by Antonella Prenna
Moramanga – As the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives celebrates one hundred years of Trinitarian presence in Madagascar, it renews its awareness of its missionary identity.
On June 4, 1926, a few days after the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, the first group of Trinitarian religious left Rome accompanied by the then Minister General, Father Francis Xavier of the Immaculate Conception. They set out with the desire to proclaim the Gospel, bear witness to redemptive charity, and bring the Trinitarian charism to a new mission territory.
“That moment represented far more than a simple geographical expansion of the Order. Looking back today, we can recognize in those brothers—and in all the Trinitarian men and women religious who followed them to Madagascar—the evangelical courage of those willing to cross cultural, linguistic, and religious boundaries in order to be guided by the Holy Spirit,” said the Minister General, Father Luigi Buccarello, in a message to the community on the Feast of the Ascension.
Born from the intuition of Saint John de Matha and Saint Felix of Valois during an era marked by division, religious conflict, and slavery, the Trinitarian charism found its original expression in the redemption of captives, transforming contemplation of the Holy Trinity into a concrete commitment to defending human freedom and dignity. “From the very beginning, the Trinitarians were men without borders,” he emphasized.
Their mission of redeeming captives led the Trinitarians to cross political, cultural, and religious boundaries, fostering dialogue with the Muslim world through charity and mercy. “This was not merely a historical necessity,” he said. “It reflected a clear evangelical choice: to be a sign of peace and a bridge of fraternity with the Muslim world, promoting dialogue through charity for the good of all. This missionary openness continues to define the Order today, as it is called to reach the new peripheries of our time, marked by poverty, war, religious persecution, addiction, social exclusion, and the loss of meaning in life.”
The centenary of the mission in Madagascar is a significant milestone in this history.
“Since 1926, generations of religious men and women, together with lay faithful, have shared the life of the Malagasy people, contributing to the growth of the local Church and to the spread of the Trinitarian charism. One hundred years later, we give thanks to the Lord for all those who gave their lives in that land. Many lived in anonymity; others endured sacrifice, illness, and loneliness.
Today, Madagascar is not only the fruit of past missionary commitment, but has become a protagonist in the universal mission of the Church, thanks to the many vocations that enrich the Order. This centenary is not simply a commemoration of the past, but an invitation to look to the future with renewed missionary zeal. The Order is called to form men and women capable of reading the signs of the times and bearing witness, through their lives and works, to the Gospel of freedom and redemption. Even today, the Lord continues to lead us toward new frontiers,” Father Buccarello said.
“These borders do not always coincide with distant lands. There are cultural, spiritual, social, and existential borders waiting to be inhabited by men and women capable of bearing witness to the freedom of the Gospel. We live in a world marked by profound contradictions. Opportunities for communication continue to expand, yet loneliness and individualism are also increasing. Contacts among peoples and religions are multiplying, but so are new fears, conflicts, and attitudes of rejection are emerging. Awareness of human dignity and fundamental rights is growing, but so too are forms of oppression and violence. We are all called to bring hope and redemption to a wounded humanity that is too often denied its dignity and its rights.”
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