After a ten-year eclipse, the Clerics of Saint Viator are making their return to Rome. This movement concludes a long reflection on the location of the General House, a question that became recurring during the last General Chapters. The stakes involved digital evolution, the needs of the Congregation, and the future of the “Berceau” in Vourles (France).
In 2012, the General Council received a mandate to study the criteria that should govern the choice of the location for the General Directorate. Following this study, the Extraordinary General Council (EGC) of June 2014 in Rigaud ratified two important decisions:
The sale of the former General House in Rome.
The establishment of the General Direction (and not a formal "House") in Vourles, thus advocating for decentralization.
This shift toward decentralization took shape in the spring of 2015: the General Council left Rome, the archives and the Secretariat were moved to Vourles, and the General Councilors resided in their respective provinces.
For nearly ten years, the Congregation experimented with this decentralized mode of operation.
Better utilization of human resources within the Provinces.
Greater proximity of councilors in the field.
Streamlined logistics thanks to information technologies.
Distance from Rome, the nerve center of the Church.
A loss of international visibility and sharing with other congregations.
More complex coordination of files, often subject to the uncertainties of visas, weather, or health crises (COVID-19).
The 2024 Chapter highlighted the need to offer the General Council a stable framework to meet current challenges. Capitular Text 5 of the 2024 Chapter reaffirmed the importance of listening to the grassroots and evaluating this decentralization. Several factors imposed a new decision:
The debates at the 2012 General Chapter left the door open for a relocation to Rome in a more modest house.
The obligation to rule on the proceeds from the sale of the former Rome House (DC 29-30 of 2018), the funds from which were to be made profitable with a view to a potential General House.
The numerous expectations of the 2024 Chapter which required a stable framework for the work of the General Council.
Guided by these parameters, the General Council explored two paths: sharing services with a host congregation or purchasing an adapted and affordable structure.
In September 2024, shortly after taking office, the new Superior General, Fr. Nestor Fils-Aimé, c.s.v., traveled to Rodez (Aveyron, France). Fr. Philippe Arnal, c.s.v., informed him that a women's congregation wished to sell their residence in Rome. He put him in touch with the Provincial Prioress, Sister Marie-Theresa Kim, of the Dominican Sisters of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Monteils.
A historical proximity unites our two communities, as Monteils is located near La Fouillade, where the Viators have been present for over a century. The sisters, wishing to concentrate on their missions in Asia, decide to leave their house in Rome.
Located on Via Cassia (between Via Volusia and Via Bracciano), 50 meters from the Raccordo Anulare.
Plot of 615 m², house situated on the upper part of the property.
Adjacent to San Giuliano parish.
Building entirely rebuilt and inaugurated in 2014 (the Sisters had been there since 1954).
From October 14 to 18, 2024, Fr. Nestor Fils-Aimé and Fr. Fredy Contreras (General Treasurer) traveled to Rome. They visited numerous congregations: the Dominicans of Monteils, the Brothers of Saint Gabriel, the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, the Camillian Fathers, the Brothers of Christian Instruction, the Fathers of the Sacred Hearts, and the Daughters of the Church.
Although the initial project for the visit to Rome (October 2024) concerned renting, the discovery of the Sisters' property at Via Cassia 1038-1040 changed the situation. This modern house, inaugurated in 2014, emerged as the ideal solution.
In January 2025, during the meeting in Bouaké (Ivory Coast), the Extraordinary General Council adopted the principle of the purchase almost unanimously. On September 1, 2025, the Congregation officially took possession of the house. Fr. Gerardo Soto, General Councilor, became its Superior.
On Thursday, January 15, 2026, during the Extraordinary General Council in Rome, the new "Casa di Procura" was officially inaugurated. In his homily, the Superior General defined the three pillars of this new house:
“Place of encounter: Where the General Council can listen to the heart of the Congregation.
Place of formation: Where one comes to drink from the source in order to serve better.
Place of welcome: Where every passing Viator can say: "Here I am at home, because I am with my brothers."
But let us never forget that one "remains" with Christ to better depart. One stops in Rome to embrace the horizon of the world." - Fr. Nestor Fils-Aimé, c.s.v.
