Nyina wa Jambo – Mother of the Word
Nyina wa Jambo – Mother of the Word
Kibeho, Rwanda – April 2, 1982 – A Prophetic Vision of Tears and Hope
On the verdant hills of southern Rwanda, in a remote village named Kibeho, heaven touched the earth in a quiet yet profound way. What began as a local curiosity in 1981 soon became a site of deep spiritual significance, as the Blessed Virgin Mary chose to speak to her children through humble Rwandan schoolgirls. But it was on April 2, 1982, that one of the most chilling and prophetic visions unfolded—one that would tragically be fulfilled twelve years later in the Rwandan Genocide.
“Nyina wa Jambo” – The Mother of the Word Speaks
In Kinyarwanda, Mary introduced herself with a title full of divine intimacy and purpose: “Nyina wa Jambo”—Mother of the Word. This name links directly to the Gospel of John, where Christ is revealed as the Word made flesh. In this simple but profound self-revelation, Mary affirmed not only her closeness to Jesus but also her motherly role in bringing His light to a darkened world.
To Alphonsine Mumureke, one of the visionaries and a student at the Kibeho College, Mary appeared with a grave countenance. While earlier apparitions were filled with joy and heavenly beauty, this day was different—marked by sorrow, urgency, and anguish. Alphonsine saw horrifying images: rivers of blood, people slaughtering one another, corpses abandoned without burial, and a world drowning in hatred.
Those who witnessed her trance were disturbed. Alphonsine screamed, cried, and collapsed as she relayed what Our Lady was showing her. It was a vision not just for Rwanda, but for the world—a mother’s warning before the storm.
A Warning Ignored
Our Lady pleaded:
“Repent. Pray. Love one another.”
She called for the conversion of hearts, for unity and reconciliation, especially in families and communities. She urged the faithful to take up the Rosary with sincerity, to fast, and to return to God with humble hearts.
Yet many dismissed the urgency of the message. In a land already simmering with ethnic tensions and political unrest, the call to peace was often overshadowed by fear, prejudice, and spiritual apathy.
In 1994, the prophecy tragically came to life. Over the course of 100 days, more than 800,000 people—primarily Tutsi, along with moderate Hutu—were massacred in one of the most horrific genocides of the 20th century. Some were killed even within the walls of churches, places once considered safe and sacred.
It is a heart-wrenching truth that the very site of Kibeho became one of the massacre grounds. The soil that had been blessed by Our Lady’s presence was stained with the blood of her children. Her tears—seen flowing in the vision—were not symbolic; they were the sorrow of a Mother watching her children destroy each other.
April Reflection – A Call Still Echoing
Each April, Rwanda—and the world—remembers. But Mary’s call was not limited to 1982, nor is it merely historical. Her voice still echoes in the hearts of those willing to listen:
“Repent. Pray. Love one another.”
Let this April be a season of reconciliation. Whether in our families, friendships, communities, or nations—wherever there is division, Mary asks us to sow peace. Her message transcends time and culture. It’s a call to return to God, to rediscover the dignity of every human life, and to never underestimate the power of prayer, forgiveness, and compassion.
As we look around our world today—still torn by war, prejudice, and polarization—Kibeho remains painfully relevant. But it is also a place of hope. For out of sorrow, Our Lady always points to resurrection. Her presence in Kibeho is not just a warning but a tender invitation to transformation.
A Pilgrimage of the Heart
Visiting Kibeho today is both sobering and sacred. Pilgrims walk prayerfully along the Way of the Cross, remembering the Passion of Christ and the passion of Rwanda. They gather at the shrine, now recognized by the Church, where the Eucharist is celebrated and the Rosary continues to be prayed—sometimes with tears, sometimes with joy, always with faith.
But we do not need to travel to Rwanda to heed Mary’s message. Each of us is invited to become a pilgrim of peace, right where we are.
Let us ask ourselves:
- Are there wounds in my relationships that need healing?
- Have I neglected prayer, especially the Rosary, which Mary so lovingly recommends?
- How can I be an instrument of peace in a divided world?
A Mother’s Prayer for Her Children
A heartfelt prayer inspired by Kibeho:
“Mother of the Word, Nyina wa Jambo, we hear your cry. You warned us with love, with tears, with truth. Teach us to listen. Teach us to pray. Turn our hearts toward your Son. Help us to forgive, to love, to build peace in our homes and nations. Hold Rwanda close to your heart. Hold all your suffering children close. And never let us forget that your tears are not in vain. Amen.”
May the memory of April 2, 1982, stir in us a holy urgency—not of fear, but of compassion. May we be awakened, not only to the tragedy of the past, but to the possibility of grace in the present.
Our Lady of Kibeho, pray for us. 🕊️✨
🌿 Meditation – The Spiritual Path of Our Lady of Kibeho
Here is a gentle and profound meditation on the spiritual path laid out by Our Lady of Kibeho—a path of repentance, prayer, love, and suffering united with Christ. Let it guide you into stillness and communion with Mary’s heart and message.
“Repent. Pray. Love one another.”
– Our Lady of Kibeho
🌅 1. Entering the Silence
Begin by stilling your heart.
Take a deep breath. Let the noise of the world fall away.
Imagine yourself walking the hills of Kibeho at dawn. Mist clings to the grass. Birds sing gently.
You arrive at a simple clearing where silence speaks louder than words.
There, a presence—so gentle, yet so powerful—envelops you.
It is Mary, Nyina wa Jambo, the Mother of the Word.
She does not speak immediately. She waits, like a mother waiting for her child to settle down and truly listen.
🙏 2. Repentance: The First Step
“My children, I speak to you because I love you. I do not come to accuse, but to awaken.”
Mary invites you to look within—not with fear, but with honesty.
What areas of your heart are hardened?
What relationships are broken?
What sins have grown quiet roots?
She gently whispers: “Do not be afraid to return to my Son. His mercy is greater than your shame.”
Let her words wash over you. In this moment, offer to Jesus what needs healing.
Ask Him to make your heart new.
📿 3. Prayer: The Heartbeat of Heaven
“Pray without ceasing. Prayer will bring you peace.”
In Kibeho, Our Lady asked for the Rosary to be prayed daily, and also introduced a special Rosary of the Seven Sorrows, inviting us to meditate on her pain—and the pain of humanity.
Let her teach you to pray not only with words, but with your life.
Even your suffering, your waiting, your work, your weeping—these can become prayer when offered in union with her Son.
Let her hand gently guide yours.
As you pray, feel the weight of sorrow—but also the mystery of grace unfolding.
❤️ 4. Love: The Bridge Between Souls
“Do not harbor hatred. Forgive. Love your enemies.”
Mary’s message is radical. In a place where ethnic tensions simmered beneath the surface, she spoke of reconciliation.
Not only justice—but forgiveness. Not only tolerance—but love.
Is there someone you need to forgive?
Are there parts of yourself you have refused to love?
Mary’s path leads not to ease, but to peace.
She asks us to choose love—even when it hurts.
Let her words soften the rigid places in you.
Pray for the grace to love more fully, more freely, more like Christ.
✝️ 5. Embracing Suffering: With Her, Beneath the Cross
“There is no resurrection without suffering.”
The visionaries of Kibeho experienced deep mystical suffering—physical, emotional, spiritual. They became witnesses to the pain of the world and to the compassion of Heaven.
Mary does not promise a life free of suffering. But she promises her presencein the midst of it.
She shows us how to carry the cross not alone, but with her, with Jesus.
What suffering do you carry today?
Offer it. Unburden it into her hands.
Say: “Mother, do not let my pain be wasted. Unite it with the Cross of your Son.”
🌸 6. Hope: The Final Word
Even in the darkest vision—rivers of blood, children turning on one another—Mary did not abandon hope.
Her tears were real, but so was her confidence in grace.
The path she offers is not easy.
But it is the path to true peace, within and around us.
Our Lady of Kibeho stands as a light—calling us back to prayer, back to love, back to Jesus.
🕯️ Closing Prayer
“Mother of the Word, guide my feet on your path.
Teach me repentance that heals, prayer that transforms, love that unites, and suffering that redeems.
Help me to walk with you beneath the Cross—and to rise with Christ into the light of new life.
May Rwanda be healed. May the world be renewed.
And may your message echo in every corner of my soul.
Amen.”
Our Lady of Kibeho, pray for us.
🕊️✨
