The natives harvest bananas, sweet potatoes, and cassava for their own use throughout the year. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. The two commissions started their work immediately after their creation. The director grabbed the school nurse and summoned Abbot Augustin Misago, a leading member of the Commission of Enquiry. I love children who will play with me, because it shows me their love and trust.5. Son nom de religion est Alphonsine de la Croix Glorieuse. In Kibeho, Rwanda, in 1981, a 16-year-old schoolgirl, Alphonsine Mumureke, heard a heavenly voice calling out to her. 12http://partners.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/052194rwanda-genocide.html. She had to leave Kibeho at the time of the genocide and, after a time in the Democratic Republic of Congo, she went to Nairobi, Kenya. No one goes to heaven without suffering, Our Lady told her, and as a child of Mary, you may never put down the cross you bear.7 Then, holding her rosary, the student knelt and received a blessing from the Virgin Mary before she departed. She received the habit on July 26, 2004, and made her first profession on July 15, 2006. 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. | Jan 16, 2017 | 2014, Marian Shrines | 0 comments. Then she saw a light in the distance. Alphonsine began the song as directed: People are not grateful, / They dont love me, / I came from heaven for nothing, / I left all the good things there for nothing. Anathalie remains at the Shrine, fulfilling the promise she made to Our Lady, praying and offering her suffering for souls. 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. Thus, almost all the land is cultivated, with the average property per household being less than two-and-a-half acres. Our Lady of Kibeho is at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton, until 2 February. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one. The message the Virgin Mary allegedly revealed to the students at Kibeho was focused on conversion and salvific suffering. This email address is being protected from spambots. Colleagues, neighbours, friends and even family members slaughtered one another. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. It would be imprudent to somehow "canonize"the visionaries of Kibeho while still alive. The other two visionaries, Anathalie and Marie-Claire, experienced the same dreadful vision on this day: mass murder, the river of blood, piles of corpses. She then saw a beautiful woman, who said, "I am the Mother of the Word.". She was able to return to Rwanda in early December 1996. 5 . Our Lady poured out, as it were, so much love upon Alphonsine that she felt she would be lifted to heaven. The visionaries of Kibeho are no exception from the rule. Elie was studying at the university while working as a journalist at Orinfor (Rwandan Office of Information) but was appointed to the Primer Minister's Office Services just before the genocide of 1994. 13www.nytimes.com/1995/04/24/world/as-many-as-2000-are-reported-dead-in-rwanda.html. Alphonsine Mumureke was born on March 21st, 1965 in Cyizihira, in the parish of Zaza, Diocese of Kibungo as the daughter of Thadde Gakwaya and Mary Immaculate Mukarasana. Marie Claire Mukangango was born in 1961 as the daughter of Basera and Vronique Nyiratuza in Rusekera, in the present district of Nyamagabe, in Mushubi parish, Diocese of Gikongoro. Twelve years later, a bloody war broke out in Rwanda, pitting two ethnic groups against each other: the Hutu majority vs. the Tutsi minority. Together with many other war displaced, they were taken towards Byumba, which was supposed to be a secure zone. A year later, in April 1995, tens of thousands of Hutu refugees were massacred in Kibeho by the troops of the new regime. It is in this context that Mons. Up to a million people were killed during the Rwandan genocide of 1994. So, ever since July 1982, Nathalie has been permanently staying close to the site of the apparitions at Kibeho. On January 12, 1982, she appeared to Anathalie Mukamazimpaka, another devout seventeen-year-old student. At the time of the apparitions she attended Grade 4 of the elementary level at Kibeho College. On November 28, 1981, an event happened that would forever change the life of Alphonsine and affect the lives of millions. 7 . Following her studies, Marie Claire Mukangango became a teacher. Like many imperialists, when the Germans arrived in the late 1800s, they began to foment unrest through prejudice in order to tighten their own control. The exceptional long duration of the apparitions did not discourage the members of the two commissions, who worked with great zeal and the desire to examine the events impartially and without bias, investigating without rush but with patience and calm. 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. It is often she herself who welcomes individual pilgrims and assists them in anything they need or refers them to the chaplain if necessary. This encouraged Nathalie to return home after two years of absence. Elie was studying at the university while working as a journalist at Orinfor (Rwandan Office of Information) but was appointed to the Primer Minister's Office Services just before the genocide of 1994. In its discernment, the Church installed two commissions in 1982, one medical and one theological, which should investigate the events of Kibeho using scientifically valid methods. Fergal Keane, a BBC correspondent in Rwanda in 1994, found it difficult to capture the horror of what happened. 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. Her parents were Thadde Gakwaya and Mary Immaculate Mukagasana. And today she is a member of a cloistered congregation in Rome. She saw a beautiful woman neither white nor black floating above the floor in a flowing seamless dress, with a veil that covered her hair. Sixteen-year-old Alphonsine Mumureke was privileged to attend Kibeho High school, an opportunity many poor Rwandan girls did not have. 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. 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. During the 1994 massacres, 20,000 Tutsi were murdered in Kibeho, and Kibeho . During one of Marie-Claires visions, Our Lady told her that she had come to Rwanda because she was still able to find humble souls who were not attached to wealth. Soon, there were many concerned officials, priests, and others in attendance as Alphonsine truly appeared dead. 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. At first, no one took the adolescent's claims seriously. Script error: No such module "Draft topics". \rDans la suite elle fut admise lInstitut Suprieur de catchse dAbidjan affili lUniversit Catholique dAfrique de lOuest. It is often she herself who welcomes individual pilgrims and assists them in anything they need or refers them to the chaplain if necessary. Sanctuary Our Lady of KibehoB.P. What makes Katoris play so moving is that it takes place at a time before the genocide, when there is still space for optimism in the lives of the schoolchildren it depicts. 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. Divine Providence had special designs for the three seers: In June 2003, Alphonsine entered the monastery of the Poor Clares in Abidjan. But then another two students, Anathalie and Marie Claire the three became known as the Trinity insisted they too had been visited by the Virgin Mary and given the same apocalyptic warning. 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. http://libcom.org/history/articles/Rwanda-burundi-history. He became her spiritual director and took care of her during her stay at Ivory Coast. 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. Alphonsine was struck by the deeply sorrowful countenance of Our Lady. Of course we now know that, a decade after the Trinitys terrible visions, Rwanda was riven by a terrible genocide. Right in front of everyone she suddenly went into ecstasy as she beheld the Blessed Virgin who introduced herself as the Mother of the Word. She was baptised on July 27th, 1977 at the age of 12 years. She was shown a river of blood, of decapitated heads, of corpses piled high upon each other, of untold destruction, torture, and hatred. On August 15, 1988 the local Bishop approved public devotion to Our Lady of Kibeho. If I am turning to the parish of Kibeho, it does not mean that I am concerned only for Kibeho, or for the Diocese of Butare, or for Rwanda, or for the whole of Africa. Entering into ecstasy, Alphonsine began to sing her accustomed song of welcome to Our Lady, but she stopped abruptly. - Developed by jofarsystems.com. Her mother, Gaudence Mukabaziga, died on Octobre 17th, 1998 from malaria. 341 Butare / RwandaCentral AfricaThis email address is being protected from spambots. Out of the darkness emerged two ominous figures, warning her that they would return with others. Marie-Claire became increasingly agitated in the matter and began spying on the seers more closely, peeking at their letters and diaries and inventing nastier tactics to unmask the connivers. She was sure that the devil was involved, and she was determined to uncover the conspiracy. The unfolding of the Rwandan genocidal tragedy in 1994, verifying with gruesome exactitude a prophecy given by Our Lady of Kibeho just a few years earlier, invites the reader to a sobering reflection: heavens call to repentance must not go unheeded. The number of supposed visionaries listed in the file of the commissions of inquiry reached 14 on November 28th, 1982, one year after the forst apparitions; on November 28th, 1983 they were 33 already. Dans la suite, elle partit avec des connaissances vers le Zare (aujourdhui RD Congo). The list of its authors can be seen in its historicaland/or the page Edithistory:Alphonsine Mumureke. Here is how she relates the first Apparition: 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. She was baptised on August 12th, 1966 at the age of 5. Most historical accounts of the genocide focus on either society or the state, the former exploring the longstanding racism in Rwandan society and the latter documenting the complex power struggles in government and the ways in which propaganda radiated from the capital to the provinces and inspired the violence. Public are those apparitions that take place in the presence of various testimonies, which does not necessarily mean a crowd. She was then led to the place of the cherished of God, where she saw millions of people with white garments who were happy, but not with the same degree of rapture as the seven angels. 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. She is very pious, and has always shown a great love for the Blessed Virgin. In 1981, when Alphonsine was admitted, the school was called "College de Kibeho"; later in early 1984 it was named "Ecole des lettres de Kibeho" (Humanistic School of Kibeho). At this point, some of the other girls began believing that the apparitions might be real. Nathalie's father, Laurent Ngango is still alive and stays about 10 km from Kibeho. While there her life took a decisive turn. 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. 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. It was from there that she was urgently transferred to Nairobi for medical care. In Katori Hall's "Our Lady of Kibeho," Ms. Okafor's professional stage debut, she plays Alphonsine Mumureke, one of three Rwandan schoolgirls who report Marian apparitions and dark . All Rights Reserved. Among the signs for the credibility of the apparitions, the following should be mentioned: 1. the good mental health, the human balance, the attentiveness and the sincerity of the visionaries certified in the conclusions of the medical commission, comprising the opinion of a psychiatrist; 2. the respectful and sincere climate in which the events took place; 3. the absence of sensationalism in the habit of the visionaries, which indicates that the apparitions did not occur neither automatically nor controlled by them; 4. the conformity of the visionaries' messages and behaviour; 5. the tangible character of the ecstasies, according to the examinations of the commissions free of mental disorder or hysteria; 6. the genuineness and simpleness of the dialogues in the apparitions; 7. the fact that parts of the message were expressed in a more eloquent way than the visionaries would usually be able to due to their culture and religious formation; 8. the phenomenon of the "mystical journey" first of all for Alphonsine ( on March 20th, 1982) and then for Nathalie (on October 30th, 1982); 9. the frightening visions of August 15th, 1982, which proved to be prophetic due to the human dramas in Rwanda and throughout the country of the Great Lake region in recent years; 10. the extraordinary fasting of Nathalie during Lenten season 1983, rigorously monitored by the medical commission, whose members did not consist of (practicing) Catholics only; 11. the content of the message, remaining consistent, relevant, and orthodox; 12. the spiritual fruit already borne by these events, all across the country and even abroad; (Mons. 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. 3 . They have noted that the power of Our Lady of Kibeho lies in its ability to stay true to the perspectives of Alphonsine, Anathalie and Marie Claire. Moreover, chances are that some people tried to talk to these visionaries and maliciously make them their instruments. Marie Claire and Elie formed a happy couple. It would be unfortunate to misuse them as a kind of good luck charm" (abapfumu). Hence, starting from September 1983, she first taught in her home parish Mushubi and thereafter in Kigali from September 1987. By Ginny Kubitz Moyer December 13, 2010. In this context, Mons. Augustin Misago, Declaration bearing the final judgement on the event of the "Apparitions of Kibeho", n 14.). This is also validfor Alphonsine who continued to attract many people up to the end of her apparitions. Today, Rwandans continue to confront on a daily basis the pain of memory, the power of reconciliation, the challenges of redemption and forgiveness and the ineradicability of loss. In 1981, when Alphonsine was admitted, the school was called "College de Kibeho"; later in early 1984 it was named "Ecole des lettres de Kibeho" (Humanistic School of Kibeho). 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. They are the ones who made Kibeho known as a place of apparitions and pilgrimage causing crowds of people to flock there. Tuesday - Sunday through December 7, $25 212-244-7529 www.signaturetheatre.org The extraordinary story of these three schoolgirls inspired my friend, the American playwright Katori Hall, to write Our Lady of Kibeho. She was completely unresponsive and even too heavy to be moved by four men. 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. After her graduation from theology with a specialization in catechesis in June 2003, she entered the monastery Sainte Claire in Abidjan (Poor Clares). Kibeho High School in southern Rwanda is run by the Benebikira Sisters or Daughters of the Virgin Mary. And everywhere there was blood, flies.13. This is also valid for Alphonsine who continued to attract many people up to the end of her apparitions. What is the meaning of business ecosystem? This situation was subject of controversial public discussion, led by the investigation commissions as well as by temporary observers. 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 last place, hell, was a most fearsome hot furnace where the only light was a shade of red that reminded Anathalie of congealed blood. Anathalie had to avert her gaze from the horrific scene of anguish and misery. 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. 7 . The first apparition of Alphonsine took place on November 28th, 1981, her last exactly eight years later, on November 28th, 1989. 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. She recounted to her eager listeners her experience of a dark place of despair and another place full of laughter and joyous voices ringing praises to God. 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. 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 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. Finally, the RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front), comprised mostly of Tutsi refugees from Uganda and refugees from Burundi, battled its way through the government-led conflict and slowly gained ground. She was sent to the nurse, who in turn sent her to her room to rest. 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. The Bishop ordered that a chapel be built in honor of Our Lady of Kibeho; the Shrine was to be called the Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows. He laid the foundation stone on November 28, 1992, and asked that the Rosary and the Seven Sorrows devotions become an integral part of the spiritual practices of the Shrine. Back in London, I staged the world premiere of her play The Mountaintop, about the life and death of Martin Luther King, which went on to become the surprise winner of the best play award at the 2010 Oliviers and is now one of the most produced new plays in the US. When Alphonsine's story was mocked by other students, she asked Mary to appear to others, so that they might believe. He encouraged her to study theology and catechesis until she obtained her theological baccalaureate. 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. In 1900, they built (of thatch) the first Catholic ChurchThe Church of the Holy Spirit of Save. 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. You should enable them to normally operate within their surroundings and go about their usual activities. Thousands of citizens were brutally killed in the parish church and, a year later, on the esplanade where the apparitions had taken place. Sixteen-year-old Alphonsine Mumureke was privileged to attend Kibeho High school, an opportunity many poor Rwandan girls did not have. Nathalie's father, Laurent Ngango is still alive and stays about 10 km from Kibeho. Mary first appeared to a girl named Alphonsine Mumureke "when she was serving other kids," Ilibagiza explained. Kibeho, a small mountain village in southern Rwanda, is also the name of a parish founded in 1934, dedicated to Mary Mother of God. This parish was well known for its strong Catholic faith and gave a large number of priests and consecrated persons to the Church of Rwanda. But it was the Virgin Mary's alleged appearance to a third student, Marie Claire Mukangango, that convinced a lot more people that something extraordinary was indeed happening. During his visit to Rwanda in 1990, Pope John Paul II begged his listeners to heed the Virgins pleas and pray fervently for peace among political and ethnic factions: On this feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, which marks the dawn of salvation to the world, I ask the Mother of all of us to watch over her children in Rwanda and particularly you, the leaders of the country, to place your talents at the service of all your compatriots.11, Our Lady had pleaded, but the Rwandans did not listen. Anathalie agreed whole-heartedly to this requesta task she continues to this day. Research was carried out in her family and her native region and there are specific reports and testimonies on this subject. document.getElementById('cloak06979af1fb68ed1cff9c75452df96a61').innerHTML = ''; In this context, Mons. Since 1998 it goes by "Groupe Scolaire Mere du Verbe" (School of the Mother of the Word). Some of her fellow students, teachers and nuns thought she was just trying to get attention or that she had lost her mind. She was baptized when she was 12 years old, on July 27 1977. 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. Many a time, the visionary was confronted with all kinds of questions, some of which were very personal or even offending. Various reasons justify the choice by Our Lady of these three visionaries already approved as visionaries. All Rights Reserved. Increasingly distressed by the unrelenting attacks, Alphonsine begged Our Lady to appear to other girls in order that they would believe her. They resided in Gatsata compound in Kigali, at the road to Byumba. Alphonsine Mumureke was born on March 21st, 1965 in Cyizihira, in the parish of Zaza, Diocese of Kibungo as the daughter of Thadde Gakwaya and Mary Immaculate Mukarasana. Marie Claire Mukangango was born in 1961 as the daughter of Basera and Vronique Nyiratuza in Rusekera, in the present district of Nyamagabe, in Mushubi parish, Diocese of Gikongoro. Their message is in conformity with the Sacred Scripture and the living Tradition of the Church. She witnessed acts of murder and genocide against innocent people. The Belgians issued ethnic identity cards in 1926, causing a deepening of prejudice between the two peoples. The two commissions completed their investigation twenty years after their creation. Our Lady first appeared to Alphonsine Mumureke, a student at Kibeho High School, on Nov. 28, 1981. The next dayMarch 2as the class processed into chapel, Marie-Claire again lost consciousness. Only the three initial testimonies merit being considered authentic; they were given by Alphonsine Mumureke, Nathalie Mukamazimpaka, and by Marie Claire Mukangango. Then, on March 1, 1982, Marie-Claire fainted while walking in the gardens. They even wished that her case might one day provide the basis for new perspectives. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . Ever since, she has been continuing her generous work for the Marian shrine and committing herself to praying with the pilgrims. By that time, news of the apparitions had already spread far and wide. This article "Alphonsine Mumureke" is from Wikipedia. There, a great number of unarmed civilians was slaughtered. Various reasons justify the choice by Our Lady of these three visionaries already approved as visionaries. Thus, they gave priority to the first eight supposed visionaries: Those of the first year of the apparitions at Kibeho, i.e. Perhaps the most significant vision occurred on August 15, 1982, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

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