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Celebrations to mark the 38th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary at Queen of Peace Shrine Nsimalen, in the outskirts of Cameroon's capital, Yaoundé reached their culmination on May 13, 2024, with a solemn mass and prayer vigil. The thousands of pilgrims who came to Shrine heard the story of the apparitions, which lasted 9 days from May 13, 1986, and testimonies of the many healings and conversions obtained at Nsimalen through the intercession of the Virgin Mary.
The apparitions at Nsimalen are still awaiting official recognition, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Yaoundé, His Excellency Jean Mbarga, recommended that the thesis of the apparitions be written up in Cameroon, as the place continues to attract crowds of pilgrims, some of whom testify to the miraculous blessings they receive by visiting the shrine.
For Father Evouna, rector of the shrine, “having experienced this event 38 years ago, we cannot doubt what we have seen here, ever since the deaf-mute little girl, Jacqueline Ndoumou Atangana, spoke for the first time in her life, crying out 'Maria! Maria! Maria!', thus revealing the identity of the apparition”.
The former rector of the shrine says that the Church of Yaoundé continues to pray and work in synergy, in a synodal way involving a cooperation of the Church and the community, for the recognition of what happened at Nsimalen. “Recognition of an apparition is always a path not only of sanctification but also of synodality and participation”, he declares, while remaining confident of a future fulfillment of the work already underway.
Several pilgrims shared their testimonies on this occasion. Nfegue Pascal, an employee of Yaoundé-Nsimalen International Airport and president of the Shrine's faithful since January 2023, testified to a healing that happened to him:
In 2008, he reports, he was very ill and discouraged after the death of a colleague. At the hospital, the doctors couldn't find the cause of his illness. A colleague suggested he visit the Nsimalen Shrine. And so went there and found himself in a world that was unfamiliar to him. He took part in prayer, the Way of the Cross and his first Eucharistic celebration. “Thanks to the spiritual guidance provided by the shrine's rector, the prayers, the Stations of the Cross, the rosary and the baths in the pool, I've found total healing,” he says. Nfegue Pascal points out that he is now a regular visitor to the shrine, and experiences the truth of the Virgin's messages on a daily basis. He also testifies to having seen “dying people recover their health” at Nsimalen.