The miracle of Mount Zion Gikungu

Thirteen candles in gratitude for the 13^th Anniversary of a Shrine that was born during a war - Part 2

Cobijados en el Santuario At home in the Shrine Geborgen im Heiligtum
Los „Niños de María” The “Children of Mary” Die “Kinder der Gottesmutter Maria”
Peregrinos en Mont Sion Gikungu Pilgrims at Mont Sion Gikungu Pilgermesse in Mont Sion Gikungu Fotos: Seitzer/Jeria © 2007

BURUNDI, Father Deogratias Marahukiro. On October 23^rd the Mount Zion Shrine Gikungu in Bujumbura celebrated its 13^th Anniversary. Thirteen candles were lit in gratitude for all that the Blessed Mother has done during these years in which Burundi was marked by civil war, much pain and suffering, and the with hope of reaching peace.

Father Deogratias Marahukiro’s narrative continues. He was the first Schoenstatt Father from Burundi, and who has been in charge of the pastoral of the Shrine for one year.

One day a person who came to pray in the Shrine approached me and said: "Your Virgin of Mount Zion is spectacular," I was surprised to hear this. Certainly, there is neither another Jesus nor another Virgin Mary. It is the same Lord, who from the Shrine, works to my astonishment. At the same time I admired the faith of this person; it was a faith that surpassed mine, that surpassed me, considering that I live close to the Shrine and I have the opportunity to visit the Shrine every day. As Jesus said to his disciples after his conversation with the Centurion: "In Israel, I never found such faith;" I could say the same of Mount Zion, I had never found such faith. I am not ashamed to acknowledge that, I being the rector of the Shrine, my faith has grown more and more thanks to the testimonies of everyone who has received a special grace from the Shrine. And there are many people! Mary truly works from her small Shrine, and She is very effective.

A Shrine visited throughout the day

On October 23^rd the 13^th Anniversary of the Shrine of Mount Zion was celebrated and we wanted to specially express gratitude for the fruitfulness of this Shrine. Today the face of Mount Zion is totally different to the one it had some time ago. A few years ago the Shrine was only visited by one ethnic group. Some said that they could not come to Mount Zion because it was the dominion of the rebels. What I would call the "miracle of Mount Zion" is that people who previously would not dare to come to Mount Zion – and they were even afraid of the place – have been transformed into fanatics of Mount Zion. I remember a person who told me that he could never belong to Mount Zion. Today, this person acknowledges that if a night passed without visiting the shrine, he could not sleep well. There is always a phenomenon that I admire. Every day early in the morning, at six o’clock sharp, before Mass, I see many people in a hurry going to the small Shrine; and after Mass, although it is over, the same phenomenon occurs. Those who could not enter the Shrine observe a person who is inside and they say something. This is repeated throughout the day, the students come after school – they cannot go home without passing by the Shrine. It is rare to find the Virgin Mary alone at Mount Zion.. Anyway, she does not get bored! She works and she is truly effective. This effectiveness has been manifested in the strength of attraction that makes Mount Zion a place of encounter for evangelization of the people, in the healing power and in the power of conversion.

Presently a Muslim lady and a Protestant man are taking the course of preparation to become involved. They, as well as other Muslims, who sealed their Covenant after converting to Christianity, told about their road to conversion: It was the Virgin who touched them. A Muslim mother came with her child thanks to the intercession of the Blessed Mother in the Shrine. If I told about all the testimonies, I would never finish. With all of this, we cannot fail to thank and to sing the Magnificat, we cannot fail to recognize that Blessed Mother is truly effective, She is the Queen, and she deserves to be crowned as such.

My family, your crown

The crowning of the Virgin Mary at Mount Zion, which is in preparation, means that it is our desire to proclaim loudly and clearly that Mary is the Queen that She has truly shown herself as a Queen of peace in our homes. Next year we will have the following motto: My family, your crown, through which we want to invite the people to offer their families as a living crown for the Blessed Mother. We want to invite the people to open the doors of their homes to the Mother of the Redeemer, and Mary, and just as in the house of Isabel and Zacarias, She will bring joy and peace. Mary wants to be the Queen of peace in each family; She wants to be crowned as Queen of peace in each family.

Like Mary we want to go out to encounter the brother who suffers. There could not be a better crown than the joy of these people who previously had been abandoned and degraded and now they can smile because the Blessed Mother welcomed them in her maternal arms. This is how we have started a foundation in honor of the Blessed Mother to offer help to those abandoned people and to participate in the reconstruction of the country. This foundation is Mariya Arafasha or Mary helps. In only a year, the foundation already has two projects: GIRIZINA meaning May you have a name and GIRUMUVYEYI translated May you have a father. The Girumuvyey project takes care of indigent students so that they can continue their studies. The Girizina project takes care of street children who as of now are no longer called street children, but Mary’s children.

A special thank you is extended to everyone who voluntarily collaborated to make Mount Zion what it is today. We express gratitude to the priests who began the work of Mount Zion and to all those who have collaborated, in particular Father Karl Widnmer, who will have the honor of bringing the Third International Auxiliary MTA on November 9^th, to the Sisters, priests, and the laity…

We extend our gratitude to the priests who from the celestial Zion who continue to watch over Mount Zion Gikungu. Our best memories go out to Father Paul Vautier who died on the 31^st of May of this year and whose heart beats for Africa and especially for Burundi. May these expressions of gratitude be transformed into a song of thanksgiving, into a Magnificat, and that together we may say: "The Almighty has done great things for us, holy is His name."

Translation: Celina Garza, Harlingen, TX, USA/amj