On the 7th of November 2023, a special event unfolded at the Mary Help of Christians Parish in Kimihurura, where Father César Augustin Habanabakize, the Priest of the parish, gathered students from Don Bosco Nursery and Primary School and Ecole Primaire d’Application Kimihurura (EPAK) for an enlightening occasion.
The students, teachers, and the community came together for a Holy Mass presided over by Father Habanabakize.
During his homily, Father Habanabakize recounted the story of Jesus’ invitation to a wedding and how some people had declined to attend. He emphasized the importance of avoiding disobedience, impoliteness, and rudeness.
He told the students that “You have to be clever at good works and be cowards at bad works.”
The students listened attentively, their young hearts and minds absorbing the valuable teachings of their beloved priest. His words were a guiding light for them, pointing the way towards a life of kindness, humility, and righteousness.
Sister Marie Josee Uwizera, the headteacher of Don Bosco Nursery and Primary School, also stated the importance of prayer in the lives of children. Sister Marie Josee emphasized that prayer lays a strong foundation for their future, instilling in them a deep love for conversations with God.
She believed that this love for prayer would lead them to a life of compassion, love for their fellow beings, and a longing for a heavenly connection.
Don Bosco Nursery and Primary School as an Educational Institution, wants to provide to the young people a wide opportunity to develop holistic knowledge and skills, to acquire a positive attitude and a critical thinking, which will help them to be competitive at the labor market, contributing thus to the social and political life of our country.
Frère Jovit Sindayigaya, the Headteacher of EPAK, elaborated on how they followed the teachings of Don Bosco to prepare their students to become honest citizens and good Christians. They did this by guiding them through the sacraments and nurturing a deep connection with God.
Frère Jovit explained that “When someone grows with God’s love, he loves their country and respects its leaders, as the Holy Bible says.”
EPAK is one of the schools established by the Salesians of Don Bosco in 1990. It is located in Kimihurura cell, Kimihurura sector, Gasabo district in Kigali City. This school was built to be a training center for students who were following the education department at IFAK.
After 1996, the department of education at IFAK was replaced by the Department of Sciences and EPAK remained the government aided school offering the education to the young people at its vicinity.
This school follows the values of Don Bosco, the founder of the Salesians and its mission is to serve young people, promoting quality education, focusing on both Christian and Rwandan cultural values. All this help to achieve the goal of helping young people to become God-fearing and honest citizens.
Photos: Jean Claude Twizeyimana
