Christians, several bishops, and members of the family of Father Chrysante Rwasa gathered to bid him a final farewell.
Father Chrysante Rwasa, a member of the Pallottine Fathers, passed away on December 16, 2025, in France after a period of illness.
A requiem Mass in his honor was celebrated on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, at Gikondo Parish.
The Mass was presided over by Antoine Cardinal Kambanda, Archbishop of Kigali and President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Rwanda.
Among the bishops in attendance were Bishop Jean Marie Vianney Twagirayezu of Kibungo Diocese, Bishop Papias Musengamana of Byumba Diocese, Bishop Edouard Sinayobye of Cyangugu Diocese, Bishop Célestin Hakizimana of Gikongoro Diocese, and Bishop Jean Bosco Ntagungira of Butare Diocese, together with a large number of priests.
Also present were members of his family and Christians from various parishes where he had served during his priestly ministry, including Gikondo, Ruhango, Kinoni, Kibeho, Masaka, his home parish, and other communities.
Father Aimable, who lived and worked closely with him during his mission and illness, described him as a man of integrity, noting that he had spent three years and three additional months in pastoral mission in France.
He said Father Chrysante was a priest deeply devoted to the Church and played a significant role in the construction of Gikondo Church.
“He was a true apostle of Christ, a missionary, and an exemplary Pallottine,” he said.
In his homily, Cardinal Kambanda acknowledged the pain of loss but reminded Christians that death does not have the final word.
“Death causes us great sorrow, taking away from us this brother, this father, this priest, this friend, especially someone who meant so much to us. Our pain is even greater because we still needed him.
Yet, although death hurts us, as Christians, when we lose someone we love, we do not despair, because we have hope. Death does not have the final word,” he said.
Who was Father Chrysante Rwasa?
Father Chrysante Rwasa was born on December 3, 1969, in Masaka, Kicukiro District, City of Kigali.
He completed his primary education in Masaka from 1976 to 1986, and his secondary studies in Ndera from 1986 to 1992.
He studied philosophy from 1994 to 1996 at Institut Saint Joseph Mukasa in Yaoundé, Cameroon, where he made his first vows on October 1, 1996.
He pursued theological studies from 1996 to 1999 at Hekima College in Nairobi, Kenya, and later completed his diaconate training in Butare and Kinoni between 1999 and 2000.
He made his perpetual vows on December 8, 1999, in Kinoni, and was ordained a deacon on December 26, 1999.
On June 29, 2000, he was ordained to the priesthood in Masaka, Kigali, marking the beginning of a long journey of service to God and His people.
Throughout his ministry, Father Chrysante held various pastoral responsibilities. From 2000 to 2001, he served as assistant priest in Rutshuru and was in charge of youth vocation promotion.
Between 2001 and 2003, he carried out missionary work in Côte d’Ivoire, gaining valuable international pastoral experience.
Upon returning to Rwanda from 2003 to 2005, he was assigned to Kibeho, where he served as community treasurer, assistant parish priest, and Director of the Kibeho Marian Shrine.
From 2005 to 2008, Father Rwasa served as parish priest of Gikondo Parish in Kigali. He was later assigned to Kinoni from 2011 to 2012 as assistant parish priest, and from 2012 to 2014, he worked in Ruhango as Director of the Divine Mercy Shrine and assistant parish priest.
After only four months, he was appointed parish priest of Ruhango Parish and community superior, a role in which he was praised for his leadership and ability to bring people together.
From 2014 to 2015, he returned to mission work in Rutshuru, before serving again in Gikondo from 2015 to 2017 as Director of the Saint Vincent Pallotti Centre and assistant community superior.
Between 2017 and 2022, he once again served as parish priest of Gikondo Parish, one of the assignments for which he is most remembered.
From 2022 to 2025, Father Chrysante was on mission in Montereau, France, where he served as assistant community superior, continuing to demonstrate the dedication and humility that characterized his priestly life.
On June 29, 2025, he celebrated the silver jubilee of his priesthood, 25 years of service, at Gikondo Parish, together with three fellow priests ordained in the same year, in an atmosphere of joy and deep gratitude to God.
