On Wednesday, 14 September 2022, the community of Butare, Pierre Favre, hosted Jesuits and many other friends who joined Fr André Bouillot in the celebration of his seventy years of Jesuit life.
The Eucharist started at 11h00 and His Lordship Mgr Phillipe Rukamba, Bishop of Butare diocese presided. In his very brief homily, André Bouillot reiterated how much his life is a gift from God. As the celebration fell on the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, the homilist drew on the two dimensions that he thinks constitute our perception of the cross: Thanksgiving and suffering.
He shared: Dans ma vie, il y a également louange, action de grâce, bénédiction et souffrances. Les souffrances, ce sont les grâces non reçues à cause de mon péché, de mon égoïsme, de mes étroitesses. Dans mes ministères, mes différentes ‘status’ que de grâces, de dons reçus de Dieu, de mes frères et sœurs, spécialement dans mes différentes communautés jésuites
The mass was followed by a sharing of food and drinks in the community garden. The speech of the day was given by the then Acting Regional Superior, Tite Mutemangando who praised André Bouillot for his service and exemplariness in the past seventy years.
Victor Manirakiza, SJ