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Annecy

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The formation of the clergy was one of the objectives of the Congregation of the Mission and was developed in a very significant manner. All the houses of the Congregation were dedicated to giving retreats to ordinands and preaching missions. Gradually these preparatory ordination retreats evolved into the creation of seminaries. The first seminary that was formally accepted by the Congregation of the Mission was that of Annecy (1642).

How great is the ministry of priestly formation. New men are always needed to minister to the new concerns of people. Thus Vincent saw the need to establish seminaries in order for priestly spirituality to flourish. The formation of good priests became his great concern.

Beneath all of this was a concern for the eternal salvation of the people of God, especially those who were abandoned by the Church. The unique style of Vincentian formation is found in its focused attention on the poor.

Sources: VincentWiki – 1 and VincentWiki – 2

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