Alphonsine Mumureke

Kibeho, Rwanda · 1965-present

The first visionary of Kibeho, to whom the Virgin appeared as "Nyina wa Jambo" (Mother of the Word).

His life

Alphonsine Mumureke was born on March 21, 1965, in Kibeho, Rwanda. She was a high school student when the Virgin Mary first appeared to her on November 28, 1981.

The apparitions

The Virgin appeared to him multiple times between 1981 and 1989. She presented herself as "Nyina wa Jambo" (Mother of the Word) and asked for prayer, conversion and love between the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups.

The messages

The Virgin Mary asked for prayers for the world, conversion, and unity among nations. She showed visions of rivers of blood, foreshadowing the 1994 genocide.

The sanctuary

The Kibeho Shrine was officially recognized by the Church in 2001. It is the only Marian shrine in Africa with approved apparitions.