Immaculèe Ilibagiza, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, spoke to the Notre Dame community on Saturday, February 7 about her story, the power of forgiveness, and the importance of trust in Jesus through Mary. As part of the annual Catholic Speaker Series put on by Notre Dame Student Government, Ilibagiza came to campus for the second time since becoming an internationally renowned speaker.
Ilibagiza began the talk by sharing her story, recounting how she was almost killed many times when she lived in Rwanda as a college student during the genocide. She explained that the two main tribes of Rwanda, the Hutus and the Tutsis, originally clashed over the assassination of the Rwandan President in April 1994, an event which catalyzed a genocide against the Tutsis that would end 100 days later when rebel Tutsi forces captured Rwanda. According to Ilibagiza, almost a million Tutsis were killed over three months.
Ilibagiza herself was saved by a Hutu pastor, a friend of her father, who hid Ilibagiza and five other women in a 3 foot by 4 foot bathroom, fearing even to tell his family that he was hiding Tutsis. The women would stay there for 91 days.
Living on scraps of food from her host and crammed into a tiny space, Ilibagiza described how she turned to her faith, especially the Rosary, for sustenance. She recalled saying the prayer 27 times in one day as Hutu soldiers searched the house in which she hid. Ilibagiza and her fellow refugees were never found. Every time soldiers passed the door that concealed her, Ilibagiza would tell herself, “Remember who God is! Is he almighty or not?”
After three months in her hiding place, Ilibagiza emerged to find her parents and two brothers dead, her country in shambles, and bodies lining the streets for miles. She started the long road to reconciliation with her enemies and eventually found it in her heart to visit and forgive the man who killed her family.
“It’s easy to fight someone, but to receive love is sometimes hard when you are in the wrong,” said Ilibagiza.
After sharing her story, Illibagiza encouraged Notre Dame students to stay close to the sacraments and to Mary and to constantly practice kindness. “Go to Mass, not because others are looking, but because you receive a grace from God. Please pray the Rosary, love the Rosary,” she pleaded.
Ilibagiza’s visit was made possible through the support of Notre Dame Student Government’s Catholic Speaker Series, spearheaded by the Student Government Co-Directors of Faith, Matthew Mrosla and Jack Keller.
Keller told the Rover, “It was a gift to bring Immaculèe to campus and hear her share her story with the students of Our Lady’s University. Her message of love and forgiveness really resonated with students, and I feel that her story is a message of hope in a world that is often seen as broken.”
Keller also noted a call to action that students who attended the talk can carry with them: “Her parting note on praying daily is something Notre Dame students can do … to be a force for good in our world, because prayer changes things.”
Isabelle Glunz, a freshman in Badin Hall, told the Rover that “it was incredible to hear [Immaculèe’s] story of forgiveness, and it really made me reflect on my relationship with God and with others.”
Fundamentally, Ilibagiza advocated a message of forgiveness and love, urging her audience to “work for heaven.” She concluded, “Serve, love, uplift somebody. Use your strength to do something good. … If I can forgive, anyone can forgive … there is so much joy [in forgiveness].”
Kolbe Barta is a freshman in Duncan Hall who misses THE STARS AT NIGHT, which ARE BIG AND BRIGHT, DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS. If you just clapped four times, email him at kbarta3@nd.edu.