Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
O.SS.T.
by Antonella Prenna
Moramanga (Fides News Agency) – After withdrawing from the Benadir Mission in what was then Somalia, the Trinitarians continued their redemptive mission on the island of Madagascar, where they sent their first five pioneers, two of whom had previously served in Somalia. "The first missionaries of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives left for Somalia in 1907, but were forced to leave in 1924 because of pressure from the authorities," Father Luigi Buccarello, O.SS.T., Minister General of the Order, told Fides.
On June 4, 1926, after receiving the missionary blessing and the Crucifix at the Basilica of San Tommaso in Formis in Rome, the five Trinitarian pioneers departed together with the Minister General, Father Saverio dell'Immacolata. They landed at the port of Tamatave, Madagascar, on August 2. According to Father Daudet Maximilien, General Councilor of the Order, they reached Antananarivo by train on August 7, where they spent about a month to familiarize themselves with the Malagasy and French languages before settling in Miarinarivo, about 100 kilometres west of the capital, the mission territory entrusted to them.
From the outset, the missionaries devoted themselves to studying the local reality in order to identify the most appropriate pastoral strategies and respond to the needs of evangelization. Their work developed along three main areas.
The first consisted of apostolic tours—systematic visits to villages—which occupied much of their time because of the vastness of the territory and the dispersion of the Christian communities. The second focused on the formation of pastoral workers, especially catechists, through the establishment of a Catechetical Formation Centre providing both initial training and ongoing formation. The third area involved the construction of churches and other facilities essential to evangelization, such as schools and multipurpose halls, as well as the restoration of church buildings that had fallen into disrepair.
The Trinitarian missionaries' presence in Madagascar has been marked by a constant commitment to evangelization carried out with respect for local cultures and traditions. Despite many difficulties and hardships, their work has contributed to the pastoral, educational and social development of Christian communities.
One of the mission's principal objectives was the creation of autonomous local Churches.
In 1939, Pope Pius XII erected the Apostolic Vicariate of Miarinarivo, the first territory in Africa entrusted to the Trinitarians.
Later, at the proposal of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith—today the Dicastery for Evangelization, Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches—the missionaries expanded their work to the Melaky region. On January 13, 1949, Pope Pius XII elevated the mission of Tsiroanomandidy to an Apostolic Prefecture, and on April 9, 1959, Pope John XXIII established it as a diocese, appointing Father Ángel Martínez as its first bishop. The Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith also entrusted the Trinitarian Missionaries with the new mission in the Ambatondrazaka region, where the Italian missionaries were assigned. On May 21, 1959, Pope John XXIII erected the Diocese of Ambatondrazaka and appointed Father Francesco Vollaro as its first bishop.
Over the years, the Trinitarians' presence has fostered the birth of new Christian communities, an increase in the number of baptized and the strengthening of the Church throughout the region. Since the 1990s, the number of local vocations has grown significantly, leading to the opening of new formation houses.
Today, the Trinitarians are present in twelve of Madagascar's twenty-two dioceses and also serve in two dioceses in Italy. The Trinitarian Province of Madagascar includes numerous religious, priests, students and novices serving both in Malagasy dioceses and in other Trinitarian communities around the world. The mission has also borne the significant fruit of five Trinitarian bishops: Giuseppe Di Donna, Ángel Martínez, Francesco Vollaro, Antonio Scopelliti and Gustavo Bombin.
After one hundred years of presence, the small seed of the Trinitarian mission in Madagascar has grown into a vibrant reality for both the Church and the Order, called to continue its service as a sign of hope, liberation and mercy.
(Fides News Agency, 1/8/2026)
