95 Years of the Bernardine Sisters in Rwanda
Ninety-five years, Lord, and we are still here: a grain of wheat sown on the hills of Rwanda, from Oudenaarde to Kansi, a small flame that has never failed. In 1932, they came with empty hands and hearts full of God, Bernard, and silence. They sought God under the Rwandan sky and welcomed each person as an image of the One they loved.
Bernardine daughters of the Incarnation, vessels of clay and precious stones, you have prayed, worked the land, taught, and cared for others in joy, in tears, and through trials. Ninety-five years of praise at the dawn of the country, ninety-five years of vespers as the sun goes down, ninety-five years of a whispered Magnificat: God is faithful, may He be thanked!
Thank you for our mothers, the first sisters who marked the path through tears; thank you for our Rwandan elder sisters who said yes; thank you for today and for the future.
May Saint Bernard teach us once again to love. May Mary, Our Lady of the Star, continue to guide us. May the precious stone shine again, and may God be our hymn. Happy feast, dear sisters. May Saint Bernard and Our Lady of the Incarnation bless you.
Celebrating 95 Years
A celebration of the Bernardine Sisters’ 95 years in Rwanda
Remembering a legacy of faith, service, and care