Félicité Niyitegeka

Félicité Niyitegeka (1934 - 21 April 1994), was a Rwandan Roman Catholic nun in charge of Centre Saint Pierre in Gisenyi town (now Rubavu Town), in the Western Province. She was born in 1934 to Simon Sekabwa and Angelina Nyirampabuka. She was killed on 21 April 1994 during the genocide against the Tutsi.

Quotes

• I foresee an imminent danger.
  • Comment Niyitegeka made shortly before the Rwandan genocide began, according to a friend

• I haven’t any inyenzi [cockroaches]. They are human beings, your brothers and sisters.
  • Niyitegeka's reply when told by an Interahamwe death squad to "bring the Tutsi. Bring those inyenzi you have hidden."

• Simply go and tell him to never worry about my safety. I cannot leave these people (Tutsi refugees) alone. I’m ready to bear what might happen to them.
  • The verbal message she asked be passed on to her brother, a colonel in the army, who had warned her that the death squads knew she was hiding Tutsi and encouraged her to flee

• Dearest brother, Thank you for wanting to help me. I would rather die than abandoning the forty-three persons for whom I am responsible. Pray for us, that we may come to God. Say ‘goodbye’ to our old mother and our brother. When I come to God, I shall pray for you. Keep well. Thank you for thinking of me. If God saves us, as we hope, we shall see each other tomorrow.
  • Niyitegeka's final note to her brother

• We are praying for you before God so that you stop what you are doing to your compatriots.
  • To a member of the Interahamwe when he told her to stop singing a hymn on the bus ride to the killing field

• I have no more reason to live, now that you have killed all of my sisters.
  • Quoted in This Our Exile: A Spiritual Journey with the Refugees of East Africa by Fr. James Martin, SJ

Quotes About Félicité Niyitegeka

• We used to call her a heroine as far back as the 1980s. She was that type of girl that everyone liked, she was selfless and had a generous heart, especially towards the neediest. ... Besides her church responsibilities, she was patriotic; she would always encourage us to love the country and all its children as we did for ourselves.
  • Athanasie Nyirabagesera, fellow Auxiliaries of the Apostolate member (2023)

• Her impact extended beyond academic achievements, showing the spirit of unity and compassion. ... In the streets of Gisenyi, Niyitegeka's presence was a beacon of light and love, and her legacy lives on through the countless lives she touched and the hearts she warmed.
  • Adria Umurangamirwa, friend and former schoolmate of Niyitegeka (2024)

• When news broke that the President (Juvenal Habyarimana) had died (in a plane crash on April 6, 1994) and killings had broken out, we all decided to stay at the center praying ... Niyitegeka would comfort us, urging us to be courageous enough and offer ourselves as sacrifices of peace for the betterment of the country.
  • Immaculee Tuyisenge, a fellow Auxiliaries of the Apostolate member, who successfully hid during the raid of Centre Saint Pierre (2023)

• She tried to save all who came to her for help, and when the Hutu extremists attacked her residence, she accompanied those who were seized simply for being Tutsi to their deaths, and so was put to death, too. ... She demonstrated her love, modeled after Jesus’ love, even at the price of her life. Her life demonstrates her belief that all people have value and dignity.
  • Niyitegeka's biographer Fr. Jean d’Amour Dusengumuremyi (2021)