On Friday, October 23, 2026, the Most Reverend Moïse TOUHO, Bishop of Atakpamé, Togo, met with representatives of the Conventual Franciscan friars to discuss the possibility of establishing a new Conventual Franciscan presence in the Diocese and entrusting the friars with the pastoral care of a parish. The meeting took place at the headquarters of the Episcopal Conference of Togo in the capital city of Lomé.
This initiative is part of the Order’s preparations for the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Anthony of Padua (1231–2031). It also responds to a resolution adopted by the Order’s 2025 General Chapter, which calls for the establishment of at least one new Franciscan mission in a country where the Conventual Franciscans have not yet established a presence.
The Italian Province of St. Anthony of Padua (Northern Italy), in agreement with the Provincial Custody of St. Anthony of Padua in Ghana, which falls under its jurisdiction, proposed establishing a Franciscan presence in Togo. The proposal was subsequently approved by a resolution adopted at the 2026 Ordinary Chapter of the Custody of Ghana.
Those attending the meeting with the Bishop included Friar Vitus Edem Yao MENSAH, Provincial Custos of Ghana; Friar Moses Kodjo Sassou WALLACE, a friar originally from Togo; and Friar Dariusz MAZUREK, General Delegate for Mission Animation.
The meeting took place in a cordial and constructive atmosphere and opened concrete opportunities for collaboration. In the coming months, the friars of the Custody of Ghana will continue their dialogue with Bishop TOUHO, addressing organizational matters and preparing the friars who will serve in the future mission.
Language study will play a fundamental role in this preparation. French is Togo’s official language, but many local languages are also spoken throughout the country. Ewe is particularly important in the area identified for the future mission. Learning this language will be essential for pastoral ministry and for building relationships of trust and solidarity with the local population.
The coming months, particularly the beginning of 2027, will therefore focus on organizational, linguistic, and pastoral preparation as the friars continue to discern the conditions necessary to establish the new Conventual Franciscan presence.
We offer heartfelt thanks to our confreres from the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), also known as the Divine Word Missionaries, who warmly welcomed us into their community in Lomé and graciously provided us with overnight accommodations. Their generous hospitality was a beautiful witness to missionary communion and solidarity among religious communities.
Finally, we extend cordial and fraternal greetings to all our confreres, the Poor Clares, and friends of the Conventual Franciscan missions. We ask them to pray for both the mission in Rwanda, entrusted to the friars of the Province of St. Francis of Assisi in Kenya, and the planned new mission in Togo.
May the Lord bless both initiatives, sustain the friars involved, and guide their work of evangelization.
Friar Dariusz Robert MAZUREK
General Delegate for Mission Animation
