Drocella Mugorewera: Celebrating Easter and Connecting with Other Religious Traditions
This year, the month of April brings important religious holidays in Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. As Refugee Congress commemorates these holidays, we highlight the powerful meanings they have for some of our members. Read other posts in our April religious holiday series, including Abdul Hamid: Know the Muslim Festivals and Julia Ostropolsky: The Meaning of Passover.
Drocella Mugorewera: Celebrating Easter and Connecting with Other Religious Traditions
Faith is a powerful source of motivation and inspiration for Refugee Congress Board Member Drocella Mugorewera, and it is meaningful to her that this April brings holidays from many different religious traditions.
“These celebrations and celebrating our religious holidays at the same time show that we have something in common,” she says. “I share something important to me, and I love learning from others.”
Drocella’s Catholic faith is a key part of her identity, and she believes that faith without action is dead.
“Sharing my faith is like sharing my identity. I consider faith to be my supreme superpower,” she says. “It was not easy to be separated from my children for two years and my husband for a year during my refugee journey, but I survived because of prayers. I believe in being created for abundant and eternal life.”
In the Catholic faith, this time of year is about reflection and celebration on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Holy Week starts on Palm Sunday and goes through Easter Sunday, and Divine Mercy Sunday is the week after Easter Sunday.
During this time, it is important to Drocella to attend mass at church and to connect with her faith and community. She considers Holy Thursday to be a particularly important part of Holy Week because it is a day of celebrating the institution of the Eucharist and the holy order of priesthood. She typically goes to mass and celebrates with a feast that day.
“We cannot have a church without priests, so I send my best wishes to priests I know on this day. I feel so connected at this time,” she says.
The next day is Good Friday, which is considered to be the day that Jesus was crucified on the cross. For Drocella, this is a time to think about the suffering of Jesus.
“In the Catholic faith, we learn about how suffering is connected to life. On Good Friday, I reflect on how my suffering connects me to Jesus and to other people. Sometimes when we are suffering, we think we are the only one, but everybody has his or her own suffering in life. It is a part of our lives,” she says.
Drocella also finds it powerful to be a mother sharing Mother Mary with Jesus during this special time.
“On the cross, Jesus conveyed us to His mother. When Mother Mary appeared in Rwanda in 1981, one of her messages was that none of her children can be separated from carrying the cross. I feel humbled and cherished to be a mother sharing the mother of Jesus. It is something special for me,” she says.
Easter is a time for celebration, as it represents the resurrection of Jesus. Drocella’s family typically goes to the vigil mass on Saturday evening, the night before Easter Sunday.
“Easter gives me hope!” Drocella says. “We continue to celebrate. We find a way to live that mercy and commemorate it.”
As she celebrates, Drocella also finds that her faith calls on her to love everyone and respect other people’s different beliefs and traditions.
“I respect others’ beliefs and faith. Many of my friends are from different religions, and I respect them as human beings. It’s beautiful because you can learn from people who have different beliefs!” she says.
This month, she has been connecting with people celebrating Ramadan and Passover and wishing them happy holidays.
“When you get to know a person, you want to know who they are and what is important to them,” she says. “When you are a friend, you want to share what your culture is and learn about theirs.”
She has found it interesting to learn from others even within her own religious tradition. Although Catholic practice is similar across the world, there are differences she has seen in celebrating mass. For example, it was common to hear drums and dancing during mass in her home country, but she does not hear this regularly in the U.S. During Easter week this year, she heard drums and Swahili music,and it was a powerful reminder of the masses she used to attend.
In her work with refugees, Drocella calls on her faith for inspiration but feels strongly that it is important for individuals and organizations working with refugees to remember to respect the religious traditions and beliefs that refugees bring with them when they are resettled.
“I want to thank faith-based and faith-inspired organizations because they have been helping with refugee resettlement for years,” she says. “We have to respect the boundaries and people’s faiths. There are people fleeing their countries due to religious persecution, and they have come to the U.S. for religious freedom.”
For Drocella, she will continue to follow her faith and respect the faiths of others. In fact, she calls upon this faith in her role as a Fate to Faith Speaker and Income-Growth and Integration Coach.
“I use my values to live my faith and inform the things I do,” she says. “Every day, I think about my faith, and if I don’t have a solution to something, I take time to meditate and find solutions through my faith.”
Read other posts in our April religious holiday series, including Know the Muslim Festivals by Refugee Congress Delegate Abdul Hamid.
