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KIBEHO RWANDA PILGRIMAGE
No place in Rwanda does the
spiritual struggle meet so
intently as in Kibeho, a
place with no water and
electricity, full of the old
& demoralized, though it
fills regularly with
thousands of faithful who
walk a hundred miles to get
there.
Kibeho is a small town in
south Rwanda, which became
known outside of that
country because of reported
apparitions of the Blessed
Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ
occurring between 1981 and
1989.
The Blessed Virgin Mary and
Jesus Christ reportedly
appeared to some teenagers
in Kibeho in 1981, as Our
Lady of Kibeho. These
visions were accompanied by
intense reactions: crying,
tremors, and comas.
On August 19, 1982, those
who saw the visions reported
gruesome sights (rivers of
blood, sliced heads, etc.)
which some today regard as
an ominous foreshadowing of
the Rwandan Genocide of
1994, and particularly in
that specific location in
1995.
Catholic Bishop Augustin
Misago of Gikongoro, Rwanda
approved public devotion
linked to the apparitions on
1988-08-15 and
declared their authenticity
on
2001-06-29
After the 1994 genocide,
Kibeho was the site of an
internally displaced person
(IDP) refugee camp, with
many of the Hutu refugees
suspected of having
participated in the
genocide. The camp was the
largest in Rwanda, spreading
9 square kilometers and
containing between 80,000
and 100,000 people. In mid -
April 1995, elements of the
Tutsi - led Rwandan
Patriotic Army (RPA),
announced they would close
the camp, with the aim of
forcibly separating known
Génocidaires from those who
would be sent home. As the
camp was closed, tensions
mounted and RPA troops
opened fire on some of the
remaining refugees.
Australian and Zambian
troops of the United Nations
Assistance Mission for
Rwanda (UNAMIR) and staff
from Médecins Sans
Frontières (MSF) witnessed
the massacre.
Many of these were killed in
the same school in which the
apparitions had occurred;
one of the children who
reported the vision was even
one of the victims. The
local bishop, accused by
many of complicity in the
genocide himself, recognized
officially on
June 29, 2001 three
cases as authentic. The
church Notre-Dame des
Douleurs (Our Lady of
Sorrows) was built in Kibeho,
supported by Pallottines.
Day One:
Arrival at Kigali airport, meet and greet and transfer to the hotel in
Kigali. No meals included.
Overnight at Hotel Chez Lando
(pavillion room).
Day Two: Drive for about 3 ½ hours to Kibeho for a
guided visit to some of the main sites. We start with a visit to the
Kibeho Church and the shrine to “Our Lady of Kibeo.” We then travel to
Nyarushishi hill to see the magnificent statue of Christ, called, Divine
Mercy Statue. The history of the statue began in February of 2000 in
Chicago in the United States. Four years later, it found its way to the
“country of a Thousand Hills”, Rwanda in the month of August in 2004,
where it has remained ever since.Lunch and dinner are included.
Overnight at Centre de Formation Mariale-CANA (self contained rooms
The Center is primarily a
facility devoted to training people, nuns, priests in the spirit of
Marian doctrines of the Catholic Church.
Day Three:
Attend the apparition in Kibeho for the whole day, later in the evening
drive back to Kigali. Lunch is included. Dinner and overnight at Hotel
Chez Lando (pavillion room). (BLD)
Day Four: We will do a city tour of Kigali, including Gisozi´s
Genocide Memorial, and the crafts village. Transfer to the airport for
your departure flight. (B)
*Note: Early booking is essential as many
people arrive for the apparition.
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