During our study session on Economic Democracy held in Rougemont, Canada this past September, priests from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) introduced us to Our Lady's recent Apparitions in that nation. The country, DRC, is also known as DR Congo, Congo Kinshasa, East Congo, Congo, and Zaire. Our Lady has appeared since May 3, 1988, under a new title, "Mary, Mother of Disarmament". These Apparitions have been officially recognized by current Archbishop Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kinshasa, the DRC's largest city and its capital.
The information that follows is based on and translated from meredudesarmement.over-blog.com:
On May 3, 1988 the Virgin Mary appeared to Raphael Minga Kwete in Kinshasa, using the name of 'Mary, Mother of Disarmament'. The disarmament referred to by Our Lady is directed first and foremost at man's inner self, at purifying our hearts and minds. Men in general, and Congolese men in particular, engage in sorcery, magic, drug use, violence, lust, and the desire to wage wars. The power given Mary by Our Lord allows her to crush Satan's head and defeat him.
At this time in history, the devil wants to see the start of a nuclear war. Its starting point would be the coming troubles in the Congo, a country that was consecrated to Satan on May 5, 1975 on the stroke of midnight. Thus, during the third millennium, we will see unrest in Africa and in the world.
Aware of this, the Virgin Mary was granted the grace to act by her Son, Our Lord. She asked that the people of the DRC and the Catholic Church acknowledge her as the 'Mother of Disarmament', that Masses of atonement be celebrated by the Cardinal, and that people would become consecrated to her Son. If this was done, the troubles that are predicted, such as a 20-year long civil war, the breakdown of the country, strife in Africa, and above all a nuclear third world war, would be avoided or shortened. The Congo would be freed from the devil's clutches and would prosper, since it would be governed by God fearing men and women. A new evangelization would spread from the Congo to the rest of Africa and to the world. The third millennium could be one of peace where the words of Christ are disseminated and accepted.
Raphael Minga Kwete was born in the city of Ilebo, DRC on April 11, 1967. His father, a Protestant, worked as a lab technician at Kinshasa University. His mother was Catholic. Both of his parents have now passed away, his father in 1997 and his mother in 2006. Raphael currently studies Theology at Kinshasa's Catholic University. He holds a degree in Philosophy and also studied Law from 1989 to 1991.
During his childhood, he became blind by the age of nine. This is when Jesus appeared to him for the first time:
"Jesus was on the cross, bleeding. He led me out of the kingdom of death. I felt like I was at the bottom of the earth. He raised me to the surface and promised to make a mystic of me. Immediately, my sight was restored."
At 5 p.m., on May 2, 1998, God spoke to him and gave him the name 'Minga Kwete Rufin'. It would later be changed to Raphael. The voice of God asked him: "Do you know what happened in the days of Ezekiel? The peoples were taken into captivity because of their disobedience. If this goes on, there will be troubles and wars." The voice asked me to read Ezekiel, Chapter 12.
"Who are you?" asked Raphael. The voice answered: "I am the God of Powers!" Raphael went into a trance. God added: "Pray to your mother, Mary, who is also my Mother. For May 3rd will not pass without something happening to you."
Raphael recounts: "I then locked myself in my room, with my Rosary, and knelt down on my mat. I entered a trance sometime between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. until 2:56 in the morning of May 3rd, 1988. Time went by so fast that I thought it had lasted only a few seconds.
"It felt as though I was in a universe under the ground. It was so dark; I could not see myself. I knew I was in a place of darkness; hell possibly! Then there appeared a light of such whiteness; spotless. It was the Virgin, totally immaculate, with curly black hair. Her feet did not touch the ground. She knew I was afraid for she said to me: 'Do not be afraid.'
"She showed me some kind of sign that read: 'Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of Disarmament'. She gave me a biblical reference: 'The days of great tribulations are near. You will notify the authorities when I give you permission.' Then, she led me back to this life."
On June 3rd of the same year, dressed in purple clothes, Jesus told Raphael: "My cross will free you! You too will be a martyr in your soul. Through your suffering you will see much. The colour purple stands for my suffering, but also for the presence of the Holy Spirit."
Many things happened in 1988. On June 29th, God appeared, accompanied by His mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. God blessed the seer twelve times and asked him to meditate on Corinthians 6:3-11.
Christ was bleeding profusely when he appeared to the seer at 7 p.m. on July 15, 1988. "He exhaled upon me. I had the impression a cross was buried in my head. This cross would move from time to time. When I am facing someone, if I sign myself, I can read his mind as one reads a painting; but I must first obtain Heaven's permission."
At 4:41 a.m. on July 27, 1988, Raphael was awakened by what sounded like an alarm. Thinking someone wanted to talk to him, he picked up a pen and paper. Jesus entered the house in the guise of a child who was bearing a lamp. Soon after, our heavenly Mother entered, with such force and bright as the sun, wearing a black grass skirt. She sat and told Raphael:
"Minga Kwete Raphaël-Espérance (Mary gave him a second first name, Espérance, or Hope in French), I wish to confirm that it is I who is appearing. I am the Mother of Disarmament for my power has no end. I came to disarm Satan and his henchmen because they are preparing a real catastrophe and worldwide apostasy. Let the Church's leaders meditate on what I have just told you. Let their meditations be humble so that they may understand what I truly want by revealing myself to you as the Mother of Disarmament.
"Tell the clergy this message so that it might be spread before the official closure of the Marian year. It is I who had inspired Pope John Paul II to consecrate this year to me so that I might make this revelation to you, for I know what will happen throughout the world.
"Before spreading this message, you must pray for nine days in the company of two priests, and they must make an official blessing on the ninth day of prayer, on the eve of this proclamation. Let all the mystics in the Church meditate, and let their meditation be humble so that you might understand what I ask in the name of my son, Jesus Christ, Lord and Saviour."
"I understood that the Virgin was appearing because tribulations were coming. She pointed out that she would appear in the world in the three following years. This duration recalls the public life of Christ when He was preaching the Good News."
Mary added: "Were it not for the love I have for you, you would have fainted the moment I spoke to you." His younger brother, Bellarmin, was awake. He could hear the entire house moving without knowing what was happening. As for his parents, they seemed inebriated, although they had consumed no alcohol.
The seer would continue to have visions of Jesus and Mary at his home, and several other people would receive Mary's messages of disarmament.
In Kinshasa, on April 14, 1989, five rainbows appeared simultaneously in the sky. Three days later, a badamier tree, a luxuriant tropical tree, started to lose its leaves rapidly and to dry out, although it was the rainy season and there was no explanation for this phenomenon. Within a few days, the tree had dried out completely. Our Lady explained that the tree symbolized the crisis and the uselessness of men who have no faith and place no hope in God. It was a sign of the lack of faith of Christians. But above all, it is a sign of the Virgin Mother's presence in a place where she wishes to be proclaimed 'Mother of Disarmament'.
The Virgin promised that another tree would grow next to the one which had dried out to remind us that one who believes shall live on, even if he dies. A second tree has already grown, just as mysteriously. Since then, this location has become a place of prayer that is named 'Nzete Ekauka' or 'Dried up Tree'. Thousands of people have visited the site to pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Disarmament.
In August 1991, the Virgin made it known that if her requests were denied, war would spread throughout the world beginning in the Congo. She repeated this message in September, 1991, shortly after Kinshasa had been pillaged for the first time. She insisted further on October 27, 1992:
"As long as the Congo does not recognize me as the Mother of Disarmament, it will live through a civil war that will last twenty or thirty years. Its regions will be invaded, one after another, during this war, and then it will be Kinshasa's turn, its capital city. It will escape a great massacre only through a special and particular grace. During this period, the seat of the President of the Republic will be vacant for all practical purposes. Many people will be killed."
On December 3, 1992, Raphael was given this prayer of Consecration to the Virgin Mary, Mother of Disarmament, Mother of Peace:
"Lord Jesus Christ, King of Peace, now that we venerate publicly your Blessed Mother and ours, Immaculate Virgin as Mother of Disarmament, send upon us a shower of peace, justice, grace, love, hope, faith, perseverance, fidelity, unity and mercy. May the exploitation of man by man be annihilated and erased worldwide. Amen."
On March 30, 1996, the Virgin announced that a sign would occur in Nzete Ekauka on April 17th. As promised on that day, the people who had joined in prayer witnessed for the first time the sun's dance. Never had such a miracle been seen in the Congo. It happened only once before, in Fatima on October 13, 1917. On the following day, the Virgin spoke: "They did not understand. I will again manifest myself on May 1st."
On that day, some 35,000 people answered her invitation. They too witnessed the sun changing colours, taking the shape of the Blessed Host, and turning on itself as though dancing. Others saw in the sky the map of Africa and that of the Congo within it; others saw the Virgin in the sky. This miracle repeated itself until 1997 in the sky surrounding "Nzete Ekauka".
On March 18, 2017, Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, Archbishop of Kinshasa, officially recognized the Apparitions of Mary as the Mother of Disarmament:
"I, Laurent Cardinal MONSENGWO Pasinya, Metropolitan Archbishop of Kinshasa, by the grace of God and the kindness of the Holy See:
"Considering the work accomplished by our predecessor, His Eminence Frederic Cardinal ETSOU, who established the first Theological Commission on the 'Mother of Disarmament', especially by his message contained in his letter dated October 1, 1998: 'Heaven itself has given us signs of its benevolence and mercy that allow us once again to rely upon the efficiency of the intercession of our Mother the Virgin Mary, Mother of Disarmament.' And: 'Many fruits have been witnessed on the grounds where these events took place and in the lives of those who attended.'
"After becoming acquainted with the Corpus constituted by the Theological and Doctrinal Commission on the 'Mother of Disarmament', which included all the texts pertaining to 'Nzete Ekauka', gathered with the patience required to have as wide as possible an understanding of the Kingasani I events and of their interpretation;
"After having received the conclusions arrived at by the Medical Commission pertaining to the personality of Raphael MINGA and his physical and mental health;
"Based on the fact that the main seer and the secondary seers have fully collaborated with the Theological and Doctrinal Commission and the Medical Commission constituted by us;
"After having read the different messages transmitted by the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Immaculate, 'Mother of Disarmament' and the different related testimonies;
"Considering the social and political context of the area where the Apparitions took place: i.e., the deterioration of the political situation and the emergence of several religious groups that sometimes escape the religious and political authorities. The Virgin Mary having insisted that the seers warn God's people in Kinshasa of an imminent threat; of catastrophies that would befall the country (the DRC) and the world; and that the war that threatened Zaïre (the DRC) would begin in the East;
"Considering the events that were lived by so many people: the sun's dance witnessed in Kinshasa and in the inner country; considering that the country has been invaded and ravaged, that its population has been massacred and continues to endure the atrocities of war (with millions of registered dead), a war that experts have called the first African world war because of its internationalization;
"It appears to us that there was, from the beginning of the 'Nzete Ekauka' experience, a gift and a call from God, through the Blessed Virgin Mary who presents herself as the 'Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of Disarmament'. That is, she who can disarm the forces of evil that surround us;
"Considering that the events at 'Nzete Ekauka' have revived the faith of the faithful, notably through recourse to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, and the importance of spiritual exercises: Marian piety, recitation of the Holy Rosary, the Way of the Cross, mortification, etc., have fostered the perseverance in believing the message revealed by 'Mary, Immaculate, Mother of Disarmament';
"Considering that the Virgin Mary has identified and presented herself under the title of 'Mary, Immaculate, Mother of Disarmament', that is, she who disarms, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the forces of evil in men's hearts;
"Under the new title, 'Mary, Immaculate, Mother of Disarmament', the Kingasani I message reminds us how intimately united Mary is to her Son's battle, and hence how profound her engagement in the work of our salvation (John 19: 26-27).
"The message that emerges from the Kingasani I events is that the Virgin has come, during our country's dramatic situation, as the one who calls us to conversion to establish peace in our hearts and in the country. The main thing is that man should show a contrite and humble heart; let man place his confidence in God rather than in his own wisdom and strength.
"People of God, as your Shepherd, I draw your attention to the fact that all human efforts seem to have failed miserably, notwithstanding all that has been done to restore peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and notwithstanding the international community's intervention that have caused substantial amounts of money and energies to be invested in bringing peace back to our country.
"I believe the time has come for us to understand the depth and importance of the message given by 'Mary, Immaculate, Mother of Disarmament' that was revealed at Kingasani I on the grounds of 'Nzete Ekauka';
"I invite the people and their pastors to pray and to implore the intercession of 'Mary, Immaculate, Mother of Disarmament' so that she may help us to disarm, once and for all, those who impose these wars upon us and the inhumane situations that perpetuates misery in our country;
"May 'Mary, Immaculate, Mother of Disarmament' gather in her loving hands the millions of innocent victims and entrust them, through her Son, to God's Mercy;
"In virtue of our ordinary power, after having reflected upon, meditated and prayed, we authorize God's people and their pastors to visit in great numbers the grounds of 'Nzete Ekauka' of Kingasani I and to render a following to 'Mary, Immaculate, Mother of Disarmament'.
"May the 'Virgin Mary, the Immaculate, Mother of Disarmament' intercede for our country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and lead it towards peace and sustainable development!"
With my paternal blessing,
Laurent Cardinal Monsengwo Pasinya
Archbishop of Kinshasa
Kinshasa, March 18, 2017
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