This article, apart from the conclusions drawn, is a thematic re-reading of the dossier of documentation prepared by Fr. Egidio Driedonkx, S.C.J.: “La Asociaciòn Reparadora fundada por el P. Dehon - Historia y Propaganda (1878-1925)” [The History of the Reparatory Association Founded by Fr. Dehon - History and Propagation].

I. Foundations and Objectives

1. In 1878, after the “Oblates of the Heart of Jesus” had been founded, Fr. Dehon also founded a “Reparatory Association” or an “Intimate Association”, in order to enable lay people and priests to participate in the spirituality and the objectives of his Institute: to lead priests and faithful to the Heart of Jesus, offering a daily tribute of adoration, of reparation and of love, in particular for the sanctification of the clergy.

For these purposes there already existed, or were to come into being, other Associations which were set within the socio- ecclesial context:

“The Association of Prayer for Priests”, under the patronage of St. John Evangelist, founded in 1869 in the Parish of Fère-Champenoise.

“The Intimate Association”, founded by Léon Harmel in 1869 at Val-des-Bois, for the conversion of workers and for the sanctification of the clergy.

“The Union of the Victims of the Heart of Jesus”, founded in 1874 by Abbé Brion of Bordeaux.

“The Victims of the Heart of Jesus for the Triumph of the Church and for the Sanctification of the Clergy”, linked to the Works of St. Carlo Borromeo of Gramont (Belgium).

2. In 1882 Fr. Dehon and Msgr. Gay promoted a campaign to create a “Union of the Clergy”, with the purpose of praying and making reparation to the Sacred Heart for the triumph of the Church and the salvation of France.

3. Following contacts with Fr. Matovelle (Ecuador), who promoted the Social Kingdom of the Sacred Heart and the struggle against Masonry, Fr. Dehon directed the work of the “Reparatory Association” towards that of the “Kingdom of the Sacred Heart in Souls and in Society”. Approved by Msgr. Thibaudier on February 8, 1889, as the “Reparatory Association of the Sacred Heart of Jesus”, this organization promotes personal sanctification, with devotion to the Sacred Heart and aims to establish the Kingdom of the Sacred Heart in souls and in society. Fr. Dehon had not long before founded (January 25, 1889) the magazine “The Kingdom of the Sacred Heart in Souls and in Society”.

In August 1889 the “International Federation of the Associations of the Sacred Heart” was constituted at Paray-le-Monial. Fr. Dehon participated and was nominated as a member of the Council for France.

In 1889, also in August, the relationship with Fr. Matovelle was broken and, in the “Notice” (from the end of 1889 to the beginning of 1890) the Associates were described as “The Militia of the Heart of Jesus, Association for the Kingdom of the Heart of Jesus” and the Aggregates as “The Militia of the Victims of the Heart of Jesus in Union with the Oblate Priests and the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus”.

4. In the “Notice” of 1897, and until 1902, with the name “Disciples of the Heart of Jesus”, the Association defined its objective as offering consolation to the Heart of Jesus. What was called for was no longer an apostolic commitment but a return to the contemplative dimension. Was this change due to the influence of the group of Fr. Blancal or of Fr Prévot?

5. In 1905, on December 22, Fr. Prévot proposed to Fr. Dehon that he should model our Association according to that of the Apostolate of Prayer and to publish a magazine for the Associates. Father Dehon accepted the new name, “Association of the Apostolate of Reparation”, under the auspices of Our Lady of Reparation.

6. In 1910, encouraged by Pius X (brief of April 9, 1910), Fr. Dehon thought about founding an Association for the clergy, to be spread throughout all the dioceses, since “the Lord asks for the participation of priests in the life of reparation”. This was called “The Priestly Association in Honor of the Sacred Heart”, under the aegis of the “Apostolate of Reparation”.

7. In the “Notice” of the years 1919-1921, all members of the “Association of Love and Reparation to the Heart of Jesus, in Union with the Priests of the Sacred Heart” were asked to make themselves apostles for the enthronement of the Sacred Heart in families.

8. The “Adveniat Regnum tuum Association” (A.R.T.)

To search for funds for the construction of the Basilica of Christ the King in Rome, Fr. Dehon asked Fr. Gasparri (Letter of January 21, 1921) to found an Association, linked to the one already in existence and as a section of it.

In the meantime the new Code of Canon law (1917) had created a new situation: the Associations of diocesan law could not spread into other dioceses without a new decree of establishment from the bishop of the dioceses concerned. In addition, the director of our Association was to be nominated by the Bishop of Soissons, who could also nominate a diocesan priest. Having evaluated these motives Fr. Gasparri was charged to create, with the aid of a Canon Lawyer (Fr. Gengler), a completely new Association for the Congregation, one which would be made simpler compared to that already in existence and would emphasize the Kingship of Christ. On March 14, 1923, Cardinal Basilio Pompili established the “Adveniat Regnum tuum” (ART) at the Votive Temple of Christ the King in Rome.

The expression “Adveniat Regnum tuum” may have been suggested to Fr. Gasparri by the “Notice” of 1906, published in Rome, which had as its title: “The Reparatory Association of the Sacred Heart of Jesus”, with the subtitle “Adveniat Regnum tuum”.

The “Notice” of 1923 explained that it was an “Association of prayer and sacrifice for the extension of the Kingdom of Jesus on the earth, for the triumph of the Church and for an increase in priestly and missionary vocations”.

II. Organization and Development

1. Members of the “Reparatory Association”, in its successive various forms, were priests and lay people and until 1923 they were divided into two groups or levels: the “Associates”, which constituted the majority; the “Aggregates” who, living the spirit of the Institute in a more interior manner, constituted a kind of Third Order of the Oblates of the Heart of Jesus. Many among the first Aggregates (for example Fr. Dehon’s mother) took the vow as victim, as was requested of the religious Oblates themselves.

For the “Reparatory Association”, for the “Kingdom of the Sacred Heart in Souls and in Society” (“Notice” of 1889), the group of the first grade or level was an “action group”, while that of the second level was a “group of prayer and sacrifice”. For the Action Group the creation of various “Committees” was requested: for good press, for works of charity, for the spread of the devotion to the Sacred Heart. Members of the Prayer Group were asked to offer themselves as victims for the Church and for France.

In the “Notice” of 1890 it was requested that in those parishes where the Aggregates were numerous a “Council” should be constituted, presided over by the parish priest, for the spread of devotion to the Sacred Heart and to work for the Kingdom of the Sacred Heart through the circulation of good press publications.

In the revision of the Regulations (1913-1914), the distinction between the two groups was that the Aggregates made the oblation of themselves as reparatory victims to the Heart of Jesus and were considered as a Third Order.

In 1923, with the “Adveniat Regnum tuum Association”, the division of the people into two groups or grades was to be abolished.

2. The director of the Association was the Superior General of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in Saint Quentin, or another priest of the said Congregation nominated by the Bishop of Soissons.

At the beginning, and even up to 1890, the enrollment of the men was reserved to Fr. Dehon’s discretion, and the inscription of the women to his dear mother. The Association was linked, therefore, in addition to the Institute, also with the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart.

When the Association started to develop also in other nations, in 1919 it was requested that in every Province there should be one or two priests designated for the enrollment of the Associates: in Fayet, in Brugelette, in Brussles, in Bergen-op-Zoon, in Sittard, in Luxembourg and in Bologna.

With the “Adveniat Regnum tuum Association” (1923) directly linked to the Congregation, the Director was the Superior General himself (or his delegate), and it was he who nominated the National Directors. As a “Universal Association” it could be established in the various dioceses without the need of new decrees by the individual bishops.

The various Associations had been considered as a kind of Third Order of the Institute since as far back as 1878, with the “Reparatory Association”, and until 1923, with the “Adveniat Regnum tuum Association”. “We need a work of solid piety, which can spread to all areas and make the Congregation loved for its devotions and its practices. We must have something like a Third Order” (Fr. Philippe, January 21, 1923).

In a letter dated May 27, 1919, written to Clara Baume, a lay aggregate of our Institute, Fr. Dehon used the image of the family: “Je vous appelle soeur, puisque vous êtes de la famille” [I call you sister, since you are a part of the family].

3. The Association was governed by the Statutes and Regulations; in addition to the organization, these indicated the concrete ways of participating in the spirituality and in the purposes of the Institute. Statutes and Regulations were updated gradually as the Association grew, and, for the lay people, one or another aspect of our spirituality and the purposes of the Institute was accentuated.

We are in possession of the Regulations of 1886, 1889, 1897, 1906, 1910 (for the priestly Association). The Regulations of 1906 are by Fr. Prévot; he did not touch on the Associates and updated the part of the Regulations of 1889 concerning the Aggregates.

In preparation of the General Chapter, anticipated for 1914, after the death of Fr. Prévot in 1913, the “Regulations” of 1906 were reviewed. The 1919 version can be found in “Réglements divers” [Various Regulations]. 1923 was the date for the Regulations of ART.

4. The development of the Association was due, in the beginning, to the members of the Congregation themselves who involved their relations and acquaintances: for example the novices Matias Maria Legrand, Lamour, Dessons.

The General Chapter of 1886 requested the publication of a “Notice” to make known and promote the spirit of the Congregation among the laity and priests, and to make them live in the same spirit.

The magazine, “The Kingdom of the Sacred Heart in Souls and in Society”, was addressed at times to members of the Association and indicated its purposes (1889, 1893, 1897, 1901).

Fr. Dehon in Circular Letters addressed the Superiors “to recruit aggregates for our Associations and maintain the union of hearts between all and with us” (Circ. Lett. October 17, 1892).

“Let us develop our Associations. Let us seek associates and aggregates who will work with us for the kingdom of the Heart of Jesus” (Circ. Lett. August 10, 1919).

He spoke of it at the General Chapters (1899, 1919); he informed the Holy Father in the audiences he obtained (February 21, 1904).

Fr. Dehon committed himself personally to the birth of the Association in other nations.

In the “Notice” of 1901-1902 people were informed that in order to enroll they should contact Fr. Falleur at Saint Quentin, or Fr. Genre in Brussels.

In the Minutes of the General Chapter of 1899 there is information that the Association had grown, that it had some thousands of aggregates in Germany and that it was developing in other countries.

The “Notice” of 1906 indicated as centers for enrollment in the association: Brussels, Luxembourg, Bergen-op-Zoom (Holland), La Fayet (France).

In August of 1908, in his desire to increase the number of Aggregates, meaning the number of those who were living the spirit of the Congregation most intimately, Fr. Dehon “charged Fr. André (Prévot) to propagate the Intimate Association of Reparation” (NQ XXIV, 33).

In 1910, in a “Notice” used to propagate in Italian, the “Reparatory Association of the Sacred Heart” was spoken of with an invitation to enroll in the Association at the Apostolic School of Albino.

In 1912 the General Council asked that a Dutch and Flemish section of the Association should be created.

In October of 1918 Fr. Dehon wrote in his Diary “I propagate our Association and enroll the Aggregates” (NQ XLIII, 1).

Fr. Prévot also propagated in order to spread the word about the Association (“Notice” 1906), in addition to publishing booklets for the formation of members.

5. The Number of Members. At the beginning among the first members of the “Reparatory Association” we find: Abbé Mathieu, Archpriest of the Basilica of Saint Quentin, as well as Fr. Dehon’s mother and aunt. As an Aggregate Mr. Lécot appears with the name of Joseph of Arimathea: since he had bought a garden bordering the Mother House of Saint Quentin, he gave the use of it to the Institute (NHV, 7 XIV 19-20).

At the end of 1880 there were about one hundred people making up the Associates and Aggregates, while the religious Oblates consisted of 3 professed and 7 novices.

In 1892 there were already several hundred people enrolled.

In 1900 Germany boasted 6,000 members and a magazine with 3,000 subscribers (Cf. Letter from Fr. Dehon to Fr. Kusters, November 29, 1901).

In 1904, at his audience with the Pope (February 21), Fr. Dehon said that between the Associates and the Aggregates there were approximately 10,000 persons.

In 1912, from the report on the General Council (June 8), it can be seen that the Association had 4,000 members in France and 8,000 in Germany.

In 1923 all the Associates of the former Association and its sections were amalgamated to become part of the new “Adveniat Regnum tuum Association”, which thus numbered 50,000 Associates.

III. Participation in the Spirituality and the Objectives of the Institute: Spirituality and Apostolate

1. In the “Reparatory Association” (1878) the Associates committed themselves to supplicate, with their prayers and actions, sacrifices and reparation, for the coming of the Kingdom of the Heart of Jesus and for the blessings of God on priests. The Aggregates committed themselves to live the spirit of the Institute in a more interior way: abandoning themselves completely into the hands of God and accepting any sacrifice it might please Him to ask for, to the point of proclaiming the “vow of victim”. “Many of these people saw how God truly accepted the offer of their life through the crosses which Providence sent them” (Fr. Dehon).

The Aggregates of the first Association were people who were socially committed, insofar as they were already members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, or the Third Order of St. Francis, or the Propagation of the Faith, or collaborated in the activities of the parish.

2. The “Regulations” (1889) of the “Reparatory Association of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” requests of the “Associates” (1st grade or action group):

- To publicly and openly recognize the rights and the royalty of Jesus Christ;

- To respect such laws and make others respect them, inspired by the humility and the mildness of the Heart of Jesus;

- To keep Sunday holy and enable it to be kept holy by their employees;

- To promote the Catholic Press and attack bad press;

- To ensure that every month there is a Holy Mass for the Associates and a meeting to program the means to establish, in their respective environments, the return of God and the Kingdom of the Heart of Jesus;

- To propagate devotion to the Heart of Jesus for the salvation of France.

In addition to the commitments of the first group, the “Aggregates” (2nd grade or group of prayer and sacrifice) were further requested:

- To offer up prayers, actions, sufferings and life itself, every morning, and to do so in union with the Heart of Jesus and in the spirit of love, reparation and intercession;

- To accept, with the same spirit, the trials and the sufferings of the day, to offer themselves as victims to console the Heart of Jesus;

- To cultivate a great devotion to the Eucharist by having an hour of Adoration and reparatory communion every first Friday (or first Sunday) of the month;

- To consider themselves, every Friday, especially the first Friday of the month, victims who are charged with expiating the sins of the Homeland, and to do some real penance with this intention;

- To propagate devotion to the Heart of Jesus;

- To practice the virtues: purity of heart, humility, spirit of generosity and sacrifice.

The “Notice” of 1889, in writing of the objectives of this Association, said that it consisted of personal sanctification by means of devotion to the Sacred Heart. But since holiness is nothing if it is not charity, it is only through the wounded Heart of Jesus that such charity can be stimulated. Associates should therefore establish the kingdom of the Heart of Jesus not only in themselves but also in society. And “since the mass of people is made up of the working class, who have lost their Christian faith and have been deceived... the principle preoccupation of our Association shall be to work to reconcile and unite in fraternity the master and the worker, the rich and the poor”.

If the Associates have a preeminently social purpose and for the Aggregates the spirit of victim is accentuated, all of them should nevertheless work to establish the Kingdom of the Heart of Jesus in souls and in society. Everyone then, Associates and Aggregates, should be apostles.

The virtues required of all members were pointed out: to follow the example of Jesus, to have preference for the lowly, the weak, the poor; to burn with apostolic zeal.

The statutes impose no penance on the Associates of the 1st grade; but they themselves must apply them if their apostolate is to be fruitful: they must accept the sufferings and the sorrows which Providence may send them.

3. As “Disciples of the Heart of Jesus” (1897-1902), the members of the Association were no longer requested to have an apostolic commitment but to console the Heart of Jesus. Was this due to the influence of the group of Fr. Blancal or of Fr. Prévot?

4. The “Notice” of 1906, published in Rome in French, presented the “Reparatory Association of the Sacred Heart” under the title of “Adveniat Regnum tuum”. It takes up the 1889 “Regulations” for the Associates and indicates the following pius practices they should perform:

- To celebrate the feast of the Sacred Heart with devotion every year, by going to confession and taking communion;

- To participate in the sacraments monthly, preferably on the first Friday (or the first Sunday) of the month;

- To pray for each other and for deceased members;

- To recite daily, in honor of the Sacred Heart, one Our Father, Ave Maria and the Credo, with the short prayer: “Sweet Heart of my Jesus, make me love you more and more”.

Rather than as an apostolate, the group of the Associates would be characterized as a group of prayer.

All the same, in the “Notice” of 1908, under the heading “Love and Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus”, it was said that the aim of the Association was two-fold:

- to commit oneself in the work of reparation, especially with reparatory Adoration;

- to collaborate with the Priests of the Sacred Heart to spread the Kingdom of the Heart of Jesus; this collaboration was not to be understood as direct apostolate.

5. In the revision of the Rule (1913-1914), Associates were asked:

- to offer prayers, actions and sacrifices to the Sacred Heart every morning;

- to willingly accept the sacrifices which Providence sends us and to perform the duties expected of their situation;

- to put up with the imperfections of their neighbors and to be sorry for their own defects;

- to take communion and participate in reparatory Adoration on the first Friday (or first Sunday) of the month;

- to serve the work of the apostolate individually or in the parish.

The Aggregates were asked to offer themselves as reparatory victims to the Sacred Heart, possibly even by taking vows.

6. In 1919 every Province was authorized to add a special intention, or a particular practice to the “General Rules”.

Thus, in the Gallo-Belgium Province, the members of the “Association of Love and Reparation”, in order to atone for the offenses committed against the Most Holy Trinity, were asked to dedicate themselves to the active part of reparation:

- against God the Father, through blasphemy;

- against God the Incarnate Son, through offenses against the Eucharist;

- against God the Holy Spirit, through sins against the Holy Spirit: the crimes of Masonry and the crimes of the enemies of religion.

The principle means of this active reparation are indicated as performing works of charity, offering assistance to the dying, taking part in the conversion of sinners, teaching the ignorant. The specificity of these works can be indicated by the parish priests, by the Assistance Societies, by the Dame di Carità, and by the Directors of the Association.

“This reparation is to be extended to the souls in Purgatory, to those who helped them to find salvation and to the persons most dear to them” (Document dated between 1914 and 1923).

The apostolate is considered as an integral part of reparation: it is the apostolate of reparation.

7. The spirit and objective of the “Adveniat Regnum tuum Association” (1923) is reparation for the offenses which Christ received, especially in the Eucharist, and, by means of the apostolate, to bring about the reestablishment of the principles of Christian life in consciences, in families and in society.

Once the division into two groups was abolished all members were asked:

a. to adhere to pius practices:

- frequent participation, possibly daily, in the Holy Mass in a spirit of love and reparation;

- frequent communion, particularly on the first Friday (or first Sunday) of the month;

- frequent commitment to half an hour of adoration, at least once a month, possibly on the first Friday;

- consecration of oneself and one’s own family members to the Heart of Jesus;

- daily recitation of one decade of the rosary and some short prayers.

b. Sacrifices:

- faithful performance of one’s duties as a Christian and in keeping with one’s situation;

- making a daily offering to the Sacred Heart: of prayer, of the work and the sufferings of life which have been accepted with patience and resignation in a spirit of love and reparation;

- partaking in a voluntary annunciation of food sometimes, dressing with simplicity and decorating one’s home simply, putting up with the imperfections of the people one lives with, and feeling sorrow because of one’s personal defects of character.

c. Apostolate:

- to collaborate in the works of charity and apostolate of one’s parish or dioceses.

IV. Training Aids, Liturgical Forms of Aggregation

1. Training Aids

In 1892 Fr. Prévot published the book “Love Peace and Joy” (A Retreat on the Sacred Heart with St. Gertrude); it was recommended to the Aggregates. In 1906 he published the handbook “Love and Reparation to the Sacred Heart” to be used as “A Manual for the Apostolate of Reparation”. It was directed to the members of the Association of Priests of the Sacred Heart, to the members of the “Intimate Association” of Val-des-Bois and to the Associates of the Institute of the Women Religious Victims of the Heart of Jesus. The spirit of being a victim is explicitly accentuated in this work. God wishes that this spirit be extended to the convents and monasteries of the world, to the pius laity, and especially to the priests - so that their ministry may be fruitful: “Praying, acting, suffering and sacrificing oneself for the Sacred Heart”. In this work there is the recommendation of another small book by Fr. Prévot, entitled “Love and Reparation”, which was translated also into German and Dutch.

In his Diary (October 1917, NQ XLI, 25), Fr. Dehon said that he had just finished writing a “Manual of Prayer for our Aggregates”, but there is no trace of this in the Archives. Rather, one finds a “Manual of Piety for the Reparatory Association in Union With the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus”, the content of which corresponds to that of the “Rule of Life” of 1914.

In 1922, on May 17, Fr. Philippe asked Fr. Gasparri to translate Fr. Prévot’s “Love and Reparation to the Sacred Heart” into Italian, in order to make it so that our Work is also known to our Associations in Italy.

2. The Progressive Development of Formation

In the handwritten article “Union with the Congregation”, dated some time after 1911, Fr. Dehon described the progressive development of formation to be used by the members of our Association. It was based on the progressive development of formation used for religious.

It starts by making the Associates in union with our novices: praying for the novices and with them, in order to become, like them, disciples of St. John - to “console Our Lord with their own fidelity and compassion”. Like the novices they must desire to continue to increase their formation education in order to increasingly develop the interior life.

Subsequently he advocates living in union with the religious. Like the religious, the Associates must progress in perfect charity towards God and their neighbor; their model will be the Heart of Jesus. Adapting themselves to their situation in the world and to their personal state of life, they must practice the spirit of obedience to the Rule of Life, of chastity and detachment from worldly goods, of living a sober and simple life. They must consecrate themselves to the Heart of Jesus, uniting themselves to the four objectives of His sacrifice on Calvary and on the altar: adoration, thanksgiving, reparation, and supplication.

In addition they must live in union with the priests of the Sacred Heart. As far as is possible, therefore, daily participation in the Holy Mass is requested in order to fulfill well their spiritual priesthood, paying attention to the beauty of their worship and looking after the church. Like the priests they must practice the apostolate: through the distribution of positive publications, help in catechism and in those initiatives which lead the faithful to the sacraments; participation in eucharistic works, in the St. Vincent de Paul Society and the St. Francis Regis Society, and to the friends of the poor. They must distribute images and encourage devotion to the Sacred Heart by promoting its enthronement in homes. They must practice the virtues of justice, piety, charity towards all and patience to the point of sacrifice; they must have that amiability that wins people over to religion.

Finally they must live in union with the missionaries of the Priests of the Sacred Heart. Those who love the Heart of Jesus also love His Church and all souls. Those who do not love the Church cannot say that they love the Heart of Jesus. The Associates must interest themselves in the progress of the Church and share in its trials. They must interest themselves in the missions, read their information reports and enroll in missionary works. They must set up a close relationship with one particular mission or mission: “Pius Associates, adopt a mission!”.

To the members of the Association who wish to be more generous, Fr. Dehon advises: “Fervor of charity, generosity in sacrifice, purity of heart and humility, these are the virtues which must characterize them. So that their prayer may be continuous, they should regularly join with the Lord in pius, short prayers. They must willingly accept the sacrifices which the Lord will send them”.

3. Meetings

In the 1889 “Notice” monthly meetings were requested, however separate ones for men and women. In the 1906 “Notice” Associates were requested to hold a weekly or monthly exercise in public churches and chapels, with the permission of the Bishop.

In the revision of the Rule of Life (1913-1914) it is stated that the Aggregates can hold meetings, like those in the Apostolate of Prayer.

4. Liturgical Norms for Aggregates

The Aggregates of the “Reparatory Association” (1878), or the “Intimate Association”, received the same cross adorned with a heart as the religious brethren received. They pronounced an Act of offering, or of oblation, in union with the Oblates of the Heart of Jesus and of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart. Like members of a Third Order they received a religious name.

In the “Notice” of 1889 there is an Act of Consecration to the Heart of Jesus. In the 1890 “Notice” two Acts of Consecration are presented: one longer and more solemn, the other shorter to be recited every day.

In the “Notice” of 1890, and then in that of 1906, they speak of the Scapular which the members of our Association must wear. And again, in 1923, all members of the “Adveniat Regnum tuum Association” were recommened to wear the Scapular or a Medal of the Sacred Heart.

5. Indulgences

In 1889 the Association was joined to the “Archconfraternity of the Sacred Heart” in Rome, at the Church of Our Lady of Peace, to participate in their indulgences.

In 1906, from Pius X, Fr. Dehon obtained a “special privilege for the Aggregates who make offering of their merits to the Sacred Heart”. The “Notice” of 1906 informs the members of our “Reparatory Association” what indulgences can be earned.

With the Brief of April 10, 1910, Pius X granted certain indulgences to the priests and to all the members of the Association of the “Apostolate of Reparation”.

A list of indulgences can be found in “Règlements divers” (Various Regulations) (1919).

Conclusions

I. In view of the current reflowering of the participation of the laity in Dehonian spirituality and in Fr. Dehon’s mission in the Church, it is timely for us to make an evaluation of past experience.

1. In the years 1878-1925 the various “Reparatory Associations” were characterized by a fidelity to the spirituality and to the objectives of the Institute, with a constant adjustment according to the ecclesiastical context.

Over the years, participation in the charism has emphasized now one and now the other aspect. At the beginning, with the “Reparatory Association” and with the “Association of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Souls and in Society”, all the members participated in the spirituality of the Institute and were actively engaged in the apostolate. Subsequently, starting from 1897 and up to 1908, the prevailing accent was on a spirituality which was above all that of victim, at the expense of the apostolate. From 1908 onwards and with the Rule of Life of 1913-1914, and lastly with the “Adveniat Regnum tuum Association” (1923), the apostolate, in addition to meaning that one took part in the spirituality of the Institute, was seen as being a part of the commitment of the members of the Association.

2. The various Reparatory Associations have always been considered as a kind of Third Order of the Congregation, and are linked directly to the Institute. There was a General Director, Fr. Dehon himself; there were National Directors in the individual Provinces, in addition to other religious priests, who promoted and accompanied the members of the Association.

The members were divided into two groups: the Associates, or groups of the first level, or action group, which made up the majority; the Aggregates, or group of the second level, or prayer and sacrifice group, which were the minority. This constituted the Third Order. The fundamental distinction between the two groups was that the Aggregates lived the spirit of the Institute more intensely, to the point of offering themselves as victims of reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In addition, in all the Associations both laity and priests were present. The distinction between the two groups was to be abolished only in 1923 when the last Association was born.

The Institute, and Fr. Dehon in first person, was committed to promoting the Association, as the promotion of our spirituality and collaboration in the coming of the Kingdom of the Heart of Jesus in souls and in society. Members of the Association were asked to gather together for specific works of piety, such as making up a program for apostolic activities.

The members of the Associations, in addition to being linked with the Priests of the Sacred Heart, were also linked with the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart and with the Victim Handmaids.

3. The Institute offered the members of the various Associations training aids, and Fr. Dehon also pointed out a progressive development of formation.

Liturgical norms were requested for Aggregations: such as the Act of Consecration to the Heart of Jesus; the wearing of the cross adorned with a heart and the Scapular or medal of the Sacred Heart, and even going to the point of taking a new name. They were guaranteed the enjoyment of numerous indulgences.

II. By starting from past experience and the demands of faith, and then looking at the today of God, the future can be hypothesized as follows:

1. Promotion of the organization of the “Dehonian Family” as the “combination of the various components (S.C.J., consecrated brethren, lay people) who recognize in Fr. Dehon the “father” of their own spiritual lives and who recognize each other as brothers/sisters, since they participate in the same spirituality and mission.

“The communion of varying vocations requires respect for their specificity and diversity, in full organizational autonomy” (Project “We the Congregation in Service of the Mission” n. 25).

The three components are united to each other by the sharing of Fr. Dehon’s charism and by their unity as people, not because they have been so directed by a central authority.

The secular priests, who live the spirituality of Fr. Dehon, are associated with the groups of lay faithful.

2. The Priests of the Sacred Heart, since they were the first historic fulfillment of the Dehonian charism recognized officially by the Church, are the bearers and guarantors of the charism of Fr. Dehon as it has matured today in the Church.

It is their task to spread the spirituality of Fr. Dehon as a gift for the whole Church, to accompany those who, individually or in groups, feel inspired by this spirituality, and to guarantee their fidelity. (Cf. Project “We the Congregation in Service of the Mission”, n. 25).

3. It is necessary to restore the relationship with the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart and Victim Handmaids with the female Institutes of consecrated life founded by our religious. This would offer them the possibility of being part of the “Dehonian Family”.

United in the charism of Fr. Dehon, the Priests of the Sacred Heart must guarantee them due spiritual assistance, collaboration in the “ad gentes missions”, and offer them help for vocational promotion. While full governing autonomy and internal organization is to be respected, these groups must likewise respect the aspects of the Dehonian charism developed by their Institute.

4. The “Dehonian Laity” are people who live the Gospel with the point of view of Dehonian spirituality and mission, according to their own lay state, as a personal baptismal vocation. They are people who share the charism of Fr. Dehon as it has been developed today by the Priests of the Sacred Heart, but in the condition of lay people in the world: in the family, in their profession and in the Church.

a. Concretely speaking it is a question of living Dehonian spirituality in the secular life, and that is:

- making Christ the heart of the world;

- living in unity with His merciful and loving solidarity towards mankind, in particular towards sinners, the marginalized and the lowly and the poor, as an answer to the love of the Father, manifested in the sign of the Heart of His Son through His Spirit: a love which is often unrecognized;

- living their own lives as a pleasing oblation to God, in total abandonment, availability and confidence in the will of God, which makes itself evident in the daily circumstances of their own life;

- living the celebration and sharing of the Eucharist and of the adored eucharistic Presence, as a source of their own spiritual life and the strength of the apostolate;

- collaborating, by prayer and action, in the coming of the Kingdom of Christ in the family, in their professional or work environment, and in society.

It also concerns the laity when we read: “Father Dehon expected his religious to be prophets of love and servants of reconciliation of people and the world in Christ” (Cst. 7).

b. It is from this concept that in the Dehonian Laity there originates and develops:

- A style of heart, having the Heart of Jesus as a pattern of life. Living in faith the oblational and redeeming love of the Heart of Christ: humble, mild, compassionate, obedient to the point of giving one’s life for others. Men with a new heart, characterized by warmth, who express themselves in love and solidarity.

- A style of life, with the fundamental attitudes of an oblative and reparatory love, making one’s own life a pleasing offer to God. Living life as a response of love, in union with the reparatory oblation of Christ to the Father, in service to the brethren.

- A style of work, proclaiming the Gospel of love and mercy; bearing witness to the compassionate love of the Heart of Christ; working for the poor, the lowly and the excluded.

c. The Dehonian Laity do not at all constitute a Third Order of the Priests of the Sacred Heart. To the contrary, their full organizational authority must be respected on the national and international level. There can thus be a variety of groups or associations which, although participating in all the richness of the Dehonian charism, accentuate one or another aspect of it: groups of spirituality and prayer, groups of spirituality and apostolate. The apostolate can be individual or of the parish, not necessarily linked to the apostolate of the Institute.

d. The task of the Priest of the Sacred Heart, with regard to the Dehonian laity, is:

- to promote lay participation in the Dehonian charism;

- to accompany the laity, individually or in groups, with spiritual direction and with training aids;

- to guarantee the progressive development of formation so that it increases the depth of Christian life and the assimilation of the Dehonian charism;

- to identify vocations, the recognition of living as “Dehonian Laity” and of belonging to the “Dehonian Family”;

- to aggregate the laity in the Dehonian Family with the liturgical rite of the Act of Consecration to the Heart of Jesus, as a personal adhesion to living the Dehonian charism in their own lay and secular conditions.