Immaculée Ilibagiza, is her message mixed with New Age?

[shannin]

I am so grateful for this thread. I also read her book. I thought I was the only one. I have such admiration and respect for Immaculee and yet I had these nagging doubts that linger about her association with Wayne Dwyer and the New Age Movement.

I guess you are right - time will tell.

 

[IrishGalinCal]

Shannin, I wanted to write you specifically (and for anyone else who might share your feelings) to say that you can put your “nagging doubts” aside regarding Immaculée’s association with Dr. Dyer and the New Age Movement. She is not, nor has she ever been involved in the New Age Movement, nor is that her mindset in any way, shape, or form. As I stated in my previous post but will mention once again, the “Left to Tell” manuscript was severely edited by Hay House – half of it was cut out (including a whole chapter just on Our Lady of Kibeho), and the New Age influences that you might feel throughout the book are that of the Editor/Publisher – NOT from Immaculée.

Immaculée is 100% Catholic in the practice of her faith, as well as in her mindset and implementation of how she tries to live it out each day. I have seen this in her myself firsthand and I’ve even been to Mass with her on several occasions – I have no doubts about her in any way in regards to her Catholic faith! At times, I myself have expressed my own concerns on various matters to her, as well as to one of her cousins who is a good friend of mine and a Jesuit priest. Yet, I have never had even one concern for her regarding her Catholic faith, or that she’s mixed up somehow with the New Age Movement. Simply put – she isn’t nor will she ever be a “New Ager.”

Immaculée is one of the most loving, warm and affectionate people that I have ever had the grace and privilege to know – she exudes a loving spirit when you are in her presence and people sense this. People feel loved when they are with her – even strangers. In the past I’ve been with her when total strangers have come up to her. They usually have either one of two reactions – either total joy at seeing her or they are weeping in her face because of all she has suffered. She greets and meets each person with joy and love and affection and comforts those who cry for her and Rwanda.

Regarding Dr. Dyer – she is friends with every type of person (even when they do not share the same beliefs). She simply loves people, and she is not judgmental towards them. However, Immaculée does not compromise her beliefs with or for anyone. As an example, she has tried to share her Catholicism with Dr. Dyer – she has even tried to teach him the Rosary (and she said he laughs)! Still, he is the one who first helped get her message out to the world and she’ll always be deeply grateful to him for this. She feels a deep bond of gratitude and affection towards him for helping her. I am also very grateful to him for doing this, or I never would have had the chance to get to meet and know Immaculée and her family and relatives. It doesn’t mean that I agree with Dr. Dyer or any of his philosophies and his promotion now of Taoism – I don’t agree with him and Immaculée doesn’t agree with him on many things. Still it is because of him bringing her to the world stage, that I have been blessed and graced to have my life very deeply and personally touched by Immaculée in so many ways. She’s one of the people that I love and admire most in the world, and she has helped my own life in countless ways. So, I too owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Dyer for bringing Immaculée to the world’s attention.

So, once again I want to reiterate – do not continue to carry these doubts about Immaculée. Celebrate what and who she really is, and not what you fear she might be. You don’t have to take my word for it, yet what I write here is the truth (I’m a Lay Dominican and the one of the mottos of the Dominican Order is Truth, so I strive to live this). Let us all continue to pray for Immaculée and the great mission that she has been given to bring God’s healing message of forgiveness, peace, joy and love to the world. This is really at the very heart of who and what Immaculée is all about!

 

[mariannelitch]

I just recently saw Immaculee speak two weeks ago and began reading her book “Left to Tell”. I also was alarmed at how Wayne Dyer compared Immaculee with a person named Mother Meera. He said some say Mother Meera is the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary. I googled Mother Meera and her story is fascinating, but I believe it is very New Age. It is unfortunate that Wayne Dyer mentions this in Immaculee’s book. Immaculee also said her mother consulted a psychic before the genocide. I think she was just being truthful by revealing that because it is not unusual that Christians mix in New Age with their thinking no matter how detrimental that may be. I found Immaculee’s story and book to be very inspirational and it has helped me in my prayer life. If she could pray 27 rosaries in one day, surely I can pray one!

 

[irishcolleen45]

Last September, I heard Immaculée speak at the Eucharistic Congress in Charlotte NC. She spoke both Friday evening and Saturday late morning. She first began speaking on Friday evening my first thought was she wouldn’t be speaking too long on her experiences in Rwanda. Boy, was I wrong! I was mesmerized for 90 minutes! Before she left on Friday evening, she mentioned she would be speaking again the next day. I thought to myself “what else could she have to say?”

The next day she spoke about Our Lady of Kibeho. I had never heard of Our Lady of Kibeho before. Since then I have read Immaculée’s book on Our Lady of Kibeho and was amazed. However, I was disturbed to read that Our Lady said that it didn’t matter what religion one belonged to. She is the Mother of all according to this book. Not sure how to take that. Does it mean I should no longer be a Catholic? I guess you have to read the segment to see why I was disturbed.

 

[Shin]

I’m glad to hear the good things about Immaculee here, I always was concerned about her association with Mr. Dyer, and wondered if in fact he being the publisher hadn’t done some things to her book.

Because I thought as I read it there could have been more explicitly Catholic material in it.

I didn’t find anything wrong with the book however and found it a great ‘gift book’ to people who aren’t Catholic or are lapsed.

I haven’t read her later works, I intend to eventually and evaluate them too.

 

[OldBlue]

I have to admit, i am still troubled with immaculee’s involvement with the new age or people of the new age movement. Why did she have dr. Wayne dyer write the forward for her book “left to tell”. And then her next book she has rick warren write the forward. He scares me and misquotes and misinterprets scripture constantly. This i feel he does not by honest error, but to mislead his massive following. I loved immaculee’s story “left to tell” and i will continue to ask god to protect her from those she is associating with at the united nations and the new age movement.
Cheerleader

She makes clear, in her follow-up book “Led by Faith”, that Wayne Dyer is the one who made it possible for her to get her book published. The most important priority was to get her story out there…Wayne personally send her manuscript to the publisher and told them “you must publish this!”. Without him doing that, it would never have happened. It makes sense he would write the forward because publishers like a well-known author to do that kind of thing, it helps sell books…and also, Wayne believes and believed in Immaculee and her story strongly enough to go out of his way to help her.
And…re Wayne and Rick Warren, publishers often ask their other authors who are successful to write forewords for new author’s books. It helps the new author get off the ground.

 

[Corpus_Cristi]

I read “Left to tell”, Immaculée Ilibagiza’s story of surviving the horrors of Rwanda. I was impressed and inspired until the end when she was discribing how she found a job and some other things after she was free and safe. What she said sounded a lot like the message of the book “The Secret”, that you have the power to bring what you want to you. The Secret tells you that you are your own God. Now Immaculée Ilibagiza, was devout, but she talked about certain things in this language that sounded vaguely disconcerning. It also doesn’t help that she is being promoted by motivational speakers who I am sure are intrenched in New Age beliefs.
Immaculée Ilibagiza stroy is still amazing, but I can’t refer to it as a source of inspiration because I was so exasperated by “The Secret”. Many of my in-laws were so excited about it and they are practising Catholics. I worry about this New AGe “entitlement” message being mixed in with amazing stories and told by charismatic beautiful women like Immaculée Ilibagiza, I can just see my SIL, MIL, FIL all eating it up and putting her book next to The prayer of Jabez, Secrets of the Milionaire Mind and The Secret, right above their Anthony Robbins tapes.

Sorry that was a long story.

ANyone agree or disagree? Please share.

I’m vaguely familiar with her story; I have not read her book. I would not jump to a conclusion as to what she meant by her words. Self-reliance and self-sufficiency are not bad characteristics. Which sort of political ideology is the backdrop of your families history? If it’s conservative, you’ve probably lived with these sorts of lessons and reminders all your life. It’s true, given the freedom we have to pursue our personal desires, we can, with an education (whether obtained from a highly rated university or the university of life), hard work, and common sense, realize our potential to bring about what we would have in our lives. She isn’t necessarily speaking metaphysically when she says this, as New Age thinkers inherently are. I would invite you to read it again and then think about it a bit more in this light.

PAX DOMINI

Robert H.

 

[heaintheavy]

Her take on it was that the New Age elements towards then end were more his interpretation of what Immaculee told him than what actually happened. I don’t know. It was an incredible story, but I was kind of thrown for a loop by the whole “positive thinking making things happen” idea.

Secondly, she very much would like to work with a specific Catholic Publisher, and they want to work with her. She wanted this Catholic Publisher to have her third book, “Our Lady of Kibeho,” however Hay House would not release this manuscript or her to them at this time. Hay House is very reluctant to release her because of her international popularity, as well as the fact that she’s a wonderful source of income for them. Her primary audience throughout the world is Catholic, and most of her talks are at or connected to Catholic Institutions. Pray that eventually Hay House will release her from the contract, and then her words will fully shine forth when printed with a Catholic publisher.

Just to correct both of you: First, every word in the books are checked, rechecked, and approved by Immaculee, so not one word or thought gets published without her giving her okay. Second, she was free to take Lady of Kibeho wherever she wanted, but she chose Hay House because it is a bigger publisher than that other one.
It’s not fair that you should fault the co-writer or the publisher if there are passages in the books you do not like or agree with.

 

[michelleds]

Just to correct both of you: First, every word in the books are checked, rechecked, and approved by Immaculee, so not one word or thought gets published without her giving her okay. Second, she was free to take Lady of Kibeho wherever she wanted, but she chose Hay House because it is a bigger publisher than that other one.
It’s not fair that you should fault the co-writer or the publisher if there are passages in the books you do not like or agree with.

I just finished reading Left to Tell and started Our Lady of Kibeho which is how I happened upon this thread which is sort of an old one.

I have to respond to heaintheavy by saying, first, I’m not sure what your point was in posting the above but since a personal friend of Immaculee’s actually posted above twice the story of her publisher, I don’t know why you’re statements should carry more weight or any weight at all.

second, pretty much everyone who knows even a little about the publishing world knows that new authors certainly do not get veto rights once they’ve sold the rights to their book. even Stephen King had a dispute with a publisher a few years ago and left the publisher, and this was after bringing in milllions of dollars in profits.

I found Left to Tell to be compelling, moving, and sweeping in it’s message. I’ve already recommended this book to people and I’m thinking about buying copies to start handing out. Immaculee’s message of God and forgiveness and love is so important, even more today than when it was pub’d in 2007.

May we all find God’s love within us.

 

[Jehanne_Darc]

I’ve seen these postings in the past, but as there continues to be much concern expressed that Immaculée is mixed up with or involved in the New Age movement or that her Catholic views are blended New Age, I must post a reply here.

First, I can tell you unequivocally that these things are not true regarding Immaculée or her beliefs. I have personally known Immaculée and her relatives since 2006, and have been with them at various types of events, functions, and family gatherings and have seen and been with her in all types of settings. She is very strong in her Catholic Faith. In her first book, “Left to Tell,” the language was changed by the publisher, Hay House, to better suit their target audience which is New Age (in fact they cut a great deal of her first manuscript and tried to de-Catholicize it as much as possible). Sitting right next to me at a meeting with a Catholic Publisher, Immaculée told us that she fought with the publisher on various things regarding the first manuscript, but that she lost. So yes, whatever concerns or New Age sentiments or mentality that you pick up in the first book, came from the editing of the book by Hay House, they were NOT Immaculée. Her strong faith still shines through in the book even despite Hay House’s severe editing of her book. With her second book, “Led by Faith,” they didn’t change the wording nearly as much (because she had become so popular). With her third book, “Our Lady of Kibeho,” they told her that she could be as “Catholic” as she wanted.

Secondly, she very much would like to work with a specific Catholic Publisher, and they want to work with her. She wanted this Catholic Publisher to have her third book, “Our Lady of Kibeho,” however Hay House would not release this manuscript or her to them at this time. Hay House is very reluctant to release her because of her international popularity, as well as the fact that she’s a wonderful source of income for them. Her primary audience throughout the world is Catholic, and most of her talks are at or connected to Catholic Institutions.

Third, she is grateful to Hay House that they have gotten her message out to the world, even despite the fact that it is not the “ideal” situation that she would have had with a Catholic publisher. Pray that eventually Hay House will release her from the contract, and then her words will fully shine forth when printed with a Catholic publisher.

Lastly, Immaculée has not worked for the UN for a long time. She devotes herself full-time to this mission of spreading the message of God’s love and forgiveness, as well as raising awareness for the suffering of the people in Rwanda (primarily the orphans). Her other main emphasis is to spread the Message of Our Lady of Kibeho which are the only apparitions in Africa that have been approved by the Vatican.

Hope this clears up the concerns regarding Immaculée and her writings.

Thank you for this. I had not seen it at the time and another defender of Immaculee brought my attention back to this.

 

[coco2]

Could you be more specific about what you consider to be “new age” in her books? I didn’t get that impression at all and would like to know what you are referring to.

For those of you who are questioning that mary said she was the mother of all people of all religions ( or no religion). I think this is a true statement. If all humans are God’s children, and Mary is the Mother of Jesus, then she would be considered to be the mother of all of God’s children.

 

[DonnaMarieAnn]

I have not been on this site for a long, long time. I recently bought Immaculee’s CD on the Seven Sorrows Rosary. On it she prays and adds meditation for each sorrow. It is very beautiful. At the end she sings the Magnificat in Kinyawanda (sp?) and prays the prayer in English over it. I really love the CD. This afternoon I went to a religious store to purchase another one for a friend. The owner of the store told me that a well known priest told her that Immaculee had divorced her Catholic husband and married a Muslim. THAT IS ALL I KNOW!
I have no idea if it is true or not. It has upset me. Has anyone else heard this?

 

[Maryann_C]

Since then I have read Immaculée’s book on Our Lady of Kibeho and was amazed. However, I was disturbed to read that Our Lady said that it didn’t matter what religion one belonged to. She is the Mother of all according to this book. Not sure how to take that. Does it mean I should no longer be a Catholic? I guess you have to read the segment to see why I was disturbed.

I recently heard Immaculee talk on EWTN’s Book Mark I think and had never heard the story of Our Lady of Kibeho so I was intrigued and talked to a friend about it since Immaculee was coming to talk near by. Unfortunately I could not make the talk but I had not tried hard since my friend mentioned that there was some mix up in the NA movement since she had come to the US. I found this to be somewhat contradictory to the fact that I felt that surely EWTN would not promote her if that was the case. Now I noticed that her story will be on EWTN on the 28th Nov 2012, so I decided to do some online research. I am so glad i started here on CA first. I have not posted in a long time on CA for various reasons. One being that I felt I was spending waayy too much time on CA.
Reading through all the comments on this thread over the years I have realized how sad it is that a misconception can continue to cast doubt on a person’s creditability, however I am reminded of how many saints were vilified and misunderstood in their own lifetimes.
Hopefully the new program about to air on the 28th Nov on EWTN will put all the doubts to rest.
I would like to address however the above quote/comment with the following question: Is our God only God the Father of Christians? As Catholics do we say in the creed that Jesus died only for Catholics or Christians? No, God is father /creator of all , we used to say Jesus died for all- now we say ‘for many’ (I believe this is to highlight the theological point that it is for those who choose to follow him as we are instructed to in Holy Scripture). So therefore since Mary is spouse of the Holy Spirit , mother of Jesus and since Jesus is fully human AND fully God we have the Catholic theological teaching that Mary therefore, is also the ‘mother of God’, a problem for many ( as a convert)I know. Therefore Mary is also the mother of all regardless of religion, A mother such as Mary does not disavow her lost children, no she crys for them, prays and pleads to God for mercy for them and she will do all she possibly can to try to straighten them out. That is the kind of Mother Mary is.

 

[irishcolleen45]

I recently heard Immaculee talk on EWTN’s Book Mark I think and had never heard the story of Our Lady of Kibeho so I was intrigued and talked to a friend about it since Immaculee was coming to talk near by. Unfortunately I could not make the talk but I had not tried hard since my friend mentioned that there was some mix up in the NA movement since she had come to the US. I found this to be somewhat contradictory to the fact that I felt that surely EWTN would not promote her if that was the case. Now I noticed that her story will be on EWTN on the 28th Nov 2012, so I decided to do some online research. I am so glad i started here on CA first. I have not posted in a long time on CA for various reasons. One being that I felt I was spending waayy too much time on CA.
Reading through all the comments on this thread over the years I have realized how sad it is that a misconception can continue to cast doubt on a person’s creditability, however I am reminded of how many saints were vilified and misunderstood in their own lifetimes.
Hopefully the new program about to air on the 28th Nov on EWTN will put all the doubts to rest.
I would like to address however the above quote/comment with the following question: Is our God only God the Father of Christians? As Catholics do we say in the creed that Jesus died only for Catholics or Christians? No, God is father /creator of all , we used to say Jesus died for all- now we say ‘for many’ (I believe this is to highlight the theological point that it is for those who choose to follow him as we are instructed to in Holy Scripture). So therefore since Mary is spouse of the Holy Spirit , mother of Jesus and since Jesus is fully human AND fully God we have the Catholic theological teaching that Mary therefore, is also the ‘mother of God’, a problem for many ( as a convert)I know. Therefore Mary is also the mother of all regardless of religion, A mother such as Mary does not disavow her lost children, no she crys for them, prays and pleads to God for mercy for them and she will do all she possibly can to try to straighten them out. That is the kind of Mother Mary is.

I guess I was too focused on “it doesn’t matter what religion you are.” Yes, of course. Mary is the Mother of all no matter what religion is practiced.
Do you know what program she’ll be on November 28th? I’ll like to DVR it.

Thanks.

 

[Seeker2013]

I just attended one of Immaculée Ilibagiza’s retreats. I didn’t hear anything New Age or that wasn’t 100 percent consistent with Catholic doctrine. I agree with previous posters. Like any speaker, we need to listen with discernment. I think that we especially need to be open to the message of Our Lady of Kibeho that She is the Mother of the World.