Priests of Gikongoro will soon participate in spiritual retreat days to strengthen their ministry in the southern region of Rwanda. The diocese, home to 20 parishes and a quarter of a million Catholic faithful, contains the Marian shrine of Kibeho. Here, Our Lady is honored as Nyina wa Jambo, or «Mother of the Word». Recognized by the Church in 2003, the shrine ranks alongside Lourdes and Fatima as a pre-eminent pilgrim site on the African continent.
Strengthening the mission of the Priests of Gikongoro
The legacy of the diocese is tied to the 1981 apparitions and the terrifying 1982 vision of the genocide that occurred a decade later. The 1994 genocide claimed nearly one million lives in just 100 days, including a bestial slaughter of 5,000 people in a refugee camp near Kibeho. During these tragic events, at least 10 priests were murdered, leaving only three to serve the entire diocese.
The reconstruction of the Church also meant repairing «people’s souls». While it was initially difficult to encourage traumatized youth to join religious life, vocations eventually grew. Today, 54 diocesan Priests of Gikongoro work in the ministry, serving as the first point of contact for the people’s needs. Bishop Célestin Hakizimana emphasizes that these priests must be spiritually fortified to witness to the Gospel with total conviction.
A call for spiritual renewal
The Bishop intends for the Priests of Gikongoro to benefit from regular six-day retreats, providing a necessary distance from intensive daily pastoral activities.
«This time of spiritual recollection is an opportunity for the individual to withdraw from his everyday activities and distance himself physically from his usual environment, and so take time out to rest, meditate, pray and contemplate».
As the diocese lacks the financial resources to fund these retreats, the cost is estimated at 110 Euros per person. Supporting these 54 Priests of Gikongoro provides them with the opportunity for inward refreshment before they return to their parishes with renewed strength
