This is the story of Révocat and Théogène priests from Rwanda.
At the end of the academic year at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, it is very common to see nervous seminarians, priests and lay students in the hallways before an important exam, helping and encouraging each other, trying to laugh and distract each other, perhaps telling stories of family, their countries, plans for vacation and pastoral service in the summer.
Théogène Ndagijimana and Révocat Habiyaremye are two of them, two priests from Rwanda: they are in Rome to study, thanks to a scholarship offered to both of them by CARF, Centro Academico Romano Foundation. Théogène is studying for a Licentiate in Canon Law and Révocat for a Licentiate in Theology.
We met them, who thank God are more relaxed after the exams, so they gladly tell us about their life, their experience in Rome and tell us some needs of their country, Rwanda, which suffered one of the most terrible genocides of the twentieth century.
It is a pleasure to share our testimony with the readers, benefactors and friends of CARF. Let me introduce myself: I am Théogène Ndagijimana, a diocesan priest of the Diocese of Nyundo in Rwanda (Africa). I was born on July 11, 1988 in Bwishyura-Karongi, Rwanda, and grew up in the same region.
I am Révocat Habiyaremye, I come from Rwanda and I am a priest of the Diocese of Byumba. I was born on November 9, 1989 in Nyange, in a Christian family, a very big family: we are eight children, 5 brothers and 3 sisters. I am the youngest. I grew up with my siblings and our mom, because my dad died early, when I was 5 months old. It was our mom who took care of us and raised us. She is still alive and 74 years old.
You both told me that the family has been a fundamental environment for your faith and for discovering your vocation....
Théogène: Of course! In fact, I too, like Révocat, was born into a Catholic family, and my father and mother were also born into Catholic families, married religiously and had four children, two boys and two girls. I am the eldest.
Unfortunately, our father gave up his soul very early, and at that time, I, the eldest of the family, was only nine years old, while our mother was pregnant with the youngest of my siblings. Despite the difficulties of raising us alone, our mother gave us everything and was, like my father when he was alive, our first educator in the faith.
Having the opportunity to be born into a Christian family is my starting point for learning about the Catholic faith because I was baptized into my parents' faith as a young child on February 19, 1989. As we evolved in an environment of multiple Christian denominations, through family and friends, my mother taught me the essentials of our faith much earlier, such as prayers and what characterizes our Catholic faith compared to other denominations.
After the family of origin, there has also been a great contribution from the extended family, especially my mother's. Unfortunately, all of them were massacred during the genocide. Unfortunately, all of them were massacred during the genocide. I remember that, even before I was three years old, when I went to visit my aunt and uncle, my maternal uncle would wake me up very early in the morning, so that we could go to the weekday morning mass together. All these details are the roots of my knowledge of the Catholic faith.
Révocat: I am also very grateful to the Lord because he gave us the great gift of being born to Christian parents: my father left us a beautiful legacy of singing in church because he had a parish choir that he directed. As children we all grew up in that choir that still exists in our home parish and since we were little we are a little bit musicians.
And then our mother helped us a lot to grow in faith. When my father died, she was left alone, but she did everything possible to educate us with Christian values, to help in the parish, whether it was singing or serving at Mass or always being present in the youth movements of the Catholic parishes. She also did everything possible for us boys to study in the minor seminary of our diocese: it was difficult for her to pay for it, but, thanks to God, we managed to finish it. Besides, three of us are priests! The rest of the brothers and sisters are married and have children.
Théogène Ndagijimana and Révocat Habiyaremye are two priests from Rwanda, a country that has suffered greatly from its painful history of genocide. "Rwandan society is very wounded, but by the grace of God reconciliation is slowly moving forward," they say.
For them, a wounded society such as Rwanda's needs well-trained pastors who have the ability to listen and the capacity to accompany wounded people: it needs true witnesses to the love of God and neighbor.
The men and women of Rwanda must know that the kingdom of God is among them. And in me, a fruit of such a society, God has sown the desire to make it present among his people through my life. Responding positively to his call made me alter Christusso that it can serve you faithfully.
An essential way to discover your vocation!
Théogène: I have no doubt that the Christian education I received in my family is the main root of my priestly vocation. However, every life does not last without being nurtured, so my Christian life was nurtured by participation in the Mass and the family prayers we had at home. After my first communionI started serving at Mass as an altar boy. This helped me to observe the priests of our parish, who did their best to bring hope to the community wounded by the genocide against the Tutsis in 1994.
Seeing priests giving of themselves in this way, while some were orphaned and witnessing the death of their loved ones in the most atrocious way, I wondered how I too would contribute to this work of God to bring life back to a society as wounded as ours.
So the genocide, because it was such a terrible thing, made you want to become a priest even more?
Théogène: Yes, in fact, I started having such thoughts in 1999. I was in grade 5 of elementary school and was preparing to receive Confirmation the following year. Here I note that at this time we had been without a church to celebrate Mass for five years.
Five years without Mass?
Théogène; There was a Sunday Mass, but it was celebrated in the field or in a small hall near the parish. This was not because there was no church, but because many people who had taken refuge there had been massacred there, so we had closed it, thinking of turning it into a memorial to the victims.
After five years of closure, thank God, our church has been renovated and rehabilitated and, of course, being able to celebrate the Eucharist there again gave us incredible joy. However, observing the rebuilding of our Christian community after the painful moments showed me even more the love of God. I also saw this love of God in our family situations, especially after the death of my father.
For example, it was benefactors who helped our mother pay for our studies. Seeing the wounds in our society caused by the genocide and its consequences, and the charitable works that were being done, my heart moved me to witness God's love among his people, I could not stand by and do nothing.
After elementary school, I had the opportunity to enter the minor seminary, where I had enough time to meditate on my vocation, pray and observe. At the end of my studies in the minor seminary, I wrote to our bishop a letter of request to enter the major seminary. After a year, he responded positively.
During the course of the major seminary, I spent my vacations in many parishes and there I also learned a lot about the ministry that awaited me. As you can see, many things have contributed to nurture and strengthen my vocation.
And you, Révocat, what can you tell us about your vocation?
Révocat: Well, almost the same thing happened to me: my vocation was born very slowly in the church, singing, serving mass since I was a child, and when I had this opportunity to study in the minor seminary, I was always asking myself where I would direct my life: what could I do to serve the Lord? How could I sanctify myself more and help others to sanctify themselves? In the end, I decided to talk to my spiritual father, and he helped me to understand my path, because I told him that I would like to dedicate my life to listening to others, to accompany or guide people in need. Then, with him I was able to deepen more the call of the Lord in my life, and even to hear him more clearly in my soul.
It is evident that two priestly vocations like yours are fundamental in a country like Rwanda. Let us remember, then, that there has been a genocide that is considered one of the bloodiest episodes in the history of humanity in the 20th century.
According to Human Rights Watch estimates, in just 100 days, between April and July 1994, between half a million and a million people were systematically massacred in Rwanda (shot, machetes, spiked sticks, burned alive, beheaded).
And, as you remembered, the victims were mostly ethnic Tutsis, corresponding to about 20% of the population, but the violence ended up involving also moderate Hutus belonging to the majority of the country. The interethnic hatred between Hutu and Tutsi, which was widespread despite the common Christian faith, was at the root of the conflict...
"After the genocide, it is essential to help the people of Rwanda in the spiritual field, because it is the divine power that always saves us. Seeing how after the genocide we have had so many psychological problems in Rwandan society, many people need to be listened to, accompanied and guided".
Révocat and Théogène, Rwandan priests.
And now you are studying at the University of the Holy Cross, thanks to a CARF scholarship. Tell me, what is the purpose of your studies?
Révocat: After finishing my studies at the seminary in Rwanda, my bishop initially sent me to continue my studies at the seminary in the diocese of Lucca, Italy, as there has been a twinning of the two dioceses for many years. The priests from Lucca have been carrying out missions in my diocese and now they are trying to take seminarians to Italy for training. After finishing seminary in Lucca last year, I was ordained a priest in the summer of 2021 in my country and immediately returned for my licentiate.
Révocat: I am studying Spiritual Theology for a fundamental objective. Talking with my bishop, I decided to pursue this type of degree, because I knew that I would have the opportunity to deepen some topics on spiritual accompaniment, direction and listening.
You know, after the genocide it is essential to help the people of Rwanda in the spiritual field, because it is the divine power that always saves us. Seeing how after the genocide we have had so many psychological problems in the Rwandan society, I thought that and I saw that many people need to be listened to, accompanied and guided.
I am sure that, after finishing my studies, I will have the opportunity to help my country and my diocese: to restore holiness and health to my country, in a human and spiritual sense. Christians, then, must have a healthy and holy life, because the holy soul must dwell in a healthy body.
Théogène: I totally agree! A wounded society like ours needs well-trained pastors, who have the ability to listen and the capacity to accompany wounded men: it needs true witnesses of the love of God and neighbor.
The men and women of Rwanda must know that the kingdom of God is among them. And in me, a fruit of such a society, God has sown the desire to make it present among his people through my life. Responding positively to his call made me alter Christusso that it can serve you faithfully.
But is there really hope for reconciliation and forgiveness after such an enormous tragedy?
Théogène: Well, as you remembered, Rwanda, despite being one of the smallest countries in Africa, is known for its painful history of genocide. Rwandan society is badly wounded, but, by the grace of God, the reconciliation little by little, progress is being made.
I can tell you, for example, that my diocese has been the most affected by this tragedy, since during the genocide it lost a very large number of Christians, as well as 32 priests, and it continues to have many problems not only because of this tragic wound of the loss of human lives, but also because of the insecurity that has resulted from it, emigration, economic problems, etc. All these facts have caused many wounds, but the Church has contributed much to reconciliation.
And how?
Théogène: In the first place, the Episcopal Conference and the dioceses, but also the basic ecclesial communities, i.e. parishes, centers for listening and accompaniment, etc. The Catholic Church is teaching the people the importance of asking and forgiving.
The diocesan "Justice and Peace" commissions have made an untold contribution to reconciliation. Priests, religious and influential lay people have been instrumental in this regard. And I, as a future canonist, want to make my contribution to further advance the process.
Well, yes, I can tell you that what the civil authorities thought, dreamed or imagined at the beginning, the Church, we, have done and continue to do: to unite the survivors of the genocide and the genocidaires, as well as to make them sit together to talk about the future of the country.
Well, to imagine so much suffering and to see that you are here to be like a balm in these wounds so big, makes me think that really your benefactors of CARF are doing an incredible work for Rwanda and without even being in Rwanda....
Théogène: Undoubtedly... We are all members of the same Body and that is why I want to thank the benefactors who help us so much. I would also like to ask you to pray for me, so that I may be faithful and serve the Lord in this difficult task of reconciliation in my country.
Révocat: Well, I also want to end by thanking with all my heart our benefactors who never stop thinking of us, who never stop helping our dioceses and our Church so much in need.
And there is something I have to tell you: not only me, but also another priest of my diocese has been able to study in Rome. He is Father Léandre Nshimyiyaremye, who, thanks to a CARF scholarship, three years ago was able to do his Licentiate in Liturgical Theology and now he has returned to do his doctorate again in liturgy. So, really, thank you very much, I will be offering masses for you and may God bless you always!
Révocat Habiyaremye, pictured here in his mother's arms, was born on November 9, 1989 in Nyange into a Christian family, a very large family: eight children, five brothers and three sisters. His mother had to take care of them because his father died when he was only five months old.
"It was our mom who took care of us and educated us. She is still alive and 74 years old. When my dad died she was left alone, but she did everything she could to educate us in Christian values, to help in the parish, whether it was singing or serving at Mass or always being present in the youth movements of the Catholic parishes. She also did everything possible for us boys to study in the minor seminary of our diocese: it was difficult for her to pay for it, but thanks to God we managed to finish it. Today two of us are priests," she says.
Gerardo Ferrara
BA in History and Political Science, specializing in the Middle East.
Responsible for students at the University of the Holy Cross in Rome.
