About Society of Divine Vocations in Nigeria

The Society of Divine Vocations, also known as the Vocationist Congregation, is a Religious Congregation of Priests, Brothers and Sisters founded by St. Justin Mary Russolillo (1891-1955) in Italy. The Vocationist Fathers and Brothers Congregation was first founded on October 18, 1920 while the Vocationist Sisters was founded on October 1, 1921. The Congregation has its motherhouse at Pianura in the district of Naples in Italy. 

The Vocationist Congregation has its main charism as identifying and fostering vocations to priesthood and religious life, especially among the less privileged. The Vocationists work in Vocationaries (considered as their most characteristic work and most special and primary field of action), parishes, schools, and missions.

The Society of Divine Vocation is a core religious institute of Pontifical Right. We live in communities and profess the three evangelical counsels of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. Vocation is our business. God has specially called us through the Church as vocation experts, counsellors and midwives. Our work is to help you discern properly and answer the call of God in your life. We are interested in your vocation and we want to see you realize what God has destined for you. This is what our charism is all about.

This charism also does not only define our activity, but also our personality. By the reality of our vocation-oriented charism, a Vocationist, a name given to us by our founder, St. Justin Mary Russolillo, and coined from the word Vocation, is one who has an exceptional love for vocation, one who is a specialist in caring for vocations, one who dedicates his life for vocations, and one who is committed to working and praying for vocations. According to Fr. Justin, other religious institutes wait for vocations and welcome them, while the Vocationists, personally and purposely, go out searching for them, especially through our catechetical schools. In other words, our entire life and our business are highly riveted on matters of vocation and in all, our immediate objective, though not our goal, is to see people being guided to properly discern their vocations and being helped to realize them by responding appropriately to Gods call in their lives.

In all, our ultimate goal is to help all attain Divine Union with the Blessed Trinity by means of universal sanctification of all souls.

Fr Justins life was Vocationist and Vocationist was his life. For him, the world is understood in the teleological light as being synonymous with purposefulness; every creature in the world is not without a specific purpose underlying its existence. Man, animals, plants, rivers, forests, rocks, etc. all has some underlying purpose for their creation. Similarly, the Founder of the Society of Divine Vocations, St. Justin Mary Russolillo felt strongly there was a specific purpose for his coming into existence, a purpose which is exceptionally compared with that of every other human creature.

Right from the early days of his life, he realized and showed that he was called to foster vocations to priesthood and religious life among the poor ones. He realized that this was what God called him to do in life and vowed to bring it to fulfilment at all cost. Thus, on the morning of September 20, 1913, the day of his priestly ordination, he made a vow of charity to God, to found a religious congregation for the cultivation, service and apostolate of Gods vocations to faith, to the priesthood and to holiness. It was this firm resolution and dream of this holy man of God that brought into being the Congregation of the Society of Divine Vocations. However, Fr. Justin had earlier during his seminary days prepared the ground on which he planted the seed of this vow that will later germinate into the big tree of the Vocationist family.

GROWTH AND EXPANSION

There are clear indications that the Society of Divine Vocations has since its foundation grown from strength to strength and expanded tremendously to different parts of the globe. Fr. Justin was happy and fulfilled that the Congregation was not only growing, but was also living up to its underlying charism and purpose of foundation. Thus, in 1927, the year the Congregation received its diocesan right, Fr. Justin wrote, expressing his happiness and fulfillment at the progress of the Vocationary: So far the Vocationary has sent some candidates to the Dominicans, Franciscans, Augustinians, Jesuits, Salesians and the Priests of Charity Oh, how we rejoiced to hear that some superiors are happy with them! Currently, at least fifteen are getting ready to follow them. We would like to present a larger group every year to each and every religious order! They are our greatest joy.

On April 29, 1950, the Vocationist mission was extended to Brazil with Fr. Fraraccio, Fr. Torromacco, and Bro. Prisco as the first missionaries. In 1954, Fr. Ciro came to United States for a feasibility study in view of the establishment of a Vocationist mission in the country. The Vocationists in 1962 began their mission in United States at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Newark, NJ. The Congregation entered Nigeria in 1991 as its first African mission. Today, the Vocationist Congregation is found, actively in France, Indonesia, Brazil, United States of America, Nigeria, Argentina, Philippines, Venezuela, India, Columbia, Ecuador, Chile, Madagascar, United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, Vietnam and Spain.

THE HISTORY OF THE SOCIETY OF DIVINE VOCATIONS (VOCATIONIST FATHERS AND BROTHERS) DELEGATION, NIGERIA

The Vocationist Fathers had commenced operation by sending some students out of the country, while others were sent to Clarentian Institute of Philosophy, Nekede to study philosophy even before it was established in Nigeria. In 1987, Fr. Matthias Ndulaka of Ahiara diocese was the coordinator of Vocationist in Nigeria then. The first group were recruited and sent to USA. In 1987, the second group were recruited in 1989 and sent to Italy. Fr. Cornelius Ozee Ibe , SDV, was the only surviving vocation to priesthood among that set.

Before the advent of the Vocationist in Nigeria, Fr. Louis Caputo, SDV, had met providentially with the then Rev. Fr. Victor Adibe Chikwe, who was the parish priest of Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish, Emekuku then in one of the latter's over-sea trips. During their discussion Fr. Caputo, SDV expressed the desire for the Vocationist to begin missionary activity in Africa. This, Fr. Chikwe welcomed with admiration and hoped that he would be an effective and initial instrument to welcome the Vocationist to Africa. Thus, Very Rev Fr. Louis Caputo made a visit to the then bishop of Owerri for the establishment of the Vocationist Congregation in Nigeria. The logistics on ground proved to be a hindrance to this project, and Fr. Caputo, SDV left to The United States.

As God would have it, in 1988, Fr. Victor Chikwe was consecrated the first bishop of Ahiara Diocese. Having become a bishop, bishop Chikwe urgently invited the Vocationist Congregation to his diocese. The Vocationist Missionaries arrived Ahiara Diocese on the 4th of October, 1991. The two priests, Fr. Alfonso Limone, SDV, and Fr. Nicola Caradente, SDV, arrived from The United States and Argentina respectively to Nigeria as Pioneer Vocationist Missionaries. They were accompanied by Fr. Louis Caputo, SDV. They were welcomed first at St. Bridget parish, Nnarambia, Ahiara diocese (the then seat of Ahiara diocese). They lived there for some months, before they were moved to C.K.C Mpam Owere where Fr. Hyacinth Njoku was the parish priest for them to have the required decorum to do their work.

It was at C.K.C Mpam Owere that the first External Vocationary meeting with the first set of formants was held. Ten candidates were invited but seven responded. While Vocationist missionaries were still living at Christ the King Church, Mpam Owere, the Our Lady of Divine Vocation Vocationary Oparanadim community building construction began in 1992. The contract was given to the indigenous construction company owned by Chief B. N. Amaechi. The Formators and the first group of formants moved into Oparanadim community on February 2, 1993 to begin aspirancy. On September 20, 1993, the first group started their novitiate experience at Our Lady of Divine Vocations Vocationary Oparanadim Formation House. This occasion was graced by the then Superior General, Very Rev. Fr. Castiglione Rafaele, SDV. 

However, on September 20, 1994, a year later, the first group recruited and formed in Nigeria had their profession of the evangelical counsels. The First group were sent to Claretian Institute of Philosophy, Nekede, Owerri on October 4, 1994 for philosophical studies; and later, they graduated in June, 1998. The same year, precisely on August 29, 1998 this group had their final profession of Vows at Sacred Heart Parish, Umumbiri, Oparanadim with the late Bishop V. A. Chikwe as the principal celebrant.

In October 4, 1998, the second community was opened in Ibadan. Also, within this period the first set of formants began their theological studies at Ss. Peter and Paul Seminary, Bodija, Ibadan. Now, the Vocationist congregation has two major Formation houses / communities. In December 19, 2000, the first group were ordained deacons at the cathedral podium, Ahiara. On August 18, 2001, their priestly ordination took place at C.K.C, Mpam Owerre, to mark the tenth anniversary of the Congregation in Nigeria.

On August 23, 2001, the European missionaries left the Africa soil. Now, the responsibility of administration of the nascent mission was left to the inexperienced black religious, with little or no economic foundations. At this time we had only seven priests. As time goes on we started expanding our apostolate areas. 

In 2004, the Vocationist were invited by the bishop of Nnewi Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Hilary Paul Odili Okeke to open a community there. More so, divine providence has granted us great opportunity to work in many arch/dioceses in Nigeria and beyond. Worthy of mention are other arch/dioceses where the Vocationist are working in Nigeria: Uromi, Lagos, Orlu, Abeokuta, and Ijebu-Ode, Abakiliki. The Delegation has eleven communities. Our three areas of apostolate are: parishes, schools and missions. Statistically, the Delegation has ninety-five priests, sixty- one are working in Nigeria while thirty-four are in missions outside the country. Again, the Delegation is blessed with thirty-seven students, three novices, and ten aspirants. In 2007, the Vocationist mission in Nigeria was constitutionally elevated to the status of a Delegation.

 However, the delegation has engaged in farming as a part of the ways of self-sustenance. Also, we have an international secondary school at Akatta, Orlu diocese, in Imo state and In Ibadan Oyo State; this school is open to all students for admission. There, we not only train students academically, but we impact sound moral teachings and discipline which is found wanting in our modern places of learning. To complement our areas of apostolate, some of our brothers engage in teaching and lecturing in schools and higher colleges. These are some of the achievements and growth in our pastoral work.

In 2014, the Delegation lost two perpetually professed religious: Fr. Thaddeus Aririele, SDV and Bro. Duke Nnanna, SDV. May their gentles souls rest in Peace. Amen!

Internationally, the Delegation has participated among others in the Beatification of Venerable Justin Mary Russolillo on May 11th, 2011 at Pianura, the Centenary celebrations of this noble congregation: The Society of Divine Vocations (Vocationist Fathers and Brothers) held in Pianura (the Vocationist Mother House), Italy on September 20, 2014 and most recently the Canonization of the founder, St. Justin on May 15th, 2022 at St. Peters Square Vatican, Rome. 

The history of the delegation will not be complete without mentioning the Vocationist Sisters. Both Vocationist Fathers and Brothers and Sisters are of one Father Founder: St. Justin Russolillo.

We remain grateful to all the Local Ordinaries that welcomed us to their Arch/Dioceses to be part of their labour force. We thank all priests and religious for your collaboratory ministry we share in the church. Finally, we remain indebted in prayer for all our benefactors and benefactresses for your benevolence and charity; we salute all men and women of good repute for your prayerful supports and generosity.

Written by Fr Lawrence  Ogundipe SDV

Re-edited by Vocationists Media.