More than 60,000 pilgrims are expected to gather in Kibeho, Nyaruguru District, on Saturday for the celebration of the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

The feast, observed on August 15, marks the Catholic Church’s belief that Mary was assumed into heaven at the end of her earthly life.

ALSO READ: Rwandans mark Assumption Day with call to repentance

Father Vedaste Kayisabe, Secretary General of the Council of Catholic Bishops in Rwanda, said the feast reflects the special place Mary holds in the Catholic faith as the mother of Jesus.

"The assumption is the solemnity of the Virgin Mary. It means the raising of the Mother of God into heaven,” Kayisabe said.

"When God chose to become man through the incarnation, He chose the Virgin Mary to be the mother of Jesus. That is why Catholics have such great respect and devotion for her,” Kayisabe said.

The Assumption is particularly observed by Catholics, although Mary is also recognised in other Christian traditions and in Islam.

Kayisabe said the celebrations in Kibeho, a place renowned for apparitions of Mary, would begin at around 5p.m on Friday with a vigil that will include prayers, hymns and a pre-festive Mass.

The main Mass is expected to begin at around 11a.m on Saturday, after a session on the Word of God starting at about 10am. Kayisabe said the celebrations are expected to draw pilgrims from Rwanda and other countries, including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia, Poland and the United States.

He said the Assumption celebrations will also be observed in Catholic parishes across the country.

In Kigali, St Michael Cathedral will combine the celebration with its 50th anniversary.

Kayisabe said the cathedral’s jubilee coincides with Assumption Day, allowing worshippers to mark both occasions on Saturday.

Kibeho, which is the place of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary officially recognised by the Vatican in 2001, has long attracted pilgrims from Rwanda and beyond.

Kayisabe said interest in the site has also extended to people from other Christian denominations.

"Even people who do not have a devotion to the Virgin Mary are curious about Kibeho. I have family members who are evangelical Christians, and when they visited, they also recognised it as a holy place,” he said.