Missionary Brothers in Africa and their total dedication to the Marist charism
October 31: anniversary of the act of love of Brothers Servando, Julio, Miguel Ángel and Fernando, who gave their lives for the most needy on the African continent.
We should provide some background to how these four Spaniards came to be in Africa. In broad terms, in1994 there was a civil war between the “Hutu” and “Tutsi” tribes in Rwanda. For over 100 days there was a horrific genocide in the country. This also generated thousands of refugees, who were uprooted from their homes and had to wander through vast territories in search of shelter and security, in constant fear of capture or death.
Thus, in August 1994, the Brothers decided to offer their services to all Rwandans. Within Rwanda itself, three communities were reopened, focusing their mission on schools. Outside the country six Brothers started a new community in Zaire / Congo at the service of the refugees. Faced with the difficulties and dangers that arose for the refugees and for the Rwandan Brothers, in mid-1995 it was decided to withdraw all the Rwandan Brothers from the Bugobe community and they asked Brother Superior General to be replaced by volunteer Marist Brothers from elsewhere.
The request received a prompt response. Br Servando Mayor Garcia (43 years old) arrived in June 1995 to help out in this situation of extreme poverty, uncertainty and danger. He served as leader of the Bugobe community next to the refugee camp, supervised the educational works, taught secondary school classes and was also in charge of assistance services. In August, Br Miguel Angel Isla Lucio (52 years old) joined the refugee camp community from the Ivory Coast, where he had been Sector Superior. On March 1, 1996, Br Fernando de la Fuente (52 years old) arrived; his nickname was “the Chilean”, since he was in the Marist Province of Chile from 1962 to 1995. In the refugee camp, he was in charge of distributing food and clothing to the most needy, taught some subjects (especially art), and helped in the organization of games and sports. Finally, on June 12, 1996, Br. Julio Rodriguez Jorge (39 years old), was the last to arrive in the community; however, he was the most experienced in this setting, since he had been on mission in Zaire for 14 years. Thus, by mid-1996, the community had four Marist Brothers and two priests and two Rwandan laymen.
The life and work of these Spanish Marist Brothers, embedded in the refugee community, became a glimmer of hope for these human beings who were suffering from group fear and guilt as well as the evils of injustice, inequality and violence: “When they see us it is as if they are seeing God,” Julio told his mother. However, the conflict was reaching ever greater proportions and reached the refugee camp at the beginning of October: “Every day our presence hangs by a spider’s thread, since the uncertainty of what will happen next is the threat that dangles over us daily” (Letter from Br. Fernando, sent to Br. Claudiano on October 2, 1996).
After months of providing all kinds of services in almost inhuman conditions, the Brothers were asked to leave the refugee camp for their own safety as the situation deteriorated even further: “In response to my insistent invitation to leave the place, their answer was the same: ‘We cannot abandon those who are already abandoned by everyone else’. If you were here, you would do the same as us. Our decision is to stay if you let us” (Br. Benito Arbués, Superior General, October 1996).
Some days later, at 9:30 in the morning of October 31, Br. Servando telephoned the General House of the Institute in Rome and delivered this message: “All the people have left the camp of Nyamirangwe. We are alone. We expect an attack at any moment. If we do not telephone again this afternoon it will be a bad sign. Most likely they will take away our radio and phone. The area is in turmoil. The refugees are fleeing without knowing where to go and the presence of infiltrators and violent individuals is very noticeable”. That same day, around 8 p.m., the four Marist Brothers, missionaries in Africa, were shot and killed. It was an arduous task some days later to remove their bodies from a septic tank and bury them at the Novitiate house in Nyangezi, quite a distance away.
We conclude this summary of the total commitment to the Marist charism of these four Brothers with a contemporary reflection of Br Benito Arbués, Superior General of the Institute (1993-2001): “There could have been a number of pretexts for murdering them. I have only one certain reason: they died because, in spite of the risks they were running, they decided to stay with the thousands of people who were wandering back and forth, victims of panic and of the pressure of those who wanted to make them human shields in the fighting… I feel that the four Brothers have gone beyond the canonical limits of the Marist Institute and are definitely now the heritage of the whole Church, of consecrated life and of many people of good will who have encountered God because of the news of these violent deaths… Their lives have taken on a new dimension and their message speaks to us of the Risen Jesus more powerfully than ever.
Patrimony Commission of the Province of St. Mary of the Andes
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