Bishop of Djougou
Bernard de Clairvaux Toha Wontacien, O.S.F.S., was born on August 20, 1970, in Abomey-Calavi; he attended primary and secondary school in the city of Parakou and subsequently obtained a Master’s degree in Geology. He entered the religious institute of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales (O.S.F.S.) and made his perpetual profession on September 26, 1998. He taught Latin at St. John Vianney Seminary in Pretoria, South Africa. He was ordained a priest on July 22, 2006, in Parakou. He has held the following positions: Head of coordination for social pastoral care and development project management for the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Parakou; Coordinator of Caritas for the Archdiocese and the dioceses of Northern Benin (2006–2011); Member of the Council for Economic Affairs of the same Archdiocese and advisor to the Archbishop (2007–2013); Bursar for the West Africa division of the French Province (2008–2018) and person in charge of English/French translation for the O.S.F.S. (2012–2018); Master of O.S.F.S. scholastics in Abidjan, Ivory Coast (2013–2018); Provincial Councilor (2015–2018); and, from 2019 to the present, Provincial Superior of the O.S.F.S. French Province in Benin.