Why We Need Our Lady of Kibeho’s Intercession in 2020

On Saturday, November 28^th, the Church will celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of Kibeho. For those who don’t know who Our Lady of Kibeho is, I knew very little about this astonishing apparition myself up until a few weeks ago.

In “Our Lady of Kibeho: Mary Speaks to the World from the Heart of Africa” Immaculee Ilibagiza, with Steve Erwin, (2008) share how the Mother of God tried to prevent one of the world’s worst genocides by appearing to several children in Rwanda. She urged the people to pray the rosary daily, to have a personal relationship with her, and to pray for a true conversion of heart. In one of her most notable apparitions in Kibeho, she showed the children visions of a “river of blood” (Ilibagiza and Erwin, 2008, pg. 148) and “people killing each other” (Ilibagiza and Ewin, 2008, pg.149). She said these frightful sights would be prevented if the people of their country repented and committed themselves to prayer and conversion of heart. But, 12 years later the horrific visions became reality when Rwanda didn’t heed the Blessed Mother’s warnings.

As I poured over these pages, I couldn’t help but feel that with everything we’ve faced, and continue to face in 2020, the messages of Kibeho are a warning to us too.

Here’s why we should be praying to Our Lady of Kibeho and asking for her intercession in 2020:

A Hatred in Our Hearts

The United States is more polarized than ever. Mainstream media and social media continue to stoke the fire and thrive off of pitting us against one another. While I pray to God that we will not have rivers of blood in our country someday, I do believe these apparitions were not just a warning to Kibeho but to the entire world; a warning of where hatred of the heart can lead us. People will say, “That could never happen here!”, but how many individuals throughout history, unknowingly on the brink of catastrophe, probably uttered the same words? Through the years I have witnessed people not only grow increasingly spiteful online, but in-person as well. This absolutely needs to stop, and it can only be accomplished through God’s grace. In the words of Our Lady of Kibeho, “If you don’t take refuge in God, where will you go to hide when the fire has spread everywhere?” (Ilibagiza and Erwin, 2008, pg. 151).

Racial Inequality

Earlier this year we witnessed with our own eyes the horrific murder of George Floyd, and in the aftermath riots, protests, and calls for rooting out racism erupted across the country; the effects of which we are still feeling to this day. As our country continues to heal and amend areas of our church, work and government where racial inequality pervades, we can find comfort in Our Lady who proved to be a mother to all people when she appeared to the seers in Kibeho. When asked what the Blessed Mother looked like, visionary Marie-Claire stated “her skin was neither white nor black” (Ilibagiza and Erwin, 2008, p. 62) and by choosing to appear in the small African country “She wanted to show the world that God sees and hears all of His children—rich or poor, white or black, man or woman.” (Ilibagiza and Erwin, 2008, p. 85) Reading these words filled my heart with warmth. How good our God is, and how good Our Mother is to ensure us that they see all their children equally. I believe Our Lady of Kibeho wants us to ask for her intercession so she can help bring racial equality to our nation.

To Receive the Promises of the Seven Sorrows Rosary

The Blessed Mother reintroduced the world to the Seven Sorrows Rosary through the seer Marie-Claire and asked her to spend the rest of her life promoting it. This particular rosary was prayed by the Servite Order beginning in 1233 but was forgotten about over time. Our Lady promised that those who prayed it would receive “the Lord’s forgiveness of our sins and free our souls from guilt and remorse” (Ilibagiza and Erwin, 2008, p. 187). This powerful prayer will reveal why you commit certain sins, and you will receive the graces necessary to overcome them (Ilibagiza and Erwin, 2008). 2020 has been plagued with fear, hate, and illness and the Seven Sorrows Rosary is the remedy. There is no better time than right now to begin praying it. We must unite our sufferings to the sufferings of Jesus and Mary. They do hear our cries in the painful experiences we are in the midst of and they want to bring us to peace.

Together let’s pray for the graces necessary to overcome the sins that are leading our relationships and communities into turmoil and that the fears surrounding the pandemic will be eradicated from our hearts.

Our Lady of Kibeho, pray for us!

Ilibagiza, I, Erwin, S. (2008, November). Our lady of kibeho: mary speaks to the world from the heart of africa. New York, NY: Hay House, Inc.