On November 28, 1981, Mary appeared to a 16-year-old student who attended a secondary school called College of Kibeho. The student was in the cafeteria when she heard a sweet voice calling her name and saw a beautiful lady “neither black nor white” floating above the ground. Alphonsine asked who she was, and she answered that she was “The Mother of The Word.” The student recognized her then as the Virgin Mary.
My purpose today is not to recount the apparitions but rather to tell a little about the Shrine that stands on that site today.
I shared this picture a few weeks ago when I had the blessing to attend Mass in the Apparition Chapel on the feast day of the Queenship of Mary. At the time I thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime event; since then it has become a “three times in a lifetime event” and I might have another chance or two before I leave. What was once the cafeteria of an all-girls school in Kibeho has been converted into a small chapel and a few other spaces.
When Alphonsine shared that she had been visited by the Blessed Mother, the reaction from fellow students and even faculty was quite divided. Some believed her immediately and joined her in regular praying of the rosary. Other students mocked her and even faculty members threatened her to “stop this nonsense” or face dire consequences.
In January the Blessed Mother appeared to another student named Anathalie. This helped strengthen Alphonsine’s case a little, but many were still not convinced. In God’s great humor, Mary then appeared to a student name Marie Claire. Marie Claire was one of the worst detractors who treated the other two very poorly…that is, until Mary appeared to her! It seems that Marie Claire’s visions (starting in March) helped to sway quite a few skeptics.
It didn’t take too long for crowds of people to show up interested in seeing the visionaries and witnessing the apparitions. They set up a platform with a microphone and huge speakers to broadcast the messages the visionaries were receiving. Imagine listening to one end of a phone conversation; during an apparition the visionary might say something like, “You want me to tell them…” and then deliver Our Lady’s messages.
This is the location of the huge platform, which is now a prayer site for visitors. It is one of my favorite places to pray on the Shrine’s grounds.
Mary appeared to Marie Claire and Anathalie for one year. She continued to appear to Alphonsine for exactly eight years, with her last apparition on November 28, 1989. The first stone for this church (Our Lady of Sorrows) was laid on November 28, 1992.
I have yet to attend a Sunday Mass here, mainly because Mass is at 11 (ask my wife…I don’t like going to Mass after 8 on Sunday mornings) but also because the church is packed to overflowing when I have visited the Shrine during Mass time. I much prefer my 7 am Mass at the Cana Center with a dozen sisters and three priests! Typically people are sitting on the front steps because they cannot get into the church.
This is the outdoor altar area that was built for those feast days that attract an unusually large crowd. I have attended two such Masses–February 2 (Feast of the Presentation when religious from all around Rwanda and surrounding countries come to Kibeho for a special Mass) and August 15 (Feast of the Assumption). The other major outdoor Mass occurs each year on November 28 (Feast of Our Lady of Kibeho).
By the way, the school that the three girls attended is still in operation, though its name has changed. Originally the Kibeho High School, it was changed in 1984 to the Kibeho School of Letters. I don’t know when the name changed again, but it is now Mere du Verbe (French for Mother of the Word). I met some students who attend this school.
One final note: Marie Claire did not survive the genocide. I believe Alphonsine is still alive and is a religious sister in Italy. Anathalie still lives at the Shrine. I have seen her a few times at 6:30 am Mass on weekdays, and I saw her passing by one time while praying at the apparition site. One time when we met with her she said that one of her greatest sufferings is living here on Earth while knowing what is waiting for her in heaven (she was shown heaven during one of Mary’s visits). I cannot imagine what life must be like for her. It is also interesting to note that she and my wife are about the same age.
Some readers might be uncomfortable with the strong references to Mary (Our Lady, Blessed Mother, Virgin Mary). Mary actually said to one of the visionaries that she is the mother of all–Muslims, Christians, atheists–whether they accept her or not. For me, who had an absolutely amazing mother on Earth (Joyce Korta), I have no difficulty believing in a mother who is all loving, merciful, and cares for her children with a tender heart. I can understand why it pleases Jesus to have us honor his mother, just as it always made me feel good when people said kind things about Joyce. If you struggle with understanding or believing what the Church teaches about Mary, that is just fine. It sounds like even Mary is okay with it. I just encourage you to listen with an open heart to how she might be calling you as your mother to a deeper relationship with her Son.
God bless us all.