Letter for March 14, the commemoration of the birth of Fr. Leo Dehon

Dear Sisters and Brothers of the Dehonian Family,

As we established in the general administration’s planning letter for the next several years, the occasion of Fr. Dehon’s birthday shall be devoted to the spiritual works of mercy. “To support those who are troublesome or challenging” is the spiritual reference for this first letter. For our lives, it can be very healing to take a new and deeper look at the people around us from a tender and merciful point of view. To be able to know the good that each person offers, to acknowledge, value, and praise the same leads to fidelity and promotes positive stimulus to action that ends in trust.

In his Souvenirs, Fr. Dehon clearly stated: “I beg you, as did St. John, let there not be divisions among you. Let us let pass everything in order to remain united. Let us endure offences and disagreements. We love all nations. In heaven, nations will no longer exist.” The year was 1912 and World War I (1914-1918) had not yet exploded among the European powers of the time that no longer sustained each other. Here is our call, a path to walk, and our future – barely hinted at on the world stage yet seized. And the leaven is still with us, his project continues, and the challenge is ours.