The Archdiocese of Philadelphia Office for Communications shares the information below of behalf of the Central Association of the Miraculous Medal/The Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
Philadelphia (August 7, 2025) — The Central Association of the Miraculous Medal (CAMM) will dedicate the Our Lady of Kibeho Shrine on Sunday, August 17, 2025, at The Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. This newest Marian shrine will be located in St. Vincent’s Rosary Walk, an outdoor sacred space at the Basilica Shrine.
Most Reverend Efren V. Esmilla, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, will preside over an 11 a.m. Mass. Following Mass, the congregation will go to the Rosary Walk for the completion of the dedication. Mass will feature the African Catholic Choir and praise dancers.
The shrine commemorates the Catholic Church-approved Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Kibeho to three young women in Rwanda, which occurred between 1981 and 1989. The Catholic Church officially approved the apparitions in November 2001.
The Our Lady of Kibeho Shrine is a collaboration between CAMM and the Martin de Porres Foundation. The shrine is funded by a generous grant from donor Willa Stokes, a Black Catholic who lived close to the Basilica Shrine. The Foundation wanted to use the funds in a way that would celebrate and honor the importance of Black Catholic Spirituality in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the universality of the Catholic Church in a permanent and visible way.
The shrine will be a welcome addition to the Basilica Shrine, which celebrates people, cultures, and traditions that are the tapestry of our Catholic faith. Welcoming people of all cultures and ethnicities is central to the Basilica Shrine’s mission.
CAMM Spiritual Director and Basilica Shrine Rector Fr. John Kettelberger, CM, said, “The Our Lady of Kibeho Shrine will be an additional light shining to welcome pilgrims to the Basilica Shrine. The Our Lady of Kibeho Shrine will give people a place to see Our Blessed Mother as they see themselves. Furthermore, Our Lady feels the pain of all who come to her, and she invites us into her loving arms, so that we do not suffer alone.”
Later this year, Immaculée Ilibagiza, a Rwandan American Catholic author who chronicled the apparitions in her book Our Lady of Kibeho: Mary Speaks to the World from the Heart of Africa, will continue the celebration of the new shrine. On Saturday, October 25, Ilibagiza will hold a day-long retreat at the Basilica Shrine including two sessions and a book signing.
About the Basilica Shrine: The Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, a ministry of CAMM, is a sanctuary of prayer and an inspiration of Marian devotion for Roman Catholics throughout the world. Established in 1927 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Shrine was elevated to Minor Basilica by the Vatican in 2022. The Basilica Shrine is open daily for Holy Mass, solemn prayer and meditation, and pilgrimage. Visit www.miraculousmedal.org and follow us on social media to learn more and plan your visit.
Contact: Colleen Fitzwater
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