There is only one Vatican-approved Marian apparition that took place on the African continent: Our Lady of Kibeho. From 1981 to 1989, there were reports of Marian apparitions in Kibeho, Rwanda.

The first apparition of Mary was on November 28, 1981, now celebrated as the Feast of Our Lady of Kibeho. On that day in 1981, Alphosine Mumureke, a young teenager, saw a lady of incomparable beauty who presented herself as “Nyina Wa Jambo,” which means “Mother of the Word.” Alphonsine immediately recognized her as the Blessed Virgin Mary. She appeared several times in succession between 1981 and 1983 to three main seers.

These are the highlights of Our Lady’s messages during the apparitions:

• The Virgin asked everybody to convert, to keep faith and to pray without hypocrisy.
• The Blessed Mother shared a message of redemptive suffering and unceasing prayer for “a world that is very bad and at risk of falling into an abyss.”
• The Blessed Mother urged that we pray the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary, associated with an urgent call to repentance: “Repent, repent, repent!” the Virgin said to the world through the lips of one of the visionaries/seers.

As a result, there is fervent devotion to Our Lady of Kibeho in all of Africa. Our Rwanda Sister Parish has this statue of her prominently displayed in the sanctuary. They have adopted her feast day as their patronal feast.