How Catholicism entered Rwanda
Daily Monitor - 33 minutes ago
By FAUSTIN MUGABE
Posted Sunday, June 29 2014 at 01:00

Photo: Pedestrians walk past the sign post of Kabgayi Cathedral in
Rwanda. Above is the Catholic Statuary at Kabgayi Cathedral.
IN SUMMARY
Religious matters. While celebrating the Martyrs Day recently, several
faithful brandished flags from regional countries, including Rwanda.
But what is the history of Catholics in Rwanda?
Kampala. On June 3, thousands of pilgrims from Uganda, Africa and
beyond, congregated at the Uganda Martyrs Shrine, Namugongo outside
Kampala city to celebrate the Martyrs Day.
Between 1885 and 1887, more than 40 Catholics and Protestants were
brutally murdered on orders of King Mwanga of Buganda for they
disobeyed him and followed the light of God.
The calibre of 22 Catholic faithful, who were murdered for their faith
and were later canonised on October 18, 1964 by Pope Paul VI, in Rome
Italy, inspired many other Ugandans to be firm and spread the gospel
beyond Buganda. And when time came to spread the Catholic faith beyond
Buganda, Rwanda in the south was first choice.
Yowana Kitagaana, who was from Ssesse Islands in Lake Victoria, was,
however, more prominent in the spread of the Catholic faith in
southern Uganda and Rwanda while in early 1890s, Apollo Kivebulaya
engineered the evangelisation in the Congo.
Records
However, the spread of the Catholicism in Rwanda from Uganda is more
recorded than in Congo.
And that was the advent of modern diplomacy between Rwanda and Uganda
through religion as people traversed between the two nations in search
of better opportunities for life.
Worth to note is that although there was communication earlier between
the two peoples, it was inconsequential until the religious people
came. Kabgayi in Rwanda is what Nabulagala is to Uganda as regards the
Catholic faith in the two countries.
In February 1879, Father Simeon Lourdel and Brother Amans met King
Mukabya, aka Mutesa I of Buganda, who later gave them land at
Nabulagala where they constructed the first Catholic Church in Uganda.
A lot of that history was recorded in the book: The beginning of the
White Father mission in Southern Uganda & the organisation of the
catechumenate 1879-1914, which recorded the advent of the Catholic
church in Uganda and Rwanda.
The book also contains some of Father Lourdel and Bishop Joseph
Hirth's memoirs as well as from the earliest priests to come to
Uganda.
Thus, Rwandans who trek to Namugongo follow the path Ugandans made in
1900 while spreading the faith to their country.
Upon landing at Entebbe airport on August 1, 1969, Pope Paul VI said:
"Thanks be to God for the marvels of his grace poured out abundantly
upon Uganda and for the generous response of Africa to the gospel
message. To these we bear witness by our pilgrimage to the sanctuary
of the martyrs of Uganda whose blood bathed the cross of Christ
planted by the first missionaries, and brought honour, renown and the
merit of love's highest testimony to all of Africa". The Papal visit
was the first in Africa.
Cause
The murder of the martyrs thus only strengthened Ugandans – and when
the call was made to spread the Catholic faith, 12 Ugandans headed by
Abdon Sabakaaki went with Bishop Joseph Hirth to Rwanda and settled at
Save, Kabgayi on the land given to them by the king.
The Ugandans were, however, more involved in catechism. Some of them
stayed and died at Save and were buried there.
In late 1890s, Bishop Lavigerie Livinhac, who was with the Father
Lourdel and Brother Amans team when they first arrived in Uganda, was
recalled to Roma, Italy. He was succeeded by Bishop Guillermain as the
head of the Nyanza Vicariate which included Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania,
Rwanda-Urundi and Congo but died shortly and was replaced by Bishop
Streicher.
By a decree of July 13, 1894, the department of the Mission of the
Vatican, Propaganda Fide, divided the Victoria-Nyanza vicariate into
three: the north-eastern part was called the upper Nile vicariate
which was given to the Mill Hill Fathers with Monsignor Henry Hanlon
as the Vicar Apostolic. The southern part was called South Nyanza
which was put under Bishop Joseph Hirth while the new Vicar Apostolic
Monsignor Antonin Guillermain was appointed the head the North-west
Nyanza.
The southern part included Rwanda-Urundi and Tanzania which was given
to Bishop Joseph Hirth, while Uganda was under Bishop Streicher.
In January 1900, Bishop Hirth with a group of other priests, including
one Father Classe and the 12 Ugandans headed by Abdon Sabakaaki
Namukande left for Rwanda.
On February 8, 1900, they settled at Save,Kabgayi where they built the
first church ever in Rwanda. The land was given to them by the king of
Rwanda.
From Kabgayi, religion started to spread across Rwanda and Burundi as
other missions were established. As more Rwandans converted to
Catholicism, Bishop Hirth saw the need to establish a seminary.
First seminary in Rwanda
On December 25, 1912, the first seminary in Rwanda was opened at Kansa
with 17 seminarians from across Rwanda as well as Burundi. However, on
September 30, the seminary was transferred to Kabgayi. The fruits of
the seminary were harvested five years later.
In Uganda, the first seminary was established in 1890 at Rubaga Hill.
But during the infamous Buganda religious wars, especially between the
Catholics and Protestants, the seminary and church were torched on
January 24, 1892 by the Protestant fighters commanded by the British
Captain Williams Lugard, who before coming to Uganda had fought in
Afghanistan during the 1880s Anglo-Afghanistan war in which tens of
thousands of Muslims were killed and many mosques destroyed.
First Rwandan priests
On October 1917, the first Rwandan Catholic priests were ordained.
Bishop Hirth ordained Reverend Father Balthazar Gafuku and Donat
Reberaho at Kabgayi church amidst jubilations. Four years earlier, the
first two Ugandan priests had been ordained in Masaka.
On January 14, 1952, Father Aloysio Bigirumwami was ordained and
consecrated the bishop; and became the first Rwandan to be consecrated
bishop. He was a son of Joseph Rukamba and Madalana Nyinabushyondoro.
On March 1909, the first White Sisters arrived at Save. They were led
by Ignatius who encouraged Rwandan girls to join the work of spreading
the gospel. And on December 8, 1914, two Rwandan nuns were the first
in the country to make vows.
While Kabgayi was the cradle of Christianity in Rwanda and Burundi,
the hill was, during the genocide, riddled with sadness. Because of
the muddle that characterised politics in Rwanda and especially when
genocide started, some clergies were murdered at the church by the
Rwanda Patriotic Front rebels.
On June 8, 1994, the RPF issued a statement regretting the killing of
the Roman Catholic archbishop of Kigali, two bishops and nine other
priests at Kabgayi by four soldiers of the RPF who suspected the
clergies of having been involved in the death of their parents. The
statement also condemned the inhumane act by its soldiers.
President Museveni in his speech during the Heroes' Day held at
Kisowera Primary School in Mukono in the 1990s condemned the inhumane
act. And for the first time since October 1990 when RPF attacked
Rwanda from Uganda, perhaps inadvertently, revealed his contacts with
the RPF fighters.
Before, President Museveni had denied any contact with the RPF
fighters. He said: "I have told RPF quietly about it and I am now
telling it publicly that NRM will not associate with killers".
The killing of the Catholic Archbishop of Kigali, Vicent Nseng'eyunva,
Bishop Thaddeus Nseng'eyunva, of Kabgayi Diocese and Bishop Joseph
Ruzindana of Byumba Diocese and nine other priests at Kabgayi by the
RPF soldiers who had been sent to the church to guard them, was also
recorded by the overall commander of the United Nations Assistance
Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) , General Remeo Dallaire in his memoirs:
"Shake hands with the devil".
On page 414, General Dallaire wrote: "At the ceasefire meeting held on
June 9, the RPF acknowledged a total breakdown of military control at
Kabgayi and that it was a group of its soldiers who had viciously
slaughtered the clerics, all of whom were Hutu".
In an effort to foster unity and reconciliation, after the genocide,
the government in Rwanda also involved religious leaders, among
others, to expedite the healing of the country.
editorial@ug.nationmedia.com
http://www.google.ca/gwt/x?gl=CA&source=s&u=http://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/PeoplePower/How-Catholicism-entered-Rwanda/-/689844/2365010/-/3s6te6/-/index.html&hl=en-CA&ei=WEOvU4GbGIfVmAeeu4CYDA&wsc=vb&ct=np&whp=3140
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