Father Gbangbo seems to have played a major role in Alphonsines life as a spiritual advisor, also having influence on the Archbishop of Abidjan, Cardinal Bernard Agr, with whom Alphonsine was able to get into contact. The first time that the Virgin Mary appeared to Nathalie was on January 12th, 1982, the last time on December 3rd, 1983. Neighbors killed neighbors; Hutu husbands were forced to kill Tutsi wives. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; Though Rwanda is situated only a few degrees south of the equator, the climate is fairly temperate (temperatures averaging 70 F / 21 Celsius) because of its location in a mountainous region with an average altitude of 5,000 to 6,000 feet (1,500 to 1,800 meters) above sea level. Cest l quelle a vcu la tragdie du gnocide survenu en 1994. The director asked her to apologize to the whole school for her lies, but Alphonse couldnt deny that she had seen the Mother of the Word. At the time of the civil war and genocide of 1994, she remained at Kibeho, at the scene of two terrible massacres. They conquered the government forces on July 4, 1994, a date now commemorated as a public holiday. The first apparition of Alphonsine took place on November 28th, 1981, her last exactly eight years later, on November 28th, 1989. He became her spiritual director and took care of her during her stay at Ivory Coast. There, they were caught off guard by the genocide of 1994. Twelve years later, a bloody war broke out in Rwanda, pitting two ethnic groups against each other: the Hutu majority vs. the Tutsi minority. Father Halter's successor, Father Basile Mobio Gbangbo, an Ivorian diocesan priest from the Archdiocese of Abidjan, serving in the Sacred Heart Parish of Abobo. Various reasons justify the choice by Our Lady of these three visionaries already approved as visionaries. Anathalie agreed whole-heartedly to this requesta task she continues to this day. Kibeho High School in southern Rwanda is run by the Benebikira Sisters or Daughters of the Virgin Mary. 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. The authentic conversions of the seers proved that the Good Mother had come to reinforce the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Rwanda is one of the poorest countries in the world, but recently it has been counted among the most successful African countries regarding development and national economy. This choice, however, was a working hypothesis, not a presumption of authenticity for such a large number of visionaries. Father Halter became Alphonsine's spiritual director. Anathalie Mukamazimpaka was the next one to have visions, which lasted from January 1982 to December 3, 1983. Perhaps the most significant vision occurred on August 15, 1982, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. May she accompany each one in his journey and obtain for him the gift of reconciliation and peace. It was from there that she was urgently transferred to Nairobi for medical care. At that time, Father Joseph Bezel, parish priest in France and a dear friend of Father Raymond Halter, helped Alphonsine to obtain a scholarship for the Business School of Castaing in Abidjan ,where she signed up for a three-year-programme of Business Secretary Education (from 1995/96 to 1997/98). Lateron, she was hosted in a community of the Daughters of Mary Queen of the Apostles Sisters up to May 1996. Misago writes in his declaration of June 29th, 2001: A visionary, even when recognised as authentic by the church authorities, remains a human being like everyone else, with his/her personal temperament, qualities and shortcomings. She successfully completed her secondary school education in July 1983 at Kibeho College with a diploma (level A3) which qualified her for primary school teaching. UNconfirms death of one of last Rwandan genocide fugitives, Exiled Rwandan opposition politician shot dead in Cape Town, Rwanda president suggests UK extradite genocide suspects after asylum deal, Hotel Rwanda dissident goes on trial accused of terrorism and murder, Zimbabwe denies harbouring deceased Rwandan genocide fugitive. var addy_text5b9eadd281548aea5c9407afe17843cf = 'sanctuaire.kibeho' + '@' + 'gmail' + '.' + 'com';document.getElementById('cloak5b9eadd281548aea5c9407afe17843cf').innerHTML += ''+addy_text5b9eadd281548aea5c9407afe17843cf+'<\/a>'; Copyright Sanctuaire Notre Dame de Kibeho. 341 Butare / RwandaCentral AfricaThis email address is being protected from spambots. After Marie Claire, the third visionary in the chronology of the apparitions of Kibeho, there were several other girls and one boy, all of them of different age and various levels of education. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. The Tutsis ruled Rwanda in the early part of the century and were considered the upper class. In this context, Mons. The student-visionaries said Our Lady also expressed her sadness at the sin in the world and invited people to recite the rosary of the seven sorrows and to be more diligent in prayer. There, they were caught off guard by the genocide of 1994. Then she saw a light in the distance. Then she issued a terrible warning: Rwanda was going to become a hell on Earth in a conflict that would see the picturesque rivers of Kibeho village run red with blood. Many others soon arrived: the school nurse to take her vitals and assess her medical condition; a Red Cross Official to conduct tests; a member of the Commission of Enquiry to note the facts; Abbot Augustin Misago, the spiritual guide (later the Bishop of Gikongoro, who would officially make a declaration in favor of the authenticity of the apparitions); and two seminarians, along with the entire school staff. Returning to her room, she started to pray the Rosary with a few of her friends. When Anathalie awoke, she was surrounded by friends and a few nuns who informed her that she had been in the same kind of trance Alphonsine had experienced. After finishing school, she worked as a secretary in the Catholic education department of Butare in southern Rwanda. Our Lady exhorted them to pray always and to teach others to pray with greater zeal and purity of heart. The two commissions completed their investigation twenty years after their creation. As a Latin adage says: Gratia non tollit naturam, sed perficit eam. ("Grace doesn't do away with nature, but perfects it."). Although she had only one year left in order to obtain a diploma level D5 that would qualify her as a primary school teacher, Nathalie did not complete her secondary school studies. The Virgin appeared to them with the name "Nyina wa Jambo", that is "Mother of the Word", which is synonymous to "Umubyeyl W'iamna" that is, "Mother of God", as she herself explained. She explained that our heavenly Mother loved her children so very muchfar more than their own mothersand that she wanted the girls to think of her as a Mother who really did love them. Some supposed that she was mentally ill; others, that she was just trying to attract attention; yet others said that she had been possessed by demons in her jungle home before her arrival at the school. He encouraged her to study theology and catechesis until she obtained her theological baccalaureate. . The apparitions began in November 1981 when six young girls and one boy claimed to see the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus. She temporarily stayed at Bishops residence in Gikongoro. She was baptised on July 27th, 1977 at the age of 12 years. After Marie Claire, the third visionary in the chronology of the apparitions of Kibeho, there were several other girls and one boy, all of them of different age and various levels of education. Amen. http://libcom.org/history/articles/Rwanda-burundi-history. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a most beautiful placea grassy plain filled with sparkling droplets of color. WHEN ALPHONSINE ASKED WHO SHE WAS, THE LADY REPLIED, I AM NYINA WA JAMBO WHICH MEANS THE MOTHER OF THE WORD. The voice told her she was sad because no one was listening to her, causing Anathalie to cry even more. The completed chapel was dedicated on May 31, 2003; and on November 28, 2003, the statue of Our Lady of Kibeho was blessed. The message the Virgin Mary allegedly revealed to the students at Kibeho was focused on conversion and salvific suffering. Thirty astounded students had witnessed Marie-Clare in ecstasy. In the end, they could not prove the visionary and her position wrong. 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. Alphonsine kept her job when the Diocese of Gikongoro was founded in 1992 up to the point in 1994 when she was forced to flee in order to survive the terrible genocide in Rwanda, first to the presbytery of the parish of Gikongoro and then to Bukavu in former Zaire, now D.R. Rwanda and Burundi were ruled separately under two different Tutsi monarchs. Moreover, chances are that some people tried to talk to these visionaries and maliciously make them their instruments. Catholic Religious orders and the diocesan clergy opened schools, universities and banks. She completed her secondary school studies at the Humanistic School of Kibeho in July 1989 with a secretary degree (level A2). Marie Claire and Elie formed a happy couple. They next traveled to Isesengurwaa place of purification where the light was dimthe inhabitants of which were at peace but also suffering. Witnesses say that Marie Claire was killed in an attempt or defend or to find her husband kidnapped and lead together with other victims to an unknown destination. 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. One Saturday, November 28, 1981 seventeen year old Alphonsine Mumureke was taking her turn as server in the school lunch room. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. She was forced to flee Kibeho in 1994 because of the Rwandan Genocide, and lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for a few weeks before permanently moving to the Ivory Coast. Although she had only one year left in order to obtain a diploma level D5 that would qualify her as a primary school teacher, Nathalie did not complete her secondary school studies. 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. For reasons mentioned below, she was unable to complete her studies. . Misago writes in his declaration of June 29th, 2001: A visionary, even when recognised as authentic by the church authorities, remains a human being like everyone else, with his/her personal temperament, qualities and shortcomings. In April 1994, President Juvenal Habyarimana was killed when his plane was shot down. The visionaries said to have seen her sometimes with joined hands, sometimes with outstretched arms. The Bishop of Gikongoro wrote a letter of recommendation to Cardinal Agr and, following the advice of Father Basile, Alphonsine left the Business School to join the Catechetical School, affiliated to the Catholic University of West African in Abidjan. Here, three people, Nathalie Mukamazimpaka, Alphonsine Mumureke and Claire Mukangango, received messages from Our Lady. She responded: I am the Mother of the Word.. Script error: No such module "AfC topic". My advice therefore is: Guarantee these visionaries peace and encourage them to lead a fairly disciplined life.. Most probably this caused he to reread the message of the apparitions (and particularly that of August 15th, 1982) with great pain, trying to establish a link between what the Virgin Mary had said and the tragedy which descended upon Rwanda and her neighbouring countries. Her mother, Gaudence Mukabaziga, died on Octobre 17th, 1998 from malaria. It is the most famine-prone region of one of the worlds poorest countries, but so beautiful that locals say: God comes on holiday here.. 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. Alphonsine Mumureke is said to have taken, on March 20, 1982, a mystical journey of several hours with the Virgin in another world throughout places that she describes in symbolic language that makes one think of realities such as Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, but with a vocabulary very different from the one of the Catechism. Aerial views of the picturesque country present spectacular lush landscapes, rich green vegetation, remarkable terraced crops on the hillsides, amazing volcanic mountains, and a number of shimmering lakes that reflect breathtaking sunsets. As soon as she disappeared, Alphonsine collapsed on the floor and lay motionless for ten minutes. As work continues on the Shrine, so may Our Lady work in the hearts of all her children so that she may bring them to her Son, Jesus: Holy Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, teach us to understand the value of the cross in our lives, so that whatever is still lacking to the sufferings of Christ we may fill up in our own bodies for His mystical Body, which is the Church. 12http://partners.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/052194rwanda-genocide.html. By Ginny Kubitz Moyer December 13, 2010. Forename Alphonsine. As visionary, Marie Claire is especially known for the message concerning the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary which goes hand in hand with an urgent call to repentance: Repent, repent, repent! You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Elle y a fait sa prise dhabit religieux le 6/07/2004 ; le noviciat dbuta le 31 Juillet de la mme anne. For Katori, Kibeho College symbolised the defining role the Catholic church has played in Rwandas education system and political life over the last century, including shaping its ideological divisions. As Alphonsine recounted the graphic vision, horrified parents left the scene, fearing that further descriptive words from the seer would traumatize their children. However, the superiors of this congregation hesitated to accept her since the question of the authenticity of the apparitions had not yet been clarified by the church authorities. In April 1982, two commissions were authorized to investigate the events. 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. When she awoke, she once again found herself on the floor of the school chapel. In spite of this, she maintained that Alphonsine and Anathalie were the source of the trouble. The two commissions started their work immediately after their creation. The longest series of visions were attributed to Alphonsine Mumureke, who had received the initial vision shortly after her admittance into Kibeho High School in October 1981 after her primary education, and the last on November 28, 1989.. . At the time of the apparitions she attended Grade 4 of the elementary level at Kibeho College. Gabrielle Brooks, Yasmin Mwanza and Pepter Lunkuse in rehearsals for Our Lady of Kibeho. In the 23-page document, the Bishops reasons were thoughtfully and systematically penned. 7 . What's happened to the three Rwandan girls Our Lady alleged appeared to in the 1980s? Our Lady of Kibeho review startling story of a heavenly 'visitation', Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. 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. After the creation of the Diocese of Gikongoro in 1992, everything connected with the apparitions of Kibeho was transferred to the new diocese led by Mons. There is no love and no peace. Research was carried out in her family and her native region and there are specific reports and testimonies on this subject. It was of a woman calling herself "Mother of the Word". Following her studies, Marie Claire Mukangango became a teacher. He looked after her until his death in December 1998. 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. 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. During the war, between 800,000 and 1 million were killed. This is also validfor Alphonsine who continued to attract many people up to the end of her apparitions. In 1960, the Hutus won municipal elections, causing thousands more Tutsis to flee. In early July 1994, Nathalie was forced to leave Kibeho at the request of the Bishop, in order to get into greater safety. 1The Tutsis and Hutus are not tribes they belong to the same Banyarwanda nationality. The Blessed Mother wanted Alphonsine to be like a little child to her: Play with me! He prayed that it would be a holy place of prayer, conversion, and reparation for the world. Despite rumblings of the growing divide between Hutus and Tutsis, we lose ourselves in this story of these three young women who want to change the world they will inherit. 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. The situation became more and more confusing and it was therefore difficult for the church authorities to find the truth. Alphonsine fell to her knees and asked the Lady who she was. Fergal Keane, a BBC correspondent in Rwanda in 1994, found it difficult to capture the horror of what happened. Alphonsine kept her job when the Diocese of Gikongoro was founded in 1992 up to the point in 1994 when she was forced to flee in order to survive the terrible genocide in Rwanda, first to the presbytery of the parish of Gikongoro and then to Bukavu in former Zaire, now D.R. Fortunately, the Benebikira Sisters had just come back to Kibeho and reopened their convent, the school and the health centre. Son nom de religion est Alphonsine de la Croix Glorieuse. However, as Divine Providence would arrange it, a space had unexpectedly opened up in a government-run all-girl school staffed by religious sisters. Congo) family whom she had also met during the time of the apparitions at Kibeho, she she continued her tragical journey up to Abidjan at Ivory Coast a few weeks later and got into contact with Father Raymond Halter, a Marian priest who knew her since her last apparition on November 28th, 1989. Get the latest from La Croix International. Alphonsine Mumureke left in 1994 during the genocide and never came back. Thus, these first eight "visionaries" were chosen as a sample to be investigated in a specific way, without losing sight of the other supposed visionaries. Thousands of citizens were brutally killed in the parish church and, a year later, on the esplanade where the apparitions had taken place. Augustine Misago, Bishop of Gikongoro declared the final judgement on the event of the apparitions of Kibeho on June 29th, 2001, in agreement with the members of the two commissions and with the Magisterium of the Universal Church in Rome as well as with the Episcopal Conference of Rwanda. 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