Brother Pascal AHODEGNON, new Superior General

02 Nov 2024

Brother Pascal AHODEGNON, elected Superior General

of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God

Czestochowa, November 1, 2024 - Brother Pascal AHODEGNON was elected Superior General of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God on Friday, November 1, 2024, during the 70th General Chapter being held in Czestochowa, Poland. Originally from Benin, Brother Pascal, aged 53, served as Councillor General from 2012 until now.

Brother Pascal was born on April 10, 1971, in Savé, Benin. He entered the Order in 1994, took his temporary vows on August 15, 1997, and made his final vows on May 25, 2003. He graduated in medicine and surgery in Milan, Italy. He was elected General Councilor in 2012, and re-elected in 2019, particularly in charge of the Africa region.

Sixty-seven Brothers are participating in the General Chapter, which began on October 15, along with nineteen collaborators who joined for the first two weeks. This gathering has been an occasion to set the main orientations and recommendations for the life of the Hospitaller Order over the next six years.

The Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God includes 161 communities and 410 healthcare, social, and medico-social structures across 54 countries, serving the sick and those in need. It is made up of 965 religious members and 65,000 coworkers, forming together the Hospitaller Family of Saint John of God.

In the final week of the Chapter, which is set to conclude on November 7, the new Superior General will form his council (comprising six brothers), before the final adoption of orientations and recommendations that will shape the Order’s future.

This year, Poland marks the sixth country to host a General Chapter of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God, following Italy, Colombia, Spain, Mexico, and Portugal. By holding the Chapter here, the Order wishes to express its solidarity with the Polish Province, which, along with its communities in Ukraine and Israel, is deeply engaged in humanitarian aid for those affected in these regions currently facing great hardship.