Father Jean Bosco Ntawugashira was pastor of Holy Angels, St. Rita parishes

By Sean Gallagher

Marianhill Missionary Father Jean Bosco Ntawugashira, pastor of Holy Angels and St. Rita parishes, both in Indianapolis, died of cancer on Dec. 27, surrounded by his loved ones at his family’s home in his native Rwanda in eastern Africa. He was 51.

At the time of his death, he had served as pastor of Holy Angels and St. Rita for two years.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Jan. 6 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Fatima in Ruhengeri, Rwanda, Father Jean Bosco’s hometown. Bishop Vincent Harolimana, the shepherd of the Ruhengeri Diocese, was the principal celebrant of the Mass. Burial followed in a cemetery adjacent to the cathedral.

Archbishop Charles C. Thompson wrote a letter about Father Jean Bosco to the late priest’s family that was read aloud at his funeral.

In it, Archbishop Thompson described Father Jean Bosco as “an incredibly decent, dedicated, holy, wise and gracious priest” whose “priestly life and ministry were rooted in prayer, God’s holy word and the grace of the sacraments.”

Father Jean Bosco’s faith was evident, Archbishop Thompson explained in the letter, in how he faced the cancer that eventually took his life.

“He impressed many people, including his own health care team, by his profound faith and courage throughout his battle with cancer. He never gave up. He refused to give in. His mind and his heart remained fixed on Jesus Christ, his Lord and Savior.”

Noting his priestly ministry in the archdiocese, Archbishop Thompson noted that Father Jean Bosco “served with great distinction, representing his family, nation and the Marianhill Missionaries with great honor and devotion. The Archdiocese of Indianapolis was deeply blessed by his presence and witness of priestly ministry.”

Father Jean Bosco was born on Dec. 31, 1972, in Rwanda. He professed first vows as a member of the Congregation of the Missionaries of Marianhill on Feb. 2, 2002, and final vows on May 1, 2005. Father Jean Bosco was ordained a priest on Feb. 18, 2006.

He earned a diploma in sciences at the St. John Minor Seminary in Rwanda in 1994, a diploma in philosophy and religious studies at the

St. Augustine Philosophical College in Zambia in 1999, a bachelor’s degree in theology at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome in 2005 and a master’s degree in applied ethics at the University of Zambia in 2015.

For 10 years after his ordination in 2006, Father Jean Bosco served in Zambia in a parish, in youth ministry, as provincial treasurer in his religious community and as a lecturer in ethics at the St. Bonaventure University College.

From 2016-2022, Father Jean Bosco ministered in Rome at the offices of his religious community as its treasurer general, legal representative and as a house vice superior.

Starting in 2022 and until his death, Father Jean Bosco served in the archdiocese as pastor of Holy Angels and St. Rita parishes. †