Priest Jean Bosco Nshimiyimana, who was recently ordained, shared the difficult journey of his living on the streets and consuming drugs before turning his lifer around to becoming a priest.
When the Genocide against Tutsi began in Bumbogo, Gasabo District, Nshimiyimana was only 12 years old. He had gone to visit neighbors, but in that moment his parents fled and he lost them.
He recalls: “At that time, I found myself alone, but I later learnt it was because I was not with my parents, I was instead with the children of our neighbors. They didn’t hide me, so I had to struggle on my own at just 12 years old.”
He ended living on the streets and taking drugs to escape so that he would not feel anything while they’re killing him. He got addicted to it that he kept taking them after Genocide.
In 2003, there was a campaign of returning children to schools, even those who were living in the streets were put in schools. After struggles to be admitted into a children’s center and to find support for education, he resumed school, often surviving on begging and small jobs.
In 2009, Caritas Kigali took him in, supported his studies, and guided him spiritually. He excelled in school, reconciled with his family, and found new purpose. A key moment came when Father Gallican Ndayisaba advised him: “He advised me to quit drugs. I listened to him, and it helped me.”
Though he once imagined marriage and family, the care he received from Caritas inspired him to dedicate himself to God. “I felt the only way to give back was to dedicate myself fully to Him,” he says.
On July 20, 2025, he was ordained and is now serving in Mugombwa Parish, Gisagara District, with the “Rogationnistes du Coeur de Jésus.” (Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus).
“There is no place where God cannot lift someone from, and nothing God cannot help a person overcome. Even someone consumed by drugs can change, become strong, and serve both himself and his country,” he affirms.
Src: Kigali Today
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