The preaching ministry of the Vincentian Congregation is based on the spiritual traditions bequeathed by St. Vincent-de-Paul. Vincentian spirituality is bifocal. While concentrating on the personal spiritual renewal of the individuals by a deep realization of the saving love of God, it leads everyone to accept the challenge of caring for the poor and the marginalized in society. The overwhelming experience of God’s love takes flesh in the self-sacrificing love for “the least of the brethren” of Jesus (Mt.25:40).

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor” (Lk.4:18). This mission-statement of Jesus, declared at Nazareth, was taken by St. Vincent as a special motto of his own ministry and of the Congregation of Priests that he founded. In the preamble to the Common Rules that he wrote for his priests he states: “We are called to continue the mission of Jesus Christ by preaching the Gospel to the poor”. The Vincentian fathers fulfill this special call by preaching Popular Mission retreats in parishes and through the preaching of the Word of God in various prayer and retreat centers.

POPULAR MISSION RETREATS

Potta Ashram was established in 1977 as the centre to coordinate the Popular Mission retreats. Members of the Popular Mission team began to reside there for prayer and preparation for the retreats. It helps the Popular Mission to flourish rapidly. The Popular Mission preachers felt the need to have a follow up program for the people who participated in the retreats in order to keep up the spirit and fervour which the faithful obtained from the retreats. This led to the beginning of the daily prayers and retreats at Potta Ashram in 1983. Soon people began to crowd to the Ashram seeking spiritual solace and liberation from the evils of alcohol and drug addiction. The sick and the broken-hearted came in large numbers. God’s compassionate love poured in. The loving presence of Jesus was powerfully felt by everyone. The sick were healed, the sinners were forgiven, the fetters of vices were broken and the Good News of salvation was preached to all. There was a time when 20000 to 25000 people used to come on Saturdays for the One-Day retreat.
The facilities at Potta Ashram became inadequate for the growing numbers of people converging for the week-long residential retreats held in Malayalam. A sprawling locale was acquired at Muringoor, on the banks of Chalakudy river, six kilometers away from Potta, and was named Divine Retreat Centre. By the grace of God, the retreats preached here attracted people and thousands of them came from all over the world to attend the retreats. This necessitated the opening up of new facilities and retreats started in six other languages also.

Because of the persistent request of the people and of the ecclesiastical authorities from various parts of the World, the Congregation was inspired to start a number of retreat and prayer centers in different parts of India and abroad. Now there are 51 prayer and retreat centers all over the World. The following are the Vincentian Prayer and Retreat Centers:

India

01. Adichira – Paritrana Retreat Centre, Adichira, Perumbaikadu P.O., 686 028, Kottayam, Kerala
02. Ahmednagar – Divine Retreat Centre, Link Road, Kedgaon, Ahmednagar, 414 005, Maharashtra
03. Ambattur (Chennai) – Arulalayam Retreat Centre, 347 M.T.H. Road, Ambattur, 600053, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
04. Ballarpur – Divine Vachan Ashram, Ballarpur P.O., 442701, Chandrapur Dt., Maharashtra
05. Bengaluru – Logos Retreat Centre, 29 Prakruthi Township, 1st Main, P.B. No 4326, Babusahib Palaya, Bengaluru, 560043, Karnataka
06. Chopra – Vincentian Retreat Centre, Chowdhuri Gach, Chopra P.O., U. Dinajpur, 733216, West Bengal
07. Coimbatore – Divine Dhiana Illam, Chinthamanipudur, Coimbatore, 641103, Tamilnadu
08. Denkanikotta – Anpalaya Retreat Centre, Denkanikotta, 635107, Krishnagiri Dt., Tamil Nadu
09. Dumka – Divine Retreat Centre, Hathiapathar P.O., Dumka, 814101, Jharkhand
10. Elavur – Divine Mercy Retreat Centre, Elavur P.O., Gummidipoondi, 601201, Thiruvallur Dt., Chennai, Tamil Nadu
11. Faridabad – Divine Retreat Ashram, Bathola, Baroli P.O., Tigaon Road, Sector 82, Faridabad, 121 002, Haryana
12. Gumto – Divine Prayer Centre, Gumto, P.B. No.1, Doimukh P.O., 791112, Papumpare Dt., Arunachal Pradesh
13. Hazaribag – Vincentian Retreat Centre, Dibugarh, Mariam Toli, Hazaribag, Jharkhand
14. Hubli – Jnanodaya Retreat Centre, Gopankoppa, Keshwapur P.O., 580 023, Hubli, Karnataka
15. Jalalkhali – Divine Love Retreat Centre, Jalalkhali P.O., 741102, Nadia Dt., West Bengal
16. Jamshedpur – Divya Jyoti Renewal Centre, Patel Bagan, Sundernagar P.O., Jamshedpur, 832107, Jharkhand
17. Joram – Vincentian Mission Centre, Joram, Ziro P.O., Lower Subansiri Dt., 791120, Arunachal Pradesh
18. Jowai – Divine Mercy Retreat Centre, Ladrymbai NH 44, East Jaintia Hills Dt., 793160, Meghalaya
19. Kalyan – Tabor Divine Retreat Ashram, Kamba Village, Varap P.O., Kalyan-Murbad Road, Kalyan, Thane Dt., Maharastra
20. Kattappana – Krapalaya Retreat Centre, P.B. No: 13, Kattappana, 685508, Idukki Dt., Kerala
21. Khetri – Divine Retreat Centre, Khetri P.O., 782 403, Nalgadera Village, Kamrup Dt., Guwahati, Assam
22. Kolkata – Emmaus Retreat Centre, 2/8b Sarat Bose Road P.O., L.R. Sarani, Kolkata, 700020, West Bengal
23. Mangalagiri – Divine Mercy Dhyanashram, Divine (Babuji) Nagar, Nidamarru P.O., 522503, Mangalagiri (Mandal), Guntur Dt., Andhra Pradesh
24. Mangalore – Divine Prayer Centre, Permannur P.O., 575 017, Kerabail, Thokkottu, Mangalore, Karnataka
25. Margherita – Divine Renewal Retreat Centre, Margherita P.O., Tinzukia Dt., 786181, Assam
26. Mariamnagar – C/o Shantir Rani Parish Church, Mariamnagar, Kashipur, 799008, Agartala, Tripura
27. Meerganj – Popular Mission Centre, Churai Road, Meerganj P.O., Bareilly Dt., 243504, Uttar Pradesh
28. Mumbai – Vincentian Prayer House, 504, 12th Road, Chembur, 400071, Mumbai, Maharashtra
29. Muringoor – Divine Retreat Centre, Muringoor, 680309, Chalakkudy, Thrissur Dt., Kerala
30. Potta – Popular Mission Centre, Potta, 680 722, Chalakkudy, Thrissur Dt., Kerala
31. Premagiri – Sinai Divine Dhyanashram, Premagiri, Nandanapall P.O., 518452, Kurnool Dt., Andhra Pradesh
32. Puthuppady – Vincentian Retreat Centre, P.B. No. 1, Puthuppady, 673 586, Kozhikode Dt., Kerala
33. Tissa – Divine Light Retreat Center, Tissa, Khonsa , Tirap Dt., 786630, Arunachal Pradesh
34. Trichy – Divine Mercy Retreat Centre, Choriyampatti, Muthalwarpatti P.O., Madhurai Main Road, Opp. N.H. Office, Marungapuri (TK), Trichy Dist., 621305, Tamilnadu
35. Zhadima – Ave Maria Divine Retreat Centre, B.P.O., Zhadima Village, Kohima, 797105, Nagaland

Germany

36. Freudenstadt – Haus St.Vinzenz, Lindenstrasse 18, 72250 Freudenstadt
37. Berlin – Exerzitienzentrum Der Goettlichen Barmherzigkeit, St. Clemens Kirche, Stresemann Str. 66 a, 10963, Berlin
38. Trier – Vinzentiner Haus, Hauptstrasse 29, 55471 – Ravengiersburg

Kenya

39. Kisumu – Vincentian Prayer House, Buoye, Kisumu, Kenya
40. Nairobi – Vincentian Prayer House, P.O. Box 25158, 00603, Lavington, Nairobi, Kenya
41. Thika – Vincentian Retreat Centre, P.O. Box No.2009-01000, Thika, Nairobi Thika Highway, Kenya

Uganda

42. Entebbe – Centenary Vincentian House, P.O. Box No. 200, Entebbe, Uganda
43. Masaka – Divine Mercy Renewal Centre, Kabulassoke, P.B.No. 613, Masaka, Uganda
44. Nsangi – Vincentian Retreat Centre, Nzangi, P.B. No. 23, Kyengera, Kampala, Uganda

Australia

45. Perth – Vincentian Prayer Centre, Holy Family Church, Lot 375, Alcock Street, Maddington, 6109, Perth
46. Sydney – Divine Retreat Centre, 160 Hensons Road, Somersby 2250, Sydney

United States of America

47. New Jersey – Divine Prayer Centre, 426, Route 57 West, Washington, NJ 07882, USA
48. Tampa – Divine Mercy Prayer House, 2905 S Frontage Road, Plant City, FL 33566, USA

Austria

49. Vienna – Vinzentiner Haus, Zanaschkagasse 12/30/15-16, 1120, Wien, Austria

Canada

50. Toronto – Divine Retreat Centre, Vincentian Prayer Centre, 69 William Street, Toronto, ON, M9N 2G6, Canada

England

51. London – Divine Retreat Centre, St. Augustine Abbey, St. Augustine’s Road, Ramsgate, CT119PA, 
Kent, UK
52. Wales – Vincentian Divine Retreat Centre, Pantasaph, Wales, Monastery Road, Holywell, Flintshire, CH8 8PE.

Rwanda

53. Divine Retreat Centre, Cyeru-Kanzenze, Bugesera, Rwanda.