(AOS – Lomé) «I vow forever to live obedient, poor and chaste according to the way of the Gospel set out in the Salesian Constitutions…». These were the words of Aristide Dossou, Blaise Segnan, Evrard Kpodar and Jules Gakenou on Sunday 23 July 2023 when they made their perpetual profession as Salesians of Don Bosco at the Maria Auxiliadora Parish in Gbényedzi (Lomé). A full parish church welcomed this event of great importance in the lives of the four Salesians from Togo. The perpetual profession took place during the celebration of the Eucharist presided over by the Superior of the Province of West Africa South (AOS), Father Denis Soro, who, during the homily, recalled the meaning and implications of perpetual profession for the consecrated person.
Starting with the scriptural texts chosen for the occasion, the celebrant dwelt on the story of the miraculous catch of fish and Christ’s call to the first four apostles. He emphasised the importance of the vocation that takes shape in the response to be given and the assignment of the mission. Father Denis invited the four confreres to give meaning to their vocation by devoting themselves entirely to the cause of young people: «Be attentive to [God’s Presence] in the lives of those you serve, especially young people: for every Salesian, they are the sacred place of the Mission where we encounter God on a daily basis», he said. So he did not hesitate to warn the future perpetually professed of the sometimes harsh difficulties they would encounter in their mission. This is a good opportunity to say to them: «When you have assessed the lack of enthusiasm, fatigue, discouragement and routine on the horizon, may you, like Peter and Andrew, discern God’s hour and make the gesture of obedience to his Word that provokes a new beginning, that sets you in motion, that leads you out into the open sea!» Finally, still basing himself on the story of the miraculous catch of fish, the Provincial stressed the need for future perpetually professed members to read the signs of everyday life, because it is in everyday life that God speaks to us: «Remember, he said, that the day Jesus chose to reveal himself to Peter and call him to follow him was the day the Lord had decided, at his daily workplace, to speak to the crowds but by entering Peter’s boat, and that day was the day when everything went wrong for Peter: he toiled all night without taking anything…. Throughout your Salesian religious witness, don’t wait for extraordinary signs to let Christ speak to you from your life. He will ask permission to come aboard your boat in the day-to-day of your life, often in sterile, sometimes complex situations».
The ceremony of perpetual profession began properly after the homily with a dialogue between the Superior and the candidates. This was followed by the litany of the saints (to implore the intercession of those who have preceded us into Heaven), the reading of the formula of perpetual profession by each of the professed, the solemn blessing of the newly perpetually professed and the presentation of the Salesian perpetual cross, the only external symbol of identification of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The newly perpetually professed were welcomed by the Superior «among the Salesians of Don Bosco as confrères committed by perpetual vows», to the thunderous applause of the faithful. At the end of the Eucharistic celebration, those present renewed their consecration to the Virgin Help of Christians by placing a lighted candle at the foot of the statue, and expressed their sincere gratitude to all those who had worked so hard to ensure that the ceremony, which they will always remember, was a success. A fraternal meal was offered to the guests within the parish walls by the Salesian Community of Gbenyedzi, which hosted the ceremony. The perpetual profession of Aristide Dossou, Blaise Segna, Evrard Kpodar and Jules Gakenou is an opportunity for the AOS Province to give thanks to God for the gift of vocation granted to our four confreres, and for the growing number of perpetual confreres in the Province for the good of the mission.
Aristide Dossou, Blaise Segna, Evrard Kpodar and Jules Gakenou have just completed their second year of theology in Yaoundé (the first three) and Nairobi (Jules). They will continue their theological training over the next two years, culminating, God willing, in ordination to the priesthood.
Four Salesians in Lomé say YES definitively