- St. Vincent de Paul
At the end of the third quarter of the centennial Vincentian presence
and ministry in India, the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians) had established moderate infrastructure for the
formation of our candidates; two minor seminaries: Jyothi Nivas, Baripada, Orissa (1979) and De Paul Seminary,
Belwadi, Mysore (1991), Stella Maris, the Internal Seminary (1956) and Aquinas College for philosophy studies(1964),
Gopalpur-on-Sea, Orissa, and two theology study houses, St. Vincent’s Mission House, Aluva, Kerala (1962) and Vincentian
Vidya Sadan (VVS), Pune (1982). Besides these,Aquinas College catered to the formation of diocesan seminarians as
residents or day scholars. Confreresserved as formators, teachers,
visiting staff and spiritual Fathers in various national or regional,and diocesan seminaries.
At this juncture, in view of expansion and growth, on November 25, 1997, the Indian Province was bifurcated into
Northern and Southern Provinces demarcating North-East region and South-West region respectively. The terms of
bifurcation stated that the Southern Indian Province (SIP) develops its infrastructure and facilities for Internal
Seminary and Philosophy stages of formation within three years and VVS facilities are to be shared by both provinces.
With limited financial and human resources at its disposal,
the SIP faced the enormous task of developing structures for administration and formation.
Southern Indian Province explored various possibilities to offer quality formation to its seminarians,
to develop required formation structures and qualify the confreres to accompany the seminarians.
The ministry of vocation promotion faced enormous challenges due to the multi-linguistic background of
the province.Through the appointment of a national vocation director and regional vocation coordinators and promoters,
the SIP tried to strengthen vocation promotion to recruit suitable candidates. Their dedication and
commitment to carrying out these roles and responsibilities determined greatlyits fruitfulness and effectiveness.
But the policy inconsistency and insufficiency of training and engagement
in other ministries have adversely impacted their availability for vocation promotion.
The history and development of the minor seminary consisting of orientation year and +2 studies in the SIP
are very complex. When the SIP was erected, De Paul Seminary (DPS), Belwadi, served as its Minor Seminary,
with a year of the orientation program and two years of +2 studies. Seminarians pursuing +2 studies were initially
sent to St. Philomena's College, Mysore, as regular students and also offered it as a residential program with
the assistance of visiting teaching staff.The DPS greatly remained as the cradle of Vincentian vocation in the
Southern Indian Province.
The first provincial convocationof SIP (1998) proposed the necessity of establishingregional seminaries to
allow students to pursue +2 studies and graduation in their own States. St. Vincent's seminary, Dharkast,
Tambram(1999), was first established as a regional seminary for Tamilnadu. When St. Vincent's Seminary at
Dharkast was under construction (1999), one batch of students were residing at a rented house at Tambram,and
attending classes at thenearby government school. The process of establishing it in other States was abandoned in
the planning phase itself. Each of them has its own stories of beginning or aborted beginning and ending due to
various external and internal factors that emerged in the course of implementing the suggestion.
In the midst of these transitions, a batch of students pursued their +2 studies privately in DPS, intending to
appear for the exams in Chennai but could not write the exams. In 1999, a house at Enikepadu was purchased and modified
as a Seminary to accommodate these students. They pursued their studies at Andhra Loyola College, Vijayawada.
As the establishment of regional seminaries faced various hurdles like finding suitable places for formation and schooling,
fostering the spirit of belongingness, batch unity, etc., the provincial administration was compelled to find a
common house for the seminarians pursuing +2 studies. Thus, after a year of orientation, they were sent to St.
Vincent's Seminary at Dharkast and they pursued their +2 studies at Holy Angels School, Chromepet,
around 10 km away from the seminary. Three batches of students passed out from here. Due to the scarcity of
public transportation and the financial burden of acquiring private service daily, the province looked for an
alternative place.
Meanwhile, the De Paul International Residential School at Belagola (2002) was established along with the PUC program.
So, the provincial administration decided to shift the +2students to Belagola, converting one of the dormitories of the
school hostel into their seminarytill a separate structure was constructed on the same campus. Seminarians attended regular
classes at DPIRS. The campus offered them enormous possibilities for growthandusing the facilities of the campus in a
pluralistic atmosphere. Many felt that the campus atmosphere influenced the young mind adversely, resulting in a steady
increase of those who chose to discontinue their vocational journey and even losing some batches entirely.In 2018, the
provincial administration decided to shift the +2 students to De Paul Seminary, Belwadi, and offer a residential +2
program with the support of visiting teaching staff.
The provincial assembly in 2012 decided to begin an year of pre-internal seminary, considering the lack of sufficient
preparation and discernment before seeking admission to the Congregation and a great number of students leaving after
becoming admitted members. The first and fourth batches of pre-internal seminarians were accommodated at St. Vincent's Seminary,
Dharkast, (2013-14 & 2017-18). The second and third batcheswere sent to CM College, Janampet, Eluru, (2014-2016).
The provincial assembly of 2019 decided to discontinue this
program and seminarians entered Internal Seminary immediately after their +2 studies.
The SIP was expected to establish its Internal Seminary after three years of its bifurcation.
Responding to the immediate requirement, the second provincial administration (2001-2006) decided to modify the priest's
residence at Pachani and to establish the first Internal Seminary of SIP with its limited facilities.
Four batches of seminarians completed Internal Seminary under two directors at Pachani. Since the existing
facilities ofPachani could not cater to the needs of a bigger batch of seminarians, the administration explored other
possibilities. The provincial assembly of 2004 proposed the shifting of the Internal Seminary to Dharkast since it had
turned out to be vacant as a result of shifting the +2 program to DPIRS, Belagola. This was a temporary arrangement till a
conducive locationwas identified and appropriate structures were built up. Fourteen batches completed their Internal Seminary
at St. Vincent's Seminary, Dharcas, under five directors. In the later year, the SIP witnessed a significant
decrease in the number of seminarians seeking admission to the Internal Seminary and consequently, in certain years,
it was forced to cancel theprogram or join with NIP. The discussion on the suitability of St. Vincent's Seminary, Dharkast,
for an Internal Seminary has been alive from its very beginning. The recent global pandemic of COVID-19 and various other
factors adversely affected vocation promotionand eventual suspension of the Internal Seminary during the Jubilee year.
In fulfilment of the terms of bifurcation, the second provincial administration located a plot of land in Janampet,
within the vicinity of Vijnananilayam,Eluru to establish the philosophy study house of SIP.The first and second batches
of students pursued their philosophy and undergraduate program, staying with the Vincentian Fathers (VC)
till CM College (2002) was completed and inaugurated. Three batches of students graduated with this programme from Janampet.
Meanwhile, responding to the request of NIP (2004), the provincial administration decided to send our seminarians to Aquinas
College again.The provincial Convocation of 2016 suggestedthe withdrawal of the students from Aquinas College in order to
send them for regular graduation when they turned down our request for facilitating our students to
graduate with teaching subjects from Indira Gandhi National Open University. This was intended to prepare our future confreres
with adequate secular qualifications to manage ministries effectively.The provincial assembly of 2018 suggested reviewing
the program in the background of emerging adverse consequences and decided to discontinue it.
Seminarians were asked to pursue their graduation along with their philosophy studies.
Consequently, they were accommodated at Alwaye, Pune and Eluru study houses along with theology students.
Thus, in the first quarter of the province, the philosophy stage of formation has taken complex twists and turns,
still requiring consistency of place and the facilities required for this stage of formation.
The regency formation offers the seminarians the actual living experience in a Vincentian community and to encounter persons
in poverty through apostolic engagement. This might make one deeply conscious of one's immense possibilities and limitations.
They were sent to experience the Vincentian ministries in educational institutions, parishes, seminaries, and social workcentres.
They always found those experiences rich and
rewarding and facilitated their discernment. At the successful completion of regency, they receive the cassock.
Since the inception of the SIP, our seminarians were sent to pursue their theology studies at St. Joseph's Pontifical Institute,
Alwaye, and Janadeepa Vidyapeeth, Pune while residing at our own facilities at St. Vincent's Seminary, Alwaye,
and Vincentian Vidya Sadan, Pune. For some time, when the theology students could not be accommodated in the above two study houses,
CM College was converted to a theology study house, attending classes at Vijnananilayam, Eluru.
Each year of theological studies concludes with the celebration of a significant moment of their journey to the
Vincentian Priesthood; in the firstyear, they are installed to Candidacy; in the secondyear,they receive the ministries
of lector and acolyte; in the thirdyear,they take perpetual profession and are incorporated into the Congregation of the
Mission and receive Diaconate ordination, and in the fourthyear,they will be ordained as priests.
Thus, a retrospective evaluation of the formation ministry reveals that there has been instability regarding the formation
program and the places of specific stages of formation. The financial scarcity often compelled successive provincial
administrations to respond to the immediate concerns and better utilization of the existing facilities.
Most of the formation houses of SIP suffer from inadequacy of planning because house facilities were not developed
as per the requirements of the specific stage of formation rather a specific stage of formation was fitted into existing
facilities. In spite of all these, the Lord of the harvest has been gracious to us in sending labourers into His harvest
and providing decent places and facilities in preparing the evangelizers of the poor.
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