Rest in Peace, Brother Hubert!

Rest in Peace, Brother Hubert!

Bro. Hubert, just graduated from Iona University,
with Fr. Gabe Stawowy (left) and Fr. Dave Moreno.

Bro. Hubert Twagirayezu, SDB, lived with us in New Rochelle for 2 years while working on a degree in business management at Iona University; he graduated in May 2024.

Fr. Gabriel Stawowy, the Salesian Society’s general treasurer, who also is a former member of the New Rochelle community, informed us at 6:26 a.m. Friday that Bro. Hubert Twagirayezu had been killed in a traffic accident while on his way to Rwanda, his home country, from the Palabek refugee camp in Uganda, where he directed the camp’s Vocational Training Center.  Fr. Gabe didn’t say when, where, or how the accident occurred.

Bro. Hubert, 44, belonged to the Africa Great Lakes Salesian Province, which includes Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda.

Fr. Dave Moreno, our province secretary, describes Bro. Hubert as a prayerful and cheerful confrere who was very grateful for the hospitality accorded to him by our SUE province. Julia St. Clair of the province communications office says he was a kind man and a wonderful Salesian.  She had interviewed him at least once and reported on him for various province media.

Bro. Bernie Dube', Fr. Mike Conway, and Fr. Tim Ploch
bid farewell to Bro. Hubert in May 2024.

On Sunday morning, the 19th, we received a little bit more information from Fr. Jean-Paul Lebel, originally from the Canada part of our province but for many decades now a "missionary" in Rwanda. He was responding to a query from Fr. Dave Moreno:

I have received your message and we also are shocked with this accident. He was not the driver. This bit of sad news occurs at the same time we are celebrating several priestly ordinations, one yesterday here in Kigali and another one in Burundi today. It Is very sad news because he was a good and well accepted confrere.

   It would seem that the truck which hit them did not stop and kept on going. May God receive him in His home. Fr. Jean-Paul