Vianney College came to birth in the same year, 1992, that Pope John Paul published his post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation, "Pastores dabo vobis". This document has always been our guiding light, both in our vision of the priesthood and in the path we follow towards priestly formation. That document looks back to the past and recognises well tried and successful methods in seminary formation. However it also recognizes the underlying principles that flow from the very nature of Christ's priesthood and points the way to a fresh application of these principles in the changing times in which the Catholic Church finds itself.

Bishop Brennan founded Vianney College in 1992 to form priests for the diocese of Wagga Wagga. It was a bold move at the time and not without controversy. However time has proved that the decision was a wise one and God has blessed the diocese of Wagga Wagga with a healthy flow of vocations to the priesthood, leaving it with the best ratio of priests to Catholic population in the country and the youngest average age of its priests.

Bishop Gerard Hanna succeeded Bishop Brennan as bishop of Wagga Wagga in 2002 and within a short time made it clear that he wished to continue, if possible, the formation of priests for the diocese at Vianney College. He has enriched it with the fruits of his own experience as a rural pastor, developing its programme of pastoral formation to balance its academic, spiritual and human formation programmes.

There have been notable changes in the life of Vianney College in recent years. As in other Australian seminaries, a large proportion of our seminarians were born overseas. Besides reflecting the changing composition of Australian society and of the Catholic Church in Australia, it is also a visible reminder of the meaning of the word "Catholic". As long as young men come forward from our own communities in insufficient numbers to train as priests then we must look beyond our shores and benefit from the "riches" of other Catholic communities.

Another development can be seen in the number of bishops who turn to Vianney College to seek priestly formation for their candidates. While Vianney remains a diocesan seminary under the bishop of Wagga Wagga, we are happy to welcome seminarians from other dioceses, particularly from those that share a rural character with our own. In 2008 three other country NSW dioceses, as well as one interstate diocese, are represented among the seminarians here. This must surely add to the richness of our seminary life.

The year 2008 sees the celebration of World Youth Day in Sydney. The seminary community will be fully involved in all the activities associated with this extraordinary ecclesial event, and like all, we hope to benefit from the abundant blessings that are sure to flow from this gathering. Expressions of interest for the coming years are already encouraging.

This website provides an overview of the people, programmes and places that go to make up Vianney College. Among the people are the present students and staff. We list with pride the names of those who have now reached the goal of priesthood after at least some formation at Vianney. Among the places our chapel has pride of place for it is there that we meet the Eucharistic Lord, the reason for our existence as a seminary. We are also proud of our library, which is available for public use. The programmes outlined here give some idea of the life at Vianney College and how it contributes to the goal that unites us all, the ministerial priesthood of Jesus Christ.

Welcome to our website!

Father Peter Thompson, C.M.
Rector