At Jubilee of Seminarians in Rwanda, Catholic Bishop Urges “spreading joy to others”

Kigali, 11 October, 2025 / 9:52 PM

Bishop Balthazar Ntivuguruzwa of the Catholic Diocese of Kabgayi in Rwanda has called on Seminarians to be bearers of hope and instruments of joy, urging them to anchor their joy in prayer, fraternity, and attentiveness amid the challenges of the digital age.

Speaking at the celebration of the Seminarians as part of the ongoing Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, Bishop Ntivuguruzwa encouraged the Seminarians to let the Jubilee “bear abundant fruits” in their lives as they journey to the Priesthood.

“Be joyful Seminarians—filled with joy and spreading joy to others. Let that joy flow from prayer, fraternity, and attentiveness in this technological age,” the Rwandan Catholic Bishop said during the Tuesday, October 7 event that was held at the Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows in Kibeho.

He added, “You are the apostles of Christ today and tomorrow, for it is Christ who calls you and sends you.”

“Always remain with the Blessed Virgin Mary in your ‘Cenacle,’ which is your Major Seminary, lest the wine run out and you grow weary,” the Local Ordinary of Kabgayi who doubles as Chair of the Commission for Major Seminaries at the Episcopal Conference of Rwanda (CEPR), said.

He urged the Seminarians to always remember the sacrifices of the Missionaries of Africa (MAfr/White Fathers) who first brought the Gospel to Rwanda “amid many difficulties, yet with great perseverance.”

Bishop Ntivuguruzwa said the Jubilee should inspire Seminarians to draw “renewed strength and determination to face challenges” in their future ministry.

He reminded them that the Blessed Virgin Mary remains with them “as at Cana, at the foot of the Cross, and in the Upper Room.”

In his homily during the celebration, Bishop Célestin Hakizimana of the Catholic Diocese of Gikongoro explained that the pilgrimage had multiple purposes.

“Besides marking the Jubilee, it is also within the month of the Rosary, a weapon by which Christians once triumphed over Muslims in Turkey,” Bishop Hakizimana said during the Jubilee of Seminarians in Rwanda on October 7, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

He urged the Seminarians never to neglect the prayer of the Holy Rosary, emphasizing its power in sustaining faith and vocation.

Bishop Hakizimana also reminded the Seminarians that 1917 was the year when the first Rwandan Priest was ordained. “Thus we came here to pray for the continuation of Priestly vocations, just as the Blessed Virgin Mary was always with the Apostles in the early Church,” he added.

On his part, Antoine Cardinal Kambanda of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kigali reminded the Seminarians that their vocation is a “gift to the Church.”

Cardinal Kambanda noted that celebrating the Jubilee in the Seminary context is “an opportunity to look back and thank God and the Blessed Virgin Mary for the gift of the Priesthood.”

He encouraged the Deacons to return each year after their Priestly Ordination to celebrate the day with their younger brothers—the Seminarians—in thanksgiving to God and the Blessed Virgin Mary.