Discovering the Apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Nsimalen (Cameroon)
38 Years Ago…
On May 13, 1986, in Nsimalen, a small village located in central Cameroon, eighteen kilometers from Yaoundé, a significant event occurred. In the courtyard of a school run by the congregation of the Daughters of Mary, a few children were playing, among them Jacqueline Atangana, a six-year-old born deaf and mute. Around one o’clock in the afternoon, they suddenly saw “a very beautiful lady,” surrounded by winged beings. Faced with the children’s fear, the apparition goes and stands in the space between two branches of a large tree, where it remains for 9 consecutive days, giving messages of peace.
On May 19, 1986, around four o’clock in the afternoon, a “solar miracle,” similar to the one at Fatima, was reported to have occurred at the site of the apparitions. A group of people claimed to have “seen” the Virgin for ten minutes.
Two days later, another solar phenomenon was reportedly preceded by an apparition witnessed by several individuals. The “apparitions” continued until May 22, 1986.
The Healings
Thousands of people visited the site, and reports of healings began to surface. Jacqueline Atangana, the six-year-old deaf-mute, spoke for the first time, exclaiming, “Maria! Maria! Maria!” Pierre Zagna Nvondo, a forty-one-year-old blind catechist, was said to have regained his sight.
Pilgrimage Site
In 1998, the site was designated for public worship. In 2004, the Archbishop of Yaoundé, Mgr Tonyé Bakot, issued a decree for the establishment of Marian worship at the Nsimalen grotto. He formed an “interdisciplinary investigative commission” to better discern, over time, the “phenomenon of Nsimalen.”
Today, a sanctuary stands at the site of the apparitions: the Sanctuary of Mary Queen of Peace in Nsimalen. Thousands of people testify to healings, blessings, and conversions attributed to the intercession of the Virgin Mary at Nsimalen. These testimonies strengthen the faith and devotion of the faithful.
38 Years Since the Nsimalen Apparitions
May 13, 1986 – May 13, 2024: The Sanctuary of Mary Queen of Peace in Nsimalen celebrates 38 years since the apparitions of the Virgin on its grounds. Although these apparitions have not yet been officially recognized by the Catholic Church, the Sanctuary continues to draw large crowds of pilgrims. As Father Antoine Evouna, former rector of the Nsimalen Sanctuary, stated in interviews with the media: “The recognition of an apparition is always a path not only of sanctification but also of synodality and participation.” Indeed, the recognition of an apparition is a complex process, but for those who come to Nsimalen, it is above all a place of faith and trust in the Virgin Mary.