p. Schadrack Matthieu Dunia, dc

The celebration for the canonical erection of the new parish of Rugero, dedicated to Saint Cesar de Bus, on September 1, 2025, was presided over by Msgr. Joachim Ntahondereye, Bishop of Muyinga, with Father Sergio La Pegna, Superior General of the Doctrinaries Fathers, visiting Burundi.
The “Padre Santoro” community of Kirundo is located on Rugero Hill, one of the hills that symbolizes Burundi’s victory in the conflict with Rwanda. Kirundo’s pastoral community is on the outskirts of the city, which now has two parishes: Kanyinya, the mother parish, and ours, which has become the twenty-sixth parish in the Diocese of Muyinga.
The parish is one of the structures that make up the “Padre Santoro Village.” This brings us to the third part of the project.
The parish of San Cesare de Bus in Rugero was welcomed by all as a great gift, especially by the Doctrinaries—because it is the first named after the Founder—and by the parishioners of Rugero, forced to travel many kilometers to reach the mother parish of Kanyinya. The large turnout of the faithful on the day of its canonical establishment is proof of this. Priests, religious, and many lay people gathered to welcome this precious gift. The parish was entrusted to the Doctrinarie Community of Kirundo, composed of Father Schadrack Matthieu Dunia, the first parish priest, Fathers Ezéchiel Hakizimana and Bernard Kwizera, and Brother Arthémon Niyonzima.
The challenges facing the new parish are essentially twofold: ensuring pastoral care in a very difficult area, bringing its specific doctrinarie charisma, and empowering parishioners because the parish is theirs.
On March 1, 2026, we celebrated our sixth year as a parish. The beginning wasn’t easy, but now all parishioners are beginning to feel like an active part of the parish family. We’ve undertaken pastoral initiatives that encourage them to participate in building the parish.
Pastoral initiatives are also characterized by making our doctrinaries nature evident, because the bishop has called us to the diocese to bring our charisma.
Thus we organize the quarterly training of catechists and missionaries of the Gospel who help us in teaching catechesis in schools and in preparing for the sacraments.
Every first Friday of the month is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: we have continued the good custom of the diocese of Muyinga of dedicating this day to Adoration, catechesis, fasting, and prayer for the sick.
We also offer days of evangelization, inviting priests and lay people to bear witness and teach them how to participate in building the parish.
The construction of the parish church will be a concrete demonstration of the Rugero community’s maturity and participation in building the parish community.
While it may seem too early to embark on this project, after evaluating the experience of the past six months, we are confident we can succeed with the help of friends and benefactors. We have already begun raising awareness among parishioners and publicizing the project, publishing the construction estimate, and beginning with excavation work for the foundations.
We count on your encouragement, expressed through prayers and financial contributions, to carry forward the project of San Cesar de Bus in the diocese of Muyinga and complete the construction of the parish church.

The Mass of canonical erection of the parish of San César de Bus in Rugero, Burundi

The “Father Santoro Village” in Rugero