As we continue our series of episodes with Viatorians from other countries, we welcome onto the podcast Fr. Maurice Kouadio, CSV, of Ivory Coast.
Fr. Maurice Kouadio, CSV, of Ivory Coast
Fr. Maurice professed first vows in 2006. After several years as a brother, he requested studies for priesthood, but was initially asked to wait and continue his ministry in schools. Then in 2020, he began studies for priesthood and was ordained a priest in 2024. He serves as director of the school Groupe Scolaire Saint-Viateur in Bouaké, which includes nursery, primary, and secondary schools, and he is also vicar to the quasi-parish that utilizes the school chapel there.
Much like in our familiar communities in the US, Fr. Maurice shares how our reputation there is connected to education. “The Church and the community here, I can say, is growing more and more – through education, helping young people to be well educated, intellectually and socially,” Fr. Maurice said. “When thinking about Viatorians, we think about schools. Our schools are counted among the best schools of the country. So, Viatorians here are well known as good educators.”
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Left to right, Fr. Maurice with General Councilor Fr. Gerardo Soto, CSV, Vicar General Fr. Víctor Cámara, CSV, and Superior General Fr. Nestor Fils-Aimé, CSV, during their pastoral visit to Ivory Coast.
In Viatorian Community life, our outreach into new countries starts with a root province bringing our charism to another culture, but it isn’t typical foreign mission. Our foundations are meant to be places where the charism takes unique root in a new culture with the people of that country. In Ivory Coast, the Province of France planted seeds that are flourishing, especially in Ivorian vocations. Fr. Maurice expressed his gratitude and sense of responsibility that Ivory Coast is now a region, the last step before perhaps becoming a province one day.
“The community in Ivory Coast has been funded by the Province of France. Since some years, we noticed that there is no more vocations in France. So, our duty here is to be more responsible, so that we can get the upper level, which is a province, and so that we can help our mother province,” Fr. Maurice said. “It means that we have to work hard. Our Viatorian charism must be set up in Ivory Coast, so that we can have more and more vocations to continue the mission of the church and also the charism of our founder Father Louis Querbes.”
So, what does Fr. Maurice say to young people and discerners? “Welcome! They’ll be welcome!” Fr. Maurice exclaimed. “The Viatorian Community is like a tree, and association and religious life are the two main branches. We need each other to carry out the charism of our founder, his initial dream to have a community where we have lay people and religious.”
Listen to all of Episode 106 with Fr. Maurice on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. To view all of the episodes in this series, use the playlist embedded above and linked here. (Editor’s note: For those who struggle understanding English speakers with accents, we recommend watching/listening on YouTube, where we review the subtitles and edit them for maximum accuracy for each episode to support our listeners with increased accessibility.)