Rwandan Genocide Survivor Rev. Marcel Uwineza, S.J., to Speak at Fairfield University On the Power of Forgiveness, April 7
April 7 is an International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Thirty-one years ago, more than one million children, women, and men were killed during 100 days of horror. On this day of remembrance and reflection, Rev. Marcel Uwineza, S.J., a Boston College graduate and survivor of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, will offer a lecture at Fairfield University on the power of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Rev. Marcel Uwineza, S.J., a survivor of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and a graduate of Boston College, will present a 7 p.m. lecture titled “Healing a Wounded World: The Miracle of Forgiveness and Sowing the Yeast of Leadership" at Fairfield University on Monday, April 7, 2025.
The United Nations General Assembly established April 7 as the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda in 2003. In 1994, the date of April 7 marked the beginning of the genocide in Rwanda of the Tutsi minority by the Hutu extremist-led government. In a matter of approximately 100 days, more than 1 million Tutsi were systematically murdered, as were moderate Hutu and others who opposed the massacre.
Fr. Uwineza was a young teen at the time. In his 2022 book, Risen from the Ashes: Theology as Autobiography, he offers personal testimony to the atrocities faced by his family and community. He tells the story of his journey to the Jesuit priesthood and his desire to be an instrument of mercy, forgiveness, and reconciliation — acting as “a living bridge between the wounded in Rwanda and those who did the wounding.”
After hearing Fr. Uwineza speak last year, Rev. Paul Rourke, S.J., vice president of mission and ministry, was inspired to invite him to share his story with the Fairfield community. “I have never heard anyone speak more powerfully and convincingly than Fr. Uwineza on the power of forgiveness and reconciliation,” said Fr. Rourke. “His ability to forgive and be reconciled with the ones who murdered his own family speaks more eloquently than any theological argument could to the truth and redemptive action of the Crucified Christ.”
Rev. Marcel Uwineza, S.J., is a Jesuit priest and university lecturer. He holds a PhD in systematic theology from Boston College. He also holds an MBA in leadership and management from York St. John University in the United Kingdom. He is currently the president of Hekima University College in Nairobi, Kenya.
In addition to Risen from the Ashes, Fr. Uwineza is the author of Reinventing Theology in Post-Genocide Rwanda: Challenges and Hopes (2023). A forthcoming book, Healing a Wounded People: A Theology for a Divided World, is scheduled for release later this year.
Among his public addresses, Fr. Uwineza spoke to the United Nations General Assembly on April 12, 2019, in remarks titled “25 Years After the Genocide in Rwanda: A Testimony.” Last year, he offered the plenary address to global leaders of Jesuit colleges and universities at the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities’ Assembly 2024 Conference in Chicago, Illinois.
Presented by Fairfield University’s Office for Mission & Ministry, this event is free and open to the public, and will take place in the Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J. Center Presentation Room, 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield, CT 06824. A 6 p.m. reception will precede Fr. Uwineza’s lecture. Space is limited; please register to attend at fairfield.edu/events. Those unable to attend in person can register to join virtually via livestream.
