1. Foundation and First Steps

In 1878 Fr. Dehon founded the Congregation in order to lead priests and faithful to the Heart of Jesus, offering a daily tribute of adoration, reparation and love. That is why he desired, from the very beginning, to have the laity also participate in the spirituality and the aims of his Institute.

In 1878 he had already started a “Reparatory Association”. He proposed that the people who were associated with him should, with their prayers, works, sacrifices and acts of reparation, beg for the coming of the Kingdom of the Heart of Jesus and for divine blessings on all priests.

From the start, two groups were envisaged in the association: the first comprised the “associates” and the second the “aggregates”. The first were, in some way, the populace, while the “aggregates” were people who were committed to living the spirit of the Institute more intensely. This second group was a kind of third order and, particularly at the beginning, many of them took the so called “victim’s vow”; meaning that they delivered themselves into the hands of the Lord in a spirit of complete abandon, accepting in advance all the possible sacrifices and difficulties of life.

The first individual who appears as an “aggregate” in our archives is a Mr. Lécot, who also belonged to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. On Good Friday, April 11, 1880, he purchased a garden attached to the Mother House and presented it to our Institute. As an aggregate he took the name of Joseph of Arimathea.

In “Notes sur l’Histoire de ma Vie” (Notes on the History of My Life) (NHV) Fr. Dehon, in his description of the last events of 1880, also gave us a list of the first “aggregates”. This is the reason why some people thought the association was founded in that year. We have found, however, some documents in our archives which clearly attest to the contrary.

27 people are mentioned in the list of the first “aggregates” which Fr. Dehon included in NHV: 11 men and 16 women. Among those listed there was also Fr. Dehon’s mother. We know that almost all of the lay people on the list were men and women of “d’oeuvres”, that is, “of works”, they were an “active” laity. This is very important.

Another important document is a list made by the novice, Mattia Legrand. It is dated Christmas 1880 and includes 33 men and 33 women. The novice, Legrand, was born at Caumont near Chauny. Before entering the novitiate he had worked in the post office of Chartres. This is the reason why we find various people from these two towns included in his list, as well as some of his relatives.

Adding up the number of people identified on the two lists it appears that towards the end of 1880 there were almost one hundred people in the group of aggregates. In that same epoch the Institute was comprised of 4 professed brethren and 7 novices.

2. Msgr. Gay’s Campaign among and for Priests

Fr. Dehon founded his Institute in order to make reparation for the offenses suffered by the Sacred Heart due to the sins of priests and consecrated persons. He then founded the reparatory association to invite priests and lay people to do the same thing. However he felt the need to do something more for and with the priests.

Therefore in 1882, through the brother of Vincent de Pascal, he got into contact with Msgr. Gay, the auxiliary Bishop of Poitiers, and succeeded in winning him over to the cause of the Sacred Heart. He proposed the launching of a crusade of reparatory prayer and works among the clergy and the two of them started a vast campaign together. Msgr. Gay’s position allowed him to write to all the bishops in France. Fr. Dehon suggested the theme of the letter and the copies were made at Saint Quentin.

Thirty-three of the bishops who received the letter answered favorably and published the letter for their clergy. The letter was subsequently published as a leaflet entitled: “Some suggestions by a French prelate for uniting the clergy in reparatory prayer to the Sacred Heart in order to bring about the triumph of the Church and the salvation of France and of the world”.

The campaign was well received by the clergy and, being inspired by it, the Bishop of Viviers founded a reparatory association. In 1910 Fr. Dehon once again took up his initiative of 1882, as we shall see further on.

3. Official Approval of the Association (February 8, 1889)

Our Association however had not yet been approved officially by the local bishop. This situation subsequently changed. On February 25, 1888 the Holy See gave their first approval of our Institute with the “decree of praise”. This made it easier to obtain the eventual approval of the Association on the part of the Bishop of Soissons.

In the meantime, Fr. Matovelle from Ecuador had gotten in touch with Fr. Dehon. His idea was to fuse his Congregation of Divine Love with ours. With this object in mind, on November 10, 1888, our first Fathers set off for Ecuador.

Fr. Matovelle, and with him also other people in France, proposed to “found, under the banner of the Sacred Heart, a work of action and apostolate by means of an organization which would be capable of counteracting the Masonic sects and the evil which was invading the world”. Fr. Dehon welcomed this idea and decided to give a new statute to his Association. And, in the spirit of Fr. Matovelle, who strongly emphasized the Social Kingdom of the Heart of Jesus, he named his Association the “Association of the Kingdom of the Sacred Heart in Souls and in Society”.

It should not be forgotten that on January 25, 1889 Fr. Dehon also launched a new magazine which bore the same title. And it emerged clearly that the same ideas were circulating between the Association and the magazine “Le Règne” (The Kingdom); and in this way the ideas slowly spread also among the “associates”.

On February 8, 1889 Msgr. Thibaudier approved our Association with the new title. And, according to the new statutes, the objective of the Association was the Kingdom of the Heart of Jesus in souls and in society. Once again there were two levels or different grades envisaged: the innermost Association dedicated to prayer and sacrifice, and the other more oriented to action.

Those associates who were more oriented to action (the first grade) were committed:

- to publicly and openly recognize the rights and the royalty of Jesus Christ;

- to be vigilant in their insistence that the divine commandments must be obeyed within the family and by their employees;

- to fight bad publications and favor the Catholic press;

- to insure, as much as possible, that the associates have a mass every month, and that they also have a meeting to coordinate the measures that they should adopt in their own environment, focused on the fact that the main objective is to beg for the return of God and the establishment of the kingdom of the Heart of Jesus;

- to practice and, as much as we possibly can, propagate devotion to the Sacred Heart as the most efficacious means of obtaining the salvation of the Homeland.

The Second level associates, in their turn, committed themselves:

- to offer up prayers, actions, sufferings and life itself, every morning, and to do so in union with the Heart of Jesus and in the spirit of love, reparation and intercession;

- to accept, with the same spirit, the trials and the sufferings which it may please the Lord to send us during the day; in a word, to offer themselves as being “victims” to console the Heart of Jesus and obtain His kingdom amongst us;

- to cultivate a great devotion to the Eucharist and to devote an hour to adoration and reparatory communion either every first Friday or every first Sunday of the month;

- to practice purity of heart and humility, and live in a spirit of generosity and sacrifice;

- to consider themselves, every Friday, especially the first Friday of the month, victims who are charged with expiating the sins of the Homeland, and to do some real penance with this intention.

In this same year, 1889, Fr. Dehon joined his Association to the Archconfraternity of the Sacred Heart of Rome. It was a unification which he then renewed on March 23, 1901.

4. The Years 1890-1904

We will limit ourselves to citing just a few facts here. And we must place the circular letter of October 17, 1892 first. It is in this letter that Fr. Dehon asked his superiors to “take all of our works to heart, favor vocations, recruit members for our associations and ferment the union of hearts among ourselves and with everyone”.

In 1893 Fr. Prévot published his book entitled Amore, Pace e Gioia (Love, Peace and Joy). It is about a retreat of the Sacred Heart according to St. Gertrude. This book slowly became the one most highly valued by the aggregates.

In the years in which “Le Règne” was being published it frequently promoted our Association. One example would be the first page of the 1897 issue where we find the article: “The Disciples of the Heart of Jesus”, which explained that the purpose of the Association was to make Our Lord feel that He was receiving the care and attention He received in Bethany at the house of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. This was spiritualizing the Association enormously. In fact, there was not even one word written about the apostolate.

In the “proceedings” of the General Chapter of 1899 we read: “The Association of the Sacred Heart has grown. In Germany there are several thousand aggregates. It should also develop in the same manner in other countries”. In Germany our Association was called “Vrerein von Gebet und Busse” (Association of Prayer and Penitence).

On November 29, 1901 Fr. Dehon wrote to Fr. Kusters in Bergen and told him that the Association numbered 6000 members in Germany and that they had started a magazine with approximately 3000 subscribers, most of them being associates.

On February 21, 1904 Fr. Dehon had an audience with Pope St. Pius X and in his diary he wrote: “I spoke to him of our associates and aggregates: more or less 10,000 people who recite every day, in union with us, the reparatory prayer to the Sacred Heart”.

In those years, therefore, our Association had grown a great deal, particularly in Germany. On the other hand, the first difficulties began to appear, especially in France, where the expulsion of the Congregation greatly reduced our contact with the aggregates. It is also during these years that one can observe a considerable reduction of that sensitivity towards the social situation which had been such a stalwart characteristic of the Association in 1889.

5. The Years 1905-1909

One of the people from our Institute who was most interested in the Reparatory Association was Fr. Andrea Prévot. On December 22, 1905 he wrote a letter to Fr. Dehon proposing that he should model our Association to be somewhat like that of the Apostolate of Prayer, and that he should also start a magazine for the associates. He then asked him if the “manual”, which he himself was composing, could be published with the title “Manual of the Association of Apostolate and Reparation”, emphasizing thus the close link between reparation and apostolate.

Fr. Dehon responded that he was very pleased with Fr, Prévot’s proposals.

The following year, 1906, Fr. Prévot’s booklet came out: Amour et Réparation (Love and Reparation) with the subtitle of: “Manual for the Apostolate of Reparation”. Throughout the book much emphasis is placed on the spirit of victim, considered necessary in order to insure a fertile apostolate. On the other hand, there is no mention of the apostolate as being a commitment and a necessity for the associates.

In that same year Fr. Dehon published a pamphlet promoting the Association and, during an audience with Pius X, obtained a special privilege for those aggregates who offer up their individual merits to the Heart of Jesus so that He may use them as He thinks fit.

In August of 1908 Fr. Dehon wrote in his diary: “Our Association is spreading to several dioceses. But we have neglected it too much in these last 25 years”. He then charged Fr. Prévot to promote the Association and its work for private reparation.

Fr. Prévot welcomed this invitation and in 1906 he published a promotion leaflet among the faithful and another one for the promulgators, leaving a blank space in which the names of new aggregates could be written.

6. The Papal Brief of April 9, 1910

Fr. Dehon nourished the desire to re-start, in one way or another, the campaign for priests which he had carried out in 1882-83 with Msgr. Gay; “because”, he wrote, “the Lord asks for the union of priests in the life of reparation”.

He was thinking of creating an association that would be especially for them and, on April 9, 1910, a papal brief from St. Pius X gave him permission to found it in all the dioceses, granting privileges and indulgences to its members. On April 15th Fr. Dehon therefore wrote to Fr. Kusters: “I have received a papal brief from the Pope for an association of priests to be created in every diocese. These priests would promote our works among the faithful in whose midst they are. This is a good ideal to promote with all of our magazines. I hope it may also be a source of vocations. We must find priests who can promote in the dioceses.

7. Preparation for the Chapter Planned for 1914

According to the “proceedings” of the General Council, on June 8, 1912 the French section of the Association numbered 4,000 associates and the German section 8,000. It was also recommended that a Dutch section and a Flemish section should be created. However, in the audience he had had with Pius X on the preceding 21st of February, Fr. Dehon had spoken of approximately 20,000 associates, between priests and laity. How can these facts be reconciled?

It is certain that the Association had grown and work had begun on reviewing the regulations which were to be presented at the General Chapter planned for 1914. A draft of 14 pages is conserved in the archives. In this draft we can definitely see that once again it was being recommended that the associates commit themselves in works of apostolate, either in a personal way or in the parishes. But then the First World War broke out and it was no longer possible to hold the 1914 Chapter.

8. “Règlements Divers” (Various Regulations) (1919)

When the war was over, Fr. Dehon wanted to convoke a new General Chapter in order to “augment piety and the spiritual life, prepare new foundations and improve the organization”. He called the meeting in a neutral country, at Heer in Holland, and it was held from the 29th to the 31st of July, 1919. In the “proceedings” all one finds is an exhortation to “develop our associations”.

After the Chapter various decisions, relative above all to the organization of the Institute, were published - collected under the title “Règlements divers” (Various Regulations). We find a chapter on the Reparatory Association in section XXXII. It is a somewhat amplified version of the text which had been prepared for the Chapter of 1914, and it pointed out that although it was now being included in the decisions of the Chapter it was not among those articles studied.

As for the organization, it says that in every Province (therefore in Brussels, Bergen op Zoom, Sittard, Luxembourg and Bologna) one or two priests should be nominated to keep in touch with the associates. Regarding the general regulations it added that every Province should be allowed to add an intention of its own as well as their own particular practice. Thus the German Province asked its associates for an annual contribution for its missions. It is in these details that one can see the Association becoming more international.

9. The Creation of the A.R.T. (Adveniat Regnum Tum) (March 15, 1923)

On February 27, 1920 the Congregation was entrusted with the building of a new church in Rome, dedicated to Christ the King. Fr. Dehon chose Fr. Ottavio Gasparri for the implementation of this plan and together they started a great campaign for the collection of funds.

On January 21, 1921 Fr. Dehon wrote to Fr. Gasparri: “We should unite to our campaign an association for the Kingdom of the Sacred Heart, like those who want to build a votive church of the Sacred Heart in Jerusalem. This would allow us to have, in the dioceses and in the parishes, people who would promote our organization in order to seek associates and subscriptions. It could be a section of our Association which is so rich in indulgences. We need a little regulation of just a few lines, a short daily prayer(“Sacred Heart of Jesus, may Thy kingdom come”). This thought must be matured and organized well, without being too hasty”.

Fr. Dehon suggested, therefore, that Fr. Gasparri should initiate an association for the benefit of the work to be done in Rome, one which could be a section of our already existing Reparatory Association. However Fr. Philippe wrote to Fr. Gasparri on May 17, 1922: “Have you thought about having our regulations for the Association looked over by an expert in canon law and then making a complete work for the whole Congregation? That would be very important and would mark a step ahead”.

From this, one understands that it was not simply a question of starting up a new section of our Reparatory Association, but of reconstructing it completely. What were the reasons?

In 1917 the new Code of Canon Law appeared, which also contained two chapters on associations. Our Association was only “diocesan” and, according to the new Code, to constitute it in other dioceses a new decree from the respective Ordinary of the locality was required.

We also know that the Major Superiors of the Institute had no power over the Association. The Superior General received the nomination as “director” from the Bishop of Soissons, who could, however, also nominate a priest who did not belong to the Congregation. All this did not correspond in any way to the intentions of Fr. Dehon, who wanted “an association which was, in a certain way, a kind of third order of the Institute”. In addition he desired that the idea of the kingship of Christ should be emphasized.

For this reason Fr. Gasparri was charged with redrafting the plan for a new association with the help of a canonist. But then we see that Fr. Philippe also turned to Fr. Gengler, an expert in law and a member of the Congregation. In fact, in his letter to Fr. Gasparri in 1923 he wrote: “I am sending you the plans for the Association with the changes inserted by the Father General and by Fr. Gengler. It seems to me that the two grades cause a certain amount of confusion. It would be better to keep only one grade and help people to advance on the path of generosity. Do everything in agreement with the Cardinal Vicar, because if the things come from him you will have greater success”.

On March 14, 1923 Cardinal Basilio Pompili signed the decree which established the Association “Adveniat Regnum Tuum” in the votive temple of the Sacred Heart of Christ the King in Rome; and also approved its statutes. These were modified so that the Association could be constituted in various dioceses without having to ask for new decrees from the Diocesan Ordinary every time.

According to these new statutes the A.R.T. Association was defined as an association of prayer and sacrifice. The purposes it proposed were:

- to make reparation in the Eucharist for the injuries done to Jesus Christ;

- to obtain the re-establishment of Christian principles in consciences, in families, and in society;

- to increase the number of vocations to the priesthood and to missionary work.

The second purpose slightly recapitulates the aims of the 1889 regulation for the first grade. The invitation addressed to the associates to enroll in the works of apostolate in their own parish or diocese was also positive and, since people’s sensitivities had changed, the word “victim” was no longer used and the division of the associates in two grades or classes was suppressed.

From this information one can gather that during the Father Founder’s life the Reparatory Association made a long journey and had been affected both by the currents of spirituality of each epoch and by the sensitivity of the associates themselves.

In his leaflet “Memoirs” of 1912 Fr. Dehon wrote that in the field of the apostolate all through his life, two great initiatives were close to his heart: first, to lead priests and faithful to the Heart of Jesus; second, to contribute to the progress of the working classes through works of justice and of charity.

Both these works of apostolate are part of an apostolate which must be continued, made to grow and be spread. Even if this second initiative has somewhat been forgotten by our Reparatory Association, it corresponds very well to the Father Founder’s charism and the Dehonian Laity must follow this course.