Martyr in Burundi

Chapter 7. Premonitions of things to come

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Catina holding a child, hope of the African continent

From her letters to the parish priest and to her family, Catina describes a very real picture of the situation of Burundi, especially in 1995.  “Our situation is tense, indeed, and we fear that the killings of Rwanda might happen here too…  We cannot but pray, and give a helping hand, to the best of our abilities, and unfortunately with inadequate means, to these poor people.” (to her parish priest, March, 1, 1995) 

“Fr. Ottorino and Fr. Mario Pulcini continue their Easter preparation in the villages, bringing some hope and serenity to these poor people.  We live, amidst highs and lows, a Lenten Season of suffering and tension.  Will it be Good Friday forever, for these people?  Or will we have the chance to see the dawn of Resurrection?” (to Fr. Fattor, March 19, 1995)

“The situation is worsening daily.  The attacks of the ‘armed rebels’ (actually, it’s the army) spare no one.  One day they kill their Hutu brothers and sisters in the University; the next day, is at the high school.  It’s all programmed, so that tomorrow no Hutu will be able to govern or lead the country.  It happened the same in 1972, and now they repeat the same ordeal after 20 years.  What a tragedy!”

“The situation is worsening daily. The attacks of the ‘armed rebels’ (actually, it’s the army) spare no one. One day they kill their Hutu brothers and sisters in the University; the next day, is at the high school.  It’s all programmed, so that tomorrow no Hutu will be able to govern or lead the country.  It happened the same in 1972, and now they repeat the same ordeal after 20 years.  What a tragedy!” (to her niece Luisa, June 13, 1995).

We cannot but pray, and give a helping hand, to the best of our abilities, and unfortunately with inadequate means, to these poor people.
Ms. Catina Gubert

“We don’t know how we are going to end up here. For now, Buyengero seems calm, but it’s an exception. Just look at poor Fr. Modesto, who experiences shootings and grenades daily. People flee for their lives: they sleep in the forest or open fields, and when they return, they find their homes burned to the ground.  Many, unfortunately, don’t want to return. And the weakest among them, are children and women. The men run to Tanzania, or Zaire. It’s a very sorrowful and absurd situation.” (to her niece Luisa, July 10, 1995).

And finally, in her last letter of September 20, she writes a premonition of things to come: “A few days ago, the Tutsi army killed seven Hutus. They cannot stand that they have to share some of the power with the Hutus, so they kill them. The rest of the country is no better, including Bujumbura. Even in the North, bordering with Tanzania, it’s a slaughterhouse!”

Buyengero, October 3, 1995: The Cross at the tomb of Catina Gubert

From Few Months to Eternal Life

Together with Fr. Aldo Marchiol and Fr. Ottorino Maule, Catina Gubert reflected much on why they should stay in Burundi. She was asked to stay for a “few months”, but it was already over a year of presence at Buyengero. 

She had planned to return to Italy at the end of July, since Fr. Ottorino would have returned from the General Chapter in Italy. But she decided to postpone a while: “I was thinking to come to Italy after the return of Fr. Ottorino, but how can I leave now? There is so much to do, especially now that the situation is getting worse. I don’t feel I could betray them this way. The Lord is giving me strength to endure these times, and so I stay. It might be in one, two months? Will see!”

She was a woman of faith, a serene and untiring apostle for the Reign of God. Not even the gruesome violence and the tragic images of her people, would bend her dedication. Catina answered her total “yes” to the Lord, in the evening of September 30, 1995, when three soldiers enter the parish house of Fr. Ottorino, Fr. Aldo and Catina. In the main room, they were made to kneel, and then shot at close range. Catina was shot at the heart, and in the head.

After a few days, the Magazine “Le Patriote”, property of former dictator Bagaza, wrote: “If the Government is not able to send these missionaries out of the country, then our people will find a way to get rid of them.”  The love of Christ and for their brothers and sisters motivated their choices in life, and these qualifies them as martyrs for the faith, beyond the explicit intentions of their killers.

Catina Gubert is buried in Buyengero, sharing the tomb with Fr. Ottorino and Fr. Aldo, companions of her journey in life.  The church was not yet finished when the funerals of these three martyrs were celebrated by throngs of people!  The church of Buyengero was not big enough to contained the love and witness of the Gospel of these martyrs. “The blood of the Martyrs is the seed of new Christian Communities.”

“Catina Gira Amahoro… Go in Peace, Catina!”

Buyengero – Christmas 1994

“… It’s a still, dark night,
in an unfinished church,
the roof is missing,
and I see a hut.
During the singing of the Glory
I dreamed of a flight of Angels
who disappeared in the Heavens, singing,
“Glory to God, Peace on earth.”
Oh! That the Lord
would heed our prayer
and bring us Peace!”

from the Diary of Catina Gubert

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