formation of the clergy

problems in the clergy in 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 ignorance.

problems in the clergy in vincent’s day Care of the peasants had been left to their priests But priests often considered that they were doing quite enough in attending to their parochial duties; virtually none of them had any qualification for preaching

problems in the clergy in vincent’s day Some village priests did not even know the formula for absolution in the confessional The sacraments were often administered in what can only be described as a rather individualistic style

vincent’s innovations 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 not unaware of this need; the Council of Trent had called for the establishment of seminaries Nevertheless, not much was being done in the way of reform

seminary retreats Vincent led the way by starting a seminary at the College des Bons Enfants He arranged to give retreats to the young men who were about to be ordained

initial reluctance, conflict Vincent accepted these activities a little reluctantly, urging that the Congregation of the Mission was for preaching in country districts and could not afford to dissipate its meager resources. He confessed afterwards, "In the beginning we did not think at all of serving the clergy; we thought simply of ourselves and the poor."

dual purpose However, after thinking the project over, Vincent reached the conclusion that by doing something for the clergy, something would be done for the poor as well.

trust in providence Without knowing where the money for the clerical retreats was coming from, Vincent proceeded in naked trust in God's providence. This confidence was rewarded when one of his wealthy benefactors came forward with an offer to meet the expenses for the first five years; then Anne of Austria agreed to shoulder the charges for the next five, after which the Ladies of Charity undertook the obligation!

tuesday conferences The success of these clerical retreats was such that Vincent enlarged their scope by the establishment of the Tuesday Conferences They lasted only a day, did not cost much, and probably did even more good than the week's retreat for the ordinands

networking & formation By means of these Conferences, Vincent kept in touch with the priests. They turned into a kind of guild. The Conferences discussed, in a spirit of humility and simplicity, the Christian virtues, in particular those necessary to the priesthood.

humility All eloquence was discouraged, though among those who attended and sometimes spoke were many men of learning who were famed as orators.

humility Vincent wished to avoid taking any part in the proceedings, because of his humility; but whenever he yielded to the pleadings of others, everyone present was conscious that in this unassuming priest was the soul of the gatherings

the “little method” From the time that he served Madame de Gondi, Vincent had clearly perceived that if he was going to move the hearts and minds of his rustic audiences, he would have to use the simplest and most direct mode of address. He called his style the "Little Method."

the “little method” Vincent insisted that his Fathers should, in using the Little Method, should not talk down to people, but rather employ a style an inch or two above their heads, so that their listeners would be obliged to stand on their toes.

simplicity Vincent had declared that the Fathers of the Mission "will speak to convert and not to be esteemed, and if men are to be converted they must understand what is said."

vincent the initiator Vincent was a great initiator in clerical formation; reaching out widely and inaugurating a number of innovations

attribution Text of this presentation was based on excerpts from Apostle of charity: the life of St. Vincent de Paul. Author, Theodore Maynard.