Page 98 - BISHOP O'DOWD YB SAMPLE

39

§ t f ■■■■.

- - v ..
s^era

Immaculee Ilibagiza speaks to the student body about the power of faith and forgiveness.

■AT; ■
: '. . . r . - «

Bishop O’Dowd’s “One Book, One

Community” reading choice this past

summer was Left to Tell, written by

Immaculee Ilibagiza. In this book, she Alex Espos, Rayna Stewart, Chloe Gregori, Echelle Bums,

shares her experiences during the Rwandan I Olivia Seideman, Alexandra Martoglio, and Lauren Russo

genocide that erupted in 1994. Almost one I are very excited to welcome Immaculee to their campus.

million Rwandans were killed during this an — ■

tragic period. Sadly, Immaculee lost most • r / .
m
a . m .
of her family and friends. But by God’s ;-v ~y 2 ■ > \ ’A

grace, she survived by hiding in a very

small bathroom with seven other women

for 90 days. Students and faculty read her

message of peace, love, and the powers of

faith and forgiveness. The school

community was further blessed when D

■>'>
Immaculee came to speak. She said that

God allowed her to forgive the people who

had killed her family, inspiring members of A :>•

the O’Dowd community to forgive people

Immaculee

was so special, and this was truly a once in

a lifetime opportunity.