Nigeria: A Time of Grace and Celebration of the Vincentian Charism and the Commitment to Good Governance in Service with the Poor

My recent visit to Nigeria was marked by an intense and rich agenda, centered mainly on the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Congregation of the Mission. In this context of deep joy and renewal, I had the opportunity to meet with the national leadership of the Vincentian Family, as well as to participate in the annual retreat of the missionaries, where we shared moments of prayer, discernment, and fraternity. One of the most significant moments was the celebration of the ordination of five new Vincentian missionaries, a hopeful sign of the vocational dynamism that the Vincentian Family is experiencing in this country.

Celebration of the CM Jubilee with the Vincentian Family in Nigeria

During these days, I held various personal dialogues with members of the Vincentian Family and with leaders of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Ghana who came for the celebrations. In all these encounters, themes emerged that have also been present in my visits to other countries, but here they resonated with particular strength. One of them was that of good governance, both in the civil and political sphere as well as the ecclesial one.

Nigeria—along with many other African nations—is a land of immense human, cultural, spiritual, and natural wealth. However, in many regions a situation of precariousness, neglect, and exclusion persists. The inevitable question arises: how is it possible that, having so much, so many live with so little and even with nothing? The answer, repeated clearly in multiple testimonies, has to do with forms of leadership at all levels, but especially political and military leadership. From there arises the urgent need to promote good governance at the service of the common good, the defense of life, and the care of the most vulnerable; also through ministerial action—political advocacy and the healing of political action.

This issue is not exclusive to the African continent but is part of a global phenomenon with profound implications. However, in Africa it takes on a special dimension because of its direct impact on the processes of integral human and social development. It is no coincidence that good governance is a priority line in the agenda developed by African nations at the UN: Africa 2063. In this agenda, good governance is highlighted alongside decolonization and Pan-Africanism, for the construction of a continental identity and the possibility of embracing a common voice in central issues in dialogue with the rest of the world.

In the Church as well, this issue of good governance strongly touches on the question of the transparent and evangelical use of goods, especially those destined for the poorest. With the Vincentian Family in Nigeria, we spoke openly about this aspect: good governance requires the common struggle against all forms of corruption in the management of the goods of the poor.

Another central theme in our dialogues with the Congregation of the Mission was the still growing “parishization” of the Vincentian charism in the experience of the Congregation of the Mission, as an element that is increasingly taking over almost entirely the identity and pastoral action in many of our provinces. The importance of making our parishes communities marked by the charism was emphasized, through two main axes: direct service to the poor and actions of systemic change and integral development; and the work of implementing the model of a Synodal Church in the co-responsibility of the laity, the consecrated, and the ordained—an issue that is not foreign to the Vincentian Family and that forms a central part of its identity and mission.

In this sense, the urgency was also underlined of advancing in the processes of “declericalization” and “depatriarchalization” of our ecclesial structures within the Vincentian Family. Nigeria, like many other regions of the world, faces this challenge with growing awareness. The Church is called to be a sign of communion, participation, and mission, from a truly synodal experience that listens to all voices, especially those who have historically been silenced: women, young people, the poor, etc.

Finally, one of the deepest reflections that arose during this visit was the need for an incarnation and reinterpretation of the Vincentian charism in the African context. This is not an optional or secondary task: it is essential if the charism is to continue being a source of life in new realities. The invitation was very well received for Africa—and within it, Nigeria—to find and express its own voice, with confidence, naturalness, and creative fidelity to the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul.

I left Nigeria with my heart full of gratitude for the vitality of the Vincentian Family, in which there are several local branches; the generosity of so many servants of the charism; and the hope that springs from a Church that, from its challenges, knows it is called to be continually renewed. Let us continue walking together, at the service of the poorest, with boldness, humility, and incarnated love. Thank you, FAMVIN of Nigeria, for your welcome and hospitality!

Fr. Memo Campuzano, CM

Closing of the Retreat of the Vincentian Missionaries, Province of Nigeria.

Closing of the Jubilee Eucharist of the CM with members of AIC, the Visitor, and the local Bishop.

Members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.