What's New?

As noted in the new introduction letter, we have added a new section called Postcards and have suspended Meditations. Please read the introduction to Postcards (cf. Introduction to Postcards). It will give you an idea of what this section is seeking to accomplish under the theme "We, the Congregation".

What's Happening?

The US Province held its election assembly this past week. Since the news page is usually finished on Tuesday, to allow for French and Spanish translations, the names of the new council will appear next week. Frank Aresta and John Klingler chat during a break at the US election assembly held June 8-12, 1998 at Sacred Heart Monastery/Sacred Heart School of Theology

The new province of Mozambique will celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart by installing its first provincial administration. Fr. General and Zolile Mpambani will join in the celebration as they begin a fraternal visit to our newest province.

Umberto Chiarello (CU) is preparing for the up coming meeting of the ad hoc commission on governance which will be meeting in Rome later this month.

The Heart of Christ for a New World.

At Paray-le-Monial (France) between October 13th and 15th, 1995, a Symposium was held through the initiative of the Communauté de l'Emmanuel -- one of the new forms of communal life -- with the collaboration of the Chapelains de Paray-le-Monial and the support of the local Church (the diocese of Autun). The theme of the Symposium was "The Heart of Christ for a New World."

About twenty congregations and affiliations were invited to present their particular approach to the mystery of the Heart of Christ from their origins through their lived development past and present.

For centuries, and especially during the last century, many have consecrated their lives to witness to this mystery. After a time of silence, of disputes and questioning, the theology and the spirituality of the Heart of Christ have rediscovered their equilibrium and vitality through service to the mission. This is especially true among the congregations and movements founded with this particular service in mind.

The Symposium of Paray-le-Monial desired to bring to the fore something of this work of maturation and re-expression. By design, the organizers brought together differing traditions in order to underscore the richness of complementary approaches. This was also to understand better the challenge arising from contemplating the Heart of Christ in service to the Church as it proclaims the Gospel today; hence, "The Heart of Christ for a New World."

Through Frs. André Blaise and André Perroux (GA), the Priests of the Sacred Heart participated in this Symposium. Fr. Perroux presented an overview of Fr. Dehon's approach and how the Congregation and the Dehonian Family endeavor to live it today. For the text of Fr. Perroux's presentation see "A Life Consecrated to the Heart of Jesus: Fr. Dehon," Dehoniana 3 (1996) 21-53.

The acts of the Symposium have recently (April, 1998) come out in Editions de l'Emmanuel under the same title as the Symposium: The Heart of Christ for a New World. This book of 275 pages contains the interventions of the invited congregations and movements (including the intervention on Fr. Dehon). Also included are "Questions for the Coming Century" (reparation, the "Eucharistic Heart of Jesus," etc.) that were discussed during the Symposium.

[Editors Note: Thanks to Charles Brown (US) for the English translation.]

The Hague

May 8 to 10, 1998, a European Conference was held at The Hague, Holland, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first European Union Conference, chaired by Winston Churchill. What in 1948 seemed to be a utopian vision, today has become a reality, even if still missing some elements. First of all not all of Europe has embraced the idea and it is still a bit too institutional, comprising mostly governments, businesses and the monetary union, and too little of the ordinary citizens, politics, societies and cultures. These are the fundamental elements that have to be followed up on for a complete and lasting union that will guarantee to all citizens, liberty, security, work, culture and quality of life.

These themes were highlighted by many of the important persons who spoke, including the Queen of Holland, Mario Soares, Danielle Mitterand, Valery Giscard d'Estaing, Emilio Gabaglio, Santer, etcÉ..

True union should require a lessening of selfishness that regrettably frequently surfaces at the popular level, and a converging upon human values, an opening toward the people of the Mediterranean region, and a belief that Europe from the Atlantic to the Urals, from the North Sea to the Mediterranean, with all its diverse cultures, are the wealth of the new Europe.

Among those who participated in the conference by invitation were the Movement for a Federal Europe, and CIME (Comitato Italiano movimento Europeo), and a select group from the European Dehonian Movement of Naples, Franco Gualtieri (IM) moderator.

On April 30^th the European Dehonian Movement was welcomed as a partner of CIME, which granted it two seats on the national council and one on the board of directors. All three positions will be filled by the laity.

The same day in a brief presentation at CIME's Rome headquarters, Muzio Ventrella (IM) recalled a talk and two articles of Fr. Dehon (1898) in which Dehon said: it was important that Europe return to its status as the continent of justice and liberty (from Regno sociale del S. Cuore di Gesù). Various members of the national council and board of directors are disciples of Fr. Dehon.

We trust the establishment of the European Union will hold up since people ought to be oriented toward the union of the human family. In addition the European Union ought to serve as an example to the other continents as it is based on two thousand years of Christian culture, and inspired by the social doctrine of the Church.

In listening to various talks given at The Hague they seemed to echo the words found in Pacem in Terris of John XXIII and Gaudium et Spes from Vatican Council II.

Franco Gaultieri (IM)

PS The Dehonian participants at The Hague were graciously hosted by the Dutch scjs of St. Janklooser.

[Editor's note: The orginail Italian can be accessed here: Partecipazione al Congresso Europeo.]