During the week, the room next to mine was empty and there was complete silence, but on Friday evening, I would hear those familiar footsteps in the corridor, followed without fail by a brief knock on my door to greet me.  “Camerade, tout est bien passé?”.  These were the words that Brother Dominique, arriving from Brussels, would always use to greet me each time, announcing his return to our convent in Leuven.  He had come to Leuven in November 1971 to prepare to study philosophy and theology, and was now continuing these studies at the ‘Institut de Philosophie et Théologie’ in Brussels, but he remained a member of our student community in Leuven, to which he faithfully returned every weekend and where he also stayed for longer periods to complete his licentiate thesis.  From September 1977 to July 1979, he was my valued fellow student who helped me to get to know Rwanda and, in doing so, prepared me well to write my own licentiate thesis on the establishment of mental health care in Rwanda.  Moreover, upon completing his studies in July 1979, he was due to fly to Kigali with me.  For him, a period of study had come to an end; for me, a three-month introductory placement was beginning at our Caraes psychiatric centre in Ndera, near Kigali, where the Brothers of Charity had, as true pioneers, begun providing shelter and care for the mentally ill from 1968 onwards.  We were to travel on together to Bujumbura, where the provincial house was then based, and where Bro. Dominique received his appointment from the Provincial Superior to become a teacher at our teacher-training college in Zaza, Rwanda.

As a fellow Brother, Dominique also became my faithful walking companion, with whom I would go exploring in Leuven almost every Sunday afternoon, returning to our convent via a new route to explore after attending the Vespers at Keizersberg Abbey.  We certainly had to keep up a brisk pace, for with his height he was always a few paces ahead, and I had to hurry to keep up with him.  We were, therefore, often the subject of curious glances: a tall, stately, slender African followed by a young white man who struggled to keep up with him.  He was already in his forties, and I was still in my early twenties, but that did not prevent us from becoming true friends.  ‘Camerade’ – how often did I hear him use that term of address.

Bro. Dominique with Bro. René Stockman in Bujumbura, August 1979

In the community, he was a sociable Brother, rather quiet when not spoken to, but always ready to help whenever someone needed assistance.  During conversations, he was a master at answering questions with further questions.  Until one of us was exhausted and had to give up.  It was his way of bringing joy to the community.  He took his studies very seriously and was grateful that the Congregation had given him the opportunity to continue his studies in a subject that would also allow him to gain greater religious depth.  For during our walks, the conversations we had  were by no means trivial.  Without any pretence on his part, he offered a glimpse into his spiritual life and, in a subtle way, guided me to grow spiritually as well.  During those two years, he became my informal spiritual guide.  As a parting gift, he left me his French-language Bible, which I still keep and use, and in which he wrote as his final message: “To you, the joy of the Lord who unites us, 28 June 1979.  Brother Ferdinand Dominique”.  He himself had received this Bible as a gift on 1 February 1964 on the occasion of his perpetual vows.

But who was this Rwandan Brother of Charity, the first I had the privilege of meeting and whom I would never forget?  Whenever we asked about his birthday, as always, we never received a clear answer, so we simply decided to celebrate him sometime over a weekend in November.  For he knew only that he had been born during the month of November 1935; the exact day was unknown to him, and a random date had simply been entered on his passport.  From his home village of Kabaga, he had ended up at the Brothers of Charity school in Butare, where he had been impressed by the charisma of the congregation.  They had only very recently resumed the formation of local brothers, and he was among the first to put himself forward as a candidate and to continue his studies as a junior at the Groupe scolaire in Butare.  On 1 August 1957, he was admitted to the postulancy, for which he had to travel to Bujumbura, where the congregation’s novitiate for both Rwanda and Burundi was based.  At that time, Rwanda and Burundi were still a single entity under the Belgian protectorate.  At his oblation on 1 February 1958, Dominique Munyurangabo received the religious name ‘Ferdinand’ and was able to make his first profession a year later. He was one of the first group of Rwandan brothers who would henceforth join the ranks of the congregation.

After a further six months of preparation, he was allowed to return to Rwanda on 26 August 1959 to teach at his former school, first in the seventh preparatory year and then in the first year of the secondary school.  There he was recognised as a dedicated teacher, a brother who prepared his lessons with great care, excelled in punctuality and courtesy, and also managed to live harmoniously within a community composed almost exclusively of missionary brothers from Europe.  For some of the other young local brothers, the adjustment proved rather difficult, partly due to the fact that some white brothers continued to treat their indigenous confreres more as former pupils than as full-fledged fellow brothers.  But Brother Ferdinand was truly an exception in this regard; he would never voice a complaint about it, but rather, through his respect for everyone, he also won the sympathy of his former teachers. One of these Brothers later testified to how struck he was by the way Brother Ferdinand would bow respectfully at every encounter and address everyone kindly.  His tall stature gave him a natural authority among the students, as did the way in which he treated them – gently yet firmly.

On 2 February 1964, he was allowed to take his perpetual vows, and arrangements were made to give him the opportunity to pursue further studies. To this end, he returned to Bujumbura in August 1967 to attend the higher teacher training college, and after a year he was appointed to teach at our technical school in Bujumbura.  But this was only short-lived, as a request came from Butare for Brother Ferdinand to return to teach on the “Tronc commun” programme.  His superiors had noticed his religious devotion, as well as his ability to reason and discuss religious matters in depth. There was a need for sound religious education teachers, and so Brother Ferdinand, who had now resumed again his baptismal name, Dominique, was proposed to go to Belgium to study theology.  He later recounted how, on 11 November 1971, he landed at Zaventem, dressed only in his African clothes, and was met by bitter cold.  He would no doubt have exclaimed his well-known catchphrase ‘Tonnerre’, or perhaps even ‘mille tonnerres’.  From our student house in Leuven, he prepared to undertake his licentiate studies, first in Eegenhove and later in Brussels at the ‘Institut de Philosophie et Théologie’.   At first he was there with his fellow brother from Bujumbura, Br. Vianney Ciza, who, however, returned to his homeland earlier, and so Br. Dominique remained the only Rwandan brother in Leuven, commuting by train to Brussels on Sunday evenings to continue his studies there.  In the community, he did not mind that most people spoke Dutch and only rarely French, which might not always have been the case for others.  But I was delighted, whenever he stayed with us at the weekend, to be able to dust off my  broken French, to which he would always make subtle corrections that really helped me improve.  And so he became my ‘camerade’, linguistically, spiritually and, above all, on a human level.  He was always even-tempered, always equally friendly to everyone, always punctually present at prayer times and so often walking through the cloister corridors with a spiritual book in his hand.  For walking was his hobby.

After his return to Rwanda, he was appointed as a religious education teacher at our teacher-training college in Zaza and subsequently at the Groupe scolaire in Butare, where he also became responsible for the guidance of the young brothers.  These were the finest years of his apostolic work, during which he was able to share his extensive knowledge and, above all, his wisdom of life with many.   Within the community, he was a much-loved figure and was in his element whenever a philosophical or theological topic was broached.  No one could match him in this regard, yet he discussed such matters without ever showing off the depth of knowledge he had acquired over the years.  He did, however, ensure that the convent  library was stocked with recent works, many of which are still preserved to this day and bear witness to our brother’s great erudition.  He was also fond of the great French writers and could effortlessly recite lengthy quotations from them; nor did the history of Rwandan culture, as elaborated by Abbé Alexis Kagame, hold any secrets for him. Truly a man who was able to develop his talents in many ways, without ever compromising his simplicity and approachability.  In Zaza, an agricultural project had also been set up by Bro. Albert Vandikkelen, in which simple lads were taught the ins and outs of new farming techniques.  Bro. Dominique suggested giving these lads religious instruction three times a week.  No, he did not need to bombard these young people with high-flown theology, but simply to open their hearts to God in a straightforward way.  And he did so brilliantly, so that these simple young people looked forward to the day when Brother Dominique would come by to teach them.  The ‘professor’ from the teacher-training college who took the time to spend time with these simple young people: this bore witness once again to his deep religious disposition, to the charism of charity that he carried within him as a Brother of Charity.  Or, to put it in the words of Bro. Albert Vandikkelen himself, as he expressed it in a letter dated 15 March 1997: “Bro. Dominique, the greatest of the teaching staff, whom everyone looked up to, is also going to teach those little farmers.  Yes, Br. Dominique was great enough – and, as a religious, great enough to work for the common man”.

In 1991, a new assignment awaited him, this time in Gatagara, where he became the head of studies and would also continue to teach religious education.  It was a completely new environment for him, this time working with young people with physical disabilities, whilst also holding a leadership role for both the teachers and the pupils.  He did not spell it out in so many words, but always with that punctuality that was so characteristic of him and which also encouraged others to become more punctual themselves.  His days were full, for at the Home de la Vierge des Pauvres there were never any holidays, as many pupils remained at the boarding school during the school holidays to continue their rehabilitation.  Brother Dominique was happy to be able to settle into this new environment and to get to know this congregation’s unique apostolate better.  His only relaxation came from the long walks he took in the surrounding area, which soon made him a familiar sight on the hill of Gatagara.

And then came 6 April 1994, when he set off for Zaza together with Br. Emile Nibigira from Butare and Br. Anselm Harimenshi from Bujumbura, to celebrate his good friend Brother Albert’s golden jubilee the following day.  Due to the crisis situation that had arisen in Rwanda following the downing of the aeroplane in which both the President of Rwanda and that of Burundi were killed, the three brothers found themselves stranded in Rwamagana, a branch of Gatagara where people with physical disabilities ran a sewing workshop and lived and worked there.  It was a time of anxious waiting to see what would happen next, and so the three brothers decided to remain where they were until they could eventually return to their convent.  But on 14 April, armed soldiers stormed their quarters, and Bro. Dominique, the only Tutsi among them, was asked,  together with Goretti, the centre’s director who was present and had hidden a Tutsi woman in her room, to go out into the courtyard.  Brother Dominique knew that his hour had come, and, rosary in hand, he meekly followed the soldier who was escorting them.  He gave his watch to one of his fellow Brothers, asking him to deliver it to his family.  It was the only thing he could still give away.  The two fellow Brothers had to watch helplessly as Brother Dominique disappeared into the courtyard before their very eyes until they heard several shots.  Once the soldiers had left, the Brothers dared to enter the courtyard themselves to give both Bro. Dominique and Goretti a temporary burial.  One of the Brothers then recalled the words Bro. Dominique had once spoken: “When I die, I do not want any speeches to be made about me, and certainly no ceremonies”.  It was as though his wish had been fulfilled in a most unexpected way.

When the news spread throughout the Congregation that Bro. Dominique had been murdered, there was great dismay. A Brother who had never been involved in any form of politics, who had never harmed anyone but had lived solely to teach others and help them on their way, had fallen victim to a brutal murder.  When the soldier who had killed Bro. Dominique later learnt that it was a Brother he had murdered, and also learnt more about him, he came to apologise to the superior of the Brothers … but the damage had already been done.

Brother Dominique was later buried in the courtyard of the Rwamagana institute, and a memorial stone was erected in his honour.  However, his remains were recently transferred to the new memorial to the genocide against the Tutsis, which was established in Rwamagana.  He rests there alongside the many others who fell victim to this brutal ethnic cleansing.

Brother Dominique Munyurangabo was a truly exemplary religious who, as a Brother of Charity within the congregation, distinguished himself through his authentically deep spiritual life.  He shared the richness of this spiritual life with many: with his fellow brothers, with the many pupils he taught and guided, and with the staff he led with a gentle hand.  He never engaged in any form of ethnic discrimination and saw in everyone his brother and sister in the Lord.  He died an innocent death, and in the brief moment he was given to face his death, he demonstrated, as if in a summary, the depth of his faithful surrender and unconditional trust in the Lord.  To quote the words of St Teresa of Lisieux, he entered into Life, with a serene smile on his lips and his rosary in his hand.

How grateful I am to have known this fellow brother, to have lived with him and, above all, to have enjoyed his wisdom and his affectionate friendship.  I hope to meet him again in heaven so that we may continue our profound conversations with deep mutual affection.

Bro. René Stockman
Brother of Charity
August 3rd 2026

Brother Dominique as a young brother, digitally restored.