The Missionary Institute London closed its gate for the last time

After forty years of dedicated collaborative ministry in mission, the Missionary Institute London hands on the torch to other missionary training centres in the global Church

At the extraordinary meeting of the Trustees of the Missionary Institute London on 18 January 2006 the decision was made to close the Institute, on the recommendations of the Governors, and the last students would complete their studies in June 2007.

The Missionary Institute London began initially in 1967 when The Mill Hill Missionaries and The Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers) combined their seminary resources to offer one academic programme whilst retaining responsibility for the spiritual and pastoral formation of their students.  The following year, 1968, four other Missionary Societies joined them namely: The Comboni Missionaries (Verona Fathers), The Consolata Fathers, The Society of African Missions, and the Society of the Divine Word.  In 1969 these six were increased to seven when The Congregation of the Holy Ghost (The Spiritans) joined them.

The reason for the founding of the Missionary Institute London nearly forty years ago was to pool the financial and personnel resources of the Founding Missionary Societies so that they could give a more adequate formation of their clerical students in the light of the teachings of Vatican II, particularly the Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity – “Ad Gentes”

The Missionary Institute London was granted official approval in 1968 by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and by the Sacred Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples.  It was then empowered by the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education to grant Diplomas and Certificates.

To date 2,382 students have followed courses at the Missionary Institute London and of these 663 have been ordained to the priesthood.

However, the majority of the clerical students of the Founding Societies over a number of recent years did not come from Britain or Europe and so the Societies gradually moved their formation programmes to areas of the World where their candidates originated.  This meant that there were very few clerical missionary students from the Founding Societies left at the M.I.L.  Those remaining completed their courses in June 2007.

Numerous attempts had been made for some time to provide courses suitable for lay people from Britain and elsewhere in Mission studies at the Missionary Institute and with some success.  Quite a number of lay students had passed through the Institute attaining Mission Theology graduate and post-graduate degrees through the affiliation with both the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium) and Middldesex University (U.K.).  Evening courses in Theology were run in order to attract those unable to attend during the day.   Unfortunately, despite all the tremendous efforts in advertising and a number of recruitment campaigns, their numbers did not fill the vacuum left by the withdrawal of the clerical missionary students.

This unfilled vacuum meant that the income needed to maintain the Missionary Institute had diminished considerably.  The Institute had always relied for its day-to-day running costs on the fees of the students.  As a registered charity in the UK, the Missionary Institute London had to be financially viable and so, given the dearth of students, this iwas no longer possible and hence the decision was made to close.

The Founding Societies are unable to subsidise the Missionary Institute since the limited resources they have are needed for their own formation programmes elsewhere in the world that have replaced those of the Missionary Institute London and for their various other needs and pastoral activities.

It is with sadness but also with joy that we have come to this decision.  Of course we are sad because the Missionary Institute London has to close.  However, we are joyful and thank God for the tremendous work that has been achieved during this forty years of the enrichment of our students in their mission studies. We know that the Institute has been a tremendous centre of Mission Theology in Britain that has spread through its students throughout the World. We can be joyful that the work of the Institute continues and will continue wherever past students are and with those to whom they pass on the “Good News” for generations to come.  We thank God for the forty years existence of the Missionary Institute London.

Denis Starkey, M.Afri.

Secretary/Registrar/Treasurer