The
history of the Region of Chile begins on February 5th 1950, when the Bishop of
Talca, Don Manuel Larrain Errazuriz committed
the parish of Tena to the care of the Dutch Province. There had been a nine
year gestation to this ‘birth’, with all the attendant sufferings involved.
The
first contact between the S.C.J. and Chile was made in 1941. Don Manuel was in
need of priests, but could not count on Europe, which at that time was virtually
paralysed by the Second World War. So he looked instead to the United States -
and made contact with the Superior of the North American Province, who gave him
the address of our Fathers in Argentina. Thus it was that the Superior of the
Region of Argentina/Uruguay received, in Buenos Aires, a letter from a bishop
who was completely unknown to him, asking him for some priests. The war,
however, prevented him from giving a positive response.
When
the war was over, Señor C. Errazuriz Ovalle, the Chilean Ambassador in Holland,
and a relation of Don Manuel, came on a visit to the
Superior-General, Father W. Govaart, in the Procure at Rotterdam. He was
looking for priests to go to Chile. In 1947, on
the occasion of his visit `ad limina', Don Manuel himself met Father Govaart, who promised to study to
his request.
In
the meantime, the Region of Argentina-Uruguay found itself at a crossroads.
With the end of the war new possibilities were opened up, with the arrival of
twenty three priests and two brothers. This constant infusion of new personnel
gave some substance to the hope that it would be possible to establish the
S.C.J. permanently in Argentina. But the reality proved quite different. The
Church in Argentina was in no position to take advantage of this enthusiasm,
and it proved a great disappointment, to note that most promising dioceses
closed their doors.
In December 1948, Father Govaart paid a personal visit
to Chile, to consider the real possibility of establishing the S.C.J. there. At this time, Father P. Cornelius Kokke was
already in Chile, as chaplain to a convent of nuns in the city of Vittoria;
however, his presence in Chile was a chance event - a matter of a gesture of
gratitude by Father Govaart to this Order of nuns, who had looked after him in Switzerland
during his illness.
It was the Superior-General of the S.C.J. who made the
first contacts with Don Manuel, the
Bishop of Talca The first result made itself felt in February 1950, when the
first members of the S.C.J. went officially to Chile, to take over the parish
of Tena, belonging to the diocese of Talca. In July of the same year, the then
Regional Superior of the Province of Argentina-Uruguay, Fr. Johann Smeets,
announced that the Dutch Fathers would withdraw by degrees from Argentina. The
only objection came from the Bishop of Tucumån, Don Aramburu, and he sanctioned
the withdrawal after the Argentinian elections of 1960.
Fr.
Govaart's opinion was that for the future of the S.C.J. in Chile, it was
necessary to have a boarding school in addition. The fact became known, through
the interest taken by Don Manuel, that
the parish priest of San Ramlin in
Santiago was seeking a religious order to which he could confide the running of
a boarding school which he was about to start. Thus, the College of San Ramlin became the second work of the S.C.J. in Chile, when
three S.C.J. Priests began their work there with forty-five students on March
15th 1950.
The
letters of the pioneers describe the warm welcome, the friendly environment and
the valuable co-operation of the Chilean clergy, and they inspired above all
the younger fathers who were still living in Argentina. A new hope was born,
which took concrete form when the Cardinal Archbishop of Santiago asked the
S.C.J. to found two new parishes in the Chilean capital itself.
The
Dutch Fathers of the San Ramlin School
carried out their ministry in a chapel, which was also attended by the
sanddiggers who live along the banks of the River Mapocho. In this chapel there
was a Grotto, of the Madonna of Lourdes, and a free school for the poorest
children was also held there. The Cardinal had requested the foundation of a
parish church in this district; the Fathers accepted his offer and on 24th
November 1951, the first stone was laid. Two years afterwards, the parish was
officially entrusted to the Fathers. Thus was born the parish church of the
Immaculate Conception, in the Avenida Vitacura. With the passage of the years,
it was to become one of the best organised and most active churches of the
upper part of Santiago. Towards the end of the 1960's, a second church,
dedicated to John XXIII, was built in the eastern
part of the parish territory. Both churches have become smaller and smaller in
relation to the influx of people.
In
May 1950, the Cardinal arrived unexpectedly at the San Ramlin School,
and invited the Director to come with him to view a piece of land on which he
wanted the S.C.J. to begin another parish church. The response was positive;
the Cardinal himself, accompanied by the Dutch ambassador to Chile, Dr. P.
Kasteel, laid the first stone of the Church on the 17th November 1951. The
parish. of St Martha, in the urban district of Nuńos, was officially
entrusted to the S.C.J.'s care in 1954 (March). It very soon became known all
over Chile for its famous Christmas Lottery, and it is now known abroad as well
through the medium of the Choir of S. Martha, with its Messa Cilena.
In
addition, the S.C.J. were looking for another parish church in San Bernardo, a
satellite town of Santiago. The Fathers favoured a district where a church was
under construction, and the Cardinal put no difficulties in the way of
committing it to them, provided that the church was completed, and a parish
house built in addition.
The
S.C.J. took on the work on these conditions, and so, on 25th August 1952, they
officially accepted charge of the Parish of Nossa Senhora de Fatima. Ten years later, on the 1st September 1963, the parish
was split by the creation of the new parish of La Pintana.
But
such a rapid development also brought a whole series of new problems, above all
problems of personnel and of finance. During the first years, all the Fathers
were ‘veterans’ from Argentina-Uruguay. The 'S.O.S'. which was sent to the
Mother Province of Holland brought about the first infusion of new personnel
into Chile; on 15th January 1952, Fr. Nikolaus Koomen arrived
directly from Holland, and with him another novelty - the first motor-bike,
which began the 'motorisation' of the Chilean Province.
The
financial problem, was equally difficult - how to obtain the necessary. funds
to finance and carry out the works which had been. undertaken? The problem was
made more acute when the parish priest of San Ramón did not want to sell the
School to the C.C.J., as had been agreed. in the
contract. In 1954, the S.C.J. decided to begin its own boarding school at San
Bernardo. The solution to the financial problem came from the U.S.A., with the
generous help of the North American Province, Fathers Figee, Commandeur and Van
der Hombergh were able . to undertake to make a collection right across the
United States. With the. money collected. in
this way, by visiting numerous benefactors, it was possible to finance all the
building, work in progress.
Thanks
to the enthusiasm, the unstinting devotion and the notable sacrifices made by
the fathers and brothers, the dream began to turn into a. reality. On July 1st,
1952, the S.C.J. Group in Chile became the Region of Chile. The works which.
the Dutch had been. carrying on in Argentina and Uruguay were transferred, as
far as was possible, to the Italian. province, little by little. In 1955 the
Argentinian-Uruguayan Region of the Dutch Province was dissolved.
Now
the Province of Chile has only one member abroad - Fr. Pedro Bartels, who has
remained at Montevideo with Fr. Klomp Alberts. All
the other Dutch Fathers have transferred to Chile, to take part in the
activities described above.
The
increase in personnel brought about by the ‘new blood’ from Holland, made it
possible to accept another parish - La Calera - the town of Melón Cement, in
the Diocese of Valparaiso. This was achieved on July 1st 1959. Subsequently,
since the parish of Yaquil, taken on in 1957, was not a success, Don Manuel entrusted the care of two other parishes in the Talca
Diocese to the S.C.J. - Chepica and Auquinco - on May 1st 1960.
The
Region was also taking thought for its own future during these years. In March
1958, a minor seminary - the Dehon Apostolic School - opened with eight
students at San Bernardo.
It
would be impossible to assess these first ten years without bearing in mind the
experience of Argentina in 1946 to 1949, when the future appeared to be a blind
alley. In Chile, the S.C.J. found a really propritious environment, a cordial
relationship with the Bishops, and a spirit of fraternity and trust among the
clergy. A Chilean song says And you will
see how Chile loves. The friend who is a stranger... - and it is certainly
true; the foreigner is valued for what he is, without preconceptions of any kind.
Bearing this in mind, after the frustrations of Argentina, the enthusiasm and
the bold initiatives of those who came to Chile should not come as a surprise.
It was difficult for those who had lived there for so many years to leave
Argentina, but on the other hand, it was very easy to adjust to Chile. As Don Manuel said - not only are the Fathers very delighted, but
Chile, and the Chilean Church, are delighted with the Fathers.
To sum up - the Congregation of the Priests of the
Sacred Heart was able to achieve what the Rule of Life prescribes for them in
Point 6: In founding the Congregation,
Father Dehon wanted to render a service to the Church by uniting, in a very
explicit way, the religious and apostolic life of its members to the oblation which Christ offers to his Father for the salvation of men. Only
in this way can we explain the Fathers' willingness to accept unreservedly any
kind of work, spending their last penny to see to it that the works undertaken
by the S. C.J. flourish, and most especially the boarding schools.
One
could define the second decade of the S.C.J. in Chile as the period of
stabilisation. The great burden of work was already done, and it was possible
to think about consolidating it with greater calm and assurance. At the same
time it was possible to achieve a certain expansion with the personnel who
arrived partly from Holland and partly from Argentina; in May 1960 the group
from Tucumán arrived. In the same month the parish of El Quisco was taken on -
a fishing town which becomes an important beach during the winter. On 13th
October 1963, it was the turn of the parish of Nogales, a district near La
Calera, and in December 1966, the parish of La Vittoria in Santiago. On
November 5th 1967, the S.C.J. set foot in its third Diocese, when the bishop of
San Felipe entrusted them with the parish of Cabildo. At the same time, the
chaplaincy to the hospital of the J.J. Aguirre in Santiago was accepted.
Finally, the S.C.J. moved into the parish of Nueva Aurora, an extremely poor
area of Viña del Mar.
However,
a central house was needed for the development of the Region. With this in
mind, on April 15th 1968, a house near the centre of Santiago was purchased, in
the Avenida Agustinas. This was realty a valuable acquisition; a large house,
superbly situated, entirely at the disposal of the S.C.J., and a welcome
lodging for many guests, without discrimination of any kind.
The
decade from 1960 to 1970 was characterised by profound changes in the world, in
the Church, in Chile, and thus also in the S.C.J.. The Chilean Region has not
only embraced this change, but it has sought to involve itself actively in it,
identifying itself with the choices made and with the pastoral direction chosen
by the Chilean Church. It was not a matter of a sudden sharp change, however;
it was the fruit of an internal growth - even if this was accelerated after
1967 by the arrival of a considerable number of young priests.
The
inspiration which belonged to the first decade - that of founding the S.C.J. in
Chile, and ensuring their future as an Institution, was replaced. little by
little by a new ideal - that of coming out of ourselves to concentrate our
efforts on the service of the underprivileged majority. It was a case of a
logical evolution, within the context of the national and ecclesiale
history of Chile. The General Curia at Rome, however, was not of the
same opinion. It insisted on the undertaking to secure the future, and so it was that in March 1965 a novitiate was
canonically set up at Nos, near San Bemardo. This took
place despite the fact that the Dehon Apostolic School was not yielding the
hoped-for results; in Chile it was felt that it would not last long, and this
proved in fact to be the case - after only one year, when the sole novice left.
It has now been adapted as a home for old people, and this is run by a
benevolent organisation, which has rented it for thirty years.
In
the meantime, the evolution continued on its course, towards a general revival
and renewal. The Church (Medellin, Diocesan
Synods, General Mission)opened itself to participation by the laity, while the
country was opening up to the farm labourers and the factory workers (Christian
Democracy). Institutions lost their importance, and all efforts were concentrated
on modern formulas: self-realisation; service to the poorest; involvement in
the hard facts of every-day life - instead of losing oneself in sacramentalism
and spiritualism. It is necessary to define
oneself by making more specific options.
The
process has also had its consequences in the Region - in its outlook and its
structure. Decentralisation and a non-hierarchical view have led to the
creation of teams for work and life, while self-realisation, by means of
concrete choices, the existing works. The Region, totally identified with the
pastoral live of the Church in Chile - which was itself at the same time moving
along parallel to the political history of the country - goes on its way in
this direction towards fundamental decisions.
In
1970, when for the first time in history a Marxist came to power by means of
free elections, a completely new period began - even for the Region. Above all,
young priests began to form groups in the free
ministry - oriented to social work.
While
the care of the parishes of Ligua, near Cabildo, (1st December 1970), Santa Adriana in Santiago (1st August 1971) and El Rosario in Curico was undertaken, there were also activities
of a non-traditional type going on. The parish of Teno, where a 'team' of SO
priests, diocesan priests, and laymen had been created in 1968, was given up.
The team transferred to the nearby city of Curicó, to give help to the rural
area, through greater evangelisation and less sacramentalisation.
The parish of Chépica was transferred in 1970 from the diocese of Talpa to that of Rancagua, and the fathers moved to the
location of Los Aromos of Curic6 where they carried
on a pastoral ministry which was completely extra-parochial. The same thing
took place in 1972 at La Portada of San Bemardo, and at San Luis of Santiago.
At Nueva Aurora of Viña del Mar,
La Vittoria of Santiago, and La Calera, an attempt was made to follow the same
system, but without completely abandoning the parochial pastoral ministry.
These
were years of great dynamism - research and studies, discussions and
experiments, all took place. It was the period in which the Region not only
reached its highest point of membership (61 members), but also its dynamic
climax. However, it was not always a constructive dynamism. The rapid course of
decisive events forced everyone to take up a stand. Since these events were
almost always controversial in character, the stands became antagonisms. The
Region did not succeed in insulating itself against polarisation, which
affected every aspect of Chilean life. The country divided into Marxists and
non-Marxists. The Chilean Church - and along with it the Region - into those
christians who favoured socialism and those who did not. The polarisation
became so extreme that in the end there was no chance of a dialogue. The Annual
Feast-Day, which from 1962 had always served as a fount of inspiration and
unity, could only be held in 1973 when a 'nondialogue' formula was agreed. Even
the Region was strained to the extreme limite of
its forces.
Thus
we reached the historic 11th September 1973 - the military coup d'état... a
conclusion that no-one really wanted, but which no-one sought either to avoid.
Despite everything, there was general relief, because the situation had be-
come
insupportable. The price was high - even for the S.C.J.. Five of the Fathers,
including the Superior, were arrested. Four of them were then expelled from the
country, and only the Superior, who was freed after six days, was allowed to
remain in Chile. Six Fathers sought asylum in various embassies, in. order to
be able to leave the country, while others on holiday in Holland were unable to
return. As a counterbalance to this exodus, in November of the same year one
new priest did arrive, and he was the only reinforcement at this time.
Renewal
in Progress: 1974
The
Region had been injured - gravely injured - but was not dead. It needed much
time to recover, and put itself back into motion again. The violent reduction
of its forces compelled it to abandon La Calera, Nueva Aurora, La Victoria,
Santa Adriana and La Portada. Furthermore, in 1975 the parishes of La Ligua, El
Quisco and La Pintana were restored. to
their respective bishops. However, in 1976, the parishes of the Curb d'Ars, a large parish in Santiago, and San Bernardo, and
Papudo, a large seaside resort in the bishopric of San Felipe, were all
accepted.. The Central House has been sold, because it was too large in
proportion to the thirty religious who had remained.
But
before resuming its natural rhythm, the Region was forced to suffer another
blow. When, in October 1975, the Regional Superior went to the airport of
Santiago to make a brief visit to Argentina, he was told that there was an
expulsion order against him. The episcopate, the Dutch Embassy and the Papal Nunziature took four months to correct what appears to have been
an administrative error. During the whole of this period, the Superior remained
outside Chile.
In
April 1977, to the great surprise of everyone, permission arrived for two of the
expelled priests to return. At the same time, the ordination to the priesthood
of the first native Chilean Priest of the S.C.J, which was celebrated on 17th
June 1977 Feast of the Sacred Heart brought revival to the Region, and a
renewal of hope for the future. In addition, there are now two novices, two
seminarists, and two requests for admission. The Region of Chile is on the
march again...