Adieu, Bro. Hubert Twagirayezu, SDB

Adieu, Bro. Hubert Twagirayezu, SDB

by Pie Shumbusho, SDB

(ANS – Kabgayi, Rwanda – July 29, 2026) – On Friday, July 24, at the postnovitiate house of the Salesian Africa Great Lakes Province in Kabgayi, Rwanda, the funeral of Bro. Hubert Twagirayezu was celebrated.  Members of the Salesian Family, other religious, diocesan priests, family members, and friends of Bro. Hubert gathered to pay their last homage and lay him to rest.

Bro. Hubert returned to his Father’s home on Friday, July 17, in a traffic accident that occurred at Mpigi, about 60 miles from Kampala, Uganda, on the way toward Kigali, Rwanda, for the priestly ordination of Salesians held on July 18. Bishop Balthazar Ntivuguruzwa of Kabgayi presided over the funeral Mass, surrounded by Fr. Gabriel Ngendakuriyo, Salesian provincial, and his council, and other Salesian and diocesan priests.

The Funeral Mass

In his homily, the bishop expressed his heartfelt condolences to the Salesian Family, Bro. Hubert’s biological family, and the Church in general. He invited everyone to pray for the soul of the departed brother so that he may rest in peace. Words of consolation, the gatherings, and the closeness of friends don’t remove either the sadness, the void, the feeling of a loss, or the shedding of tears, the bishop said, but the hope of resurrection and life everlasting that Jesus Christ promised to those who believe in him can console those who lose their loved ones. He invited those present to believe in the word of God so that they don’t remain with endless questions which can’t give any solution to what they experience during the difficult moments.

Before the concluding prayer and other burial rites, Fr. Augustin Cesar Habanabakize, director of the postnovitiate, which hosted the event, invited 3 people to address a word of testimony about the life of the late brother. These were Fr. Anaclet Munyankindi, who spoke on behalf of the delegation from Palabek, Uganda, where Bro. Hubert was carrying out his mission; Bro. Hubert’s brother, who spoke on  behalf of the family members and friends; and Fr. Ngendakuriyo, the provincial. The major point which all speakers emphasized was the apostolic zeal, the hard, organized work, the commitment, and the love for young people that Bro. Hubert always showed by looking for what could improve their lives.

Fr. Provincial expressed his gratitude to everyone present, especially the bishop, who put other duties aside and responded positively to celebrate the Eucharist. He promised to give the community of Palabek another Salesian to keep up the work which Bro. Hubert had been doing and invited everyone to pray so that the new person should be a man of God and a hardworking religious fit for the Salesian mission.

Concluding the testimonies, the bishop invited young people who attended the funeral not to fear responding “yes” to the call of God so that they may join others to work in his vineyard. "Young people, God needs you, the Church needs you, society needs you. You have lived with the one whose eternal life we are celebrating today, and you have seen how he worked, how he served God by serving you. So come and continue what he has begun," the bishop exhorted. After the concluding prayer and the final blessing, the funeral rites were led by Fr. Frederic Murindangabo, the vice-provincial, at the cemetery where Bro. Hubert was laid to rest with other Salesians and an FMA sister. 

A Life of Service and Planning for the Poor

Bro. Hubert Twagirayezu, firstborn son of Peter Claver Twagirayezu and Alphonsine Uwimana, was born on January 16, 1982, in Masaka, Rwanda. After the death of both of his parents, he and the siblings moved to Muhanga District, Rwanda. He professed as a Salesian on August 15, 2005, and made his perpetual profession on July 14, 2013, in Saint Andrew Parish, Gitarama, Rwanda.

Bro. Hubert, Jan. 10, 2024, in New Rochelle
(by Fr. Gabe Stawowy)

Bro. Hubert served in the province in different houses as an administrator and formator and pursued further studies in New Rochelle, N.Y. He returned to the Father's house while he was serving the Lord in Palabek, Uganda, as an administrator of the house, the principal of the camp’s vocational training center, and province development officer. Those who worked with him described Bro. Hubert as a man who loved storytelling, shared information generously with his confreres, and had a deep love for work. He fully embraced Don Bosco’s spirit of hard work, often saying that rest would come later, according to testimonies shared at the event. He was also known for initiating projects aimed at uplifting the poor, and he leaves behind several projects he had envisioned.