Catherine Booth ni umukobwa w’imfura wa William Booth (washinze itorero Armée du Salut). Amaze kugira imyaka 23, abana bo mu mugi wa Paris mu gihugu cy’u Bufaransa bamwise Marishali ubwo yari amaze gutangiza umurimo mu itorero rya Armée du Salut mu gihugu cy’u Bufaransa muri Gashyantare 1881.

Muw’1882, yinjiye mu gihugu cy’Ubusuwisi ajya gutangizayo umurimo w’Imana. Yamaze imyaka 14 ayoboye itorero Armée du Salut mu gihugu cy’u Bufaransa no mu Busuwisi afatanije na Arthur Sydney Clibborn barushinganye muw’1887, ubu bafitanye abana 10. Nyuma yo gukorera Imana mu bihugu bitandukanye, yitabye Imana afite imyaka 97. Catherine Booth yaravuze ati:"Ubukristo ni ubutwari”. Ibi yabivugishwaga n’ibyo yanyuzemo. Gushinyagurirwa, iterabwoba, ibiboko, gusenyerwa amazu n’ibintu, ibisebe byica, nta na kimwe kitageze ku batangije itorero Armée du Salut mu gihugu cy’Ubufaransa ndetse no mu Busuwisi.

Mu mwaka w’1883, Catherine yafunzwe iminsi 10 mu mugi wa Neuchâtel aregwa ko yateje akaduruvayo, ariko abacamanza baza kumusubiza uburenganzira bwe. Mbega ibigeragezo! Ibi byabaye mu gihe yagombaga guhura n’umuyobozi w’umuhanga wo mu mugi wa Gasparin ari kumwe n’inteko y’abanyamakuru bose bari bafite impapuro zimurega kandi batumvaga imikorere ye na hato. Batangiye kumuburanisha bambaye imyambaro y’abacamanza, mu gihe aba bakobwa bo bari bashize amanga yo kubwiriza ubutumwa bwiza n’ubwo hari amabwiriza ya giririkare ndetse barashyizeho n’ibyapa bibabuza. Madamu Booth yandikiye umukobwa we ubwo yari muri kasho ati: "Uzabona ko ibyo uri kubabazwa bizagirira umumaro umurimo wacu twatangije mu gihugu cy’u Busuwisi".

Hashize imyaka 75 (mu mwaka w’1958), guverinoma y’Ubusuwisi yemeje ku mugaragaro umurimo wagezweho n’itorero Armée du Salut muri icyo gihugu. Iyo guverinoma yashyize umukono ku mpapuro zari zifite umutwe ugira uti:"Aleluya". Komande y’izo nyandiko yahise yiyongera maze basaba ko basohora impapuro 4000 mu gihe bari basanzwe basohora 1000.

Catherine yarekeye abayoboke b’itorero izo mpapuro, abato n’abakuru, bari bafite umugambi wo kurwanya ubukene n’ibyaha. Turaza kubonamo bamwe. Nk’uko yabibonaga mu Bufaransa no mu Busuwisi mu mpera z’ikinyejana cya 19, yanditse agira atya ati:"Biteye ubwoba kubona nta shyaka abakozi b’Imana bo muri iki kinyejana bafite. Bajya mu rusengero, basoma Bibiliya, basengera ibyifuzo byabo, bararirimba, banezererwa Imana. Ariko iyo bigeze ku kurwana intambara hagati y’umwijima n’umucyo, hagati y’ubutware bw’umwijima n’ijuru, usanga ntacyo bibabwiye.

Muri rusange, usanga abakristo nta gitekerezo nk’iki bafite, ndetse usanga abana b’Imana batabishyira muri gahunda zabo." " Buri gihe mbona neza uburyo umwanzi ashaka kutunyaga umuhamagaro wacu. Uko turushaho kuganira ku Mana, twubakana mu gusenga, twitegereza Imana, dusenga n’ibindi, ni ko umwanzi arushaho kubura aho apfumurira. Ariko iyo igihe cyo kumugabaho igitero kigeze, igihe cyo kwigira imbere, igihe abona hari icyo ari butakaze, uburakari bwe burushaho kwiyongera maze akaturwanya yivuye inyuma. Mbese umuksrito ntiyagombye guhora mu ntambara nk’iyi? Twahamagariwe kwikorera umusaraba wacu maze tukanyura mu nzira y’uwatanze ubugingo bwe ku bwacu."

Muw’1865, ni bwo babazaga William Booth watangije Armée du Salut aho azakura abayoboke. Yarabashubije ati: "Nzabakura mu tubari no no mu maresitora". Nyuma y’igihe gito ageze mu gihugu cy’Ubufaransa, umukobwa we Catherine yiyumvisemo umuhamagaro hamwe na bagenzi be bariri, umwe muri bo yari afite gitari, maze binjira muri imwe mu maresitora akomeye yo mu Bufaransa. Yaboneje aho umukuru wayo yari yicaye maze amusaba uburenganzira bwo kuririmba. Mu gihe yari ari kumusogongeza kuri iyo ndirimbo yahimbanywe ubuhanga n’umwuka w’Imana, abari aho bose baracecetse. Ibyari bikubiye muri iyo ndirimbo byari bisanzwe, kandi byari ibi ngo:

"Mu ijuru ni igihugu cyanjye cyiza,

Hariyo abamarayika.

Umusirikare urwana kandi agasenga

Azabayo nawe".

Kugira ngo yubake urufatiro rukomeye, Catherine yahise ashyiraho ibigo bitoza ingabo, ni ukuvuga abasore n’abakobwa. Nyuma yo guhabwa amahugurwa y’amezi abiri mu Bufaransa ndetse no mu Busuwisi, bahise binjira mu murimo. Aya mashuli yari yoroheje haba ku bijyanye n’ibikoresho cyangwa amasomo yahatangirwaga. Buri wese yahigaga ku mpamvu imwe rukumbi: kwinjiza abamisiyoneri mu mugambi nyawo kandi w’umuntu ku giti cye bahamagarirwa n’Umwami wabo Yesu Kristo.

Catherine yabashshikazaga agira ati: "Ku bijyanye n’ubuzima bwanyu bwa gikristo, murasabwa gukiranuka gusa, mugakizwa ku kibi cyose, atari ku binyoma, kwiba cyangwa umujinya gusa, ahubwo mwihane n’irari, ishyari, gusharira, isoni, kunegurana, kwikunda, n’ibindi bisa bityo. Ntimwabasha kurwanya icyaha ngo mukineshe mu gihe kikiboneka muri mwe. Mumara kwezwa, mugomba no kubatizwa mu Mwuka Wera. Buri wese wo muri mwe nashakishe uwo mubatizo n’ayo mavuta aturuka ku Mana mbere yo gutangira urugamba". 

Bavuye muri aya mahugurwa, bari bamaze guhindurwa batabasha guterwa ubwoba n’umwanzi. Rimwe na rimwe babamburaga utunyamakuru twabo twitwaga "En Avant" (Reba imbere), bameneshaga abacuranzi babo, bakabirukankana n’amabuye, bakababeshyera ibibi babatera ubwoba. Bakomeje kuvuga ubutumwa babikuye ku mutima. Hari igihe bahuraga n’abanzi barakaye cyane, ariko nyuma bakaza gufatwa n’imbaraga z’Imana bagakizwa, bagatangira kwamamaza ibyishimo bisabye imitima yabo. Muri abo bakizwaga hari n’abahitaga baba ingabo.

 Muw’1895, Catherine yanditse igitabo cyasohotse mu bice bibiri cyitwa "Miracles" (Ibitangaza). Yavuzemo abantu bagera muri mirongo bakize indwara z’umubiri ndetse n’iz’ubugingo. Abana b’ibirara, abamaraya, ari nabo baje gushyirirwaho ibigo bitatu byo kurererwamo, abasinzi, abasambanyi, inzererezi, abapfakazi, abatagira akazi, imfyubyi abana b’abakobwa bose bageraga mu mujyi wa Paris bashaka aho bacumbika, inzererezi, abo bose nyuma y’igihe nibura cy’imyaka mike bashoboraga kubona ubufasha. Catherine yatangije uyu murimo ku mugabane w’Uburayi kuko ari nawe wawutangije mu gihugu cy’Ubwongereza. Yari abifitemo uburambe.

Amaze kugira imyaka 17, umurimo we wari umaze kugira imbaraga cyane, atari mu Bwongereza gusa cyangwa no mu tundi duce turuhijwe ahubwo n’ahandi hose yabonaga ari ngombwa gukora ibiterane by’ivugabutumwa. Amaze kugira imyaka 22, yari amaze kuba umwe mu bantu bazanye impinduka mu buryo bw’umwuka mu Bwongereza. Twibutse ko ku ruhande rumwe impano ze n’ubwiza bwe ari byo byamufashije kugera kuri ibi byose. Bamwe bavuga ko byaba byaranamuteye ubwibone, ariko nta cyabigaragazaga.

Ubwe arivugira ati: "Ntibikabe ko nakwirata ko nshobora kubwiriza ikivunge cy’abantu ku mbaraga zanjye! Mbese njyewe ndi iki? Umukungugu n’ivu ... . Ariko muri njye no muri bagenzi banjye harimo umuriro, ari nawo wari muri Yesu Kristo igihe yagendaga muri iyi si. Tugenda twereka abantu ishusho ye, kwihangana kwe, urukundo rwe rutagira akagero, ... . Nagaruka azaduha ubwiza mu isi."

Mbere y’uko uyu Mwongerezakazi Catherine Booth ava mu gihugu cy’Ubufaransa ngo ajye gutangiza umurimo mu Buholande, yaravuze ati: "Ubufaransa bufite abantu utasanga ahandi ku isi, barangwa n’imbaraga, kugira ubuntu, n’ubushobozi bwo gukurikirana kugeza ubwo bumvise ibyo bigishijwe. Iki gihugu kirimo ukuri, barwanya ikibi bivuye inyuma, ntawe ushobora kubakoma imbere... Kuvuga ko badakunda ubutumwa bwiza byaba ari ukubeshya, ahubwo bakeneye ubw’ukuri."

Byanditswe na: Pascal Cusson

Byakuwe mu gitabo: “La Foi de Nos Pères/Vox Dei”

Icyigisho cya Catherine Booth

Byashyizwe mu Kinyarwanda na Simeon Ngezahayo/agakiza.org