BUJUMBURA December 28th (ABP) – The President of the Republic of Burundi, Mr. Evariste Ndayishimiye, along with his family and high personalities of the country, honored with his presence, on Monday, December 27, 2021, the opening mass of the Thanksgiving prayer at the national level, celebrated at the Marian shrine of Mont Sion Gikungu in the Bujumbura City Council, a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
The President of the Republic indicated that the objective of the prayer is to announce the opening of a crusade at the end of the year 2021 in order to thank the Almighty for all the activities accomplished during this year and for the protection of the country and the population. The President of the Republic Evariste Ndayishimiye called on the people of Burundi to respect and believe in God the Almighty who has protected Burundi in hard times that it has gone through, to remain in peace and security.
He took the opportunity to ask God to be with the Christians during that five-day crusade, while asking the intercession of the Holy Spirit so that he can give the preachers good and suitable teachings to pass on the people of Burundi.
The Archbishop of Bujumbura Mgr. Gervais Banshimiyubusa thanked the Head of State for his speech he addressed to the Christians present in the mass, recalling that this prayer is one of the two prayers reserved for the Burundian nation each year in order to thank the Almighty and which is prepared by the family of the President of the Republic of Burundi.
Mgr. Banshimiyubusa addressed his thanks to the President of the Republic for the fact that this crusade will take place in Bujumbura so that the inhabitants of the economic capital are with them to share the joy.
Taking into account the biblical passage taken from Luke verse 12; The Archbishop of Bujumbura said Christians are servants God has put on earth to save it. He recalled that this act of thanks is of paramount importance on the part of believers. “It shows that we believe in Almighty God and that before God no one is great, we remain as servants,” he said. He also pointed out that Christians should thank God for the results of good deeds and for not being hypocrites. He thanked the Burundi Head of State for sensitizing the people of Burundi to love labor and especially the efforts he provides to encourage Burundi youth to be innovators and entrepreneurs in order to overcome unemployment. The Archbishop of Bujumbura called on the people to pray for the good health of the Burundi Head of State and to work for the benefit of the entire Burundian population.
The parish priest of the Marian shrine of Mont Sion Gikungu, Herménegilde Icoyitungiye, commended the decision of the Head of State to begin this end-of-year prayer at the Marian shrine and gave a gift to the Head of State as a sign of thanks indicating that it is an honor for them to share the prayer with the Head of State.