The Vincentian Fathers and Brothers in Nigeria are priests of Saint Vincent de Paul, a 17th-century French diocesan priest. They are officially known and addressed as priests and brothers of the Congregation of the Mission (CM). The Congregation, or the little company of Saint Vincent de Paul, is not a religious Congregation in the strict sense of the word but a clerical society of apostolic life with pontifical right (meaning it has the approval and seal of the pontiff to operate). Thus, members of the society “pursue their purpose according to the heritage bequeathed by St. Vincent and sanctioned by the Church. They live in common as brothers (confreres), bound by the vows they pronounce while striving for perfect charity by observing their constitutions.
The Vincentians arrived in Nigeria in 1960 at the invitation of Bishop James Moynagh, the then Bishop of Calabar. The three Irish confreres who began the mission in Nigeria are Frank Mullan, Harry Smith, and Paddy Hughes. They arrived in Port Harcourt and then moved to Ikot Ekpene, from where Vincentian missionary activities spread all over Nigeria and even beyond.
The Vincentian vocation is to follow Christ, the Evangelizer of the Poor. Vincentian spirituality is rooted in the fundamental option to serve the poor, especially the most abandoned of society. The spirit of a Vincentian is the spirit of Christ, who came not to be served but to lay down his life in service to the Poor. It is the spirit of Saint Vincent who saw Christ in the poor. Thus, over the last sixty-five years, the Vincentian missioners in Nigeria have engaged in the following ministries:
(1) Parish ministry
(2) Retreats and missions
(3) Youth ministry
(4) Prison ministry
(5) Education apostolate
(6) Spiritual direction and formation of candidates for the priesthood.
Vincentian priests are working in the following dioceses in Nigeria: Enugu, Nnewi, Ekwulobia, Abakaliki, Orlu, Owerri, Port Harcourt, Ikot Ekpene, Calabar, Uyo, Warri, Benin, Ijebuode, Abeokuta, Lagos, Markudi, Otukpo, Idah, and Abuja. They serve in these dioceses as parish priests, retreat preachers, chaplains to religious bodies and pious societies, formators and seminary educators, prison chaplains, heads of schools, etc.
The Congregation of the Mission in Nigeria has its missions also in Chad, Ghana, Sierra Leone, etc. They also work as parish pastors and chaplains in the UK, USA, Canada, etc.
Anyone interested in knowing the Vincentian Missionaries in Nigeria can visit any of their community houses in these places for a firsthand experience. Candidates who want to apply to join the Vincentian Fathers can also apply here.