The cold Monday morning, August 15, would not stop the Roman Catholic congregation heading to Kibeho, a small town in Nyaruguru District famous for apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary that first happened in 1981.

Kibeho is a four-hour drive from Kigali, and its major visitations are on Assumption Day, and November 28, the anniversary of the Virgin Mary’s appearance.

For years, Catholics from all over the world have travelled to this holy land to celebrate the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and to contemplate her outstanding example of fulfilling God’s will in her life.

That is why early birds start reaching Kibeho days before Assumption, while others walk from Kigali to Kibeho, a process that takes them at least three days.

Others start their journey on D-day, but early in the morning so they can make it on time for the 11:00 am mass.

I reached Regina Pacis in Remera where the team I was going with was at 5:30 in the morning, almost everyone was there.

One of the three buses I found there took off in less than 10 minutes. Ours was the last to depart, because they had a ‘leave no one behind’ policy no matter what.

We departed at 6:00am, then passed at St. Michael Cathedral to pick up other people, so we really hit the road 30 minutes later, and passengers were already complaining about being late for the mass.

The group I was traveling with, ‘Indabo za Mariya’ (Mary’s flowers), goes to Kibeho every month.

Before I started to recuperate my night sleep on the long drive, they started praying the rosary, singing, excitedly, all of them- except me.

They prayed until we reached Kibeho, and the excitement grew as soon as we started seeing the cross on the church.

Cars and buses were lined up on both sides of the road, I believe they were hundreds; and people were walking in a rush to take the front rows, which I understand were already taken by 7:00 am.

You see, when I got there, hardly 10 minutes past 11:00, I couldn’t see the front. In fact, I was lucky the lady we came together on the bus, Christine Uwamahoro, had carried all the necessary things, especially her Kitenge that she spread on the dry grass in the compound for us to sit, and the umbrella we would use if the sun or rain were too much.

One of the things I wish I knew before going on this pilgrimage was that a chair, jerry can and umbrella are very important.

Everyone in my sight was either standing or sitting on the ground, and to be honest, if the speaker did not introduce themselves, no one would know who they were.

Uwamahoro, who was on her third pilgrimage, told me that if one doesn’t pay close attention, the mass would start and end without them knowing.

What stood out most was the music and how everyone, thousands of people, would stretch their arms in and out to dance to songs such as: As the deer pants for water, Sinogenda ntashimye, and more.

Sylvia Kayesu, 30, travelled from Uganda and reached Kibeho on Sunday morning. She and the team she came with had prayer sessions preparing for this day.

"I love the experience, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the people around. I can’t wait to come back or at least with someone else,” Kayesu said.

She shares the experience with Mathilde who has only been in the country for a month from France.

"I am Catholic, so this is an opportunity to attend this kind of pilgrimage. It is my first time,” she said.

The holy water and clay

While some were attending the mass, hundreds others lined up around the ‘holy water,’ believed to cure all diseases!

At the spot, several traders were lined up with their merchandise that include neck and arm rosaries in different beautiful colours, the most expensive being Rwf1500.

They also sell jerry cans of 3 and 5 litres at Rwf1,000 and Rwf1,500 for those who didn’t carry their own. But the majority of the people had their own, even the ones on the bus had carried them.

The ‘holy water’ is free of charge. But some people who live in the area fetch it and sell it to whoever doesn’t want to line up.

25-year-old Emerance Dusabimana was carrying her 9 months baby on her back, and a 10-litre jerry can. In less than 10 minutes, not a drop was left.

Though she is not Catholic, she can’t resist the excitement in the area when there is a pilgrimage.

Dusabimana usually depends on tilling other people’s land, but on Assumption Day, she makes enough money selling ‘holy water.’

For example on this day, by 12:00pm, she had already made Rwf3,000 from selling this water.

Apart from the business part, Dusabimana testifies to the power of the blessed water, given how people in the area use it for different things.

"Before I got married, I used to be possessed by demons, until I put this water in a sachet and hung it in my room. I am now doing well,” Dusabimana revealed.

The holy water is found in a valley, so you can imagine how steep it is, given how mountainous Rwanda is.

Some even sell clay from the wetland, believed to also be holy because it is got from where the holy water flows.

Apparently, people smear it on their bodies for healing too. A handful buys Rwf100.

Mary saw us out

While on the bus waiting for others to return to Kigali, some people entered saying that Mary had appeared to them.

First, they said, it was in the drizzles during the Holy Communion. Then they said it was through the sun apparently.

The excitement in their eyes made me regret leaving the site the moment the Bishop said we may go in peace. But I was also sceptical, because the things they were explaining were more like childhood stories some children were making up.

But when the bus was just departing, I saw it too, and I couldn’t believe my eyes.

At that moment the sun could be too much in one minute that you can’t look at it, but it would then change in a second to something that looked like a full moon, but white, and not shining at all.

A lady that was seated just before me told us that it is Mary seeing us out.

We then returned to our lives in Kigali. People went on with prayers, as others shared testimonies of how the Blessed Virgin Mary saved their lives on different occasions.