Leo John Dehon

Fr Dehon was convinced that
much of the world's suffering was
due to a lack of love in the life of
the individual and society. He
wanted to imitate Christ in the
gift of self to his Father, placing
himself and his gifts at the
disposal of God's will for the sake
of others. We refer to this as our
'charism'.

Every Christian, man and woman,
seeks their path in life. We
speak in this context of an
individual's call, whether to
married life, single life, religious
and priestly life.

How will I know whether I am
called to religious and priestly
life? What does the life of a
brother or priest entail today?
What do Sacred Heart Fathers do?

We strive to open our hearts to
embrace the world, so that the
Gospel of Jesus may come alive in
the heart of each person. We
strive to be like Christ, placing
ourselves and our love at the
service of others, especially those
who suffer from any kind of
oppression. We strive to live with
'a new heart for a new world'.

The thrust of our spirituality is
three-fold:

* to see and do the will of God

* to work for the coming of God's
kingdom

* to build community

In our world today there is a
growing desire to be free from
every kind of oppression, and for
a liberty which respects the
dignity of every individual. In a
dedicated life as a priest or
brother we seek to respond to
those deep aspirations in
ourselves and others - truth,
justice, love and freedom. The
Sacred Heart Fathers today
continue to work at home and on
the missions. They seek to
proclaim Gospel values in their
own lives and in their service of
others. Their goal in life - to be
prophets of love and
reconciliation, as Jesus is - a goal
that requires a life of personal
and communal prayer, self-
sacrifice and enthusiastic
working for others, as well as a
commitment to community living.
At home and abroad this
commitment is expressed in
working for young people.

Leo Dehon was born in La
Capelle in the north of
France on14 March 1843.
He founded the
Congregation of the Sacred
Heart Fathers (Dehonians)
in 1878.

He based his life on the
Heart of Christ, on
compassion, love of truth
and concern for all who
suffer, no matter what the
causes of their oppression.

Leo Dehon stood out among
his contemporaries in his
concern for the social
injustices of his time. He
sought to bring about the
kingdom of Christ in
society - a kingdom of
justice, goodness , and
solidarity with all peoples,
especially those who suffer.

Today, we Sacred Heart
Fathers strive to continue
in this way, as part of an
international community of
Priest and Brothers with an
openness that leads to a
willingness to work in other
countries when necessary.

In 1997 Leo Dehon was
declared Venerable by the
Church.