Consecration of the New Bishop

Last week we attended the consecration of the new bishop for the Shyira Diocese in Rwanda. As you may know, Bishop John Rucyahana has been the Bishop for the past 10 years and has done a phenomenal job of helping to rebuild this country and investing in the lives of the people. In fact, many say that behind President Paul Kagame, he is one of the most well-known figures in Rwanda. He is officially retiring in November, and the new bishop has been chosen. Last Sunday was the consecration for Bishop Laurent Mbanda who will take over the position. He is a wonderful man who I have had the privilege to get to know through Bridge2Rwanda activities.

The consecration was one of the major events of the year in Rwanda. Even President Paul Kagame was in attendance and spoke at the ceremony. Mid-way through the six hour ceremony, the torrential downpours of rainy season in March came and thousands of people scattered to find shelter. Luckily I was sitting in the VIP section under a tent! Almost the entire student body of Sonrise was in attendance, and many of the students even performed. Below is a picture of some of the primary students....and many others. People were crammed in the area like this everywhere you looked.


Rwandans getting resourceful, using chairs to shield the rain.

President Kagame arriving in his Range Rover, which he drove himself followed by his entourage. Below he is delivering his speech in the pouring down rain. Although he spoke in Kinyarwanda, one of my students interpreted for me and so I was able to follow along his speech. He is an incredibly brilliant man, and I was very excited to see him in person for the first time.