The Clerics of Saint Viator (), abbreviated C.S.V. and also known as the Viatorians is a Roman Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men (priest, brothers and lay associates) founded in Lyon, France, in 1831 by Father Louis Querbes. Its patron, Saint Viator, was a 4th-century catechist in Lyon. The institute spread from its origins in France to Canada and later to the United States; it now has provinces and missions all over the world. They are a teaching order and are involved in parish ministries and all levels of education, from grade school through university. Its members add the nominal letters C.S.V. after their names to indicate membership in the congregation. Louis Querbes Louis Querbes was born in Lyon, France, on 21 August 1793, during the French Revolution. He was baptized in Saint Nizier Parish near the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fourvière. As a boy he participated in the choir and attended the clerical school in Saint Nizier Parish. Querbes entered Saint Irenaeus Seminary and was ordained in 1816. He returned to Saint Nizier as a parochial vicar and became a skilled preacher. He became administrator of the clerical school at Saint Nizier. In 1822, Louis Joseph Querbes was named pastor of Vourles, a parish that had suffered during the Revolution. He took on the task of rebuilding the church and preaching to the faithful. He noted a lack of educational opportunities for the children there. The Congregation of the Clerics of St. Viator History Father Querbes formed an association of catechists for rural schools: "The Catechists of Saint Viator". He chose as patron Viator of Lyon, a fourth-century local saint who was a lector serving Bishop Just of Lyon. The religious Congregation of the Clerics of Saint Viator, made up of parochial clerics and lay catechists, was approved in 1831 by Archbishop Gaston de Pins, Apostolic Administrator of Lyons. Seven years later, he presented his society to the Pope but, counseled by advisors, he had dropped the inclusion of lay members, as it would not have been approved. Father Querbes was ahead of his time in wanting to form a community of lay and religious members. On 21 September 1838, he received pontifical approval for the religious institute of the Parochial Clerics or Catechists of Saint Viator. The Viatorians opened schools and worked in parishes first in France, and later in Canada and the United