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On Wednesday June 30, 2021, in the spirit of the Ignatian Year, Service Yezu Mwiza organized for its staff a day of prayer and sharing.

The day started as usual at Service Yezu Mwiza and at 9.30am everyone went to Lycée du Saint Esprit in Gihosha. The first part of the Ignatian day started with a recollection preached by Thierry Manirambona, S.J, a Jesuit scholastic. The theme of the recollection was: examination of conscience according to the second epistle of Saint Paul to Timothy 4:7 “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my race, I have kept the faith”.

Thierry Manirambona, S.J. spoke of the Examen as a self-assessment exercise. Service Yezu Mwiza Service in its various activities, Thierry said, must constantly organize evaluation sessions. Evaluation is important, it gives a clear idea on how the organization is doing, it enables to adjust strategies, review objectives of Service Yezu Mwiza in its different activities.

The examination of conscience is nevertheless more than a self-assessment; it is a prayer, a spiritual exercise during which one is invited to look at his life and the graces received from God with a look of love, a look of God. Thierry, S.J., also invited the staff of Service Yezu Mwiza to live that morning of recollection by desiring to see all things new in Christ as the universal Society invites all companions, all the Ignatian families and all the collaborators of the Society of Jesus during this Ignatian year.

SYM staff in the hall of Lycée du Saint Esprit during the recollectionAfter the instruction, a moment of silence and meditation followed. The Mass began at 12.30 pm, presided over by Fr Védaste Nkeshimana, S.J Executive Director of Service Yezu Mwiza. Laurien Nyiribakwe, S.J., head of Development Department at SYM, who concelebrated, read the Gospel and preached. In his homily, Fr. Laurien, S.J. emphasised the value of life. The preacher focused in the slogan of Service Yezu Mwiza: “A People who want to live”, which slogan, said Fr Laurien S.J, is an invitation that Jesus addresses to us in the Gospel: the invitation to always preserve the life. Jesus saves man in all his dimensions and for Jesus, human life counts more than a herd of pigs.

Photos taken during the thanksgiving mass The Gadarenes, in chapter of the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, unfortunately do not understand Jesus' gesture; they invite him to leave their country. For Fr Laurien S.J, we are all invited to respect and preserve life. We who claim to be a people who want to live," he said, "let us pray: Stay with us Lord. Let us not say: leave our country as others have said, rather: stay and live with us in our lives, in Service Yezu Mwiza.

The mass was followed by the second part of the day: a convivial time of sharing a meal over a drink. This was at the football field of Lycée du Saint-Esprit. In his speech to the staff of Service Yezu Mwiza, Fr. Védaste said that the purpose of this Ignatian day was to give thanks to God for what Service Yezu Mwiza is accomplishing and an opportunity for the staff to thank each other for what we achieve together. Fr Védaste reminded that the beneficiaries of Service Yezu Mwiza are numerous and that therefore, the effort must be redoubled. The meal we share, the glass we drink together, said Fr. Védaste, is like viaticum for the road: we need strength to put ourselves at the service of the beneficiaries of the Yezu Mwiza Service. Fr. Védaste also mentioned that this kind of Ignatian day will serve to strengthen the Ignatian spirit in Service Yezu Mwiza and the cohesion among the Service staff.

SYM's staff sharing a drink in the football field at Lycée du Saint EspritNote that the Ignatian year was inaugurated with the month of May 2021. It is a call to allow the Lord to work for conversion, asking for the grace to be renewed by Christ. It is also an opportunity for the company of Jesus and the Ignatian families to discover a new interior and apostolic enthusiasm, a new life, new ways of following the Lord.