In writing about Rwanda, I am conscious that my words will always be unequal to the task What I encountered was evil in a form that rendered me inarticulate.. 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.. She met Father Raymond Halter (1925-1998), a French Marianist priest and promoter of a great Marian devotion at the national Marian shrine of Cte d'Ivoire. Our Lady floated toward her without touching the ground. Both the Germans and Belgians turned the relationship of the two ethnic groups, Tutsi and Hutu, into a class system which favored the minority Tutsis over the Hutus. 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. Only the three initial testimonies merit being considered authentic; they were given by Alphonsine Mumureke, Nathalie Mukamazimpaka, and by Marie Claire Mukangango. She was baptised on February 2nd, 1968 at the age of 4. In the end, they could not prove the visionary and her position wrong. Marie Claire and Elie formed a happy couple. var addy06979af1fb68ed1cff9c75452df96a61 = 'sanctuaire.kibeho' + '@'; She was baptised on August 12th, 1966 at the age of 5. After her graduation from theology with a specialization in catechesis in June 2003, she entered the monastery Sainte Claire in Abidjan (Poor Clares). She went so far as to inform the local bishop, who told her that he was already aware of the events. The most active period of these apparitions ended with the year 1983. On June 29, 2001, Bishop Augustin Misago of Gikongoro, Rwanda, wrote a declaration of approval in favor of the apparitions of Our Lady of Kibeho. As a Latin adage says: Gratia non tollit naturam, sed perficit eam. ("Grace doesn't do away with nature, but perfects it."). The Bible was translated into the national language of Kinyarwanda, and nine dioceses were created. On another occasion, the Blessed Mother told Anathalie, When I show myself to someone and talk to them, I want to turn to the whole world. Marie Clarie's first apparition took place on March 2nd, 1982, her last on September 15th, 1982, after a period of 6 months and 15 days. As Alphonsine recounted the graphic vision, horrified parents left the scene, fearing that further descriptive words from the seer would traumatize their children. 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. When she awoke she found herself on the floor in the chapel. When she told them that she had seen the Blessed Virgin, they started to laugh at her and mock her as they all crowded around her. 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. This situation was subject of controversial public discussion, led by the investigation commissions as well as by temporary observers. They share the same language, religions and kinship and clan systems. Kibeho College, founded in 1967 on the initiative of the parish priest of Kibeho, Father Grgoire Kamugisha, has often changed name in order to conform to the changing programs of the Ministry of National Education. 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.. She was shown a river of blood, of decapitated heads, of corpses piled high upon each other, of untold destruction, torture, and hatred. I am concerned with and turning to the whole world. She asked Alphonsine, Of all things in heaven, what makes you happy?4 Alphonsine replied that she loved God and His Mother and that they made her happy. He summarized the main points of the message: Our Lady appealed to the world to repent, repent, repent! and convert while there is still time. She warned the world that if it did not repent, it would fall into the abyss. She received the habit on July 26, 2004, and made her first profession on July 15, 2006. 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. When Alphonsine asked why she was crying, Our Lady shed even more copious tears. Marie-Claire was completely changed. For several months, she was hosted at the monastery of the Trappistines of the Abbey of Our Lady of Clarity located not far from Bukavu city. The call to expiatory sacrifice being one of the major lines of the message of Kibeho, Nathalie always tries her best to live this message. On August 22nd, 1987, Marie Claire celebrated her church wedding to Elie Ntabadahiga, a member of Mushubi parish. The voice told her she was sad because no one was listening to her, causing Anathalie to cry even more. 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. On August 22nd, 1987, Marie Claire celebrated her church wedding to Elie Ntabadahiga, a member of Mushubi parish. After these three apparitions, there were several more alleged appearances. The visionaries of Kibeho are no exception from the rule. Our Lady exhorted them to pray always and to teach others to pray with greater zeal and purity of heart. After she graduated Kibeho College, she worked as a secretary for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Butare from 1992 to 1994. 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. It was from there that she was urgently transferred to Nairobi for medical care. Public are those apparitions that take place in the presence of various testimonies, which does not necessarily mean a crowd. In Kibeho, Rwanda, in 1981, a 16-year-old schoolgirl, Alphonsine Mumureke, heard a heavenly voice calling out to her. . In early July 1994, Nathalie was forced to leave Kibeho at the request of the Bishop, in order to get into greater safety. 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. Most of Rwandas inhabitants make a living from agriculture and livestock. 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. If you do not repent and convert your hearts, you will all fall into an abyss.8. 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. Marie Claire and Elie formed a happy couple. From there, she continued her escape up to Bukavu in former Zaire together with many other refugees, including priests and religious of all ethnic groups. Their message is in conformity with the Sacred Scripture and the living Tradition of the Church. Their message is in conformity with the Sacred Scripture and the living Tradition of the Church. Forename Alphonsine. Our Lady of Kibeho is at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton, until 2 February. 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. These witnesses, historically linked, were the only ones on the scene for some months, at least up to June 1982. Elle y a fait sa prise dhabit religieux le 6/07/2004 ; le noviciat dbuta le 31 Juillet de la mme anne. However, when Anathalie told them she spoke with Our Lady, they believed her. When she awoke from her stupor, she saw her classmates staring at her; when they all excitedly questioned her, she started to cry because she realized that Our Lady had departed. He became her spiritual director and took care of her during her stay at Ivory Coast. It is often she herself who welcomes individual pilgrims and assists them in anything they need or refers them to the chaplain if necessary. Gabrielle Brooks, Yasmin Mwanza and Pepter Lunkuse in rehearsals for Our Lady of Kibeho. 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. Increasingly distressed by the unrelenting attacks, Alphonsine begged Our Lady to appear to other girls in order that they would believe her. 5 . She justifies this by referring to personal messages from the Blessed Virgin, whom she calls "Umubyeyi", mother. Under the guiding hand of Our Lady, her feisty, rude behavior ceased. Before she led Alphonsine to the other world, she warned her that she would appear to be dead and that others would want to bury her. At the same time, she was aspirant in the order of Saint Claire. Then a few months later -- January 12, 1982 -- there were rumors that the Virgin Mary had appeared to another Kibeho student named Nathalie Mukamazimpaka. Her mother, Gaudence Mukabaziga, died on Octobre 17th, 1998 from malaria. And, when our pilgrimage on this earth comes to an end, may we live eternally with you in the kingdom of Heaven. First two years of apparitions at Kibeho . Some of her fellow students, teachers and nuns thought she was just trying to get attention or that she had lost her mind. From time to time, relatives and Christians from her home parish, Muganza, come to visit her. Rwanda became one of the African countries with the highest percentage of Catholics. Entering into ecstasy, Alphonsine began to sing her accustomed song of welcome to Our Lady, but she stopped abruptly. Father Halter became Alphonsine's spiritual director. 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. 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. Son nom de religion est Alphonsine de la Croix Glorieuse. Alphonsine Mumureke Show Our Lady of Kibeho Gender Female Age Range Late Teen, Young Adult Role Size Lead Dancing Non Dancer Voice Spoken Time & Place kibeho college, an all-girls catholic school in kibeho, rwanda, 1981-1982 Tags 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. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; The visions lasted for hours. She then heard a gentle voice sweetly inviting her not to be afraid. Others asked her for proof to support her story. Moreover, chances are that some people tried to talk to these visionaries and maliciously make them their instruments. 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. Looking down upon all this contention in a country of unparalleled beauty, rife with poverty and tension, heaven breathed forth a message of love and warning. 341 Butare / RwandaCentral AfricaThis email address is being protected from spambots. Katoris background as a journalist and an actor bring a rare sensibility to her plays, which combine a reporters eye for a good story and historical detail together with an understanding of how to craft characters that only an actor can experience. She responded: I am the Mother of the Word.. They are the ones who made Kibeho known as a place of apparitions and pilgrimage causing crowds of people to flock there. Kibeho is a small parish nestled in Mubuga, the land of the seven hills in eastern Rwanda. Approved visionaries Only the visions of the first three seers (Alphonsine Mumureke, Nathalie Mukamazimpaka, and Marie Clare Mukangango, aged 17, 20, and 21, respectively) received the solemn approval of Augustin Misago, Bishop of Gikongoro. He looked after her until his death in December 1998. The White Fathers, an international Missionary Society of priests and brothers, arrived in the late 1800s amid all this tension. Twelve years later, a bloody war broke out in Rwanda, pitting two ethnic groups against each other: the Hutu majority vs. the Tutsi minority. Today, we humbly ask you to defend Catholic Online's independence. 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