Rwanda The Visions of Life and Death

  Rwanda is a small country in the heart of Africa, a country of thousands of hills called also an African Switzerland. Its population counts 5.5 million souls of which 49.7 per cent are Catholics. A city of Kibeho is located in the south of this beautiful country.

   Between 1981 and 1989 Kibeho was a place of Our Lady's apparitions to six school age girls. She taught them songs, prayers, they had visions and her apparitions were characterized by remarkable events.
   A French priest Gabriel Maidron is an author of a book describing the events in Kibeho. Bishops from Zaire and Rwanda encouraged him to write the book. He knew the visionaries as he had been present during their visions. He also interviewed the members of doctor's and theological commissions investigating the apparitions.

Alphonsine Mumureke

   was born in 1965. She comes from a poor Catholic family. According to her diary her first apparition happened in November 28th, 1981:
"I helped in a school cafeteria. Suddenly I heard a voice behind me: 'My daughter!' I responded: 'I am here... Who are you, Madame?' 'I am a Mother of the Word.'
Madonna was indescribably beautiful. She was barefoot, wearing white robe without seams and a white veil on her head.
During this ecstasy - as my classmates later told me - I had been speaking different languages: French, English, my native tongue kinyarwanda and others - unknown to them.
Her teachers and classmates that evening and several days following the first apparition considered Alphonsine to be sick. They did not believe she saw the Queen of Heaven. In December her apparitions continued almost every Saturday. Her classmates wanted to satisfy their curiosity and find out if the apparitions are true. During an ecstasy they tried to burn her skin on her hand, but she did not move. Our Lady told her then: 'Do you know they burn you?' - and Alphonsine suddenly pulled her hand, but not the one being afflicted. Messages to her classmates and other events finaly convinced all that Alphonsine is not mad and she really has apparitions. The news of these apparitions spread very quickly all over Rwanda and attracted lots of people to Kibeho. As of January 16th, 1982 the apparitions were held at the schoolyard. None of the girl students saw Our Lady, but they heard Her messages full of motherly love.

Anathalie Mukamazimpaka
   was born in 1965 in a Catholic family. Our Lady appeared to her for the first time in January 12, 1982. The messages to this girl recommend humbleness, surrendering oneself to God, loving selfsacrifice and the prayer of the heart. They especially underline the Christian understanding of suffering.

Marie-Claire Mukangang

   was born in 1961. She had belonged among those who openly and steadfastly proclaimed they did not believe in the apparitions. Alphonsine was a fool to her. She had problems with discipline and had to repeat one year at school. Marie-Claire's first apparition came on March 2nd, 1982. Her apparitions lasted for six months. Our Lady chose her to spread Her message: 'Meditate on the suffering of Our Lord Jesus and on a deep pain of His Mother. Pray the Rosary, especially the Painful one to receive the grace to repent.'
Marie-Claire later taught in the school and had had good results in teaching.

Stephanie Mukamurenzi
   was born in 1968 and the first apparitions had in the age of 14.


Agnes Kamagaju
   was born in 1960. Her apparitions lasted from August 1 until September 21 1982. She saw Our Lord Jesus and His Virgin Mother Mary.
There were many public apparitions the dates of which were announced by Our Lady ahead of time. Lots of people came from all over the country. Higher platform was built in the schoolyard and the Rwanda Information Office offered a radio equipment with speakers. The apparitions lasted for two to three hours. The visions were often common for all of the girls, sometimes separate but at the same time. The visionaries sometimes sang songs, at other times fell to the ground in ecstasy. The end of apparition was usualy comalike. This state lasted for about five minutes, exceptionaly for an hour.

Emanuel Segatashya

   was born in 1967 in a village called Rwamiko. His parents were pagans. He never attended school. Fis family was illiterate and had lived at a distant place, where there was no communication means e. g. radio. Segatashya did not know either how to make a sign of the Cross nor what the crosses around the mission station mean. As a 15 year old boy he started to have apparitions of Jesus. Soon after curiuos people started to come to see what is happening. The number of people interested rose since the words of a pagan shepherd attracted attention. Where does the knowledge on sacrament of repentance, sin, love come from?
   Jesus Himself taught him how to make the sign of the Cross, how to pray Our Father, Hail Mary and the Rosary. Segatashya was baptized in 1983 and decided for the name Emanuel, as Jesus requested.

Vestine Salima
   was born in 1960 in a Muslim family. Her mother was baptized in a Catholic church though, but later had to convert to her husband's religion - islam. The parents agreed that Vestine should study at a Cathlic school. She was baptized there.
Her apparitions started in July 1980 at home. Only her sister Teofista and her parents knew about it at first. Her first public apparition was in September 15, 1982 at school, the last one December 24, 1983 at home. She recorded the contents of her apparitions in a diary. She says she had apparitions of Jesus at first, leter with Our Lady. Her messages were spread in many parishes of Rwanda with the consent of bishop Gahamany.
January 29, 1982 Vestine had prayed the Rosary with the arms outstretched in the sign of the Cross. H her arms never moved for about half an hour.

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   In March 20th, 1982 Alphonsine announced to a one of the Sisters, to the Directress of the school and one of her classmates: "I'll be deadlike, but do not burry me!"
   Our Lady had announced to her ahead of time she will take her to journey with Her. According to eyewitnesses who watched her body, her journey lasted for full six hours. During that time Alphonsine was in a state of comma and rigidness. Those who were allowed to enter the room she was in (among them priests and medical personnel) made several different test. They put needles under the fingernails, watched her breathing and tried to lift her. It seemed to them she was like a piece of a heavy stone weighing at least one hundred kilos.
   Anathalie had three similar experiences, three mystical journeys: Sept. 4, 1982 and from April 1 untill April 2, 1983. The first two journeys lasted 4 to 7 hours and were closely watched by the members of the Church Investigation Committee - Father Augustin Misago and Father Frederic Bubwejanga. Another two priests were assisting them.
   Vestine Salima had a similar experience. Her journey lasted from the April 1 (Good Friday) until April 3, 1983. It was fourty hours altogether without having moved. She announced ahead of time her spirit will not be present. The member of the Investigating Committee made several test and arranged for proper control.
   Anathalie had fasted for 14 days - from February 16 until March 2, 1983 and had lived only off the Holy Eucharist.
She had not eaten absolutely anything the first eight days, not even a drop of water. During the rest of her fast she drank only a bit of water. The medical and theological commission scrutinized every minute detail. Eight medical sisters were rotating day and night during this time. Doctors conducted several examinations daily as to control her state of health. Not even on the third day was there any sign of dehydratation, her mouth was wet. She was not experiencing any trembling as very hungry people usualy do. On the eleventh day of the fast Our Lady had appeared to her under the hot sun for 105 minutes.
   Emanuel Segatashya had fasted for 18 days, from March 7 to March 24, 1983. For seven days he kept a very strict fast without food and water. During the rest of the fast he took only a little water. He started his fast in the parish of Kibeho, where he was under medical observation. Later he was taken to the diocesean office in Butare. There was even stricter control of his state since the chief doctor from the observation team had a whole group of medical sisters observe him nonstop.
   Both visionaries claim this fasts were requested by Our Lady. They imitated Our Lord's fast in the desert.
   Lord Jesus had appeared to the visionaries mostly in white or red robe.
   Virgin Mary had announced to Alphonsine a secret that is to be revealed when the proper time comes.
    At the end of 1983 all the visions in Kibeho ceased, except for Alphonsine's.
During the ad limina visit of Uganda's bishops at the Vatican they asked the Holy Father how to take and handle the visionaries and their messages. John Paul II. said:
"The Holy Bible is full of prophets and that will go on until the end of the world. Do not restrict them. Allow them to be active unless they sin thru simony (having financial profit out of holy matters) and moral evil."
   After the eight hour vision May 15, 1982 the visionaries saw people, who were killing eachother, rivers of blood, dead bodies without being burried, lots of trees in flames. Agnes saw these horific and painful events in 1983 during the apparitions of our Lord in front of a huge crowd.
Another visionary, this time Ivanka in Medjugorje during hervision in June 25, 1993 saw horrible events that were to happen in Africa. Our Lady had told her they will start soon but could be stopped with a prayer. In February 1994 She had prepared Agnes in a private apparition for the painful events. In that vision she saw her parents as being killed in Kibeho.
   In 1994 Rwanda had experienced the most tragic events in her history. A merciless war for power had broken out between the most numerous ethnic groups: the Hutu and the Tutsi. Innocent people, children were massacred because they belonged to the hated tribe. Others in thousands ran away to be spared fire and a bloodbath to neighboring countries to save their lives.
   The biggest refugee camp was in Kibeho. On April 14, 1994 all the Tutsi people hiding in a parish church there (around 4000 people) were killed by grenades exploding in the church building which burned down afterwards.
   Marie-Claire was killed in the town of Byumba in the summer of 1994 together with her husband. This is a proof to the fact that even if Our Lord selects somebody to be especially blessed it does not automaticaly means his/her "magical protection. Emanuel died while running away from Kigali. Anathalie, Agnes and Alphonsine survived all the horrors of the war.
   When Our Lady showed the girls the horific scenes of the future events on May 15, 1982, she said: "Those who seek me, will find me...! I come not only for Kibeho, not just for the diocese of Butare, not only for Rwanda but for the whole world."
   At that day, during the eight hour long apparition about 15 thousand people came. All of them saw a moving sign: They saw stars at noon on the the bright sunlit African sky as if it was night.