Our Lady of Kibeho
One
The Approved Apparition of Mary at Kibeho Rwanda
From November 1981 to 1989 Mary appeared to three teenage girls, Alphonsine Mumureke, Nathalie Mukamazimpaka, and Marie-Claire Mukangango in Kibeho, Rwanda, a country that was 65% Catholic and comprised of the Tootsie and Hutu tribes. On August 15, 1982, Mary wept during the apparition. She was inconsolable because she was carrying the message of salvation, but the world refused to listen.
Then Our Lady gave a vision of a deadly civil war, a river of blood, abandoned corpses, and a gaping abyss. She begged the people to convert, turn away from sin, and turn back to God by means of prayer, especially meditation on the Word of God in the Rosary and the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of Mary, to examine our own lives, take responsibility for our sins, asking God for forgiveness in Confession, then asking forgiveness from others, and finally, forgiving all people, especially enemies from the heart.
This is the only way to peace. But the people paid little attention. They were not prepared to do what Mary was asking. They said, “These visionaries are crazy with their prophecies of doom.” Yet every detail came true.
Civil war erupted in 1990 and in one three-month period in 1994, one million Tootsies were murdered by their Hutu neighbors.
Two
A Message for the Whole World
Our Lady revealed that her warning was not just for Kibeho, but for the entire world saying, "When I show myself to someone and talk to them, I want to turn to the whole world. If am turning to the parish of Kibeho, it does not mean that I am concerned only for Kibeho or…the whole of Africa. I am concerned with and turning to the whole world. The world is evil and rushes towards its ruin. It is about to fall into an abyss. The world is in rebellion against GOD. Many sins are being committed. There is no love and no peace. If you do not repent and convert your hearts, you will all fall into an abyss."
In 1982 Alphonsine, one of the visionaries of Kibeho, replied to Mary during an apparition, “Yes Mother, I will repeat it exactly as you ask me to. To the people on Earth, you say three times: You opened the door and they refused to come in. You opened the door and they refused to come in. You opened the door and they refused to come in…Yes Mother, I’m telling them you say that you saw the world in a bad state and you came to save us, but we refused to listen…”
Alphonsine continued, “Yes, I will continue to tell them. You want me to ask them three times: What are you waiting for? What are you waiting for? What are you waiting for?”
Three
Medjugorje
The worldwide warning at Kibeho continues with Our Lady’s appearances in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Hercegovina, beginning June 24th, 1981, and continuing to this very day. On September 19, 2024, the Vatican (through the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith) gave the first series of messages at Medjugorje the Nihil Obstat, which means nothing stands in the way of our accepting the message and promoting it.
Like Kibeho the essential message of Medjugorje is conversion. Our Lady said, “Be Converted!” “It will be too late when the sign comes. Beforehand, several warnings will be given to the world. Have people hurry to be converted. I need your prayers and your penance…The only thing that I would want to tell you is be converted. Make that known to all my children as quickly as possible. No pain, no suffering is too great to me to save you…You cannot imagine what is going to happen nor what the Eternal Father will allow to come to earth. That is why you must be converted.”
Four
The Secrets
At Medjugorje, Our Lady is to give each of the visionaries ten secrets to be revealed to the world. The first two secrets are warnings that invite conversion before it is too late. The third secret is a sign of hope, a supernatural, permanent, and indestructible sign on Apparition Hill where she first appeared.
Each of the ten secrets will be revealed to the world in this way: ten days before the date of the event foretold in the secret, Mirjana is to tell the priest that has already been chosen what will happen, and when. Mirjana and the priest are to pray and fast for seven days. Then, three days before the event, the priest will reveal the secret to the world.
December 15th, 1983, Our Lady said, “I have always said that chastisement will come if the world does not convert. Therefore, I call everyone to conversion. Everything depends on your conversion.”
Fr. Laurentin, whom I studied under, related that, at Kibeho and again at Medjugorje, Our Lady told us to pray and do penance for the sins of the world or they will bring disasters upon us.
Five
What are Jesus and Mary asking of us? Be Converted!
Conversion: Turn away from our sins and sinful habits and turn back to God in the Sacrament of Confession. Our Lady repeatedly asks us to go to Confession at least once a month.
Prayer: Our Lady asks for prayer from the heart, to meditate on the Word of God in the Rosary which should always conclude with a practical resolution to practice some concrete thing you have meditated upon. What good is it if we don’t live what Jesus tells us?
Help others: It is not enough for you to just think about yourself, we must do something to help our family and friends to conversion.
Friendship is the bridge that helps people cross over to God. Take seriously who God has placed in your life. Make a real and concerted effort to invite and give hospitality to them. Share life together, do good things together, especially a meal, and express your genuine interest and unconditional love to them, and talk. Then be patient and repeat.
On that foundation, you will eventually have opportunities to invite them to take their next right step closer to God. Maybe an invitation to pray, or to go to Confession and then Mass. But if you don’t get in the game and do this, who will? God gave them to you, it’s your responsibility. So, what are you going to do?
Suggested Resolutions:
Choose one resolution for today to help you grow closer to God, or create your own. Here are some ideas to inspire you.
Make confession into a regular habit. If you aren’t going monthly, make that your goal.
Pray consistently for the deeper conversion of yourself and others.