Father Alphonse OWOUDOU, the Regional Councillor for the Africa-Madagascar Region, expressed the significance of starting this important meeting in Rwanda at the Kibeho Holy Land.
Our Lady of Kibeho Shrine is located in the southern part of Rwanda. Kibeho is best known as a place of apparitions and pilgrimages. The first apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary was on 28 November 1981, when Alphonsine Mumureke and some other students of Kibeho High School, saw a lady of incomparable beauty appear before them. The Blessed Virgin Mary presented herself under the name of “Nyina wa Jambo” – Mother of the Word. Today, the Kibeho Shrine attracts thousands of pilgrims from all over the world.
Father Owoudou stated, “We are here at Kibeho because we are about to start this important meeting. The Provincial of the Africa of the Great Lakes Province, Father Pierre Celestin Ngoboka suggested to the superiors of Africa who are here that it would be a good idea to begin this meeting at Kibeho to entrust our work, our mission to Mother Mary knowing that Kibeho is the only place in Africa where the Church has approved the authenticity of the apparitions. We came here to begin with Mary so that everything we are going to do in the next days may be blessed by her and by her Son”. Father Owoudou went on saying, “Father François Harerimana, the Rector of the Shrine Our Lady of Kibeho, told us that our mother Mary was here, she came to deliver a message, some people took her seriously and some people didn’t listen. And when you don’t listen to your mother, you may pay for it”
The Team Visit or Visite d’ensemble, is a the meeting, lasting about a week, where the Rector Major visits a region or continent to meet with superiors and council members of the provinces of that particular region for reflection on mission, witness, collaboration with the local church, and planning for the future.
The meeting in Rwanda (Kigali, 18 – 24 February 2024) brings together 124 Salesians from 41 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Father Owoudou highlighted the global presence of the Salesians, stating, “In Africa, the Salesians are 2,100 working in 41 countries; in the world we are one of the biggest congregations because only us priests, brothers and young salesians in formation , we are 14,000 and our Salesian sisters are almost the same number and we also have cooperators, volunteers, so we are quite a big family.’
The Salesians of Don Bosco and the Salesian Family as a whole are dedicated to young people and passionate about spreading the message of Jesus Christ among them.
Ange de la Victoire Dusabemungu.
