Valentin Fadegon

Valentin Fadegnon SMA priest for the French-speaking community

Expats and refugees together form the family of God

Valentin Fadegnon (Benin, 1978) came to the Netherlands last November to join the SMA team in Amsterdam. He now works at the new Africa House in Zuidoost and is pastor of the French-speaking community at the Beguinage.

This spring marks fourteen years since Father Valentin Fadegnon joined the SMA and was ordained a priest. He subsequently worked as a missionary in Nigeria and his native Benin. After a spiritual year with the Jesuits in Lyon, he was sent for a time to Kumasi, Ghana, where many Dutch SMA missionaries had previously resided. He has been in Amsterdam for several months.

"In the Beguinage Chapel in the city center, I'm the priest for the French-speaking community. I have an official appointment from the Bishop of Haarlem-Amsterdam," says Father Fadegnon. "The French-speaking parish is a very dynamic community. Many tourists come to church every Sunday. The group of regular parishioners is divided into European expats from France, Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxembourg who work in Amsterdam, and people from French-speaking Africa. Think of countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, Cameroon, Rwanda, Ivory Coast, Congo, and Benin. These aren't large groups. We have one or two people from each country. The number of visitors to the services varies. Sometimes there are 40 of us, sometimes more than 100."

Fadegnon sees a big difference between the two French-speaking groups. "The Europeans have good jobs and a good income. The Africans are often refugees trying to find their way and need help." Yet, the two groups mesh wonderfully, says Fadegnon. "There are many work groups in the parish: for liturgy, for catechesis, for charity. We always make sure each work group has a good mix of Europeans and Africans. That works very well. The Europeans find their way in the Netherlands a bit easier, but the Africans learn the language faster. They complement each other well. The Church is the family of God. We must do as Jesus did, live as Christ did."

The charity group, in particular, does tremendous work, says Fadegnon. They collect all kinds of items and distribute them to those in need. Although the community worships in the city center, they use a space in the All Saints Church in Zuidoost to distribute the items. "There's no room for that at the Beguinage." However, Fadegnon holds a "permanence" there every Saturday: a kind of open consultation hour. "People can come by for a confession or to prepare for a wedding or baptism." During the week, he visits parishioners throughout the city, prepares services, and this spring he is also training altar servers. "The people who come to the Beguinage Church are very involved in the church. This also applies to the tourists. Otherwise, they wouldn't go to church in a foreign city. They are happy to be able to follow Mass in their own language."

What he has noticed in those few months is the stark difference between central Amsterdam and Zuidoost. "They're worlds apart," he says. "Southeast is like little Africa." He doesn't notice much of a potential aversion to foreigners. "The Netherlands is a peaceful country. As a foreigner, you're welcomed. Everyone is willing to help you. I'm not saying that to be polite; it's truly my experience from the first few months. I do appreciate that Dutch directness. With Africans, you have to ask them a lot to find out what they really mean. I like the open mind of the Dutch."

When asked if Fadegnon sees his presence as missionary work, he answers resoundingly yes. “I love working here. It’s our mission as SMA members to go where help is needed. We were recently received by the bishop, and he said: you have only one mission: evangelizing. God sent us here to play our part. We’re now going to establish an alpha group for people who want to further develop their faith.”