Fr. Edoh Adolhe Anato, SVD
“Detour” Mission
How a three-month vacation became a three-year vocation in Togo
By Fr. Edoh Adolphe Anato SVD
Months before our ordination to the priesthood in May 2021, my classmates and I received our first assignments. I would be sent to the Amazon Region in Brazil. I was eager to discover the mission and join the work with the brave confreres dedicated to spreading God's love in the Amazon.
That June, before heading to Brazil, while the paperwork to finalize my assignment was completed, I took a vacation back to my home country of Togo. I was set to leave for Brazil in August 2021. However, things did not go as planned, and I did not leave for Brazil until August 2024.
This is the story of my three-year “detour” mission
During my planned time in Togo, I had a full schedule of Masses and sacraments, which I celebrated with faith and joy. The first was a homecoming celebration Mass on June 13, 2021, at the St. Daniel Comboni outstation, where I was once a member of the youth group (called the Jeunesse Missionnaire Catholique). This outstation is part of the Maire Mère du Rédempteur parish, which is staffed by the Comboni missionaries.
Even though some COVID restrictions were still in place, it was a beautiful thanksgiving celebration. It began with a procession from my house to the outstation. The Mass was concelebrated by 15 priests—Divine Word Missionaries, Comboni missionaries, Franciscans, Salesians, diocesan priests and deacons. It was a great joy to see my friends from long ago, as well as families, relatives and former members of the youth group that I knew from different outstations of our parish.
This first Mass began my ministerial journey back home. My time was filled with bits of vacation mixed with weekly Masses to celebrate sacraments, visiting the sick, blessing houses and farms, and witnessing the ordination of some of my friends.
Change of Plans
By the end of August, we realized that the immigration paperwork was not finished and I would not make it to Brazil on time. I was assigned instead to one of our Divine Word parishes, Notre Dame sous la Croix in Agbalepedogan, a suburb of Togo’s capital city of Lomé.
During my first few months there, I helped with celebrations and observed how the missionaries in Togo live out ministry. And I continued waiting for the finished paperwork to get me to Brazil.
The holdup was with my visa to Brazil. The Brazil embassy in Togo disputed a document from Divine Word Missionaries’ Brazil - Amazon Region. I was told the 2019 document was out of date by the time I applied for my visa in 2021. The document should have been valid until 2022, but the embassy staff didn’t see it that way.
At one point the Amazon Region had to bring in a lawyer to explain the document to the people at the embassy. Not long after that, the person in charge of visas was replaced, and I had to start the process all over again with the new person.
Once it became clear that securing my visa would be a prolonged process, I was given more responsibility at the parish. I was assigned to oversee the catechism program, the youth group and the altar servers. I found myself immersed in the reality of a mission country in Togo. The challenges became real, and rightly so. They called for innovative ways of continuing the work of God.
The catechism program took a good part of my efforts and brain power. I supervised about 50 catechists from the parish and the two outstations. The three communities register around 600 people yearly for religious education, including recent converts and those studying to receive the sacraments. The catechists’ formation, planning the year’s schedule and coordinating the sacramental celebrations—we would have 100 candidates for confirmation and 150 for baptism and First Holy Communion—were all challenging joys.
Value of the Laity
I quickly learned the great value that the laity brings to mission work. Without those catechists, my years overseeing the catechism program would not have yielded any fruits. The end of the catechumenal year, when the sacraments are bestowed, is a time of celebration as all the parish communities thank God for his grace and the gift of the laity. I very much enjoyed collaborating with the leaders of the altar servers. They always suggested new ways to walk together in the Lord’s presence and give life to the group.
Catechism did not end at the door of the classroom. We invited those studying for the sacraments to join a parish group and fully participate in the faith community’s life. Those who joined the youth group or became altar servers journeyed with me on another type of formation.
Overseeing the altar servers was a unique experience for me because I had never been an altar server. However, I believe we all learned something special during our two years of walking together and discerning God’s ways for all of us. The annual ceremony before the parish community, where we impose an alb onto the new altar servers, was a moving moment for everyone. We celebrated their dedication to God and service to the Church.
With the youth group, we organized a weeklong retreat. These retreats created opportunities for members to deepen their faith, share spiritual conversation, form good disciplines, and develop authentic friendships. Leading this retreat was a personal moment for me, as I appreciated the opportunities God was giving me. I hope these retreats can be repeated yearly to continue spiritual growth and leadership for the youth group members.
Appreciating the Detour
A mission field brings opportunities to share with others the goodness of God. Those years of being on a “detour” mission have imprinted my priesthood with the conviction that the grace of God always walks with us.
My detour mission to Togo was filled with challenges, joys and God’s love. That, I believe, is the experience of every mission country. It was painful to say goodbye to Togo, but in August 2024 I had to leave for the Amazon Region. I left with deep gratitude to Togo’s people of God, who opened their hearts and homes to me.
The missionaries in the Amazon Region have been waiting for me to join them. I am now doing cultural training in Brazil to fully contribute to my new mission. I am hoping to be a helping hand for the people of God here and for the glory of God’s name.
Fr. Edoh Adolphe Anato, SVD, is a native of Togo and joined the Divine Word Missionaries there. As part of his formation, he completed his theology studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He professed First Vows as a Divine Word Missionary in 2015 and was ordained to the priesthood in 2021.
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