My name is Cristina Uwamahoro (uwamahoro means "peace" in my native language, Kinyarwanda) and I was born in Kigali, Rwanda. Both my parents died in the genocide that broke out in our country in 1994. I was 4 years old at the time, and I was taken, along with my twin sister, to be raised by our maternal grandmother after the war ended. I don't remember much from those tragic events that caused almost 800,000 victims...
What I do remember, however, are the years that followed, my happy childhood in my grandmother's house in Kigali, our capital, and the first years of Christian life in the Roman Catholic church (almost 60% of Rwandans are Catholic). My grandmother was a very devout woman. She used to take us to church on Sundays for Mass, and sometimes we would also go to services during the week, after school hours.
When I was 12, my grandmother died, and the other family members decided that it was best for my sister and me to continue our studies at an orphanage (which was more like a modern boarding school), built by a German non-governmental organization, where we received a very good education, as well as all their care and attention, from the Rwandan Catholic nuns who worked there. I remember how, as a child, I used to watch the other Christians receiving communion, and I wondered what they felt or what it was like to receive the blessing of the Holy Spirit.
Although I was Catholic, I didn't just go to the Catholic church, but I also sought answers from other denominations. I usually met with other groups of Christians to pray together in silence in the distant lands of the mountains surrounding Kigali. I would like to state here that before Rwanda was colonized, at the end of the 19th century, our ancestors had a monotheistic faith, and in our language, the word for "God" remained the same after we became Christians (in Kinyarwanda, God is called Imana).
If I think now about what I felt then, I couldn't say exactly why I started to feel a distance in my heart from Catholicism, or why I didn't feel fulfilled by going to other denominations...
“Simply put, I felt it was the right thing to do”
I knew nothing about Orthodoxy until I met my daughter Chiriachi's father – a Romanian who has been working in Rwanda for almost eight years, and we have been together ever since. From him, I learned about the differences between the Eastern and Western Churches, and how the East managed to preserve the tradition of the Apostles alive and unchanged throughout the centuries. I also received articles, writings, and short films from him about the lives of the Holy Fathers from the early Christian centuries up to the present day.
And, even though when we first met he wasn't a practitioner in the true sense of the word, recently his heart has turned towards the true faith and he has started to dedicate his time to our daughter, teaching her how to pray, how to worship, how to be kind, and how to share with others. I have noticed that his relationship with her has influenced him greatly recently, in a good way. It is very important to offer your child a good foundation, to give them the right answers to questions about the religious aspects of life.
Although Chiriachi and I usually attended Mass at the Catholic church, we decided to baptize her in the Orthodox tradition. Unfortunately, the Orthodox community in Rwanda is quite small – the only two churches are located in isolated regions, far from the capital where we lived. That's how we decided to come and baptize her in Romania – and then I felt that I should be baptized too. It was my decision and mine alone; no one influenced me or constrained me in any way. Simply put, I felt that, after everything that had happened in my life, it was the right thing for me to do.
Since we made this decision, our family has faced several temptations and difficult situations, which are hard for me to talk about now. However, we kept prayer alive and, with the help of God and the Mother of God, we managed to land in Romania in September 2017.
Then, together with my family, I stepped for the first time in my life into an Orthodox church. It was the Church of Saint John the Baptist, built by Stephen the Great in Piatra-Neamț. I was very impressed by the atmosphere and the powerful presence I found there, and no less by the warmth of the people, who embraced and welcomed me as one of their own. I didn't understand Romanian very well, but, by God's grace, I received a small book with the translation of the Holy Liturgy that changed my life. Finally, I felt a 'connection' and a great blessing to be here!
During the first holy services I attended in Romania, I usually left the church at the Litany of the Catechumens (those not yet baptized), because I did not want to violate the tradition of the Holy Fathers.
“The happiness I received…”
Then, on September 27, with the blessing of His Eminence Teofan, Metropolitan of Moldova, and through the prayers of Father Varsanufie, hegumen of Codrii Pașcanilor Skete, the miracle happened: I received the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit in the church of Saint Teodora of Sihla in Codrii Pașcanilor, together with my daughter Chiriachi. I believe it is important to say that Father Varsanufie, our spiritual father, received a blessing for this from His Eminence Teofan, and the Metropolitan told him to perform Baptism by immersion for both of us, even though I was Catholic.
I cannot express in words what I felt that day. All I can say is that something changed within me, and the happiness I received as a gift then is unlike anything in the world! Chiriachi told me she felt like a 'daughter of God,' but I trust the Light I saw in her eyes that day more than a thousand words.
The service was held by Father Varsanufie, hegumen of Codrii Pașcanilor Skete, Father Cristian Berea from Cut parish, and Hierodeacon Nil from Sihăstria Monastery. I was baptized by immersion and, as I understood and was told, everything was performed 'by the book,' according to Orthodox tradition. After the Baptism, we stayed for another eight days as guests of the monastery – days of prayer and grace. During all this time, we both wore white Baptismal garments. It still seems to me that our stay was too short, and I miss the people I met there, with whom I prayed together.
Our prayers and good thoughts go out to Parish Priest Ionuț Chirilă and Presbytera Corina from Oțeleni, Iași, to our godparents Mihaela and Bogdan, and George and Corina, and to all the Fathers and Saints who have been with us along this salvific path. May the Good God grant them health and peace. Amen!
Article published in 'Familia Ortodoxă' (Orthodox Family), December 2017
Translation by Radu Hagiu