Connections

On September 10, 2004 the NFCYM Called to Witness participants (Anthony J. Albence and Patrick Donovan, Diocese of Wilmington; Laura Henning, Diocese of Boise; Mary Macnamara, St. John Neumann Church, Diocese of Arlington; Vikki Shepp, Archdiocese of Los Angeles; Leigh E. Sterten, Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau; Kathleen Carver, NFCYM staff member, and Chris Arthen, CRS staff member) departed for Brussels and then Kigali, Rwanda, after an orientation and daily Mass at the CRS headquarters in Baltimore.

As Called to Witness participants we spent some of our time in Rwanda staying in three different parish communities, so we were each able to meet Rwandan people in their homes and on their hills and we were able to get a sense of the rhythm of daily life. We were immersed in the small African country that was the site of the largest genocide of the past fifty years: nearly one million people killed wihin 100 days in 1994.

Accommodations during our stay varied. In Kigali (the capital of Rwanda) we stayed at the Chez Lando. From its website, you can see it offered very comfortable accommodations. In the parishes, we stayed in simple rooms at the parish compound. Some groups had access to running water in or near their bedrooms and others got to experience "showering" with a bucket of water and a cup.

We visited a variety of programming while in the parishes. We met with parish associations and organizations such as: the parish council, sub-parish leadership groups, and small Christian communities. We also met with parish associations such as: peace and justice commission, Caritas, evangelization, HIV/Aids, widows/orphans, the youth group, and similar ministry focused groups. The programs we visited included CRS HIV/AIDS programs, agricultural programs, youth programs, and food security programs. The experience in each parish was slightly different, but the themes running through the visit were very much the same.

Finally, on September 18, we departed Kigali together for a trip to Lake Kivue. At the lake we had a few hours for prayer, reflection, and lunch with each other and the several members of the CRS staff in Kigali.

To learn more about our trip see our Individual Reflections posted on the NFCYM public website. These pages also contain additional information on CRS and the Called to Witness program.

Africa Rising: Hope and Healing
By Laura Henning
Diocese of Boise

Working through the Messiness
By Anthony J. Albence
Diocese of Wilmington

From Suffering to Solidarity
By Kathleen Carver
NFCYM

Living Hope
By Mary Macnamara
St. John Neumann Church, Reston Virginia
Diocese of Arlington

Offering One’s Livelihood
By Leigh E Sterten
Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau

Singing a New Tune
By Laura Henning
Diocese of Boise