Gikongoro specifies without meandering: 1 . On November 28, 1981, an event happened that would forever change the life of Alphonsine and affect the lives of millions. At first, no one took the adolescent's claims seriously. Civilians who had taken refuge in the parish church there in April 1994 were killed. When His Excellency was still an abbot, he was providentially selected as a spiritual guide in the early stages of the apparitions. Congo, where she sought refuge at the house of befriended families, who knew her from Kibeho. She promotes the message of Our Lady of Kibeho and helps the pilgrims in any way she can. She went so far as to inform the local bishop, who told her that he was already aware of the events. Mary identified herself to Alphonsine as "the Mother of the Word.". Its at a shrine in the Green Bay Diocese, 150 miles northeast of Necedah, where a young woman said Mary appeared to her in 1859. The unmistakable spiritual renewal was also manifested in a deepening of Marian devotion, numerous conversions and an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life. She is one of three Vatican-approved seers of the Our Lady of Kibeho apparitions of the 1980s, which occurred in her late teen years. At the end of her studies at Kibeho, Alphonsine was immediately employed by the Diocese of Butare as a secretary and stenotypist at the Diocesan Service Centre for Catholic Education, at that time part of the prefecture of Gikongoro. She is very pious, and has always shown a great love for the Blessed Virgin. In the early hours of the genocide, she fled Kibeho and an Ivorian-Congolese couple took her to the DR-Congo and then to the Cte d'Ivoire. The Service Centre was led by a priest. Moreover, chances are that some people tried to talk to these visionaries and maliciously make them their instruments. It is often she herself who welcomes individual pilgrims and assists them in anything they need or refers them to the chaplain if necessary. Thus, they gave priority to the first eight supposed visionaries: Those of the first year of the apparitions at Kibeho, i.e. The 16-year-old schoolgirl Alphonsine Mumureke said she was in the cafeteria of the Catholic boarding school Kibeho College, Rwanda . Lateron, she was hosted in a community of the Daughters of Mary Queen of the Apostles Sisters up to May 1996. If I am turning to the parish of Kibeho, it does not mean that I am concerned only for Kibeho, or for the Diocese of Butare, or for Rwanda, or for the whole of Africa. In spite of this, she maintained that Alphonsine and Anathalie were the source of the trouble. They even wished that her case might one day provide the basis for new perspectives. Only the three initial testimonies merit being considered authentic; they were given by Alphonsine Mumureke, Nathalie Mukamazimpaka, and by Marie Claire Mukangango. The two commissions started their work immediately after their creation. During his visit to Rwanda in 1990, Pope John Paul II begged his listeners to heed the Virgins pleas and pray fervently for peace among political and ethnic factions: On this feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, which marks the dawn of salvation to the world, I ask the Mother of all of us to watch over her children in Rwanda and particularly you, the leaders of the country, to place your talents at the service of all your compatriots.11, Our Lady had pleaded, but the Rwandans did not listen. Theirs was a protest against the moral, social and political decay of their community a reminder that sometimes young people can sense tragedy ahead in a way that adults are incapable of. Her parents were Thadde Gakwaya and Mary Immaculate Mukagasana. Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament was established after the genocide; and thousands of pilgrims, increasing in numbers year by year, were visiting the Shrine. Script error: No such module "AfC topic". Though the school was very poor and had no running water or electricity; Alphonsine was, nevertheless, grateful to be there. The unfolding of the Rwandan genocidal tragedy in 1994, verifying with gruesome exactitude a prophecy given by Our Lady of Kibeho just a few years earlier, invites the reader to a sobering reflection: heavens call to repentance must not go unheeded. They have noted that the power of Our Lady of Kibeho lies in its ability to stay true to the perspectives of Alphonsine, Anathalie and Marie Claire. When he died Father Basile Gbangbo, a priest of the Archdiocese of Abidjan, took over as spiritual guide. And, when our pilgrimage on this earth comes to an end, may we live eternally with you in the kingdom of Heaven. Nathalie Mukamazimpaka was born as the daughter of Laurent Ngango and Gaudence Mukabaziga in 1964 in Munini in the current district of Nyaruguru, in the parish of Muganza, Diocese of Gikongoro. 12http://partners.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/052194rwanda-genocide.html. Catholic Religious orders and the diocesan clergy opened schools, universities and banks. But only the visions of the first three -- 17-year-old Alphonsine, 20-year-old Nathalie, and 21-year-old Marie Claire -- have received Bishop Misago's solemn approval. The executions spread like wildfire throughout the country. During 100 days in 1994, up to a million of Rwandas population of just over seven million were murdered by the ruling Hutu government in an attempt to exterminate the Tutsi tribe. She was baptized when she was 12 years old, on July 27 1977. She was taken to a land of lighta place of communionwhere she saw seven angels singing indescribably beautiful hymns in praise of God. Learning of the opportunity, Alphonsines parish priest intervened, and she was accepted into the school. Marie Claire Mukangango was born in 1961 as the daughter of Basera and Vronique Nyiratuza in Rusekera, in the present district of Nyamagabe, in Mushubi parish, Diocese of Gikongoro. I do wish that you may make the Sanctuary of Kibeho radiate even more of that love of Mary for all her children, especially for the poorest and the most vulnerable. - Developed by jofarsystems.com. Everything said or done after that date at Kibeho did not bring anything new with respect to what was already known, from the point of view of the messages and of the signs of credibility. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. She justifies this by referring to personal messages from the Blessed Virgin, whom she calls "Umubyeyi", mother. In early July 1994, Nathalie was forced to leave Kibeho at the request of the Bishop, in order to get into greater safety. 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