Carmelite Missionary Sisters Facilitating Reconciliation, Support in Burundi as “mothers”

Just like Rwanda and her other neighbors, Burundi has been through various civil upheavals, including the 1972 reprisal that is said to have resulted in 100,000 casualties on the side of the Hutus, one of the ethnic tribes in the landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley where the African Great Lakes region and East Africa converge.

The country is also reportedly experiencing mass atrocities and crimes against humanity in an unrest that erupted in 2015, following a disputed re-election of the late President Pierre Nkurunziza.

The member of the Carmelite Sisters of the Infant Jesus narrates that when the Congregation first set foot in Burundi, there was deep poverty everywhere.

“The only dispensary in the area was the one run by the Sisters,” she says, adding that at first it was difficult for the pioneer Sisters, who were Polish, to cope because they could not speak the local language, Kirundi.

Fortunately, she says, the missionary Sisters were warmly welcomed, having been accepted by the local authorities.

She narrates that local people in Burundi are very respectful of authority, adding, “If the regional authorities accept the Sisters, then the ordinary people will know that the presence of these missionaries will be good for them.”

“Our chapel was the first point of contact with the local people, and although we still couldn’t speak Kirundi well, the people still came to the chapel to be with us, and so we began to establish a friendly relationship with them,” she says.

The Carmelite Nun adds, “Today, thanks be to God, our community has no fewer than five houses in Burundi.”

“We are well aware that we are needed in this country, and that this is where we must stay, supporting the many people here who are suffering and in need,” she further says.

The Catholic Nun tells ACN International that little by little, the spirit of reconciliation between the people has been growing.

She said that Carmelite Sisters in the country have been able to strengthen the education of the children and young people, and adds, “The families greatly appreciate the presence of our community, not least because they find here a special meeting place, especially at weekends.”

She narrated that from Saturday onwards, children, young people and adults gather at the community for religious instruction, talks about faith or to prepare for the Sunday Eucharistic celebration.

Other people, she says, gather before the celebration of Holy Mass on Sunday, and that many others stay on after the Eucharistic celebration to share time with the Sisters and the other families.

“Given the lack of sporting or cultural activities in the region, the people take great pleasure in this opportunity to meet together,” the Catholic Sister says.

She says that the people’s suffering and the desire to see a reconciled nation gives them the strength to soldier on.

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“Even in the most difficult periods this country has experienced, we have not given up, but rather found still greater strength. We have continued to work for reconciliation. We go out to meet the material needs of the people, helping the sick, welcoming refugees, supporting all these people in their sufferings. All these activities have motivated us to intensify our prayers and to pray above all for reconciliation in this country,” she says.

She says that in the midst of all the work, the Carmelite Sisters still manage to strike a balance between serving the people and maintaining a contemplative life.

“We were convinced that contemplative life is a way of responding to the task of reconciliation in this country. Nevertheless, in the face of the many, many needs we encountered, the great challenge we faced was undoubtedly that of not neglecting our life of prayer,” the Carmelite Missionary Sister says.

“During the day we have many powerful moments devoted to prayer, above all in the morning and night-time, although we also pause at midday to pray together. The contemplative life continues to be a response on behalf of the Church and the world,” she says, and adds, “For us prayer is the food which enables us to continue providing the spiritual and material support that people need. At the same time, for us it is a moment of physical and spiritual renewal.”

ACN International reports that the Carmelite Sisters of the Infant Jesus are being regularly supported by charity foundations so that they continue their apostolate, notably with the construction of a chapel and a house for their Sisters in Bujumbura, the economic and commercial capital of Burundi.