Bestselling author leads retreat at Magdalen; describes faith throughout Diocese of Wichita as ‘palpable’

A message of joy may seem surprising coming from someone such as Immaculée Ilibagiza, a survivor of the genocide that swept through Rwanda in 1994 who now spends much of her time travelling the United States, speaking to Catholic audiences about the beauty of forgiveness, the importance of prayer, the value of Marian devotion, and the significance of faith. 

Ilibagiza’s first book, the New York Times bestseller Left to Tell, includes a detailed account of how she, at age 22, hid for three months in a tiny bathroom with seven other women to survive the massacre that killed most of her family.

“Mainly, I really want people to be joyful,” Ilibagiza said during a break at the retreat she led at Wichita’s Church of the Magdalen on the weekend of Dec. 5-6. “We have such a gift in our faith, and in Our Lord’s gift to us through the Eucharist.”

As someone who moves in Catholic circles, including repeat visits to the Diocese of Wichita, Ilibagiza said she had good impressions of the strength of the faith in the area. On Friday, Dec. 5, she spoke to the student bodies of Bishop Carroll and Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic high schools, and cited her interactions with the students as a testament to the diocese.

“I go everywhere in the country,” she said. “You can feel the faith in the children here. Of course, that speaks very well about the leadership in this area. The people are very Catholic. Yeah, I love it. It’s really palpable.”

Therese Allen, a parishioner of St. James in Augusta, and her daughter, Annie Calcagno, a parishioner at St. Joseph in Wichita, indicated the retreat intensified their desire to live out their faith and vocations. 

“It’s been amazing,” Allen said. “This is the message of love. We think we are good and loving Catholics, but we can do so much more. I am just really excited to go home and love my spouse, my kids, and my grandchildren better.”

“I just want to be a better wife and mother, to be more like Mary,” Calcagno said.

She added that Ilibagiza’s remarks about the Blessed Mother would be an aid to prayer. “All the descriptions of Mary help me to picture things better when I’m meditating in the rosary,” she said.

Ilibagiza noted that she was working to spread Marian devotion, especially under the title of Our Lady of Kibeho, the only Vatican-approved Marian apparition site on the African continent.

“Every three months, I lead pilgrimages to Kibeho in Africa,” she said. “People can learn more at my website, immaculee.com.”