TRINITARIANS IN MADAGASCAR I/ A century of mission: Faith, proclamation and service alongside the slaves and prisoners of yesterday and today

by Antonella Prenna

Moramanga (Fides News Agency) – Father Gino Buccarello, Minister General of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives (O.SS.T.), is in Madagascar to celebrate the centenary of the trinitarian missionary presence in the country. The anniversary commemorates the arrival, in 1926, of the first five religious sent to the island: Father Benedetto Di Caro, Father Valeriano Marchionni, Venerable Father Giuseppe Di Donna, Brother Pacifico Piersanti and Brother Loreto.

"The celebration of this centenary," Father Buccarello said in an interview with Fides, "is not simply the remembrance of a past history, but unfolds across the three dimensions of time: memory, the present and the future."

The first dimension is one of grateful remembrance for what God has accomplished through the missionaries who, over the course of a century, proclaimed the Gospel, built the Church and served the poorest, prisoners and the oppressed, often at the risk of their own lives. Their witness was lived out in fidelity to the redemptive charism of the Order.

The second horizon concerns the present and the renewed commitment to serving both the Church and Malagasy society. Father Buccarello highlighted in particular the ministry in prisons, where the Trinitarians seek to strengthen an increasingly qualified service, not only in the spiritual, humanitarian and healthcare fields, but also by providing legal assistance to inmates, many of whom lack adequate legal defense.

Among the Order's priorities is also interreligious dialogue, especially with the Muslim community. "It is essential," the Minister General stressed, "to promote genuine dialogue, avoiding every form of proselytism and countering the drift toward violent radicalization, in order to foster a culture of encounter, fraternity and peace."

Looking to the future, Father Buccarello noted that Madagascar is no longer only a land of mission but also a land of missionaries. Today the Order has more than 200 religious, serving in eleven dioceses across the island, a figure that rises to fifteen when the communities of the Trinitarian Sisters are included. More than forty Malagasy religious are also carrying out missionary service in seven countries, supporting the Order's communities in territories marked by declining vocations and growing secularization. "The future," he observed, "is not something that simply happens; it is built through ever stronger formation, capable of preparing religious who embody the Trinitarian charism within Malagasy culture. A century of presence therefore represents a heritage of faith, dedication and experience that continues to inspire the Order's journey in creative fidelity to its origins."

The Jubilee Year marking the centenary opened in 2025 with a solemn Eucharistic celebration in Miarinarivo, west of the capital Antananarivo, where the first missionaries from Italy arrived. Throughout the year conferences, meetings and liturgical celebrations have taken place, culminating in the festivities scheduled between the end of July and the beginning of August.
From July 27 to 29, the expanded General Council will meet in Moramanga with the participation of all the Major Superiors of the Order. On July 30 and 31, the national gathering "Somos Familia," will bring together around 1,200 Trinitarian men and women religious and lay people. July 31 will also feature a conference reflecting on the relevance of the Trinitarian charism in light of the directives of the most recent General Chapter.

The celebrations will continue on August 1 with the solemn profession of twelve religious and conclude on Sunday, August 2, with the solemn Mass marking the centenary. Eight bishops are expected to take part, including two members of the Trinitarian Order: Archbishop Gustavo Bombin of Toliara and Bishop Aldo Berardi, Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia. Around one hundred Trinitarian religious and approximately 3,000 faithful are also expected to attend. During the celebration, eleven new Trinitarian deacons will be ordained.

Among the most significant events of the Jubilee Year was the celebration held on June 4 at the Basilica of San Crisogono in Rome. The Mass was presided over by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, and concelebrated by the Bishop of Avezzano, Giovanni Massaro together with Father Gino Buccarello, members of the General Council, Provincial Fathers, Trinitarian religious, and numerous priests, women religious, lay faithful and friends of the Order. It marked a particularly meaningful moment for the life of the Order and especially for its mission in Madagascar.

In his homily, Cardinal Tagle outlined the authentic profile of the Christian missionary, recalling that missionaries are not called to present themselves as perfect people but as sinners saved by God's mercy. He also warned against the new forms of slavery of our time: hypocrisy, the pursuit of power, arrogance and the divisions that fuel mistrust and violence, even within the ecclesial community.
The Cardinal concluded by expressing the hope that the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives will continue to be throughout the world an authentic witness to freedom, communion and peace, remaining faithful to its mission of redemption and service to those most in need.
(Fides News Agency, 30/7/2026)

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