Immaculée Joins Advisory Board for the Children's Rosary

We are very excited to share that Immaculée Ilibagiza has joined the Advisory Board of the Children's Rosary.

We recently had the wonderful grace to spend time with Immaculée at the Catholic Marketing Network Conference last week.  For those who do not know her story it is a courageous journey of faith and forgiveness.  Immaculée was living with her parents and siblings when the genocide began in her country of Rwanda in 1994.  She was able to find a hiding place in a 3 foot by 4 foot bathroom in the home of her Pastor who was Hutu.  She remained in this tight space with 7 other women for 91 days.  There were times when hundreds of individuals would move through the area searching homes.  In a moment she shared was pivotal in her journey of total trust in Our Lord, the individuals searching the house checked the roof, all rooms, portions of walls but stopped at the last place in the house.  Putting his hand on the knob of the door the man waited.  While praying inside the unthinkable happened the man took his hand off the knob and told the Pastor he trusted him not to be hiding any people of the Tutsi tribe.  They left without discovering Immaculée and the other women she was hiding with in the bathroom.  During the time in hiding they could hear of the horrors through a radio outside the door.  Although Immaculée would survive the ordeal her parents and all but one of her siblings would be killed.  She shared that through prayer of 27 Rosaries daily she was able to maintain peace while the unimaginable was happening.  During this time she struggled with forgiveness of those who had been her friends in the village but had taken a violent turn toward her tribe.  However, through hours and days of prayer forgiveness and love came.  To hear Immaculée speak of the love she has was extremely moving to both myself and my own children.  

In sharing with her about the Children's Rosary Immaculée was overjoyed to hear of such an effort to bring children together in prayer of the Rosary.  She shared with me that at the center of all her books and with everything she experienced is the Rosary. Immaculée was also excited about possibly starting a Children's Rosary group herself with her daughter.  

We are very grateful to Our Lord for bringing individuals that through their life are such wonderful examples of love and forgiveness.