“Let us then go forth to Him” (Heb 13:13): A Spirituality of Welcome, Fraternity, and Social Engagement in the African and Congolese Context

The letter from the Superior General, Father Carlos Luis Suarez, published on the occasion of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus 2026, is part of the great Dehonian spiritual tradition. It offers a profound meditation on the Congregation’s mission today based on a central biblical text: “Let us then go forth to him outside the camp” (Heb 13:13).

This invitation is addressed to the entire Dehonian Family. It calls us to leave our securities behind to join Christ where he suffers, where humanity is wounded, and where the Kingdom is still to be built. In the African and particularly Congolese context, this letter possesses a remarkable relevance. Our continent is simultaneously marked by: a dynamic youth full of hope; massive migrations; persistent armed conflicts; deep social inequalities; but also by a living faith and strong community solidarity. In light of the above and in connection with the Father General’s letter, a central question arises: How can we live the Dehonian charism today as a welcoming of the Spirit, a reparative fraternity, and a transformative engagement at the heart of our African realities? To answer this question, we can draw four points from reading the letter: welcome, the Holy Spirit and the transformation of the community, the spirituality of presence, and a Church that goes forth.

I. WELCOME: THE FIRST EXPRESSION OF REPARATION

1. The Sculpture of Migrants: A Symbol of Our Time

The Father General opens his reflection with the sculpture “Angels Unawares” installed near St. Peter’s Square (cf. Heb 13:2). This image is particularly resonant for Africa. Today, millions of Africans experience displacement: refugees of conflicts (St. Gabriel and St. Martha parish); economic migrants (the Mediterranean); young people seeking a better future elsewhere.

In the DRC, the populations of the East have known this painful reality for several decades. The sculpture thus reminds us that behind every migrant lies a sacred story, and behind every displaced person hides an angel. It is here that the Father General emphatically quotes this exhortation from the Epistle to the Hebrews: “Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels” (Heb 13:2).

2. Hospitality in African Culture

This word deeply resonates with traditional African values. In many African cultures: the stranger is welcomed; the visitor is honored; the community takes precedence over the individual. Indeed, the principle of “living together” constitutes a cultural treasure that Christianity can elevate. However, the Father General’s letter pushes us further: one can read between the lines that welcoming is not merely a cultural value. It becomes a spiritual experience. All the more so because, according to the Father General, hospitality is “a thermometer of the health of our charismatic identity.” In other words, the way we welcome expresses who we are as Christians and members of the Dehonian family. We might then ask ourselves: how do we welcome the poor, the young, people from other tribes, those wounded by life, refugees, etc.?

The answer to these questions reveals the quality of our Christian life and our fidelity to Dehonian hospitality as a charismatic virtue of our spirituality.

3. Reparation as a Welcoming of the Spirit

The Superior General’s letter returns to number 23 of our Constitutions: “Reparation is a welcoming of the Spirit.” This statement is fundamental. In certain African contexts, reparation is sometimes understood primarily as penance or sacrifice. The Father General returns to the deep intuition of Father Dehon: Reparation begins with welcoming. Welcoming God, others, history, and mission. Since, after all, it is the Holy Spirit who makes this possible.

II. THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE COMMUNITY

1. Jesus, a Man Led by the Spirit

The second part of the letter contemplates Jesus. His entire life is animated by the Spirit: at the Annunciation; at his Baptism; in the desert; in his mission; all the way to the Cross. This vision is particularly important for us in the context of contemporary Africa. Our society is often confronted with violence, corruption, discouragement, and ethnic divisions.

Faced with these challenges, the Father’s letter reminds us that lasting transformation does not come solely from human strategies. It comes first from the Spirit. We must therefore learn to enter into this pneumatic dynamic by letting ourselves be led by the Spirit.

2. Pentecost and Reconciliation

The Father General then meditates on John 20. There we see the risen Christ calming fears, restoring communion, and giving the Spirit. From all of this flows the birth of a new community. This reflection directly touches our families and especially the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Our country still experiences the wounds of war, community tensions, and collective trauma. It is here that we are called—as a Church and especially as a Dehonian family—to become a place of healing; a “field hospital,” as Pope Francis put it; a place where the wounds of our time can be dressed. From this, the Father General refers to number 65 of our Constitutions: “In communion that persists despite conflicts and in mutual forgiveness…” This, then, is our prophetic mission. In a fragmented society, our communities and families must become laboratories of reconciliation.

3. A Faith with Social Consequences

The Father General quotes Pope Leo XIV: “The Christian experience generates social consequences in the world” (Magnifica Humanitas No. 49). From this vital statement, we can deduce that the spirituality of the Sacred Heart is not an inward-looking devotion. It is a force for social transformation. In our context, it means fighting poverty, promoting education, defending human rights, safeguarding creation, and making a choice Pro Pace (working for peace). All of this is an integral part of the mission. Father Dehon was already mentioning this when he spoke of “the establishment of the Reign of the Sacred Heart in souls and in societies.”

III. BEING THERE: A SPIRITUALITY OF PRESENCE

1. The Example of Lacanche

The Father General then presents the experience of the fraternity of Lacanche. One phrase keeps returning: “Being there.” This formula seems simple, yet it contains an immense spiritual wealth. Being there means being where one ought to be (in community, in family, at the place of service or apostolate), but it also means being with our fellow brothers, with the poor, with the forgotten, with the youth, with the elderly, and with abandoned populations.

2. A Lesson for Us Today

This intuition deeply connects with Congolese pastoral needs. Often, populations do not first expect gigantic projects or imposing structures. They expect a presence. In several regions of our SCJ Province of Congo (isolated villages, conflict zones, urban and existential peripheries), the witness of a faithful presence already constitutes a proclamation of the Gospel. Exactly like Jesus: He dwells among humanity; He shares their condition; He walks with them.

3. Against the Temptation of Power

Furthermore, on this journey, the Father General also warns against “dependencies” and “personal indispensability.” This remark is highly relevant. In African ecclesial contexts, there is sometimes an excessive personalization of works. It is here that the Superior General’s letter reminds us that the mission belongs to Christ. The missionary is a servant, not an owner.

IV. GOING FORTH TOWARD CHRIST: A CHURCH ON A MISSION

1. Mary and the Beloved Disciple

The Father General presents the Virgin Mary and the disciple at the foot of the Cross as a model of community. They teach us to listen, to welcome, and to build a new fraternity. This image can inspire our SCJ Province. Faced with contemporary challenges—rapid urbanization accompanied by land grabbing, progressive secularization, socio-economic crises, tensions, and conflicts—we are called to create communities capable of carrying hope.

2. “Let us then go forth to Him”

The central expression of the letter then becomes clear. Going forth toward Christ means: going toward the peripheries; meeting the excluded; listening to the youth; defending human rights; and serving peace. For us concretely, this can mean: accompanying war victims; promoting reconciliation; supporting education and healthcare; protecting natural resources against their unjust exploitation; and encouraging responsible civic participation.

Conclusion: The Witness of Blessed Martino Capelli

The letter concludes with the figure of Father Martino Capelli, who will be beatified this coming September 27. In a context of hatred and war, he responded with: love, forgiveness, and fraternity. His example meets the challenges of contemporary Africa. Faced with the violence that still tears apart certain regions of the continent, the witness of the martyrs reminds us that true Christian strength is not domination. It is love. The Father General finally concludes by bringing us back to Father Dehon’s dream: To make the Heart of Christ the place where all people meet as brothers and sisters.

For Africa and for the Congo, this vision remains an urgent mission: a reconciled Africa, a pacified Congo, a fraternal Church, a united Province, a humanity reunited in the Heart of Christ.