Marie-Clémentine Anuarite

Sister Marie-Clémentine's religious life unfolded within the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family (Jamaa Takatifu). This religious institute of diocesan right was founded on April 27, 1936, by Bishop Camille Verfaillie, SCJ, then Vicar Apostolic of Stanley Falls (Kisangani), at the Bafwabaka mission. The congregation's primary mission is the upliftment and salvation of families, the education of children, catechesis, and assistance to the sick and the elderly. At the Bafwabaka convent, Sister Marie-Clémentine carried out her tasks with great humility, constant joy, and a remarkable spirit of service. She worked successively as a sacristan, assistant cook, and teacher at the mission's primary school. In 1961, she obtained her teaching diploma (monitrice) and dedicated herself fully to the education of children and the supervision of the mission's boarders. She also cared for abandoned elderly people and led teams of the 'Xavéri' youth movement. Her personal motto, 'To serve and to please,' summarizes her daily commitment to her community and the local populations.

In 1964, the Democratic Republic of the Congo was plunged into a violent civil war. The Simba (the "Lions") rebellion, of Maoist inspiration, spread through the east and northeast of the country, targeting Christian institutions and religious figures, who were perceived as accomplices of Western powers. On November 29, 1964, a group of Simba rebels burst into the Bafwabaka convent. Under the pretext of protecting them, the soldiers forced the 46 nuns of the community (including professed sisters, novices, and postulants) to board a truck. Sister Marie-Clémentine refused to leave her sisters and insisted on leaving with them, declaring: "If we must die, let us die together." The nuns were taken to Isiro and housed in a residence known as the "Blue House." During the night of November 30 to December 1, 1964, the rebel leaders, notably Colonel Ngalo and Colonel Pierre Olombe, attempted to abuse the nuns. Colonel Ngalo demanded to take Sister Marie-Clémentine as his wife. Faced with her categorical refusal, Colonel Pierre Olombe attempted in turn to rape her and force her through violence. Sister Marie-Clémentine fiercely defended her consecrated chastity and her vow of virginity, stating: "I would rather die than sin." Furious at her resistance, Colonel Olombe beat her, tortured her cruelly, and pierced her with bayonet wounds. Sister Marie-Clémentine collapsed under the violence of the assault. Before succumbing to her wounds, finished off by a gunshot in the night of December 1, 1964, around 1:00 AM, she found the strength to forgive her executioner by uttering these words inspired by Christ on the cross: "I forgive you, because you do not know what you are doing." She died at the age of 24.

The beatification process for Sister Marie-Clémentine Anuarite Nengapeta was opened shortly after her death due to the certainty of her martyrdom in defensum castitatis (in defense of chastity). On August 15, 1985, during his second pastoral visit to Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), Pope John Paul II celebrated the beatification mass of Marie-Clémentine Anuarite in Kinshasa before a vast crowd. She thus became the first Congolese woman and the first woman of the Bantu ethnic group to be raised to the altars. An extraordinary event marked this ceremony: Colonel Pierre Olombe, the nun's murderer, who had been sentenced to death and then pardoned after spending several years in prison, had converted and was present in the crowd. Having asked for forgiveness from Anuarite's family, he attended the beatification alongside the martyr's parents. During the homily, Pope John Paul II solemnly declared: 'And I myself, in the name of the whole Church, forgive with all my heart.' In February 2023, during Pope Francis's visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Archbishop Marcel Utembi Tapa of Kisangani and president of the National Episcopal Conference of the Congo (CENCO), officially presented to the Holy Father a petition to obtain the canonization of Blessed Marie-Clémentine Anuarite Nengapeta and Blessed Isidore Bakanja.

The spirituality of Blessed Marie-Clémentine Anuarite is based on evangelical simplicity, joyful obedience, and deep Marian devotion. Her entire life was guided by the desire to please God alone through the humblest tasks of community life. Her martyrdom is the crowning achievement of an absolute fidelity to her religious vows and a heroic love capable of forgiving her own executioners. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Blessed Anuarite is a major national figure, a symbol of the dignity of women, resistance to violence, and national reconciliation. She is the patron saint of the Congolese Catholic youth movement 'Kizito-Anuarite' (KA), which trains young girls in the example of her faith and courage. Her liturgical feast is celebrated on December 1st, the anniversary of her martyrdom. Each year, significant pilgrimages are organized in Isiro, at the site of her martyrdom (which has become a national sanctuary), as well as in Wamba and Bafwabaka. In December 2024, the Church of the DRC fervently celebrated the 60th anniversary of her martyrdom, an occasion during which Pope Francis granted a plenary indulgence to the faithful of the country.