The Dehonian High School of Handrup in Rome with 1,400 Students and Chaperones
From October 2 to 8, 2026, the Gymnasium Leoninum — a Dehonian high school located in Handrup, Germany — led a major pilgrimage to Rome. The highlight of the stay was a festive community evening organized on October 6 at the SCJ Generalate.
For nearly a week, the Italian capital resonated with the colors of one of the largest Dehonian high schools in Europe. Nearly 1,400 people — students, teachers, and parents who came to support the chaperoning team — took part in this major journey. As noted by the headmaster of the institution, Mr. Franz-Josef Hanneken, this trip offers young people the opportunity to discover the international openness of the International College of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in Rome, as well as to visit the congregation’s Generalate. This initiative is part of a well-established tradition at the Gymnasium Leoninum, which regularly organizes trips involving the entire school. Twenty-one years after their first visit to the Eternal City, students and educators chose to return to Rome. The headmaster justified this decision: « We are here, having set out from the Gymnasium Leoninum in Handrup, because we also wanted to be present during this period of the Dehonian Jubilee. »
Indeed, from 2024 to 2028, the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart is celebrating a double jubilee: the centenary of the death of its founder, Fr. Leo John Dehon (1925), and the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Congregation (1878).
Communion among Dehonian schools
The event took on a truly European dimension by bringing together other Dehonian institutions or schools close to the congregation. Father Levi Ferreira, Vicar General and coordinator of Educare (the platform regrouping Dehonian educational structures), shared his delight:
« We have schools that joined us from Italy, Spain, France, Poland, and the USA. Together with these delegations from our schools, we gathered to celebrate this evening together. We are nearly 1,400 people gathered here; it is simply magnificent. »
A festive evening at the Generalate
On the evening of Tuesday, October 6, the SCJ Generalate in Rome opened its doors to all 1,400 participants under the moderation of Father Levi Ferreira. In an atmosphere filled with joy and unity, the Superior General and then the superior of the International SCJ College community took turns delivering words of welcome. Following their addresses, all the confreres of the Generalate mobilized for the welcome stepped onto the stage to perform the Dehonian jubilee hymn.
A festive meal followed, allowing everyone to recharge and connect in a fraternal atmosphere among young people of different nationalities and religious members. The evening continued with music, punctuated by presentations from the various school delegations who came to support, in a spirit of communion, the initiative of the Handrup students.
Handrup: over a century at the service of youth
Located in northern Germany, the Gymnasium Leoninum in Handrup is the main educational work of the German SCJ Province. Founded in 1923, the school continues to offer young people a quality education to help them meet the challenges of a fragmented world: « For us, it is a very precious task to be in daily contact with so many young people and to be able to make an impact on their human and Christian lives. », Father Stefan Tertünte, Provincial Superior of the german province, present alongside the students during this Roman journey.
Beyond the festive evening of October 6, the large group – accommodated on the outskirts of the capital – experienced a week rich in activities. This Roman pilgrimage will remain engraved in the memories of the 1,400 participants as a powerful moment of sharing, faith, and international friendship.
