Burundi Marian Advocations

Burundi is a land of strong Catholic root and deep Marian piety, whose two great hearts of pilgrimage are Our Lady of Mount Zion of Gikungu and Our Lady of Mugera.

History of Marian devotion in Burundi

The devotion to the Virgin Mary in Burundi, although a minority in a country of Muslim majority or traditional African religions, has a significant presence among local Christian communities. Christianity has come to these lands through European missionaries since the 15th century (Portuguese, French, Spanish), and the figure of Mary was one of the pillars of evangelization. Marian apparitions in Africa, like Kibeho's in Rwanda (1981- 1989), have boosted Marian devotion throughout the continent.

In Burundi, the Virgin is venerated under various advocacy, many of them introduced by the missionaries: the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of the Rosary, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Lourdes. The local Catholic communities keep the devotion to Mary alive through the prayer of the Rosary, processions and patronal parties, which are expressions of an incarnate faith in African culture.

Burundi Marian Advocations

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Our Lady of Mugera, Marian Heart of Burundi

Burundi, a small African Great Lakes country, has one of the largest Catholic communities in Africa (approximately 62 per cent of the population). Evangelization began in 1879 with the missionaries of the Sacred Heart (White Fathers) led by Cardinal Lavigerie. Marian devotion is deeply rooted in the Burundian culture, and the sanctuary of Our Lady of Mugera, in the archdiocese of Gitega, is the main Marian pilgrimage center of the country. The sanctuary, built in 1935 on a hill that dominates the landscape of the mountains of Burundi, is a place of peace and prayer that attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims each year.

The history of Mugera is linked to the early times of evangelization. The missionaries built a small chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary on the top of the hill, and soon the faithful began to pilgrim there, attributing healing and favors to the intercession of the Virgin. In 1954, on the occasion of the Marian Year, a larger church was built. The image of Our Lady of Mugera, a size of eucalyptus wood with Burundian features, was canonically crowned in 1988 by Pope John Paul II during his visit to the country. The sanctuary is also a place of reconciliation: after the 1993 genocide and the civil war, Mugera hosted meetings of forgiveness and healing that helped to rebuild the social fabric.

Burundi has suffered cycles of ethnic violence that have left deep wounds in the social fabric. The Catholic Church, which includes more than 60 per cent of the population, has been an agent of peace and reconciliation. The sanctuary of Our Lady of Mugera has been a place of spiritual healing, where victims and perpetrators of violence have found forgiveness and reconciliation. The Virgin Mary, called "Mother of Mercy," has been presented as the model of unconditional forgiveness. Every year, at the feast of the Assumption (August 15), the Mugera shrine hosts a mass for peace and reconciliation.

The archdiocese of Gitega, the metropolitan headquarters of Burundi, was erected in 1959. The major seminary of Gitega, dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, has formed hundreds of priests who have brought Marian devotion to all corners of the country. The image of Our Lady of the Rosary, a size of eucalyptus wood carved by Burundian artisans, chairs the chapel of the seminary. Every 7 October, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated in the seminary with a procession that runs through the hills of Gitega, followed by a solemn mass and a fraternal agape that brings together the entire diocesan community.