Matana Diocese, south of Burundi’s capital Bujumbura, was first created in 1990 and is currently led by Archbishop Bernard Ntahoturi.
As with CMS Ireland’s other partner in Burundi, Gitega Diocese, the church now faces the challenge of helping a community rebuild after more than 40 years of bitter ethnic conflict.
The Diocese has put the training of leaders, who will be equipped to pursue reconciliation and share the love of Christ, at the top of its agenda. Therefore in recent years, as we have sought to build lasting partnerships with the local church, CMS Ireland has also made this issue our priority in Matana.
Matana is the home of the Provincial Theological Institute where students are trained for ordination, and also a Bible School for training Church Workers (called Catechists).
Matana Bible School was recently refurbished as a result of CMS Ireland’s Annual Project, ‘Shine’. This project, supported predominantly by children and young people from Ireland, raised almost £40,000 to invest in local leadership in Matana and Gitega.
Also supported by ‘Shine’ was the diocesan Theological Education by Extension (TEE) programme. Through TEE local leaders are trained and supported to work in their own communities – finding ways to effectively share the love of Christ in their everyday situations. TEE was established in Matana in 1995/96 and has continued to grow in significance as the Church seeks new ways of living out the transformational message of Christ to the communities in which it ministers. CMS Ireland supports this vital work on an ongoing basis.
The Diocese has 28 parishes with an incredible 256 sub parishes and less than 20 ordained clergy. The importance of nurturing leaders couldn’t be clearer.
In a post conflict environment the role of education has assumed massive significance. At present there is a government run secondary school at Matana where students are taught up to University entrance level – but the need for education continues to grow and CMS Ireland, working in conjunction with Lambeth Palace and the Anglican Province of Burundi, have sourced €500,000 from Irish Aid to aid the reconstruction and rehabilitation of schools which were destroyed during the civil war. Two of these schools are in Matana Diocese.
