This matter is on everyone’s mind and is the focus of the attention of those in charge of institutions and enterprises, otherwise they will become outdated or fail to meet their objectives. Do we find this same concern in St. Vincent de Paul in the 17th century?

Father Vincent was born, grew up and exercised his ministry in a time of great changes: the scars of religious wars were dividing France; the struggle for an increasingly centralized power, moving towards absolute power; a scandalous injustice in the distribution of wealth; the appalling ignorance of the people, who easily took refuge in magic and superstition in search of an answer to their problems and afflictions; a clergy divided between the high clergy, who had rents and privileges that brought great wealth, and the low clergy, who lacked adequate formation for the exercise of the ministry and saw it as a career and a social ladder; a total control of the Church by the State, heading towards an overbearing Gallicanism. On the other hand, the fervor of new ideas and scientific discoveries gave rise to the scientific revolution, paving the way for what would later go down in history as the “Enlightenment”: new language, new attitudes, new pastoral action.

The attempt at some isolated reforms in the life of the Church was followed by the slow application of the reformist decrees of the Council of Trent, which were not approved in France until 1617. Thus Father Vincent found himself between a past of which he was an outcome, an unstable present in search of direction and consolidation, and a future that he aspired to, envisioned and in which he wanted to take part in its creation. We know that he graduated from the University of Toulouse, studied in Saragossa, graduated in Law in Paris and, in a letter to Mr. Comet, he said that he would continue his studies in Rome. Because of his formation and his understanding of the social and ecclesial reality, he felt the need for a profound reform, which could only be successful through an adequate initial and ongoing formation.

The first step in this direction was the “Spiritual Exercises for the Clergy”. This work was born of what today we would call an “impulse” from the Bishop of Beauvais. Indeed, during a long journey, they spoke of the problems of the Church. And one of the main ones was the clergy; not because there was a shortage, but because they were incompetent, the result of a lack of preparation. Father Vincent recommended to the bishop that he should not ordain anyone without first making a 15-day retreat. And he offered to do it himself. In a letter written to Father Du Coudray on September 15, 1628 (cf. SVP ES I, 129), he gives an account of the development of this activity: a) examination of the candidates; b) creation of the formation team: Fathers Messier, Duchesne, Vincent de Paul, a local parish priest and the bishop himself, who was asked to take care of some matters (1). The result was so good that the experience was instituted in St. Lazarus and in many dioceses. It gave rise to the Major Seminaries by lengthening the time of formation: from fifteen days to two months, to six months, to one year, to two years…

But it was necessary to take care of the priests already ordained and prepare them for the exercise of their ministry. Father Vincent had the idea of gathering a group of colleagues at St. Lazarus for study and prayer: the famous “Tuesday Conferences” were born. Some of the most illustrious figures of the French Church, such as Bossuet, Olier, Duval, etc., attended.

Father Vincent does not forget the small group at Saint Lazare, the seed of the Congregation of the Mission, where the habit of ongoing formation seems to have been established:: «Is everyone in good health? Is each one in good cpirits? Are the little rules well observed? Is debate being studied and practiced? Do you abide by the prescribed schedule? I beg you, my dear confrere, to work on that and to master the abridged Becan (2). Words cannot express the usefulness of that little book» (CCD:I:57). «As for the younger members, perhaps we shall have them read «the Master of the Sentences» (3) (CCD:I:289).

In the conference of August 5, 1659, devoted entirely to the knowledge that had to be acquired, revised and updated for the good exercise of the various ministries in the face of new ideas and new times, Vincent regretted that some had forgotten how to administer the sacraments or did not know how to answer some questions about the Eucharist: «Hemos de hacernos capaces de enseñar estas cosas a las personas que nos encomienden los señores obispos». Next, he addresses a practical point: «I uam going to ask Father Alméras to give copies of the ‘Entretiens’ (4) to the students and priests in the seminary. We will meet for this in the Saint-Lazare hall. In the afternoon, after Vespers, we will begin praceice for the administration of sacraments, etc. We will do the sermons during dinner and supper» (CCD:XII:242). The aim of the entire conference is to persuade the attendees to engage in ongoing formation. He talks to his listeners about all the areas of the priestly ministry: preaching, catechesis, moral theology, liturgy, etc. And he tells them that there is no shame in brushing up on forgotten subjects and learning new things. He tells the more reluctant ones that he often feels the need to do so and that he is in the group because he needs to remember many things and learn new ones.

The concerns of Fr. Vincent de Paul are extraordinarily topical with regard to the need for ongoing formation in order to exercise the ministry well. Today, moreover, there are those who believe they already know everything, have the answers to everything and do not need to learn anything; there are those who, not knowing, do not bother to learn, because that is how they have always done it, and that is fine. There are others who, locked up in their own world, do not realize the changes and continue repeating “their pastoral action” like someone who repeats a recording, in fits and starts, with continuous interruptions, totally disconnected from their interlocutors, without transmitting the message of which they were designated messengers. Reading this discourse by a 78-year-old priest helps us to shake off our lethargy and open ourselves to an updating of language, methods, content and, above all, commitment.

Fr. José Alves, CM

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(1) Bernard Duchesne and Louis Messier, both graduates of the Sorbonne University and members of the Community of St. Nicholas de Chardonnet. Vincent de Paul had the ability to bring together people from other circles for a common work.

(2) Martin Becanus, Belgian Jesuit wrote a great number of brief treatises against the  Calvinists. In addition, he wrote Somme theologique, an Analogie de l’Ancien et du Nouveau Testament, a debate manual, and an abridged form of the same manual.Becan was very popular in his time, particularily because of his clarity and his method.

(3) Sententiarum libri IV, a work of Peter Lombard, Bishop of Paris.

(4) The table of contents of MS. 85 in the library of Beaune and in the Bibliotheque, Municipale of Lyons, entitled Entretiens des Ordinands sus les matieres de devotion, corresponds fairly exactly with the outline of the Ebntretiens des Ordinands of Saint-Lazare found in Abelly (op.cit. Bk. II, chap. II, sect III, pp. 219ff). There is a good possibility that thuis is the version used at Saint-Lazare by Saint Vincent.