On the 15th of August 2026, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the West African Vice-Province of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer celebrated a particularly significant Eucharist: the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the diaconal ordinations, and the jubilees of 25 years of religious life.
The Holy Mass began at 9:00 a.m., presided over by His Excellency Bishop Pierre Claver Yenpaabou MALGO, before an assembly gathering the religious communities, Priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, the families of the candidates and of the Jubilarians, the faithful, neighbours, and people of good will. Following the words of welcome given by the Superior of the House, Father Marc TOGUYENI, the Vice-Provincial Superior, Father Nobila Olivier SAWADOGO called the candidates by name – a liturgical gesture by which the Church, represented by her lawful authority, publicly recognises the candidates’ worthiness to receive Holy Orders. They were:
– Brother Boubié Charles BASSONO, of the Diocese of Koudougou, Burkina Faso
– Brother Idossa Jean BATCHO, of the Diocese of Dassa-Zoumè, Benin
– Brother Michael ADU OBENG, of the Archdiocese of Kumasi, Ghana
– Brother Pascal TANDAMBA, of the Diocese of Fada N’Gourma, Burkina Faso
The diaconate ordination was one of the central elements of the celebration. Through the laying on of the bishop’s hands – a sacramental gesture rooted in the apostolic practice attested in the Acts of the Apostles – the four candidates were configured to Christ the Servant. This configuration entails a threefold mission, recalled in the admonition: “to proclaim the Gospel, to serve at the altar, and to place oneself at the service of the poor”. In keeping with the provisions of the Vatican II Council (cf. LG 29), it belongs to deacons to solemnly administer Baptism, to reserve and distribute the Eucharist, to assist at and bless marriages in the name of the Church, to bring Viaticum to the dying, to proclaim Sacred Scripture to the faithful, to instruct and exhort the people, to preside over worship and the prayer of the faithful, to be ministers of the sacramentals, and to preside at funerals and burial.
In his homily, the Bishop gave thanks to God for the day’s three occasions for thanksgiving: the Assumption of Mary, the diaconate, and the jubilees of 25 years of religious life. According to him, the Church celebrates God’s love for Mary, Mother of His Son, and the mystery by which she passed through death to live forever in the resurrection. Like Jesus her Son, Mary has already entered that unending kingdom awaiting all who, like her, choose Christ. This feast invites the faithful to turn their gaze toward Mary, a source of hope and a model of a life oriented toward the future. She teaches the way of the disciple: to welcome Christ in faith, to love Him, to stake everything on Him alone, to let oneself be enlightened and guided by His Word, to be His disciple, and to follow Him each day and at every moment, whatever may come. This is the path Mary herself walked, the life she herself lived. If we desire eternal life, it is this path we must take and this life we must lead. On this solemnity, the Church gives us the opportunity to renew our love for Mary, and also to take our place among the countless multitude of our own time who call her “Blessed” – among that innumerable crowd of her devotees who honour her, admire her, and praise her for the great things the Father has done for her. May God be glorified in His works and in His saints, now and forever. The liturgy of the day is centred on Mary: on her faith, which is an unconditional welcoming of God into her life; on her miraculous motherhood; and on her glorification. Mary offers several points of attention and meditation: Mary, woman of faith; woman available for her mission; woman of gratitude.
The celebration was also the occasion for the renewal of vows by the Jubilarian Fathers, marking twenty-five years of religious life. The Jubilarian Fathers of the VPAO are:
– Father Bajoulou Justin BADO, of the Archdiocese of Ouagadougou
– Father Noël Koutré SOTTIMA, of the Archdiocese of Cotonou
Father Noël Koutré SOTTIMA renewed his vows in the presence of the assembled community; Father Bajoulou Justin BADO, absent because of mission commitments, was unable to be physically present a fact that testifies to the itinerant apostolic character proper to the Redemptorist vocation, in which missionary commitment may, in certain circumstances, take precedence over participation in the community celebrations themselves. A religious jubilee is a time for looking back and giving thanks to God. Joined to the ordination of the four young confreres, this renewal of vows established a symbolic bridge between generations: the Jubilarians, through their tested fidelity, become witnesses and guarantors of the coherence of the charism that the new deacons are, in turn, beginning to embody.
The Eucharistic celebration continued with a series of addresses: one on practical matters, one from a representative of the new deacons, one from the Jubilarians, one from the Vice-Provincial Superior, and finally one from the Bishop. Following the address on practical matters, the new deacons expressed their gratitude to God, the source of every charism. They thanked His Excellency Bishop Pierre Claver Yenpaabou MALGO for presiding at the Eucharist and conferring the ordination, a channel of divine grace, and wished him a fruitful pastoral ministry. They expressed their gratitude to the Vice-Provincial Father and his council for the trust and accompaniment they had received.
Father Noël SOTTIMA spoke on behalf of Father Justin BADO and in his own name, on the occasion of their 25 years of religious life, to give thanks to God for all that He had accomplished in their lives. He expressed his gratitude to Bishop Pierre Claver MALGO for presiding at the Eucharist, to the Vice-Provincial for organising this jubilee celebration, and to all the priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, and faithful who have come to support them. Looking back over these twenty-five years, he acknowledged the ups and downs of consecrated life, marked by moments of both fidelity and infidelity, while stressing that God, for His part, remains ever faithful. He insisted on the need to rely on this divine fidelity and to let oneself be led by the will of God. Drawing inspiration from Saint Alphonsus’s work “The Will of God”, he recalled how central this theme is to Redemptorist spirituality. He concluded by expressing the wish that this divine will be fully accomplished in the life of each person, while asking for the prayers of the assembly.
For his part, the Vice-Provincial Superior, Father Nobila Olivier SAWADOGO, opened his address with an act of thanksgiving for the abundance of blessings received in the space of a few weeks: the welcoming of ten novices in Ghana, the first profession of three novices in Ghana, the gathering of more than two hundred lay associates in Tiébissou, Côte d’Ivoire, followed by the perpetual profession of four confreres and their diaconal ordination, together with the silver jubilee of two brothers. He warmly thanked His Excellency Bishop Pierre Claver Yenpaabou MALGO for agreeing to preside at this celebration on the very day of the Assumption, while recalling the Vice-Province’s 80th anniversary and its forthcoming union with that of Nigeria. He warmly greeted the two Jubilarians, Fathers Justin BADO and Noël SOTTIMA. To the four young deacons, he recalled that religious life remains the foundation of their newly-begun ministry. He closed by expressing his deep gratitude to all the families, religious sisters, religious brothers, Priests, seminarians, confreres, and faithful present.
Following the Vice-Provincial’s closing address, the Vice-Province presented gifts to the Jubilarian Fathers and to the Bishop. After the Bishop’s closing words, the blessing of the book for the Office of Readings took place. The Mass concluded at around 12:24 p.m.
That evening, at around eight o’clock, Saint Gérard House in Ouagadougou hosted the dedication concert for the album of Brother Urbain SININI, held in honour of the Jubilarian Fathers. It was a time of fellowship and fraternity. The event was held under the patronage of Mr Modeste YAMEOGO. Among those present were several leading figures of Catholic music, namely Sister Marie Nicole MBIA, Sister Nicole KABORE, Cantor Peter NACHAM, and the League of Saint Alphonsus. Throughout the evening, the faithful turned out in large numbers to accompany Brother Urbain and the Jubilarians. Also present was the Reverend Father Séraphin OUEDRAOGO, Regional Superior of the Clerics of Saint Viator in Burkina Faso. The celebration was brought to a close by the Redemptorist Vice-Provincial Superior at around 11:00 p.m.
Fr. Basile SAWADOGO, C.Ss.R.
