Immaculée Ilibagiza, Author and Rwandan Genocide Survivor to Speak at Saint Mary's

What: Immaculée Ilibagiza, a Tutsi survivor of the brutal 1994 Rwandan genocide, and author of the New York Times best seller “Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust” will present a free lecture entitled “Faith and Forgiveness: Surviving the Rwandan Genocide” at Saint Mary’s College on November 1, 2011 at 7 p.m.

Three out of every four Tutsis died in Rwanda’s killing fields seventeen years ago. In just over three months, 800,000 Tutsis — Rwanda’s minority tribe — were slaughtered by members of the majority Hutu tribe. To escape the carnage, Ilibagiza and seven other women hid silently for 91 days in a tiny bathroom in a pastor’s house, where she relied on prayer, a set of rosary beads and her faith to survive. 

Her lecture at Saint Mary’s will address the power of forgiveness and prayer, as it was through both that she found a way to pardon the people who tormented her and murdered her mother, father, and two brothers.

When:  7 - 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011

Where: Soda Activity Center, Saint Mary’s College of California  1928 St. Mary’s Road, Moraga, CA 94556

Cost: Free, but RSVP required.

Background: Immaculée Ilibagiza’s “Faith and Forgiveness” lecture is presented by Saint Mary’s Catholic Institute for Lasallian Social Action (CILSA). For more information contact Ryan Lamberton at 925-631-4015 or by email at rml4@stmarys-ca.edu.