Lomé – Maison Don Bosco welcomes its new members
As is customary at the Maison Don Bosco in Lomé (Salesian Postnovitiate), every year we welcome new confreres to our walls, and this year was no exception. For the 2025-2026 community year, Don Bosco House is made up of 67 confreres, including 7 formators. There are therefore 60 confreres in formation, including 22 in their first year (Carlo Acultis class) from three provinces: South West Africa (AOS), North West Africa (AON) and Africa Tropical Equatorial (ATE).
Article 52 of the Constitutions of the Society of Saint Francis de Sales emphasises the value of welcoming confreres into the community, which is the place where they mature. In keeping with this article, on Friday 19 September 2025 we officially welcomed the new confreres to our community.
The opening ceremony took place in three phases. First, a match pitting the old members of the house against the new ones. The match was kicked off by Reverend Fr. Bernard Gaba-Dovi, Rector of the community. The final score was 2-0 in favour of the elders, who were able to uphold the tradition of the house. Secondly, the rite of welcome for the neo-professed, a rite during which the neo-professed expressed their willingness to join the community. During this rite, they were given tools for manual work and philosophical, educational and pastoral works as a sign of their willingness to allow themselves to be formed so that they could reconcile faith, culture and life, which is the purpose of the post-novitiate according to the ratio fundamentalis. Lastly, the prayer of vespers, a moment of communion when the whole community listens to the Lord to do whatever he tells us for this community year 2025-2026.
Germeland Hombissa, sdb
Lomé – Maison Don Bosco welcomes its new members