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Dear Brothers:

We have the pleasure to share with you a reflection which, for this year, will substitute for those usually given on March 14 and on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This is a reflection on the DEHONIAN YEAR and also to prepare for provincial chapters and the General Chapter. We are writing from a very special place, dear to our Founder: the sanctuary of the Annunciation of the Incarnation of the Lord in Loreto, Italy, called the “holy house”, because, according to an ancient tradition, on this spot the house in which Our Blessed Mother lived in Nazareth and where she received the message of the angel, was partially reconstructed.

This is the place which Fr. Dehon often visited and always recalled with great emotion. He was here with his parents before his priestly ordination; here he returned on February 14, 1877, at the moment he discerned his religious vocation; he made a pilgrimage here in 1894 to commend the Congregation to the Mother of God.

It was on this latter occasion that Fr. Founder wrote a short note to Fr. Stanislas Falleur, from Loreto, in which he revealed a secret, deeply based in his experience of God, declaring that it was in this spot, in 1877, that the congregation was begun; and from that point it would continue to renew itself.

This double affirmation - the role of Loreto in the foundation of the Congregation, and the hope that from thence it would find new life - has brought together the SCJ communities of Roma I and II, together with other confreres from Italy (IS and IM) and from the United States, to the Sanctuary of the Holy House, to celebrate a Eucharist at the same altar at which Fr. Dehon, 125 years ago, on February 14, 1877, during Mass and prayer in this place, received a special grace. This grace answered his desire to live a consecrated life dedicated to love and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, for the service of the Kingdom of God and the sanctity of the Church. It began to become a reality on June 28, 1878, when Fr. Dehon professed his first vows.

I. The Dehonian Year

The 125^th anniversary of the religious profession of Fr. Dehon, and the beginning of our Congregation, constitutes for us a special gift for which we must thank Our Lord, and a favorable time, a “Kairos,” to savor. Therefore, to properly celebrate these occasions, we set aside this extended period which we formally declare as a “Dehonian year.”

This period comprises 16 months, beginning with the date Fr. Dehon indicated as the spiritual beginning of the Congregation: February 14, 1877. On this date, his discernment matured into a decision to found a congregation. The year will end on June 28, 2003, the 125^th anniversary of the day Fr. Dehon took his first vows, the day we publicly recognize as the foundation date of the Congregation (cf. NHV XIII, 100) .

By providential coincidence, this year will terminate on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; that, and the liturgical memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, shows the unity between these two lives, these two persons, these two hearts, in salvation history. The “ecce Ancilla” and Ecce Venio” make possible both the Incarnation and its realization as God’s design for humanity. They recall to us the Christocentric and Marian components of our spirituality.

We open this Dehonian Year with the words Fr. Dehon wrote to Fr. Falleur:

“There (in the Holy House) the congregation was born in 1877.

It can reencounter here, today, a new life.” (cf. A.D, B. 20/3).

Both statements mark a personal journey of faith, of service, and of hope for every SCJ during this year. More than remembering these statements, we must make them into prophecies of new life that will serve the Church and the World.

II. The Holy House of Loreto: “Where the Congregation was born in 1877”

That statement of Fr. Dehon can surprise us, for we know that the Congregation actually was born in Saint Quentin. However, Fr. Dehon had thought about founding a new institute in December of 1876 (cf. NQT xvi/1900, 34). That decision was made explicit in the spring of 1877 (cf. NHV XII, 164). He mentioned this to Bishop Thibaudier on June 8, 1877, from whom he received oral permission on June 25 and written approval on July 13.

Fr. Dehon’s biographers have written extensively about this period in which his decision to found the Congregation developed, and about his motivation, including Fr. Bourgeois in Studia Dehoniana n. 9 (cf. STD 9, 1978: : “Le p. Dehon à Saint-Quentin 1871-1877. Vocation et Mission”).

The pilgrimage to Loreto, in this context, would have been forgotten, were it not for the brief allusion mentioned above. In any case, it remains an intermediate step, not chronological, but in a spiritual sense, which should be included among those “personal graces and illuminations received for the preparation and the foundation…”, what we would today call profound experiences of the Lord, which Fr. Dehon recalled with fervor, and which he noted in his journal (cf. NQT XLIV /1924, 138.)

For Fr. Bourgeois, “the grace of Loreto stands at the beginning, not of the foundation proper of the Congregation, but as a sign of (Fr. Dehon’s) entrance into religious life under the banner of ‘Ecce Venio...Ecce Ancilla’... it does not speak of an idea, much less a decision to found (the Congregation), but rather of a clearer orientation, unconscious, mysterious, yet real, which would later develop, in the spring of 1877, in his soul.” (cf. STD 9, 1978, 174). It is the recognition of a graced moment in the conception of the Congregation, which led him to desire to found “an ideal Congregation of love and of reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.” (cf. NHV XII, 163).

To speak of Loreto as the “place” where the Congregation was born refers to the spiritual experience which Fr. Dehon had there. We speak of other such experiences: the Christmas of 1856 when he first felt the call to priesthood, his journey to the Holy Land which confirmed his decision. This is why we consider it part of our spiritual patrimony.

The house of Loreto recalls to us the Annunciation and Incarnation, which, along with the hidden life of Jesus in Nazareth, are so fundamental to our Dehonian spirituality. Let us consider these moments as foundation stones of our Institute and indeed of the entire project of our Founder, which now includes other religious and laity who are considered part of the Dehonian Family.

Let us now pass through the door of this Holy House, following the reflections of Fr. Dehon in his Spiritual Directory, and begin a rich and profound spiritual journey.

1. Ecce Venio, Ecce Ancilla and our congregacional patrimony

Loreto is the symbol which recalls Nazareth, where Our Lord became flesh. This is the foundational experience of our faith. The Faith of the Church recalls the willingness of the Word to become flesh, and the corresponding response of Mary to the Annunciation, which made possible our salvation.

Fr. Dehon sums this up in the phrases “Ecce Venio,” “Ecce Ancilla.” He considers “Ecce Venio” to be Jesus’ “Rule of Life” (cf. DSP II, cap. I, 1), and Ecce Ancilla the theme which sums up the life of Mary (cf. DSP II, cap. II, 1). When the letter to the Hebrews places the words of Psalm 40, 7-9 in Jesus’ mouth, “Sacrifices and offerings for sin you did not desire; then I said, …’Here I am, I come to do your will’” (Heb 10, 6-7), it places on Jesus’ shoulders both the human drama and the work of salvation of his Father.

Thus “Ecce Venio” sums up the life and work of Jesus, an acceptable offering to the Father, a sinless offering realized in the fullness of the Spirit, to purify our consciences from those works which lead to death, so that we may serve the living God (cf. Heb. 9,14).

Thus, the sacrifice of Jesus is his submission to the will of the Father; not in good intentions or in principle, but in obedience beginning with the Incarnation and leading to his suffering, death, and resurrection. It is a freewill offering, for love of the Father and for humankind, in his own flesh, “to make perfect those whom he would lead to salvation” (cf. Heb. 2,10; 2,18; 5,9). Thus humanity, participating in the obedient offering of Christ, reaches its perfection and is transformed by divine grace.

Fr. Dehon speaks at great length about this “Ecce Venio.” For him, it is not a passive attitude of Christ; it is the force which brings about our redemption, the reconciliation of humankind with God, solidarity with, and preaching the Gospel to, the poor and lowly: publicans, prostitutes, and sinners; teaching his disciples, compassion for the sick and suffering, his offering in the Eucharist ... (cf. DSP II, cap. I, 1.2.5).

The “Ecce Ancilla” of Mary is the sign of her total openness to the divine plan. Following in the tradition of Abraham, the prophets, and all believers, Mary abandons herself to God’s will, believing that all things are possible. Thus, she creates a space for God in her mind, her heart, in her body, in her experience of womanhood, in her whole life. She hands over her future unconditionally. She does not ask to understand, but simply accepts the Word made flesh in her being, to ponder these events in her heart.

For Fr. Dehon, the “Ecce Ancilla.” of Mary corresponds to the “Ecce Venio” of Jesus. She is thus transformed into the first collaborator in the mission of her Son. Accepting the Word become Flesh in her body, Mary remains always a “Servant of the Lord.” As such, she shares the life and destiny of her Son, as does the Church throughout history (cf. DSP II, chap. II,1).

Number six of our constitutions recalls the attitude of Fr. Dehon: “In founding the Congregation of “Oblates, Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Father Dehon wanted its members to unite in an explicit way their religious and apostolic life with the reparatory oblation of Christ to the Father for people. That was his ‘specific and original intention’ and the ‘character proper to the Institute’ (cf. LG and PC), the service it is called to render to the Church.”

Fr. Dehon himself says: “These words: ‘Ecce Venio...Ecce Ancilla’..express our whole vocation, our purpose, our obligation, our promises” (Dir. I,3) And in the Spiritual Directory he adds: “In all our situations, in the present and in the future, may this “Ecce Venio” be always on our lips, in our mind, in our heart. Ecce Venio: “Here I am, O Lord, I have come to do your will.” (Heb. 10,7). Here I am to do, to undertake, to suffer whatever you wish, whatever you ask.” (DSP, I,3).

“The ‘Ecce Venio’ (Hebrews 10,7) defines the fundamental attitude of our life. It turns our obedience into an act of oblation; for the redemption of the world, to the glory of the Father.” (Const. 58). “By her ‘Ecce Ancilla’ [Mary] inspires us to availability in faith. She is the perfect image of our religious life.” (Const. 85)

2. The hidden life in Nazareth

For Fr. Dehon, the Holy House also recalls, in addition to the Incarnation, the profound message of the humble and hidden life of Jesus and the Holy Family, in Nazareth.

Nazareth is the humble and silent sanctuary where Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, united in heart, in submission to the will of God through a life of poverty, silence, prayer, and sacrifice, “fulfilled the plan of salvation, each in their own way.” (cf. DSP, I,3) “Nazareth is the school where we begin to learn about the life of Jesus; the school where the study of the Gospels begins.” (P. Paul VI, Allocution, January 5, 1964). For Fr. Dehon Nazareth is the place and time where the Ecce Venio of Jesus, the Ecce Ancilla of Mary, and the silent obedience of Joseph are made concrete.

Nazareth submerges us in the reality of the Incarnation of the Word, abolishing the infinite distance between God and humanity. In effect, “In his incarnation the Son of God has united himself to in some fashion with every human. He worked with human hands, he thought with a human mind, acted by human choice, and loved with a human heart.” (GS, 22) Making his home among us dignifies our very existence; he becomes our neighbor, identifies with our struggles, pain, joy, and hope; he shares our history; he teaches us to correctly discover the value of all things, of human life, of relations with others, the meetings and events which mark everyday life.

But Jesus also assumed the conditions of his time, place, and culture. Living in poverty, as a humble worker, Jesus belonged to the world of labor, with all that that signifies, (cf. Laborem Exercens, 26), making a living with his hands. It is worth noting that Fr. Dehon’s visit to Loreto in 1894 occurred during the busiest and most controversial period of his life - when both his missionary zeal and his social involvement were at their peak.

Nazareth is the example of a life dedicated to fulfilling the will of the Father: healing wounds, repairing injustices, returning dignity to human persons of all classes, bringing about the coming of the Reign of God. For Jesus, it means submitting himself to the authority of Joseph and Mary, awaiting his “hour.” For Joseph and Mary, it means following an unknown path, keeping these events and words of Jesus in their hearts, discovering in them the divine plan.

.Nazareth, according to Fr. Dehon, speaks a language which the “world” does not always understand. It shows us the wisdom of God, the folly of the Cross, not in theoretical discourse, but in practice.

Finally, Nazareth is, for Fr. Dehon, the starting point to examine our personal and congregational life. Through the traditional practice of recalling the “mysteries” of the day, Fr. Founder invites us to return to Nazareth each day, to enter into contact with the mystery of the Incarnation, which is manifested in the daily routine of each person, of the world, and of the Church (cf. THE 7). He invites each one to submit himself to the divine plan, not following plans and forms which God does not wish.

To the Congregation, he recalls that “in obscurity, in poverty, renouncing recognition, in poverty, and in humility she [the congregation] will receive protection.” (cf. DSP II, cap. I, 3). Nazareth calls us to intimacy with God, “the life hidden with Christ in God,” so that when Christ appears we may be associated with him in glory (cf. Col. 3,3-4).

III. It (The Congregation) can re-encounter here, today, new life ”

The second sentence of the letter of Fr. Dehon to Fr. Falleur about the significance of the house of Loreto, is just as surprising as the first. There are four terms which merit our meditation: “re-encounter”, “here,” today”, and “new life.”

Our Founder often reaffirmed his conviction that the congregation was and will remain a work of God, which requires constantly renewed generosity and fidelity. To return to the source of his inspiration is to rediscover the “founding grace.” We do this, not rigidly, but to return to the roots of our Institute seeking the essential charism, in order to respond anew.

1. “Re-encounter”

“Reencounter” supposes that something has been lost, or that a certain relationship has been interrupted or changed. It expresses a desire to return to that which was distinct in its beginning. But it is also an invitation to deepen a gift which has been received, to begin over again, as Abraham, hoping against hope, ready to sacrifice his son.

Why does Fr. Dehon use this word? We find an answer in his diary; he was living through trials which make him write: “This is a trial more difficult than the Consummatum est. What shall I do? I feel shattered.” (NQT IV,1889, 86). These were they years when he endured calumnies, conflicts with the Bishop of Soissons, giving up the college of St. John, and internal opposition within the Institute, with threats of schism. (cf. Positio, vol. I, pag. 168-247; G. Manzoni, Leone Dehon e il suo messaggio, pag. 301-327).

These were trials which Fr. Dehon confronted head-on; he speaks of them with great discretion, but he also took them as a call to internal conversion. He put all his hope in the heart of Jesus, deepened in meditating on the Holy Family of Nazareth. He sought intimacy, friendship, and contemplation of the Lord (cf. NQT IV/1889, 86-87). He no longer felt the enthusiasm, the devotion and the fraternity he shared with his confreres and the students of St. John college in the first years (cf. A.D. Letters of Fr. Grison to Fr. Dehon B 21/3, 1885-86).

Although the present situation of the Congregation is calmer than in those turbulent years of trial, the use of the word “reencounter” still has power for us. As we prepare for Provincial and General Chapters, let us return to our roots, making both a personal and institutional conversion.

In each Chapter, we customarily give a report of the Status of the Province, Region, or Congregation. In this Jubilee year, we should do this with special fervor, to confirm our dynamic fidelity to the charism we have received. The Holy Father, on the occasion of the Great Jubilee, gave us an example of “purification of memory” so we can “put out into the deep” (Luke 5,4) free of attachments. While we must think about the future of the Congregation, we must do so beginning with our foundations and be open to discover new possibilities, dreaming as Fr. Dehon would.

We must face both our successes and our failures; our living out of the Gospel and our infidelity to it; our possibilities and our limitations. Each Province, Region, and District has dreams and challenges; also the General Administration. In the whole Congregation, and in each part, there are beautiful signs of the Reign of God which we must discover, savor, and value. There are also aspects which must be improved, temptations to overcome, wounds to heal, mistakes to be corrected, new horizons to survey. “The truth will set us free” (cf. Jn 8, 32) and our conformity to the Lord is the guarantee that our renewal will be faithful to our initial inspiration (cf. VC 37).

We must do this without anxiety, nostalgia, or complexes. Keep our gaze fixed on the coming of the Kingdom, on life, on testimony and service to the Gospel, on the hope which does not deceive, in confidence in the Heart of Jesus. This is the invitation of Jesus and the Church to “put out into the deep” and cast our nets (cf. NMI) to our encounter with the grace of our origins.

2. “Here”

On the altar of the Holy House of Loreto is inscribed: “Here the Word became Flesh.” Fr. Dehon tells us: “Here the Congregation was born in 1877. It can reencounterhere, today, a new life.” By “here”, Fr. Dehon means much more than simply the house of Loreto. He refers to the Annunciation and Incarnation of the Lord, which that sanctuary proclaims to all generations, summed up in the Ecce Venio, Ecce Ancilla, and the whole meaning of the life of the Holy Family in Nazareth. This “treasury” of attitudes, present at the basis of our Congregation, is part of our patrimony, an essential part of our discovery of our origins.

Fr. Founder, then, invites us to drink from this spring, to encounter new life and enliven the world and the Church. All spiritualities are based on the mystery of Christ, described in the Gospels, under the direction of the holy Spirit. Fr. Dehon and our eldest brothers, who lived our charism with special intensity, have taught us to seek the inexhaustible riches of Christ in the mystery of his heart (cf. Const. 16). The Son of God made human loves us with a human heart (cf. GS 22) and reveals to us the Trinitarian love of God, his solidarity with humanity and his filial obedience as an expression of his offering to the Father and his reconciliation of humanity with God.

The Heart of Jesus is the Incarnate Word, the visible face of God, which reveals God’s gratuitous love. In his supreme oblation, wounded and open on the cross, he creates a new humanity with a new heart.

Fr. Dehon sees in this open Heart the key to the scriptures. In the gratuitous love of God, he hears the call to intimately unite himself to Christ, joining his religious-apostolic life to Christ’s oblation to the Father. “Here” reminds us that this offering is made daily, in Eucharistic Adoration and in apostolic work, supported by union to Christ. He was convinced that “such a beautiful vocation as ours … requires an interior life and union with Jesus” (Spiritual Testament) Thus, as a congregation, we define ourselves not by activity but by this spiritual focus (cf. Const 26. 30).

Our patrimony is our spirituality: union with the mystery of Christ and his reparative oblation. This is the “here” constituted by our “experience of the Spirit" transmitted by Father Founder to be lived, deepened, and constantly developed in harmony with the body of Christ in perpetual growth. (cf. MR 11). This is the mark of our Institute which has its proper spirituality and apostolate, expressed in signs and traditional ways (cf. CIC 578).

As St. Paul said to Timothy: “Stir up the gift you have received… guard what you have received, with the help of the Holy Spirit which lives in us” (2Tim 1,6.14).

3. “Today”

The action of the Spirit is not only in the past; it is both “memory and prophecy of Jesus.” As memory, it leads us to understand the Word of God, to teach us more profoundly what Jesus said and did. As prophecy, it indicates the living and transforming presence of the Risen Lord in history, and makes us witnesses of the gospel, and supports us in this mission.

The “today” of which we speak is not a chronological time, but a “Kairos,” a time of grace under the movement of the Spirit. It presupposes an awareness of the Kingdom which grows throughout history, believes the world is full of seeds of the Gospel, and confronts the challenges of our day with hope.

The “today” is also a human reality, weakened by our sins, weaknesses, and unwillingness to change. It is subject to all the temptations of our post-modern world: the comfort spawned by materialism and consumerism, superficiality, egotism, and individualism, the privatization of religion, loss of a sense of transcendence and of Christian memory, a relativism that levels all values and expressions of liberty.

The “today” is a call to conversion; to put into practice our traditions and our theological beliefs. A call to abandon what does not work, and be alert to now opportunities in our prayer, our personal and communal religious life, our dialogue with others, our testimony to the Gospel, our apostolic work. It is a challenge to integrate our charism and our spirituality.

“Today” calls us to solidarity with a world wounded and in pain; to promote the dignity of the human person, especially the poor, the oppressed, and the victims of social injustice, globalization, and a neo-liberal economic system which marginalizes many. It assumes a preference for peace, reconciliation, pardon, the defense of creation; it assumes a passion for truth and justice.

This is the “Day of God” which we must embrace with all our hearts, confident in the fidelity of God our Father, rooted in the love of Christ. Our constitutions (cf. nn.34.144) impel us to reformulate our mission in new forms of testimony, of presence, and of service. In effect, responding to the needs of our times, we must always “seek out those ways of involvement in the ecclesial mission which allow us to develop the riches of our vocation.” (Const. 34)

Father Founder immersed himself in his own era and did not pine for the past. Until the end of his life, he always had new dreams for the Congregation. Suffice it to say he died still thinking about sending clandestine missionaries to Afghanistan (cf. A.D. letter to Fr. Josephus Schulte, March 26, 1923, B 76/6; letter of Fr. Octavio Gasparri to Fr. Dehon, B 98/2, March/April 1923).

Fr. Dehon loved life. He remained irrepressibly optimistic without losing the capacity to see clearly and critically the social and political realities of his day. He was deeply concerned both about the great issues of his day, as well as with the administration of the congregation and the needs of many individual persons. Without neglecting his responsibilities, he always took time to study, to enjoy the beauty of art, nature, and history, and to travel and expand his horizons. He was a mystic, a man of prayer, of deep intimacy with God. All of this gave him the serenity and the perseverance to continue in spite of difficulties. He is our inspiration to continue to grow, as individuals, and as an institution.

We are able to do this through the efforts of many SCJ’s: the Centro Studi for researching and publishing the sources which enable us to recover this patrimony; thanks to them, and to Frs. Bourgeois and Panteghini, under whose direction they were founded and encouraged. We also thank the Commissions on Spirituality, on Apostolate, of Justice and Peace, in different geocultural areas. We are also grateful to many SCJ’s who serve us by deepening our understanding of Dehonian themes, especially young SCJ’s doing their studies and theses.

Also, many SCJ’s and also whole Provinces/Regions/Districts who are enthusiastically meeting different needs in areas of Evangelization, culture, and poverty do a great work of renewal. The commitment of confreres in mission areas and social apostolates makes “Ecce Venio, Ecce Ancilla” a reality in our times. Some areas of the Congregation are renewing themselves precisely to refocus their apostolic thrust, to re-consider their spirituality and recall the words of Fr. Founder: “go to the people!” “Leave the sacristy!”, preferring to work in barren places where there is little sign of success, where others do not wish to go, and where even their lives are at risk.

The “today” of God invites us to open ourselves creatively to the surprises of the Spirit.

4. “New Life”

The Holy Father challenges the church to not only speak of Christ, but to make Christ visible to the people of our time (cf. NMI 16). This applies to everyone, but especially to religious, called to contemplate and make visible the face of Christ through a transformed way of life (cf. VC 35).

Accordingly, we seek a vital renewal of our Congregation, returning with Fr. Dehon to the original founding intention, which will lead us, under the impulse of the Spirit, to a new creativity and fruitfulness: in our faith experience, our community life, the practice of the evangelical counsels, our mission, our SCJ way of life.

a. Renewal of our faith life

The renewal of our faith life is clearly the highest priority. All of religious life is a faith journey, inspired by a profound experience of God. The quality of our relation with God, and the importance we place on it, is the foundation of religious life, and consequently the main focus of renewal.

To live as a religious means to live the faith journey in a radical way, changing every aspect of our lives, both personal and social. Our relationship with God orders, subordinates, and relativizes everything else - our way of thinking, being, acting, working, our relationships, our plans for the future. This relationship is based on a powerful mystical experience of Christ, which occupies the inmost center of our existence, causes the transformation and the integration of our person, leads us to an unconditional commitment to Christ, to his Gospel, and to the needs of the poor and the most needy. It fills us with a passion for justice and human solidarity, and gives joy and meaning to a life lived in the midst of difficulties and trials. As Jeremiah says: “You have seduced me, Lord, and I allowed myself to be seduced. You have overpowered me, and have prevailed… There was a burning fire in my heart, imprisoned in my bones” (Jer 20,7-9)

This experience brings an awareness of one’s own weakness and vulnerability, and at the same time a faith and confidence which leads one to go forth, drawn to Christ and his mission (cf. Lk 5, 8-11). It is an experience of the generosity of God which calls forth our own generosity - the experience of Paul (cf. Gal 2, 19-20) which inspired Fr. Dehon (Const. 2).

A vocation always is, above all, a call to a relation with Christ. The apostles were called to stay with Jesus, before being sent out to preach and heal (cf. Mk 3,13-15). The function is always secondary. To emphasize what needs to be done for the Reign of God, without first professing a relation with Christ (“Who do you say that I am?” - Mt. 16,15; “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” - Jn 21,15) makes a vocation empty of meaning.

The personal experience of God and a life of faith were essential to Fr. Dehon, and he wished the Congregation to also be infused with them. We take for our ideal the Heart of Jesus and the historical example of Fr. Dehon; the Heart of Jesus is the symbol of God’s infinite love made flesh, which makes possible our disposition to God’s will and to human solidarity. This unites us with Jesus’ redemptive act in both its mystical and apostolic dimensions.

By mystical dimension, we understand Fr. Dehon’s desire that his sons give themselves to a life of contemplation, prayer, meditation, and reading of God’s Word, and Eucharistic adoration; this assures us the environment and the personal discipline necessary to live for God, with God, and in God. By apostolic dimension we refer to all the forms of pastoral work - missionary, social, or cultural - which characterize the Congregation’s role in building the Reign of God.

Both of these dimensions should be real and active; however, at times we do not realize and manifest an integration between the mystical and apostolic dimensions of our life. This makes our witness less convincing, our service of the Kingdom less effective, and our personal and community life less significant. At times we are absorbed in activity, not leaving space for intimacy with the Lord. At other times our expressions of spirituality are routine and disconnected from reality.

What is necessary is contemplation that becomes a way of life, so that our prayer and apostolate enrich each other, as in the positive examples presented during the General Conference of Recife. There are those in the Congregation who distinguish between works that are “more spiritual” and those that are “more social.” This is a false distinction. We should all rather seek the interior unity of Fr. Dehon, whose faith led him to be both a mystic and a man totally committed to the social apostolate.

b. Revitalize our fraternal Life

The common life is the first value that arose with the Lord on Easter Sunday. The Risen One first reunited those whom the scandal of the cross had dispersed (cf. Mk 14,27-28.50; Mk 16,7; Lk 24,33-35). The common life is one of the marks of religious life; it is the proof that “the fraternity for which people thirst is possible in Jesus Christ” (Const. 65).

Unity and a good spirit within the Institute were a constant desire and preoccupation for Fr. Dehon, who gave us the motto “Sint Unum.” When he wished in Loreto in 1894 that the Congregation would re-encounter a new life, he certainly had in mind the internal divisions which affected unity and good spirit.

At this time, the overall unity of the Institute is stronger. Since the renewal of Vatican Council II, there has been a marked increase in communication of news, exchange of members, cooperation in projects, and sharing of goods. Our fellowship is stronger; there is much more acceptance of cultural and personal differences. Pluralism is valued, as well as the individual character of each part of the Congregation.

The unity of the Congregation finds its strength in our faith; it is the Lord who has called us to follow him in community, and who permits us to experience community as a gift. This also is a part of our common patrimony, formed by our religious vocation, our mission, and the traditions which hold us together.

Our communities are inspired by the model followed by the disciples after Pentecost (cf. Acts 2, 42-25; Const 59), which inspire us to establish communities that are fraternal, eucharistic, missionary, and which serve the needs of the world. Our renewal must be faithful to those qualities.

During our years in Congregational administration, we have noticed that there are different levels of fraternal life. The quality of fraternal life is not uniform. The aspects which need to be renewed are the following: the sense of fraternity in some provinces; participation of the members of the same community in the common mission; integration of personal talents into the common project; depth of communication, and sharing of faith within communities; the role of the local superior in animating the community; the sense of belonging to the Congregation, and to one’s own Province/ Region/ District.

We are concerned about hypercriticism, too-strict judgments, and a lack of courtesy which exists in some part of the Institute. Fr. Dehon was very sensitive to this, and mentioned it often. This often does not mean an evil spirit, only an excessive perfectionism which discourages certain persons, and makes common projects sterile.

We ought to get used to thinking there is more than one way to do many things, and that cooperation with one’s superior or with a Province decision is more fruitful than destructive and excessive criticism. Our warmth and cordiality, the joy of being together, and the ability to overcome small frictions in community ought to be a clear sign of our “Dehonian-ness.”

Our sense of committed belonging is another aspect which needs strengthening. Far from being only a question of formation, it is a cultural phenomenon. We live in a time of short-lived and impermanent commitments. The bonds of fidelity to persons, to institutions, and to God himself are weak. The willingness to accept discipline or long periods of adversity is becoming more rare. This weakening of a sense of permanence in the Congregation is obvious when one studies the motivations of those who decide to leave the Congregation for ordinary or casual reasons. We are surprised at the lack of deep motivation or objective criteria used in making such decisions.

We need a proper formation, based on solid faith, to see perseverance in the Institute in the light of God’s covenant. We have made our vows to follow Christ in the Congregation. This covenant has three elements: God’s fidelity, the mutual belonging among confreres in the community, and the belonging of all to the Institute.

We are not talking here of group dynamics which can be resolved by camaraderie. It is an option of faith, a response to the call of the Lord. “Committed belonging” must be seen in the context of religious profession. The entire concept of “identity,” which in itself is a cultural reality in crisis, needs to be clarified and strengthened. One’s identity needs to be seen as a charism, a gift of grace, realized only by conforming one’s life to Christ, within the context of the congregational charism.

The process of a religious becoming identified with the institute is gradual. It supposes getting acquainted with the work, with knowing the Founder and the “pioneers,” assimilating the spirit of the Founder. One must interiorize the purpose and values of the community, learning its history and norms, making it his own.

The fruit of this project will be a sense of “belonging” in the three aspects described above. It is a fundamental choice of commitment to the Lord, communion with his confreres and acceptance of the religious family and its goals.

This problem of a weak sense of belonging requires adequate policies both of formation and of government in the Congregation. As a part of our future, it merits study in upcoming Province and General Chapters. An important first step has been taken: the attitudes expressed in “We the Congregation” are taking root around the world. But this is not enough. Through our profession, we become part of a family which shares all its goods (material, spiritual, and charismatic), to which we should dedicate all our forces to achieve the mission we have in the Church. A strong sense of belonging increases our ability to work together and guarantees our perseverance in the Institute, despite trials, disagreements, and even possible misunderstandings.

c. Revitalize the Dehonian practice of the Evangelical Counsels

Many confreres are surprised when we talk of a “Dehonian style” of understanding and practicing the religious vows. Surely, each Congregation has its own way of expressing obedience, chastity, and poverty, springing from its charism and its spirituality, as part of its tradition. We do not practice Jesuit obedience, Franciscan poverty, or monastic celibacy, but an original SCJ way of expressing our religious consecration, which we should know and promote.

To find that which is our unique way of living the vows requires a discipleship which clarifies our relationship to the Lord, to others, and to the world. We seek this through the mission of our Institute, in the teaching and example of our Founder and our forebears, in our traditions, and in our Rule of Life. The essential element in this is our union with the reparatory oblation of Christ, in its mystical and apostolic expressions.

Obedience is our characteristic Dehonian vow. It recalls the “Ecce Venio” of Jesus and “Ecce Ancilla” of Mary (cf. Const. 58.85) which express the fundamental attitude of our life. Obedience unites us with Christ, in his service of reparation, his total availability to the will of his Father, his solidarity with people and his Paschal Mystery, uniting us to the will of the Father, as Jesus allowed himself to be handed over to men (cf. Lk 9, 44). It imitates the Suffering Servant of Yahweh, the Handmaid of the Lord, and the washing of the feet of the disciples. It throws us out on to the streets of the world, guided by the Spirit, to meet the challenges of our day. It leads us to prefer those places where we are needed and where no one else would go. Our Dehonian obedience fills us with a passion for truth and justice, and compassion for others. It makes us co-responsible for the future of the Congregation, the Church, and the world. Obedience inspired by faith is our highest form of love; this is how we “give up our life” (cf. Jn 15,13-14).

Dehonian poverty is at the service of community, solidarity, and justice -- a sign of Sint Unum! Poverty is more than a lack of goods - it is the renunciation of the individual use of goods. It calls us to sharing of goods, of joint responsibility for projects, and co-responsibility in administration. It calls us to care for goods in our stewardship, sharing our goods with full openness, trusting in community discernment or the decision of the proper authority regarding their use. It frees us from the need to possess, putting our trust in the Lord. Our security lies not in the goods we have or administer, but in our capacity to share. It encourages sharing of goods throughout the Congregation.

Dehonian poverty assumes a solidarity with the poor and needy. Our goods are at the service of the Church and people. Ours it is to hear the cry of the poor, to prefer to work among them, to preach the Good News and give them reasons to hope. We must be just, and call others to awaken their consciences to the social values of the Gospel. We are called to solidarity in the struggles for human dignity, to study and interiorize the Social Doctrine of the Church. Dehonian poverty leads us to use our goods wisely, justly, and in solidarity, according to the norms of the Congregation and civil laws.

Dehonian chastity leads us to what Fr. Dehon called “pure love,” free of self-interest or convenience. This love affirms the gratuitousness of God’s love, and of our consecration. We give of ourselves without hope of return. This manifests total availability to the Reign of God, announcing its coming as a present reality, whose fulfillment we await in the fullness of time. On the personal level, it implies a mature affectivity which welcomes others with pure love as its primary goal. It also draws us at appropriate moments to solitude, silence, and personal discipline; this enables us to have a critical awareness of whatever alienates or is detrimental to the human person..

This chastity makes our communities families founded on love, and commits us to the raising up of a new humanity through daily specific acts of love. It bases us in reality and helps us proclaim the counter-cultural values of the Gospel. It helps us to think with the Church and fulfill the mission we have, accepting difficult and unrewarding apostolates in remote places. It makes us creative, without abandoning the fundamentals. We live this vow under the motto of Adveniat Regnum Tuum, a Reign which is gratuitous love and grace.

d. Revive the specific mission of the Congregation in the Church

We participate in the mission of the Church, sharing its accomplishments, challenges, hopes, and history. We are an apostolic Institute defined by our spirituality, received from the Founder and recognized by the Church.

Although we were not founded for one specific apostolate, we do have a specific apostolic character within the mission of the Church. Fr. Dehon indicated some orientations which our Constitutions recognize as significant: eucharistic adoration as a service to the Church; ministry among the lowly, workers and the poor; missionary activity; and the formation of priests and religious (cf. Const. 30-31).

One could say that our mission covers these four aspects: the spiritual, social, missionary, and cultural. These are the aspects which identify the Congregation in its practice throughout the world. Our superiors General, since Fr. Philippe, have called attention to these areas. For example, Fr. Philippe affirms that the missions are not an “added” work to the Congregation, and that “no member of the Congregation can be disinterested in these works, if he wishes to live as a member of the Institute” (cf. LCC vol. II, p 132, 12).

Fr. Govaart says in 1952: “This double apostolate (social works and the missions among the pagans) were truly in the spirit and heart of Fr. Dehon” (cf. LCC vol. III, p 756,55).

These four aspects have marked the great moments of growth and progress in the Congregation, and our work today must also focus on this style of pastoral involvement. For example, the Congregation has many parishes; this is a great and necessary work, especially in needy areas. It keeps us as a Congregation close to reality, united with the people. Fr. Dehon accepted parishes in many lands. However, we must assure that these ministries are done in the style of a religious community; the diocesan model is not the only one. Parishes can be developed according to a religious Dehoninan model. To do this, it is necessary to have large parishes in which a community can minister; poor parishes which reach out to those disenfranchised; parishes with numbers of young people, where vocations can be fostered; parishes where we can transmit our spirituality; parishes in which we can offer services complementing those offered by diocesan parishes; missionary parishes which demand mobility, creativity, and the formation of base communities.

e. Revitalize our Dehonian character

We can and must speak of a Dehonian character, a way of being, feeling, and acting which characterizes us; which creates a “Dehonian culture, a civilization of the heart.” It is our way of forming our thoughts, our interiority, above all, the attitudes of our heart. It is a particular way of looking at history, of judging and feeling, of meeting needs, of meeting people and of knowing God. It is our way of looking at the world and people with compassion: to love with a human heart.

Fr. Dehon, in his own person, is the model of this character. His broad range of interests, his sensitivity, his commitment, his capacity to dialogue with youth, his apostolic zeal, his profound spirituality and intimacy with God, are an example which has inspired the whole Congregation. His sobriquet, “le très bon Père", sums up this character we label Dehonian, which he expressed so passionately in his conferences.

Many people who work with us SCJ’s perceive a character hard to describe, but which makes us distinctive. They speak of our hospitality, our dedication, our availability, our dedication to the social apostolate. We must recognize and value this inheritance, and encourage it, so as to have hearts of flesh and not of stone; the heart of a shepherd, of the good Samaritan, a servant. It is a way of living, a way of valuing our ministry, our community life, our work, our rest, our human relations and the mystery of God. It allows us to live incarnated in reality without losing our transcendental dimension. It makes us close to the people, as Fr. Dehon requested; it helps us to achieve inner unity and the true optimism which is the virtue of hope.

The Christian life is centered in the Incarnation of the Word, based on Jesus’ “Ecce Venio” and Mary’s “Ecce Ancilla.” The General Administration wishes that the focus of this Dehonian year be the occasion of a profound personal renewal under this double response, following the example of Father Founder. Let us renew the fervor of our religious profession and our Dehonian vocation!

Just as the Incarnation depended on these two responses, much good in the world depends on our response. Let it be Yes! with the creativity and sanctity of our Founder (cf. VC 37). Only by centering our lives on the Heart of Christ will our lives and that of our Institute gain credibility and meaning.

We do not invite you to an external celebration; rather, we invite each one to a personal conversion. While community celebrations are not prohibited, we wish to invite you to reflect upon our apostolic, ecclesial, and social implications of our life, guided by the Gospel and led by the Spirit. That is why we invite you to a spiritual journey similar to that followed by Fr. Dehon from February 14, 1877 to his first profession on June 28, 1878: the time of his discernment of his vocation, and his novitiate. Let each one strive to recapture the fervor of his postulancy and novitiate!

We propose, therefore, that each SCJ reflect upon and deepen his religious heritage, according to n. 16 of our Constitutions: “… a common approach to the mystery of Christ, under the guidance of the Spirit, and a particular attention to what… corresponds to the experience of Fr. Dehon and of our predecessors.” This implies:

1. Conform ourselves to our ideal model, the Heart of Jesus, by updating our theology and spirituality of the Heart of Christ;

2. Focus on our historical model, Fr. Leo Dehon, re-reading one of his biographies, and studies about Dehonian spirituality, which should be interpreted according to the way Fr. Dehon lived it;

3. Recover the historical memory of those confreres who have gone on before us, who have faithfully incarnated the spirit of the Congregation.

This is an invitation to read and meditate on Fr. Dehon and our spirituality. By deepening our understanding of our charism, we can more fully own the goals of “We the Congregation in the service of the Mission.”

We have suggested an individual focus, so as not to overload the burden on communities which also must prepare for Provincial and General Chapters. However, we certainly believe that this reflection will bear fruit in the purpose of the General Chapter: to reaffirm our specific apostolic charism in the light of the challenges of our world, and the invitation to refoundation. To this end, each Province/Region/District must maintain a living history of the events, persons, and dates which were crucial in its development.

Some other questions which might be considered to aid us in this renewal;

1. What were the most important values which motivated and sustained Fr. Dehon in the foundation and governance of the Congregation?

2. How can we express these values HERE and TODAY ?

3. What aspects of our charism and spirituality must YOU live and witness with even greater intensity?

4.What changes should your Province/Region/District make to have a more significant, creative, and fruitful apostolate in today’s world?

V. A year for the Dehonian Family

Our focus until now has been the Congregation we have known for the past 125 years, guided by General and Provincial Chapters. However, this story must not omit the rest of the Dehonian family. Indeed, Fr. Dehon wished, when he conceived of the “Oblates- Priests of the Heart of Jesus”, that his charism be shared by other priests, religious, and laity.

Therefore, we invite the whole Dehonian Family, especially Lay Dehonians, to live this Dehonian Year, animated and inspired by the Loreto message in their own commitment.

For the laity, this means reliving the mystery of the Incarnation in their lived reality: family life, work, in their neighborhood and the world at large. The attitudes of “Ecce Venio” and “Ecce Ancilla” and the model of the Holy Family of Nazareth offer them guidance in constructing a new humanity modeled on the Heart of Jesus. Lay persons have almost unlimited opportunities to practice reparatory oblation in all that they live, suffer, feel, do, and are. By becoming missionaries in their own environment, they infuse all their spiritual, social, missionary, and cultural activities with the charism and spirituality of Fr. Dehon.

Other members of the Dehonian Family, according to their traditions or constitutions, are invited to live this year of grace and renewal inspired by the Annunciation and Incarnation of our Lord. Our union in the Heart of Jesus and the attitudes of “Ecce Venio” and “Ecce Ancilla” gives them a share in the Dehonian project, which is a gift to the whole Church, not only to the Congregation.

All of us form one family because we have one spiritual father and guide: Fr. Dehon. We share a common perspective on the mystery of Christ: his open side on the cross, in filial submission to his Father and in solidarity with all people. We live in union with his reparatory oblation; we share the mission of bulding a Reign of love “in hearts and in societies.” Nonetheless, each one shares this mission according to their own vocation.

We can and must share in prayer and reflection; in formation around our common heritage; by sharing in ecclesial and social works. This will help us grow closer together, and will make our apostolates more fruitful in evangelization and building in the world communities of love.

Last December the letter written to the Dehonian Family described the purpose and requirements for membership. We believe that all the institutes and groups which feel joined to the project of Fr. Dehon, discern and explicitly define whether or not they can identify with these points and wish to participate in the Dehonian Family. Please make your decision known before November 30.

VI. a finalinvitation

This year, the figure of Fr. Dehon stands at the center of our attention. As we come to know better his person, his spirituality, his life and works, and his vision, our admiration for him increases. We appreciate his sanctity as one that “can be imitated,” according to one of the consultors of the Holy See as he voted in favor of Fr. Dehon’s “heroic virtue.” (cf. Voto I, pag. 28).

We follow Fr. Dehon’s path, certain that it will lead us to authentic sanctity, as the Church has already acknowledged. This year is an opportune time to petition for the beatification of Fr. Dehon; the Holy Father has already urged the 1991 General Chapter to do so. As we know, the Church requires miracles for beatification. By asking his intercession in our needs, and by making Fr. Dehon better known among God’s people, we may further the cause, and, if God be willing, the miracles will be granted. But this can only happen through our perseverance. Surely a Congregation spread through 37 countries, with our apostolates, our production of books, magazines, TV, radio, and internet programs, can promote the cause of Fr. Dehon.

Conclusion

This letter takes the place of the traditional March 14 vocational message. On this day, we are united in prayer that the Lord raise up men and women to live the heroic charism we have received from Fr. Dehon.

Let us pray especially for vocations to the SCJ Congregation and other Institutes which are inspired by Fr. Dehon. We look to La Capelle, his birthplace, now an international center of Dehonian spirituality, reflection, and service. Let us contribute to the financial upkeep of this apostolate.

May the Spirit guide us and may our hearts be ever fixed on the Gospel, that they may beat in solidarity with all our brothers and sisters in Christ!
 

Abbreviations of citations:

Const. = Constitutions

DSP = Directoire Spirituel

LCC = Lettres Circulaires

NQT = Notes Quotidiennes (vols. I-IV)

NHV = Notes sur l’Histoire de ma vie (vols. I-VIII)

THE = Thesaurus Precum

CIC = Codex Iuris Canonici

GS = Gaudium et Spes

LE = Laborem Exercens

MR = Mutuae Relationes

NMI = Novo Millennio Ineunte

VC = Vita Consecrata