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In Pace Christi
Legonou Jean-Pierre
Date of birth :
22/02/1960
Place of birth :
Lomé
Temporary Vows :
22/05/1988
Perpetual Vows :
23/11/1991
Date of ordination :
25/07/1992
Date of death :
08/03/2003
Place of death :
Sahuayo/MEX
Fr. Jean-Pierre Legonou was born in Benin of a deeply religious family, where the father, a teacher, and the mother, a postal service employee, attended parish functions regularly and took part in the pastoral life of the Christian community.
On 22 February 1960, the Legonou family rejoiced over a great event: the birth of two beautiful twins. The father, Anselmo, a man of great faith and involved in parish work, remembered that on that day the feast of the Chair of Peter was being celebrated and chose to name the twins Jean Pierre and Jean Paul, in honour of the two great apostles.
While the twins were still little the family moved to Togo, the neighbouring country, where Jean Pierre attended grade school and high school.
The event that left a mark in his Christian life was his belonging to the Legion of Mary, a movement that fostered his Christian and missionary vocation. He often talked with fondness of the years he spent in this Marian movement and it was easy to notice the affection he had for the many friends he had met in that period.
Towards the end of his secondary education he met the Comboni Missionaries of Togo. He was fascinated and very enthused by them, so he decided to begin the journey that enabled him to become the first Togolese Comboni Missionary in West Africa. Later he often said: “If I had not become a missionary I would have become a jet bomber pilot.” How many times have we laughed over this disclosure that remained renowned.
The years of formation passed quickly: postulancy in Lomé, noviciate in Congo and scholasticate in Rome. This last period of studies turned out to be a very important time for Jean Pierre’s spiritual, cultural and human growth.
Already at that time, it was evident, the Lord had given Jean Pierre many gifts and talents, and he was advised to continue his studies and set a degree in Canon Law. He did so and attended the Gregorian University where he performed brilliantly.
He was ordained priest in Togo on 25 July 1992 in his home parish, accompanied by a group of young people from the parish of S. Vigilio (Rome) who loved him and who remain ever since his inseparable friends.
After his ordination, he was assigned to Central America and he was the first African Comboni Missionary to arrive in this delegation.
He quickly learned the language and obtained a driving permit. The car was to be a faithful companion on his long apostolic journeys. Assigned to vocation promotion, he distinguished himself for his serious commitment to such an important task.
Very soon it was realised that, beside his intellectual gifts, he was also a leader, so the confreres presented him to the General Council as the delegate of Central America. The proposal was accepted and his term of office was renewed for a second period. It was a prophetic step in Latin America and everybody was happy with it. Fr. Jean Pierre served with generosity and enthusiasm, without sparing himself, acting with the authority of a father and the tenderness of a mother.
He loved life in all its aspects and lived each day with joy, despite the many problems of the delegation. His laugh, which we all got to know, was contagious. He loved the Church, the Pope and the Institute, serving generously and with great missionary spirit. Death caught him suddenly, while he was directing a retreat for the young novices of Sahuayo in Mexico.
To us he leaves the example of a young missionary who lived a short, but a full life, serving God and the people of Central America. Goodbye, Jean Pierre and, as people say in Togo, “may the soil that covers you be light.”
On 22 February 1960, the Legonou family rejoiced over a great event: the birth of two beautiful twins. The father, Anselmo, a man of great faith and involved in parish work, remembered that on that day the feast of the Chair of Peter was being celebrated and chose to name the twins Jean Pierre and Jean Paul, in honour of the two great apostles.
While the twins were still little the family moved to Togo, the neighbouring country, where Jean Pierre attended grade school and high school.
The event that left a mark in his Christian life was his belonging to the Legion of Mary, a movement that fostered his Christian and missionary vocation. He often talked with fondness of the years he spent in this Marian movement and it was easy to notice the affection he had for the many friends he had met in that period.
Towards the end of his secondary education he met the Comboni Missionaries of Togo. He was fascinated and very enthused by them, so he decided to begin the journey that enabled him to become the first Togolese Comboni Missionary in West Africa. Later he often said: “If I had not become a missionary I would have become a jet bomber pilot.” How many times have we laughed over this disclosure that remained renowned.
The years of formation passed quickly: postulancy in Lomé, noviciate in Congo and scholasticate in Rome. This last period of studies turned out to be a very important time for Jean Pierre’s spiritual, cultural and human growth.
Already at that time, it was evident, the Lord had given Jean Pierre many gifts and talents, and he was advised to continue his studies and set a degree in Canon Law. He did so and attended the Gregorian University where he performed brilliantly.
He was ordained priest in Togo on 25 July 1992 in his home parish, accompanied by a group of young people from the parish of S. Vigilio (Rome) who loved him and who remain ever since his inseparable friends.
After his ordination, he was assigned to Central America and he was the first African Comboni Missionary to arrive in this delegation.
He quickly learned the language and obtained a driving permit. The car was to be a faithful companion on his long apostolic journeys. Assigned to vocation promotion, he distinguished himself for his serious commitment to such an important task.
Very soon it was realised that, beside his intellectual gifts, he was also a leader, so the confreres presented him to the General Council as the delegate of Central America. The proposal was accepted and his term of office was renewed for a second period. It was a prophetic step in Latin America and everybody was happy with it. Fr. Jean Pierre served with generosity and enthusiasm, without sparing himself, acting with the authority of a father and the tenderness of a mother.
He loved life in all its aspects and lived each day with joy, despite the many problems of the delegation. His laugh, which we all got to know, was contagious. He loved the Church, the Pope and the Institute, serving generously and with great missionary spirit. Death caught him suddenly, while he was directing a retreat for the young novices of Sahuayo in Mexico.
To us he leaves the example of a young missionary who lived a short, but a full life, serving God and the people of Central America. Goodbye, Jean Pierre and, as people say in Togo, “may the soil that covers you be light.”