The Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Kibeho Dolores

Kibeho · Rwanda · The only Marian apparition approved in Africa

In the small town of Kibeho, south-west of Rwanda, the Virgin Mary appeared to three adolescents between 1981 and 1989. On June 29, 2001, Bishop Augustin Misago of Gikongoro officially approved the apparitions, becoming the first and only Marian apparition recognized by the Catholic Church on the African continent. The Virgin presented herself as Nyina wa Jambo, "Mother of the Word," a title equivalent to Mother of God in Kinyarwanda.

The 1981 apparitions

On November 28, 1981, Alphonsine Mumureke, a 17-year-old girl recently admitted to the Catholic College of Kibeho, claimed to have seen a woman of extraordinary beauty who identified herself as Nyina wa Jambo, "Mother of the Word," a title that in the Rwandan catechetical tradition is equivalent to Theotokos, Mother of God. Alphonsine, who had arrived at school just in October of that year, described a woman dressed in white, with a glowing veil, who spoke to her in Kinyarwanda with a maternal voice.

Alphonsine's testimony was received with scepticism by colleagues and teachers. However, on 12 January 1982, Nathalie Mukamazimpaka, 20, began to report similar visions. On 2 March 1982, Marie Claire Mukangango, 21, who had initially harassed Alphonsine for his claims, also experienced an apparition. The three visionaries agreed on the description of the Virgin and on the messages received.

The Rosary of the Seven Sorrows

On March 6, 1982, according to the testimony of Marie Claire, the Virgin Mary taught her the Rosary of the Seven Dolores and entrusted her with the mission of spreading it throughout the world. This rosary meditates on seven episodes of Mary's suffering: the prophecy of Simeon, the flight to Egypt, the loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple, the encounter with Jesus on the way to Calvary, the crucifixion, the descent of the Cross, and the burial of Jesus. On May 31, 1982, the Virgin explained to Marie Claire the thanks associated with this devotion, promising that those who recite it will find "the strength to repent."

The apocalyptic vision of August 19, 1982

On August 19, 1982, the three visionaries simultaneously reported a terrifying vision: a river of blood, people killing each other, abandoned bodies without anyone burying them, a burning tree, an open abyss, a monster and cut heads. This vision was interpreted retrospectively as a prophecy of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which between 800,000 and 1 million people were killed in a hundred days. Kibeho itself was the scene of two massacres: the first in the parish in April 1994, and the second in April 1995, when more than 5,000 refugees were shot by soldiers.

Marie Claire Mukangango and her husband, Elie Ntabadahiga, died in the Kigali massacre in April 1994. The young woman who had been commissioned to spread the Rosary of the Seven Dolores was the victim of the violence she herself had prophesied.

The messages of the Virgin

The messages transmitted during the apparitions of Kibeho revolve around several axes: an urgent call to sincere repentance and conversion of hearts; an assessment of the moral bad state of the world; the deep pain of the Mother of God in the face of human suffering; the saving value of the suffering offered; the incessant prayer with a sincere heart; the regular recitation of the Rosary and Marian devotion; the spread of the Rosary of the Seven Dolores; the construction of a chapel for Mary; and the prayer for the Church.

The mystical experiences of visionaries

On March 20, 1982, Alphonsine Mumureke reported a "mystical journey" with the Virgin Mary, which lasted several hours, during which she saw symbolic representations of hell, purgatory and heaven. Nathalie Mukamazimpaka had a similar experience on October 30, 1982. Nathalie's visions emphasized continuous prayer and atonement, and the Virgin was able to instruct her in penance practices. The last apparition of Alphonsine took place on 28 November 1989, eight years after the first.

The ecclesiastical approval

In 1982, Bishop Jean Baptiste Gahamanyi of Butare, the diocese to which Kibeho belonged then, established two commissions of inquiry: a doctor (20 March 1982) and another theological (14 May 1982). On August 15, 1988, the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, Bishop Augustin Misago of Gikongoro approved the public devotion linked to the apparitions. On June 29, 2001, the same bishop officially declared the authenticity of the visions of the first three seers.

On July 2, 2001, the Holy See published the statement of the Bishop of Gikongoro approving the apparitions. It is the first - and to date the only - Marian apparition approved on the African continent.

The sanctuary today

The Marian shrine of Kibeho was named "Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Dolores" in 1992. The first stone was placed on 28 November 1992. In 2003, the rectory of the sanctuary was entrusted to the Palotine Fathers (Society of the Catholic Apostolate) by an agreement with the local ordinary. The rector is appointed by the diocesan bishop and the Palotine regional rector. The sanctuary receives thousands of pilgrims each year, especially on November 28, the feast of Our Lady of Kibeho.