Since its origins, the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart has been profoundly devoted to the mission. On the occasion of the 99th World Mission Day and as an encouragement to our missionaries, the Superior General invites us to rediscover an excerpt from our founder addressed to the missionaries.
Born in France in 1878 and now present in nearly 45 countries across four continents, the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, faithful to the spirit of its founder, the Venerable Léon Jean Dehon, faithfully and devotedly continues the mission of the Church throughout the world. On this occasion of the celebration of the World Mission Week (October 12-19, 2025), which closes this October 19th, the 99th World Mission Day, and is placed under the theme of hope, the Superior General, Father Carlos Luis Suarez, suggests rediscovering these words of encouragement from Father Dehon, when he sent his confreres on mission to Brazil and Sweden:
Father Dehon to His Missionary Confreres at the Beginning of the 20th Century
“To my missionaries,
I want to leave a special encouragement to my dear missionaries. They go far away to work for the reign of the Sacred Heart at the cost of great sacrifices and great toil. Their life is a life of reparation and immolation, as our vocation demands. May they be generous to the end. May their desire be to die on mission so that their sacrifice may be complete and without reserve. May they have in all things a pure intention and supernatural views. Saint Ignatius said to those who were leaving for distant missions: ‘Remember, my Brother, that it is the Lord Himself who sends you to foreign shores to be His man of business, His quartermaster, as one would vulgarly say.’ For us, we must be all fire to make the Good Master known and loved, and the astonishing love that His divine Heart showed us in all His mysteries and that He still manifests to us every day in the Holy Eucharist.” (1) (2)
“May our Confreres engaged in missions all over the world find in these words of our founder a living and fraternal encouragement. May union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus give us strength to always carry His reign into our societies that are searching for hope.” Fr. Carlos Luis Suárez, SCJ.
(1) Léon Dehon, To my missionaries for Brazil, available online at Dehondocs: https://www.dehondocsoriginals.org/pubblicati/INE/MIS/INE-MIS-0000-0000-0066801-9120015.
(2) Léon Dehon, To my missionaries for Sweden, available online at Dehondocs: https://www.dehondocsoriginals.org/pubblicati/INE/MIS/INE-MIS-0000-0000-0066803-9120017.
