Our Lady of Sorrows: Our Lady’s Shrine in Rawanda

I just read an excellent article, a very disturbing article I should say,  by Mary Jo Anderson on InsideCatholic website about apparitions of the Mother of God to two pious high school-aged girls in Rawanda.  The apparitions are approved by the local ordinary, Frederic Rubwejanga, Bishop of Kibungo. Alphonsine Mumreke and Marie Claire Mukangango were visited by Our Lady a number of times from 1981-1984.  Mary’s messages called for repentance and prayer: “The world has become deaf and cannot hear the truth of the Word,” she said.  She also asked for special devotion to her Seven Sorrows and warned of a horrible slaughter to come if the nation did not turn to God. The chastisement came in 1994 by way of a government launched persecution of the Tutsi people.  The government was run by the Hutu tribe.  I did not know, before reading the article, that seventy per cent of Rawanda is Christian.  One million died, from both sides, including Hutu moderates, in the genocidal carnage.  Eleonore Villarrubia wrote a book review recently about one of the surviving victims of this genocide, Immaculée Ilibagiza.  In Immaculée’s travels around the world, pleading for justice in Rawanda,  she also promotes pilgrimages to the Kibungo shrine.

The full article can be found here.