Abanyarwanda bambere bahawe ubupadiri
Imyaka 107 irashize Abanyarwanda ba mbere babaye abapadiri, ubwo Padiri Barthazar Gafuku na Padiri Donat Reberaho bahawe isakaramentu ry’ubupadiri bwa burundu. Ibi byabaye umusingi ukomeye mu rugendo rwa Kiliziya Gatolika mu Rwanda, nyuma y’imyaka 17 gusa yatangiye gukorera mu gihugu.
Barthazar Gafuku yavukiye i Zaza mu 1885, mu gace kari mu Ntara y’Iburasirazuba y’ubu, ku ngoma y’umwami Kigeli IV Rwabugiri. Inkuru y’ubuzima bwe irihariye, kuko akiri uruhinja yahuye n’uburwayi bukabije bituma ababyeyi be bakeka ko yapfuye, bamujugunya mu gishanga. Gusa nyuma yaje gutabarwa n’abamisiyoneri b’abazungu bari batangiye ivugabutumwa mu Rwanda, bamugira umwe mu bana b’imfubyi bigishaga Imana n’ubumenyi bw’ibanze.
Gafuku yize gatigisimu i Zaza, aza kubatirizwa i Mibirizi afite imyaka 18. Yari umwe mu rubyiruko rwari rwarafashijwe na Musenyeri Jean Joseph Hirth, umwe mu bashinze Kiliziya Gatolika mu Rwanda. Ku wa 8 Ukwakira 1916, Gafuku yagizwe umudiyakoni, maze ku wa 7 Ukwakira 1917, we na mugenzi we Donat Reberaho bahabwa ubupadiri i Kabgayi, bahinduka Abanyarwanda ba mbere baherewe uwo mwanya mu gihugu.
Padiri Gafuku yakoreye umurimo w’Imana mu bice bitandukanye, harimo Iseminari Nkuru ya Kabgayi, Nyundo, niya Mibirizi aho yigeze koherezwa mu 1930. Mu 1941, yoherejwe i Mugombwa, ari na ho yazihirije Yubile y’imyaka 25 y’ubupadiri. Yitabye Imana ku wa 14 Kanama 1959, afite imyaka 74.
Padiri Donat Reberaho, uvuka i Save mu 1884, nawe yari umwe mu batumye Abanyarwanda bagira icyizere cy’uko bashobora kwitangira Imana mu murimo wa gishumba. Yabatirijwe ku wa 25 Ukuboza 1903, aza guhabwa ubupadiri hamwe na Gafuku i Kabgayi. Yitabye Imana ku wa 1 Gicurasi 1926 afite imyaka 41.
Aba bapadiri bombi bafunguriye inzira abandi Banyarwanda bagiye bitangira umurimo w’ubusaseridoti, bakaba ari ishingiro ry’inkingi y’ukwemera kwa Kiliziya Gatolika mu Rwanda. Uko imyaka yagiye ihita, ubutumwa batangije bwakomeje kwaguka, bugeza ku mibare y’abapadiri b’Abanyarwanda barenga 1000 mu gihugu hose.
Abakirisitu n’abayobozi ba Kiliziya barasabwa kongera kwisuzuma ku rugero rw’ukwemera, kwitanga n’urukundo nkurwo bapadiri ba mbere bagaragaje mu butumwa bwabo, n’uruhare rwabo mu kubaka umuco n’iterambere ry’Abanyarwanda.
