Viatorian schools and parishes emerging stronger in Ivory Coast
1/3/2012

The classrooms are filled at Collége Saint-Viateur in Bouaké --- located in the central part of Ivory Coast --- and a new school in the capital city of Abidjan, is growing. Combine this, with the number of vocations coming out of the West African nation and it’s easy to see why it drew a formal visit in December by the Superior General of the Viatorians, Fr. Mark Francis, to see the vitality firsthand.

“I noticed a big improvement, since the end of the civil war,” Fr. Francis said. “The last time I was there, the school buildings were crumbling and falling apart. Now, they have 1,200 students in Bouaké, alone.”

The Clerics of St. Viator have ministered in the West African nation since 1955 and stayed during its violent civil war that divided the country beginning in 2002. During Fr. Francis’ visit, it was the first time he was able to drive from the north to the south of the country without being stopped by rebel forces, he says.

With conditions stabilized, Viatorians in the country are feeling empowered as they prepare to be recognized as a vice-delegation by the worldwide congregation, and ultimately as a region.

“Everywhere there is the desire to move forward,” says Fr. Pierre Demierre, superior of the delegation of France, which sponsors the Ivory Coast. “We found, happily, the return of youth and children to schools and the gradual recovery of the area. . . Young postulants, novices and students reflect a beautiful face of African youth.”