Words given to the visionaries of Kibeho
Messages of Our Lady
Our Lady appeared to three young students in Kibeho, Rwanda between 1981 and 1989, sharing urgent messages of prayer, repentance, and conversion for the whole world.
About the Apparitions
The apparitions of Kibeho are the first and, so far, only officially approved Marian apparitions on the African continent. They took place in the small village of Kibeho in southwestern Rwanda.
Beginning on November 28, 1981, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three young students at Kibeho College. She identified herself as “Nyina wa Jambo”, which means “Mother of the Word.” She delivered urgent messages filled with a mother’s love.
On June 29, 2001, Bishop Augustin Misago of the Diocese of Gikongoro officially declared the apparitions “worthy of belief”, confirming the supernatural character of the apparitions to Alphonsine, Nathalie, and Marie Claire.
Remarkably, during the visions on August 19, 1982, the visionaries were shown terrifying images of Rwanda engulfed in violence and bloodshed. This prophetic warning was tragically fulfilled during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
The Three Visionaries
Chosen to Deliver Heaven’s Message
The first visionary to receive apparitions. A 16-year-old student at Kibeho College, Alphonsine was in the school dining hall when she first heard a voice calling “My child.” Our Lady identified herself as “Nyina wa Jambo,” which means “Mother of the Word.”
Our Lady repeatedly asked for prayer, especially the Rosary. She said: “When I tell you to pray, I am not addressing myself merely to you, child, but I am addressing myself to the whole world. My children, pray, pray, pray.”
“Repent, repent, repent! The world is in rebellion against God. Too many sins are committed. There is no more love, no more peace. If you do not repent and convert your hearts, you will all fall into an abyss.”
“I have come to calm you because I have heard your prayers. I would like your companions also to have faith. I have not come only for you; I have come for all my children. Every person in the world is my child.”
Nathalie was a 17-year-old student who received apparitions calling for voluntary suffering and prayer as reparation for sin. Our Lady asked her to pray unceasingly and to embrace suffering.
“What I ask of you is prayer. Pray without ceasing, pray, pray. The world is going badly. If you want to know what is happening, listen: the world is in revolt against God.”
Our Lady asked Nathalie to accept voluntary suffering and fasting as acts of reparation. Nathalie spent extended periods in prayer and fasting, becoming a model of penitential devotion.
“No one arrives in Heaven without suffering. Do not be afraid of suffering. I am suffering along with you. I will help you if you desire. Have courage.”
Marie Claire was initially skeptical of the apparitions. When she began to experience them herself, Our Lady specifically asked her to promote the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Our Lady asked Marie Claire to reintroduce the world to the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows, a powerful prayer meditating on Mary’s suffering. She said this rosary has the power to bring great graces and even avert disaster.
“When you pray, do not just say words. Pray with your heart. Pray sincerely, with true devotion. God hears the prayer of the heart, not merely the movement of the lips.”
Marie Claire received strong messages about the need for reconciliation, forgiveness, and unity. These messages proved prophetically significant in the years that followed in Rwanda.
Core Themes
The Heart of Our Lady’s Message
Prayer
Our Lady consistently called for prayer, especially the Holy Rosary and the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows. She emphasized praying with the heart, not just words.
Repentance
A central message was the urgent need for repentance and conversion. Our Lady warned that the world was on the edge of catastrophe due to sin and rebellion against God.
Suffering
Mary spoke of the redemptive value of suffering, encouraging the faithful to unite their sufferings with those of Christ and to offer them for the salvation of souls.
Faith & Love
Our Lady called for deeper faith, love of God and neighbor, and a return to living the Gospel authentically in everyday life.
As Displayed at the Shrine
The Message of Our Lady of Kibeho
- I am the Mother of the Word.
- The child of Mary accepts his own sufferings.
- Repent without delay.
- Endure sufferings in order to help Jesus to save the world.
- Meditate the Rosary of sorrows of Virgin Mary.
- Pray always for the Church.
- Be strong in faith.
- Pray always for the world.
- “Repent so that you may not fall in hell.”
- Meditate the Rosary.
- Nobody will enter into heaven without suffering.
- Come back to God.