Kabgayi, Rwanda, MISSION APPEAL

KABGAYI MISSION APPEAL: 
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold I am with you until the end of time”                                                                                   Mt 28:19-20

Kabgayi Diocese is one of nine Catholic Dioceses in Rwanda. It is situated in the central region of Rwanda. It is comprised of 29 parishes served by 123 priests and a population of more than 708,000 Catholics from a total population of 1,065,078 in the region. The Diocese of Columbus in collaboration with Church of the Resurrection Parish New Albany, invited us this year to come and share the mission story of our Diocese and appeal for support both spiritual and material to help in the missionary efforts of the Church in Rwanda (Africa) and specifically the pastoral programs of Kabgayi Diocese in particular.  A few years ago, our country went through very hard times of genocide and violence that claimed over a million people in just 90 days. This situation left very severe consequences on the livelihood of our people: countless orphans left and the destruction of the churches and schools. It is with this background that from 1998 to 2000, the Catholic Diocese of Kabgayi conducted a Diocesan Synod to reflect on ways to reconcile Rwandans and to contribute to the country’s renewal through building stronger communities especially caring for the most vulnerable. The Diocese needs help to care for the poor and support the peace and reconciliation efforts. It is with the aim to participate in the reconstruction and reconciliation of Rwanda that the Diocese continues her apostolic mission to contribute to the transformation, reconciliation and the sustainable development of Rwandan society through Catholic education; with particular emphasis on helping the poor students to have access to higher education at a low cost and taking care of orphans, widows and the sick. A young girl one morning, just after the genocide in Rwanda, came up to me after Mass and told she would not be continuing her elementary school because she had to stay home and be “the mother” to her younger siblings because the whole of her family was exterminated during the genocide. They were the only survivors. She was only about twelve years old and was determined to sacrifice her opportunity so that her siblings can look for a better future. She cooked, fetched water, grew the food and cared for them when they were sick. Our mission as Church goes on from that point.

The objective of this appeal is to raise awareness of such challenges faced by the Church in Rwanda in her mission of caring for those in most need because obeying the word of God that says “I was hungry and you gave me food to eat, sick or in prison and you visited me” (Mt: 25:35) defines the mission.
If you are considering giving to the Missions this year, please consider Kabgayi Diocese in your second collection. We will use the funds to support Our Caritas Office that particularly coordinates the activities of the care to the poor. We need your support to feed school children that sometimes come to school hungry, to support our youth, training them in skills that can give them a decent living, to support our seminarians and most importantly to support the small Christian communities in different outreach pastoral programs.
Bishop Mbonyintege Smaragde is grateful to the Office of the Propagation of the Faith in the Diocese of Columbus for welcoming us this year and for your continued and active participation in the Mission of Evangelization all over the world.

Fr. Leonard Kayondo, Mission Representative