Southern Nebraska Register
St. Peter Parish in Lincoln will host a two-day retreat led by Immaculée Ilibagiza Oct. 18-19.
Immaculée wrote her first book in 2007: “Left to Tell, Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust,” It detailed her survival of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and the role of her faith in the ordeal.
The genocide – which eventually claimed the lives of nearly one million Rwandans – began while Immaculée was on break from her university studies. The Rwandan president’s plane was shot down April 6, 1994, sparking months of massacres of Tutsi tribe members throughout the country. Immaculée survived in hiding, by living in a 3x4 bathroom with seven other women.
After 91 days, Immaculée was liberated from the hiding place, only to realize her family members were brutally murdered, with the exception of one brother who was studying abroad at the time.
Immaculée led her first pilgrimage in 2009. She took pilgrims to her home in Rwanda, and significant sites: the Shrine of Our Lady of Kibeho, where apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary began in 1981; the college she left just days before the massacres started; the bathroom in the pastor’s house where she and the other women sought refuge during the genocide; her family home and the graves of her family, and much more.
She said the pilgrims, “captivated by the stories of Our Lady and the wisdom that emanated from the apparitions in my country, especially the warnings that were given and sadly went unheeded,” encouraged her to start retreats so that people who cannot join pilgrimages to Rwanda can learn about “the beautiful yet imperative stories that deserve to be heard.”
Katie Shreve of St. Peter Parish in Lincoln attended one of Immaculée’s retreats in Columbus several years ago.
“Her narrative had a transformative effect,” she said, “inspiring hope and resilience in those who attended.”
She worked with Immaculée’s team and St. Peter pastor Father Eric Clark to bring the retreat to St. Peter Parish.
“Our prayer for the retreat is that people will draw closer to Our Lord and His Mother through prayer and forgiveness,” Shreve said. “We believe Immaculée’s testimony on her own journey with forgiveness and her love for Our Lady will change hearts.”
The retreat will begin Friday, Oct. 18, with registration from 4 to 5:30 p.m. The bookstore will be open during that time, and Immaculée will be available for book signing and conversation. Mass will be celebrated at 5:30 p.m., with the retreat to follow until 9:30 p.m. On Saturday, Oct. 19, the retreat will begin after the 8:15 a.m. Mass and end at 12:30 p.m.
The cost is $57 and sign-ups are available at saintpeterlincoln.com or www.immaculee.com.
