Sanctuary of Our Lady of Kibeho
Nyina wa Jambo — Mother of the Word
Kibeho is a place of conversion, repentance, and the Cross, where Mary is recognized as having appeared under the title Nyina wa Jambo, Mother of the Word. The judgment is the local bishop's, not a Vatican apparition decree.
- Location
- Gikongoro, Rwanda
- Marian title
- Nyina wa Jambo — Mother of the Word
- Our Lady of Sorrows, Kibeho
- Visionary
- Alphonsine Mumureke, Nathalie Mukamazimpaka, and Marie Claire Mukangango
- Public apparitions from November 28 1981; the intense period ended with 1983
- Time needed
- Half a day to a full day
- November 28 and September 15 change the scale
To pray, to repent, to take up the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows.
Come to convert, to pray, to love God and neighbor, and to stand before the suffering of Christ. The Bishop of Gikongoro judged the events of Kibeho on June 29 2001. He named three visionaries. He named the title Nyina wa Jambo, Mother of the Word, which he connected with Mother of God. That is enough to kneel. Later claimants and purported apparitions of Jesus are not part of this recognition.
What happened here.
Three schoolgirls, a local bishop, a title.
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November 28 1981
The beginning
Reported Marian apparitions began at Kibeho college. The Bishop of Gikongoro's 2001 judgment takes this date as the start.
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1982–1983
The public apparitions
The judgment considers only public apparitions, and treats 1982–1983 as the decisive period. Later words and later claimants are not taken as adding anything essential.
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August 15 1988
Public cult
Public devotion in relation to the apparitions was permitted before the final judgment.
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November 28 1992
Our Lady of Sorrows
The first stone of the Marian sanctuary was laid. The bishop named it the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows.
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June 29 2001
The bishop's judgment
Bishop Augustin Misago of Gikongoro issued his definitive judgment: yes, Mary appeared, with more reasons to believe than to deny; only Alphonsine Mumureke, Nathalie Mukamazimpaka, and Marie Claire Mukangango are recognized; the title is Nyina wa Jambo. Purported apparitions of Jesus and later visionaries are not included. The Holy See Press Office published the declaration. That publication is not a Vatican apparition decree.
A visit at Kibeho.
A common pattern. Confirm liturgies with the sanctuary.
- 01 Mass when offered The sanctuary is a place of the Eucharist. Stay if Mass is being celebrated.
- 02 The Rosary of the Seven Sorrows The devotion the sanctuary keeps. Pray it rather than hunting locations.
- 03 Quiet on the apparition ground The plaza is for prayer. It is not a stage set.
- 04 Confession when offered Conversion is the message. Use the sacrament if it is available.
What to notice, without rushing.
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01
The title
Nyina wa Jambo, Mother of the Word. Do not translate it away and never use it again.
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02
The three names
Alphonsine, Nathalie, Marie Claire. Not a longer list.
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03
Our Lady of Sorrows
The sanctuary church bears this name. The apparition title and the sanctuary title are related, not rivals.
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04
November 28
The beginning of the apparitions. The principal pilgrimage gathering.
How long to stay, and what to pray.
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Half a day Pray at the sanctuaryA first visitThis plan saves
- The sanctuary church
- The apparition plaza
- A Rosary of the Seven Sorrows
3 stops -
A full day Mass, confession, the groundsA pilgrim with timeThis plan saves
- Mass when offered
- Confession when offered
- The chapel of the apparitions as the sanctuary marks it
- Quiet walking
4 stops
The lives this shrine remembers.
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Mother of the Word
Nyina wa Jambo
Marian titleThe title under which the 2001 judgment recognizes Mary as having appeared at Kibeho, explained as synonymous with Mother of God.
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Recognized visionary
Alphonsine Mumureke
First visionary, November 28 1981One of the three early visionaries retained by Bishop Misago. Not a saint. Not a later claimant.
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Recognized visionary
Nathalie Mukamazimpaka
Recognized visionaryOne of the three. The judgment does not extend to later names.
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Recognized visionary
Marie Claire Mukangango
Recognized visionaryOne of the three. Local devotion associates her with the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows. She is not a saint of the Church's calendar.
How Kibeho sits in the southern hills
Kibeho is in Nyaruguru District, in the Diocese of Gikongoro, in southern Rwanda, several hours by road from Kigali. The sanctuary, the apparition ground, and the village are one pilgrimage landscape.
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The sanctuary church Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows The name the bishop gave the Marian sanctuary. Our Lady of Kibeho is the common site designation.
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Apparition ground The public plaza Where pilgrims gather. The 2001 judgment considers public apparitions only.
Official shrine · press.vatican.va
How we treat the devotion.
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Kibeho is a Marian sanctuary of the Diocese of Gikongoro. The local bishop judged the apparitions of 1981 onward worthy of belief in three early visionaries, under the title Nyina wa Jambo, Mother of the Word. Private revelation does not add to the deposit of faith.
Photo credits
- Hero. Laeliza23 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Source. CC BY-SA 4.0.