May Mary grant peace to Burundi

Pilgrimage with the International Auxiliary to Muramvya parish

Con las peregrinas en manos, esperan a la Auxiliar With Pilgrim MTAs in hands, they welcome the Auxiliary Mit der Pilgermadonna in der Hand erwarten sie die Auxiliar
Llegada de la Auxiliar Arrival of the Auxiliary Ankunft der festlich geschmückten Auxiliar
Alabanza Praise Lobpreis
Fieles de la parroquia de Muramvya Faithful from the parish of Muramvya Gläubige aus der Pfarrei Muramvya Fotos: Marahukiro © 2008

BURUNDI, Dieudonné SIMBANANIYE. In preparation for the crowning of the Blessed Mother in 2009, the pastoral committee in Mount Sion, Gikungu are organizing a series of pilgrimages in parishes throughout the country, using the Auxiliary Pilgrim Mother which has already visited the United States and Europe and is now in Burundi.

It was in this spirit that the Mount Sion Gikungu pilgrims on 2 March went with the Pilgrim Mother to Muramvya parish, in Burundi’s ancient royal capital. Following a blessing by Fr. Déogratias Maruhukiro, the vehicle carrying the Pilgrim Mother and a convoy of other vehicles, decorated with Schoenstatt cloths and carrying more than 200 pilgrims, left Bujumbura.

Climbing over the plains to the rhythm of songs and prayers, over the Congo-Nile crest and then through the home of the ancient kings of Burundi, the Pilgrim Mother together with the pilgrims arrived at Muramvya parish where they were welcomed by the parish priest, Gérase Mugerowimana. The scene was reminiscent of Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth. Many parishioners and members of the Murumvya parish Pilgrim Mother campaign joined in the celebration. The atmosphere was truly joyous, as the sound of rhythmic clapping kept time to the songs and dances and was accompanied by the drums, played only as the people of Burundi can, whistling and cries of joy. Nobody, not even the Portuguese and Spanish-speaking people who were present, could have remained untouched by the atmosphere.

Welcome to the Queen of Peace

The parishioners’ songs carried a clear message: that they wanted to welcome the Pilgrim Mother to Muramvya. Equally striking was the guard of honour, from the presbytery to the entrance of the church, formed by members of the Muramvya Pilgrim Mother campaign. Carrying small Pilgrim Mother images decorated with flowers, they formed a human chain on both sides of the guard of honour. The Auxiliary Pilgrim Mother and the Bujumbura pilgrims passed through this human guard and entered the church for the start of the Eucharistic Celebration.

Mass was celebrated by the Muramvya parish priest and concelebrated by Fr. Fulgence, vicar for the parish, and Fr. Déogratias Maruhukiro from the Mount Sion Gikungu Shrine.  After the Pilgrim Mother image entered the church, the main celebrant welcomed those who were present, and lyrically recalling the scene in Jerusalem, where Jesus entered the city triumphantly, he said that Muramvya should become a Jerusalem. He also expressed his joy at receiving the pilgrims who had come from Bujumbura and elsewhere despite the sacrifices that they made to be present. According to Fr. Gérase, the Pilgrim Mother’s message – "my family becomes your crown" – is a strength for families in the sense that "families are the source of human and Christian education, the source of joy and peace."

When the time came for the Gospel to be read, all those who carried small Pilgrim Mothers stood up. This symbolized Mary who was the first to welcome the Good News, Jesus Christ, when she said, "I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done according to your word."

Burundi is consecrated to Mary

In his homily Fr. Déogratias said, "We were created to give glory to God, and Mary is our role model because she said ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, for He has done great things for me, holy is His name.’" He continued, "Jesus is the light of the world. He is my light, the light of my family, the light of my country" and then addressed each of the sins that St. Paul writes about in his letter to the Galatians. "These things come from Satan and destroy families. In families where these things are accepted, parents and children no longer listen to each other. The consequences are catastrophic: families break down and the entire country is destroyed. This is what has happened in our country." Fr. Déogratias stressed that in order to overcome Satan and his actions, it is imperative that we take up appropriate arms and look for good allies. One of these is the Blessed Mother and said that she will be crowned at Mount Sion Gikungu so that Mary will reign over our country. He recalled that Burundi was consecrated to Mary and it is our duty to remember this consecration and "therefore we want to start with families." The pilgrimage to Muramvya is part of the preparations for the crowning. He called on members of the Pilgrim Mother campaign to invite Mary into their families. He did not forget to add that the sacrifices made by the pilgrims who came from Bujumbura were symbolic manifestations that we want Mary to give peace to our country. He concluded his homily by telling the story of the Auxiliary Pilgrim Mother.

After the homily, the vicar emphasized that this was not a cult where we worship images. Rather the image is a representation of the Blessed Mother. He added that the Pilgrim Mother campaign was not reserved only for Schoestatters but every Christian person was invited to become a part of it because this "apostolate strengthens communities." He also said that if peace and unity were to reign, then it was necessary to take up appropriate arms, such as prayer, a message that he delivered to the country’s president when he came to Muramvya for the celebration of national unity on 5 February.

Peace for our country

The offertory procession was symbolically rich: a candle symbolizing Jesus as our light, the flag of Burundi to show that we want to consecrate our country to Mary, a drum which symbolized the desire for Jesus to reign over our country and a shield represented protection for Burundi.

Before the final blessing, a representative for the pilgrims who had accompanied the Auxiliary from the Mount Sion Gikungu Shrine thanked God for the success of the pilgrimage, as well as the parish priest and parishioners for welcoming the Pilgrim Mother and pilgrims. He then presented the Muramvya parish with a picture of the MTA and invited the people of Muramvya to pray for all the pilgrimages that take place in Burundi and the Great Lakes region and that by then peace will reign in our country and the entire region. Similarly, the president of the parish pastoral council thanked the pilgrims and all those responsible for the initiative to crown the Blessed Mother.

Radio Mariya covered the events and Mount Sion Shrine newsletter reported the reactions of those who were present. Mrs. Frédérique Baranyitondeye said that during the conflict, they had made a pilgrimage on foot to the Mount Sion Gikungu Shrine. Now, the Pilgrim Mother was visiting them in Murumvya and all around the country. "This is therefore God’s plan because he wants to show us how to bring peace to our country," she said.

Those who organized the pilgrimage to Muramvya and those who took part can ask themselves if the mission is complete. Jesus will give them the same answer that he gave to his apostles: happy are those whose names are written in the book of life. As for you, dear parishioners of Muramvya, you can be happy if you contribute to the kingdom of peace.

Translation: Sarah-Leah Pimentel, Johannesburg, South Africa