Reflections on a Prophet . . .

Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculée Ilibagiza Hay House, Inc., © 2006

by Sister Bernadette Sullivan, SFP

As I entered the United Nations bookshop in New York, I was attracted to a book which was displayed near the entrance to the shop. The face of a beautiful African girl was on the book cover.  The title of the book was: LEFT TO TELL, Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, by Immaculée Ilibagiza. On the book jacket, I noticed that some of the proceeds from the sale of this book would go to the Left to Tell Charitable Fund, which helps the children of Africa build better lives. I bought the book and began to read it as I traveled back to Brooklyn on the subway. I could hardly stop reading it or talking about it to others.

This is the story of a prophetic witness who is helping to heal a wounded world.  Immaculee is the lone survivor of her family with the exception of her brother who was studying in Senegal when the Genocide occurred in Rwanda.

Her story is of a girl who grew up in a loving Catholic family, the daughter of teachers who were also respected leaders in their village. Life is beautiful for this family of three boys and one girl until rumors of tribal conflict reach their village. All the students at the University in the capital city where Immaculée has been studying are advised to return home because their safety cannot be guaranteed. She is not home long before the Hutus in her village and from other parts of Rwanda begin to rape and kill the Tutsis.  As the situation worsened, her father sent her to his friend, the Lutheran Pastor, thinking she would be safe in his home, even though he is a Hutu. For three months she and seven other starving and terrified women were hidden in a small bathroom. Hutus armed with machetes, frequently searched the house but miraculously never found them.

Immaculée's intelligence, courage and tremendous faith kept me inspired long after I read the 210 pages of her remarkable story.  After reflecting on her story, I thought we can thank God for another prophet and heroine of non-violence who like Jesus, Oscar Romero, Cardinal Bernardin and Pope John Paul II had the grace to forgive their enemies. Her story will always rank high on my list of great spiritual reading.