wine at the bishop's

Towards the end of my mission, I had been in Kigali for some reason…I think I was on my way back to Gisenyi from Kibeho. I rode with Sr. Lumiere, who was driving. We had a really fun journey – she’s one of those people who asks good questions and gives really energetic and detailed responses when you ask her a good question. So we had been happily chatting, and we soon approached Gisenyi. She all of a sudden says, “I wonder if Monseigneur is home. It had been a very long time since we last spoke. I think I should greet him.” I asked for a bit more clarification, and she said that the bishop of Nyundo (the diocese that Gisenyi is part of) knows her very well since she was one of the original Sisters who started up the mission in Gisenyi back in 2001, before the Sisters even broke ground to build the school that I currently work in. She felt that it was only right to stop in and say hi to him, since he is such a good friend of the Sisters, and it has been such a long time. Well, she calls him up, and he of course is overjoyed to hear that she’s in the area, and of course she should stop by!


So, up we go. The cathedral is waaaay up this hill, and the bishop’s residence is also there. Its super rocky, uneven, and twisty-turney. But we finally made it. I got to poke my head inside the cathedral, which was actually on my list of places to see before I go home. It looks a lot like Muhato – long rows of benches instead of pews, colored flags hanging on the walls and across the aisles, very high ceilings with colored glass windows at the peaks. We then walked around aimlessly for a few minutes trying to find which door was the door the the bishop’s house. We eventually found him, and he welcomed us into his sitting room, where he was visiting with another priest.

Bishop Alexi Habyarimana is perfectly Rwandan – very jolly, very welcoming, and bubbling over with smiles and happiness. He’s a very big man, and I had never met a bishop before. I wasn’t sure how you’re supposed to greet a bishop…I think you normally kiss his ring, if he is in the full bishop vesture. But he was just in casual dress, and I followed Sr. Lumiere’s lead. She gave him a big hug, so I greeted him in the same manner – it felt as if I had also known him for years and was seeing him again after a long time, just like Sr. Lumiere! He offered me some wine, but I was really hoping he’d ask Sr. Lumiere first what she’d have so that I could just accept whatever she took. But wine is pretty fancy…I’ve only had it on a few occasions…but, this was the bishop’s house, so I guess this is a special occasion just by circumstance…what to say, what to say…as I deliberated, he caught my indecision. He was speaking a mixture of French and English with me, it was obvious that his English was quite good, and he persuaded me to have some wine. So I caved and accepted. The only kind of wine I’ve ever had in Rwanda is Drosdy-Hoff, a Franzia-like wine that comes in a box. That was what the bishop had, so he gave me an empty glass, placed the box on the little table in front of me, and told me to serve myself. The others proceeded with their conversation. Well, I had a bit of difficulty with the spout protruding from the box, but it eventually started releasing a small stream of wine into my glass. A very small stream. Little did I know, but the rest of this small stream was dripping out of this spout, around the outside of the box, onto the WHITE tablecloth. Fantastic! I’m soiling the bishop’s white linens!

Finally, Sr. Lumiere, the priest, and the bishop notice that I’m having trouble. I apologized like crazy for the damages, but he was so chipper and cheerful about the whole thing! He said “no problem, no problem, someone will come to clean it up.” And didn’t even get up out of his chair, just kind of brushed it off. Sr. Lumiere responded similarly by just laughing and saying “oh no, I see you are spilling,” and helped me fix the spout so it was fully out of the box (apparently that was the problem, it wasn’t pulled out far enough). Monseigneur gave me a new empty glass (mine had wine all around the outside of it too), and told me to have some more. I politely declined, stating that I can just finish what was in my original glass. Sr. Lumiere says, “You are traumatized? Have some more!” And of course, the bishop persuaded some more. So it was impossible to not have more wine! Oh Rwandan hospitality, how I love you.

After a few minutes, a cheerful, smiling nun came in with a bucket. She mopped up the wine mess that was on the table and floor, and took away the dirty white linen to wash it. You’d think she was coming in the room to pick up puppies she was so joyful! But no, just cleaning up the red wine mess I had made of the bishop’s white tablecloth. There’s something I never thought I’d do…