From the article “Being A Vincentian, Being a Formator” by Fr. Robert Maloney, C.M.

“Historians have often highlighted St. Vincent’s organizational skills. He did not, however, merely organize; he formed the groups and persons that he assembled. In fact, the letters, documents, and conferences in the fourteen volumes of his extant works are, for the most part, aimed at the formation of those whom Vincent had gathered together in the service of the poor.”

“Reflecting on the Vincentian [priest] as formator, one might be tempted to focus only on two themes: our role in the formation of the diocesan clergy and our role in the formation of our own candidates. Both these works are extremely important […] But it is not only those who engage in those two works who are formators […] Notice that the motivation of our Constitutions is very clear: ‘to lead them to a fuller participation in the evangelization of the poor.’ One of our goals as formators, therefore, is to mobilize the huge energies of this enormous family, with its millions of members. The Lord calls us to be an army, so to speak, in the service of the poor, battling to break down the structures that oppress them, offering them relief in their present distress and seeking with them to eradicate the causes of their poverty.”

“The thesis of this article is that being a Vincentian also means being a mentor…”

– Fr. John Freund, C.M.

The following timeline presents examples of St. Vincent’s formational works throughout his lifetime.

See the timeline