New Foundation in Rwanda

PDDM Rwanda: A New Step Forward

With gratitude to the Divine Master, the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master joyfully announce the opening of a new community in the Diocese of Cyangugu (Rwanda), welcomed by His Excellency Bishop Édouard Sinayobye, Bishop of the Diocese. The new community, dedicated to Mother Scholastica, is being established on the 129th anniversary of the birth of the Venerable Mother Scholastica Rivata. This meaningful coincidence recalls her missionary zeal: during her apostolic journeys she also reached Egypt, the gateway to Africa, expressing her desire that the charism of the Pious Disciples would spread beyond every border. Today, that seed continues to bear fruit.

This foundation is also a sign of communion with the Church in Rwanda, which, after the 1994 genocide, has undertaken a profound journey of reconciliation, choosing to become a “Samaritan space” of healing for wounded hearts. Sr. M. Bernardita Meraz Sotelo, Superior General, writing about this new foundation, recalled:

“We too are called to offer a home with open doors, where everyone can feel welcomed, and to live our charism as a Eucharistic, Liturgical, and Priestly Center, at the service of the local Church and the proclamation of the Mystery of Christ.”

On Sunday, 5 July 2026, during Vespers at Queen of Peace Parish in Rome, Sr. Rosemary Muttasseril and Sr. M. Benedict Basañes received the missionary mandate in the presence of many sisters of the Congregation.

On 12 July 2026, the two sisters officially began, ad experimentum, their new mission in the Diocese of Cyangugu, accompanied by Sr. M. Clémentine Kazadi, Vicar General. We entrust this new presence to the intercession of the Venerable Mother Scholastica Rivata, so that her motto, “You alone and nothing else,” may continue to inspire the lives of the missionaries and make this community a sign of adoration, communion, and hope for the Church in Rwanda.