The Central Association of the Miraculous Medal (CAMM) has announced plans to build a shrine to Our Lady of Kibeho at The Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Groundbreaking will take place in November, with the shrine to be dedicated by Most Reverend Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez, Archbishop of Philadelphia, on August 17, 2025.

CAMM Spiritual Director Fr. John Kettelberger, CM, is excited for this addition to the Basilica Shrine’s prayerful oasis. He said, “We are honored to construct the first Our Lady of Kibeho Shrine in Philadelphia. As her Feast Day is November 28 and it is Black Catholic Month, it seems fitting to break ground on the project this month.”

The Our Lady of Kibeho Shrine commemorates the Marian apparitions to three children—Alphonsine, Anathalie, and Marie-Claire—that took place in Kibeho, Rwanda, between 1981 and 1989. The Catholic Church officially approved the apparitions in November 2001.

The shrine will be an addition to the Basilica Shrine’s St. Vincent’s Rosary Walk, an outside sacred space where people can experience peaceful prayer and quiet moments, while in the calming presence of God and Our Blessed Mother.

The Our Lady of Kibeho Shrine is a collaboration between CAMM and the Martin de Porres Foundation and is being funded thanks to a generous grant from donor Willa Stokes to the Foundation. Stokes was a faith-filled 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.

Martin de Porres Foundation President Cathy Reimel Hamilton said, “The Basilica Shrine is a testament to the diversity of our Church. Here, people worship side by side all races, nationalities, economic levels, coming together to honor Jesus and His Holy Mother. Adding Our Lady of Kibeho’s story will remind us that our faith is inclusive. She appeared in Rwanda with a powerful message, not just for Africa, but for the whole Church.”