Congregation of the Mission Part 2: Formation of the clergy

formation of the clergy

problems within the clergy in st. vincent’s day The majority of priests had not been adequately trained for their ofﬁce. In some instances, they did not give good example to their ﬂocks. The trouble was not so much corruption as it was ignorance.

problems within the clergy in st. vincent’s day Care of the peasants had been left to their priests. But, due to the often- horrendous state of clerical formation, virtually none of them had any qualiﬁcation for preaching.

problems within the clergy in st. vincent’s day Some village priests did not even know the formula for absolution in the confessional. The sacraments were often administered by some priests in what can only be described as a rather slipshod way.

st. vincent’s innovations St. Vincent came to the conclusion that if the spiritual standard among lay folk was to be raised, the clergy had to be “renovated” ﬁrst. The Holy See was aware of this need, since the Council of Trent had called for the establishment of diocesan seminaries in order to properly train men for the priesthood. Nevertheless, not much was being done by way of reform.

seminary retreatsSt. Vincent led the way bystarting a seminary at theCollege des Bons Enfantsin Paris.He arranged to giveretreats to the young menwho were about to beordained.

st. vincent initially met with reluctance & conflictSt. Vincent reluctantly acceptedthese new challenges, complainingthat the Congregation of the Missionwas intended for preaching incountry districts, and could notafford to dissipate its meagerresources by taking on these kinds ofadditional duties.He confessed afterwards, "In thebeginning, we did not think at all ofserving the clergy; we thought simplyof ourselves and the poor."

dual purposeHowever, after muchconsideration, St. Vincentreached the conclusion that,by properly educating theclergy, his Congregationwould be able to be of greathelp to the poor, as well.

trust in providenceWithout knowing how he would getthe money for his clerical retreats,St. Vincent proceeded with his plansin naked trust of Divine Providence.This confidence was rewarded whensome of St. Vincent’s wealthybenefactors came forward,promising to meet the expenses forthe first ten years. After that, hisown Ladies of Charity agreed toassume the financial burden.

tuesday conferencesThe success of theseclerical retreats wassuch that St. Vincentenlarged their scope bythe establishing what hecalled the “TuesdayConferences”.They lasted only a day,did not cost much, andprobably did more goodthan the weeks retreatfor the ordinands.

networking & formationIn a spirit of humilityand simplicity, theConferences discussedthe Christian virtues —in particular, thosenecessary for thepriesthood.

humilityAll magniloquence wasdiscouraged, althoughamong those who attendedand sometimes spoke weremany men of learning whowere famed as orators.

humilityBecause of his humility,St. Vincent wished toavoid taking any part inthe proceedings. But,whenever he yielded tothe pleadings of others todo so, everyone presentrecognized that the “soul”of the gatherings was theunassuming priest whowas speaking to them.

the “little method”St. Vincent clearlyperceived that, if he wasgoing to move thehearts and minds of hisrustic audiences, hewould have to use thesimplest and most directmode of address. Hecalled his style the"Little Method."

the “little method”Vincent insisted that his priestsshould, in using the LittleMethod, not “talk down” topeople, but rather, shouldemploy a style which would be“an inch or two above theirheads” so that their listenerswould be obliged to “stand ontheir toes” during the sermons.

simplicitySt. Vincent haddeclared that theFathers of the Mission"will speak to convertand not to be esteemed,and if men are to beconverted, they mustunderstand what issaid."

vincent the initiatorSt. Vincent was a great initiatorof clerical reform largelybecause of his wisdom, thewide scope of his vision and hisinnovative thinking.

The text of this presentation is based on excerpts fromthe book Apostle of Charity: The Life of Saint Vincentde Paul by Theodore Maynard.

Congregation of the Mission Part 2: Formation of the clergy

by mw28 on Jan 23, 2012

Accessibility

Categories

Tags

Upload Details

Usage Rights

1 Embed 15

Statistics

Congregation of the Mission Part 2: Formation of the clergy — Presentation Transcript