On March 14, 2018, we celebrate the 175th anniversary of the birth of Fr. Leo John Dehon, founder of our congregation. It is an important moment to reflect not just on the man himself, but on how the gift of his charism invites us to “interpret the realities of today,” wrote Fr. Heiner Wilmer, SCJ, superior general.
“Many of our contemporaries lead a life on the margins, exiled in and outside of their homeland,” he continues, writing for the General Council on the occasion of Fr. Dehon’s birth. “We think of refugees fleeing their countries or regions because of difficult conditions caused by wars or natural disasters; we think of prisoners, victims of injustices of all kinds whose rights are violated; we think also of sinners afflicted by the weight of their sins…
“Turning our eyes towards our God, who, in Jesus Christ, shows his wounded heart and enters into solidarity with all the suffering, we can find a spiritual answer for the afflicted, excluded and rejected people of our time…
“Dear members of the Dehonian Family, let us nurture our compassion to the Heart of Jesus to make our love for every wounded person possible, urgent and fruitful.”
