The Social Legacy of Léon Dehon

On August 6, 7 and 8 the European Dehonian Theological Commission hosted an international seminar on the social legacy of Fr. Dehon in Clairefontaine, Belgium. The seminar was intended as a commemoration of the centenary of the death of Fr. Dehon.

For some time, there has been an increased interest within the Congregation about the relationship of Fr. Dehon’s intense interest in the social to his devotion to the Sacred Heart. Was it incidental or must we look for a more intimate relationship between the two vortices of Dehon’s life? The European theologians decided to take a number of Dehon’s concerns and to invite a group of people to explore these topics in the writings of Fr. Dehon and their contemporary impact. The issues were narrowed down to Dehon’s gradual adoption of democracy within a Christian context and  the current struggle with democratic forms in light of the trend toward autocracy; the movement in the Catholic Church during the papacy of Leo XIII and Dehon’s ministry to “Go to the People” and the effort during Pope Francis’ of now Pope Leo’s papacy to build bridges to current movements and, finally, the meaning of the “Reign of the Sacred Heart” in Fr. Dehon’s writings and the current exegetical understanding of Jesus’ “kingdom of God”.

The seminar was attended by 34 SCJs including the Superior General and some members of the General Administration. Fr. John van den Hengel presented the paper “’Allez au people’: Léon Dehon’s Interpretation of a Slogan” on the second day. Its current issue of the need to build bridges to other movements was addressed by Michel Simo Temgo of St. John Vianney parish in Dublin. It was a lively event with some great conversations. Fr. John’s paper will be published in Dehoniana and on our website.  

Fr. John Van Den Hengel