Father Juan Avila, CM Region of Rwanda-Burundi, reports on developments in the Region of Rwanda-Burundi.
[This article was first published in Caminos de Misión and was sent to the Curia for publication on CM Global]
In 2005, Sister María Pilar, DC arrived at the General Curia of the Congregation of the Mission. The Superior General gave her a large package of letters. The first letter that she read was a petition that was signed by a bishop from Central Africa and by the leadership team of the Vincentian Family in that country … a petition requesting the presence of members of the Congregation of the Mission and the Company of the Daughters of Charity to accompany the various associations of the Vincentian Family. Father Gregory stated that he would talk with the confreres from the then Region of Cameroon. Then, in 2010, on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the death of Saint Vincent and Saint Louise, that same Daughter of Charity (Sister Pilar) witnessed the large and joyful presence of the Vincentian Family from Central Africa as they gathered with people from all over the world in Saint Peter’s Square.
In the midst of our Jubilee Year to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the origin of our charism, Sister María Pilar (ministering in Rwanda) recounts the sending forth of two confreres, Jean de Dieu Nizeyimana and Joseph Bitwayiki from the Region of Rwanda to Saint Daniel’s parish in Central Africa.
The Region of Rwanda-Burundi is part of the Colombian Province. It was 1998 when the first missionary from Colombia arrived in a diocese in Rwanda in response to the petition that had been sent to Robert Maloney, CM (superior general at that time). That request came at a time of great suffering and poverty that resulted from the war of genocide that had just taken place. This mission was entrusted to the Province of Colombia. Soon thereafter, more missionaries arrived and, through the grace of God, young men from this area felt attracted by our charism and began to knock on our doors. In 2007 the first native priest from this area was ordained for the Congregation of the Mission; then in 2013 a second missionary was ordained and in 2015 a third and in 2016 four young men from the area were ordained. This year, 2017, we have just celebrated the ordination of four more young men … during this same period of time three young men have become members of the Congregation as Coadjutor Brothers.
In 2012 the Daughters of Charity responded to the missionary call that had been sent forth from the country of Central Africa. At the present time, the Daughters are ministering in a parish in a diocese that is as large as the country of Rwanda and that has only ten priests. There is a clear urgency here and the Bishop of Mbalki has once again petitioned the superior general. The Province in Colombia in the Region of Rwanda-Burundi, together with the Vice-Province of Cameroon have responded affirmatively and have stated: we must give from our own sense of poverty … God has blessed us with vocations and therefore we must be generous in sharing with our brothers and sisters in Central Africa.
During the closing Eucharistic celebration of the on-going formation session for those members ordained/incorporated during the past ten years (basically, all the native members of the Congregation) and ministering in these two countries, the Regional Superior officially sent forth two missionaries: Father Jean de Dieu Nizeyimana and Father Joseph Bitwayiki … all the young men in formation and in the discernment program participated in this celebration and witnessed the openness and willingness of the confreres to serve in another land. The Daughters of Charity also accompanied us in this celebration.
Saint Vincent shared with the confreres the testimony of the various individuals preaching popular missions, testimony with regard to the manner in which people became reconciled with one another during those missions. The reality of the Diocese where our confreres are going to minister in collaboration with the confreres from the Vice-Province of Cameroon demands the support of many missionaries. There the ministry of reconciliation is a most urgent ministry!
Pope Francis has reminded us that the missionary call makes us church. Our commitment is a community commitment and those who are being sent forth are mindful of the fact that they are ministering in the name of the Church and in the name of the Province/Region that is sending them forth. We, who remain here, have an obligation to support these confreres with our prayers and our fraternal support.
We are celebrating the 400th anniversary of the birth of our charism which continues to have relevance in our own time and also continues to be attractive to others aa well as necessary to our world in which poverty and misery appear as everyday realities.
There is no doubt that this is a very significant event because we are also aware of our own limitations … and yet despite those limitations we have no hesitation in sending forth missionaries for the first time. As a result, our missionary identity as Church and as a Congregation is strengthened, our vocation as missionaries becomes more real, our awareness of belonging to a worldwide/international family becomes more concrete, our joy in sharing the Good News becomes more lively, our ears become more attuned to the cries of our brother and sisters, and our celebration of the Vincentian jubilee becomes more defined.
May the Lord bless the ministry of these new disciples/missionaries of Jesus, the Lord.
Translated: Charles T. Plock, CM Eastern Province, USA
