Vincentian Education

St Vincent de Paul believed strongly in the importance of educating the clergy.

This was born out of his desire to open the path for those treated as insignificant to serve according to their call.

After the death of St. Vincent, two documents were recovered from his room. The documents were education certificates. They found his bachelor's degree certificate from the University of Toulouse and his graduate degree certificate from the University of Paris. He kept those certificates because of the high value he attached to education.

At that time in the 17th Century, the Catholic Church in France and several parts of Western Europe were facing many problems. The clergy weren't properly educated, and as a result, the needs of the parishioners for pastoral guidance were not fulfilled. This problem was more rampant in the countryside.

St. Vincent and his colleagues recognised the urgent need to educate the country priests to solve the Church's problems. They immediately confronted the issue early in their mission. St. Vincent made efforts to inform and educate the clergy. His early attempts were through conferences he held in Paris. St. Vincent soon became involved in the setting up of several Vincentian seminaries within and outside France.

Since then, Vincentian Priests and Brothers have been interested in educating clergy across secondary schools and seminaries. They train young men and prepare them for the priestly ministry. The Congregation of the Mission has been devoted to preparing men to take on the priestly ministry from the very start.

The Vincentian mission was developed to complement the existing mission and build upon it by spreading parish missions. This was the outreach focus of the Congregation of the Mission initially where the concern was to provide basic education without giving thought to the student's spiritual lives. The Vincentian mission was developed to fill in the system's holes and ensure that the clergy are fully prepared for their roles.

The Vincentian Centre for Church and Society itself is an answer to that. The Centre is important for opening up the doorways to Vincentian education and learning in the Gold Coast local community while also preparing young people and clergy to take up the mantle of ministry efficiently and fulfill their role as Pastors over the sheep.

Good Vincentian and Catholic education broaden the mind to religious and societal matters, provides an opportunity to serve the greater community and the resources necessary to research with a local and global outlook. Vincentian education provides a pathway for students.

The core values include the pursuit of academic excellence and wisdom, which flows from our religious values, and experience as humans. There are quite several Vincentian schools and more springing up. There are schools for young boys and adults where the teachings of St. Vincent are expounded and taught. Check them out today.