We are the Friars Minor – Franciscans of the Province of St. Anthony of Padua in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our Province was created during the second restructuring of the Province of St. Benedict the African, which has its Provincial Curia in Lubumbashi, in the southeastern part of the DRC.

Canonically erected on July 30, 2025, in Lubumbashi by Decree 11440-SG 2025/132 of the Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, Brother Massimo Fusarelli, the jurisdiction of the Province of St. Anthony of Padua extends over the administrative provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, and Orientale Province (Haut-Uele, Bas-Uele, Ituri, and Tshopo). Our Provincial Curia is located in Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province, which is also a martyred city where most of the rebellions that have plunged the entire eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo into mourning originate.