On March 14, 2000, the anniversary of the birth of our venerable Founder, the “official birth” of the new Dehonian community of La Capelle was celebrated. “Je suis né le 14 mars 1843” (I was born on the 14th of March 1843) is how Fr. Dehon’s “Notes sur l’histoire de ma vie” (Notes on the Story of My Life) begins. And he continues, “C’était le mardi de la deuxième semaine de carême, Pâques tombant cette année-là le 16 avril” (It was Tuesday of the second week of Lent, Easter occurring that year on April 16th).

La Capelle: Leo Dehon’s birthplace; a place filled with memories of the people who were dearest to him and of his first religious experiences; a place which reminded him of his first stirrings, but also the sufferings and in the end the joys of his vocation to the priesthood and to the consecrated life. All this was evoked by Fr. Umberto Chiarello at the ceremony to inaugurate the new Dehonian community of La Capelle.

But La Capelle also reminds us of how much Fr. Dehon cared about the works and the places associated with the origins of the Congregation; in particular the town of Saint Quentin, the Institute of St. John and the House of the Sacred Heart: “Je repense beaucoup aux commencements de l’Oeuvre” (I often think back to the beginnings of the Work) he writes in his “Notes Quotidiennes” (Daily Notes) (notebook XLIV, April 1921, p. 9).

But at the beginning of 1925 he also wrote, “J’ai arrangé mes affaires à St-Quentin, j’ai mis St-Jean en actions et j’ai vendu le Sacré Coeur (“la Maison du Sacré-Coeur”): Je suis heureux d’être arrivé à la pauvreté” (I have settled my affairs in Saint Quentin. I have transformed St. John’s into a share-holding concern and I have sold the Sacred Heart (The House of the Sacred Heart). I am happy to have accomplished poverty” (ibid. XLV, 1925. p. 3). A deep attachment to the places of his origins and, at the same time, total detachment from the things of this world in order to belong “more completely” to God!

“Le recul nous aide à voir plus clair” (Memory helps us to see more clearly), Fr. Dehon notes further (NQT XLIV, 1921, p. 9).

It is also important, therefore, for us to make a brief journey through our “historic memory” with regard to the Congregation’s acquisition of the house where Fr. Dehon was born, and of the beginning of the new community.

The first time that this project is spoken of in the official documents was in the circular letter from Fr. Bressanelli, addressed to the Provincial Superiors, on February 17, 1997. “It is a pleasure for me”, he writes, “to communicate to you that the acquisition of the house where Fr. Dehon was born, in La Capelle, has been proposed to us. The request, first mentioned to one of our brethren at the end of December, has been given serious consideration by the general administration, and now the project has become official... Mr. Malezieux-Dehon, observing our rights to the first offer, has kindly informed us of his plan to sell and is proposing a favorable price... We are in favor of the purchase, given the symbolic significance of this place for the entire Congregation”.

The idea was brought up again immediately after the XX General Chapter (1997), which also declared itself in favor of the purchase (Cf. Third motion, also inserted explicitly in the program of the new general administration, Cf. n. 15.3).

Subsequently, in a letter dated November 15, 1997, the Superior General informed the entire Congregation of the purchase and, in another letter dated February 2, 1998, also suggested some criteria to be observed, both in the elaboration of the local project (a clear S.C.J. religious presence, return to the source of our charism, insertion in the local Church) and in the establishment of the community (a community of at least 4 people with an international spirit; preferably made up of young people and mainly composed of brethren from Europe). He also asked for contributions from the various Provinces, stating that the greatest contribution would be that of “offering oneself and offering people for this Work”. And truly, almost immediately, several brethren declared themselves available and interested. Thus, already by March 14, 1999, there began the cohabitation of four brethren, among whom there was Fr. Bernard Radin of the French Province, who was to be the first Superior.

In the month of July of the same year (1999) the first international meeting was hosted: 20 young brethren for a course of preparation for perpetual vows. And, lastly, on March 14 of this year (2000), in the presence of the Bishop of Soissons, Marcel Herriot; the S.C.J. Vicar General, Fr. Umberto Chiarello; and representatives from various other Provinces; the establishment, also from the legal point of view, of the new Dehonian community of La Capelle was celebrated.

The July 19, 1999 Meeting at La Capelle

This was conceived and programmed as a key moment for approximately twenty brethren in their path of preparation for their perpetual vows. The directors of the course were Frs. A. Perroux, A. Vander Elst and J. Famerée. The themes naturally centered on Dehonian spirituality and, in particular: 1. Fr. Dehon’s own experience of faith; 2. Dehonian spirituality today; 3. the Congregation in the service of the mission, in the light of “We the Congregation”.

At the end of the meeting, “reviewing” the days spent together, the positive evaluations were unanimous: “It was an enriching experience for everyone; both for the work done and for the climate of fraternity, commitment and harmony lived in these days... A positive initiative for the young religious, for the community of La Capelle and for the Congregation itself. It will serve to make grow in all of us the spirit of ‘We the Congregation in service of the mission’”.

Some operational proposals were also formulated with a view to a better distribution of resources and premises in La Capelle, as well as for the general organization of such meetings.

With regard to the resources and the premises - the house offers a single space for study, reflection and prayer. It would be opportune to distinguish between the resources and the materials which concern the habitability of the house (rooms, services, annexes) and the resources to be used for the work and for the initiatives that are hoped to be accomplished in the house (books and documents, tools, etc.). With regard to the former we can say that the house has been provisionally adapted with a certain urgency, but sufficiently well for the moment. However, in the future it will be necessary to do a lot more so that the mission can be carried out well (rooms, services, halls for group work, assembly room, laundry, etc.); but it will be necessary also to provide all those modern resources which can facilitate the work: computers with printers, photocopy machines, blackboards, slide and transparency projectors, etc.

Of fundamental importance for this kind of meeting are also those books and documents which serve for research and reflection, both personal and group. Before the meeting it was anticipated that each of the participants should arrive at La Capelle with a copy of the required reading matter prescribed by the formation directors and translated either into their own language or into a language they knew. This applies as much to Fr. Dehon’s writings as for the books and documents proposed for reflection by the formation directors. For various reasons this was not always done. In the future it will be necessary to be more insistent about this.

With regard to the life of prayer, a mixed method was followed, using all languages but privileging mostly those which everyone knew. This applied to the Psalms, to the readings and to the hymns. Each day one of the priests who was there presided at the celebration of the Eucharist; the basic language was that of the main celebrant, at times using a translation for the readings and the homily. For the hymns and the recitation of the Psalms the version which was in use was that of Rome I (“Adveniat Regnum tuum”). It was also very useful to have booklets available in various languages for the concelebration of the Eucharist. “We perceived how enriching the integration of the various sensibilities, cultures and languages is to the life of prayer”.

The young religious who took part in this meeting sent “a message” to the whole Congregation to express their gratitude to their superiors and to the formation directors who had decided upon and managed this initiative, and to encourage everyone to support it in the near future. Both the young men and the formation directors then expressed their profound gratitude to the communities of Saint Quentin, of Brussels and, above all, to that of La Capelle and to all the French speaking Provinces of Europe, for the warmth and the generous hospitality which had been manifested by all.

The Significance of This New Community

Fr. Chiarello summed this up in two points: “First, today, with the initial inauguration of this Dehonian community, we, fulfill a desire of our Founder; we make his dream tangible. At last... he can see how the house of his family... has today become a house of his Congregation. It is now a house where anyone who comes to visit will be able to rediscover our origins”.

In the second place, “the new community will acquire increasing significance as it progressively achieves its objectives”, we are in the process of rediscovering the Dehonian places and their meanings (“every Institute cares about its origins, about its cradle!”); and, in addition, of promoting “the return of Dehonian spirituality to its origins, welcoming all those who desire to approach its sources”.

The older religious will be able to come here to look back upon the story of their vocation, reliving the memories of Fr. Dehon.

The young religious, in their preparation for perpetual vows, will be able to appreciate the same attraction which these things had for the young Leo Dehon: “the appeal for union with Our Lord, zeal for the salvation of souls and the need for abundant grace for my salvation” (NHV, I, 35).

Young lay Dehonians will be able to come here to perceive their vocation, enlightened by the youthful experience of Leo Dehon.

La Capelle is not so much a geographic spot for tourist trips but “a spiritual place” where all the Dehonian family can rediscover the origins of Fr. Dehon’s charism: this is the task of this new community, a task which will make it truly significant for the territory, for the local Church and for the entire Congregation.