Léon Harmel (1829-1915) was one of the most important companions of Léon Dehon. This holds true for the project of a Christian factory at Val-des-Bois near Reims, including the participation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, as well as for their shared commitment to Christian Democracy and the Franciscan Third Order. The two men were also united by a personal relationship with Christ, marked by devotion to the Sacred Heart.
Émeric Saucourt-Harmel has now published a biography with Éditions Salvator, titled “Léon Harmel – L’origine catholique de la paix sociale dans le monde contemporain” (Léon Harmel – The Catholic Origin of Social Peace in the Contemporary World). The author is a direct descendant of Léon Harmel and is linked to the Priests of the Sacred Heart through numerous contacts, notably with Fr. André Perroux scj, whom he has known for many years. Saucourt-Harmel aims to paint a portrait of Léon Harmel that integrates his most varied aspects, thus clearly explaining why economists, entrepreneurs, trade unionists, as well as theologians are interested in him today.
It is therefore not surprising that Dehon is frequently quoted, sometimes in long passages. The two Léons knew each other since 1873, and in 1887, Dehon agreed to send Priests of the Sacred Heart to be chaplains in Harmel’s Christian factory project at Val-des-Bois: “It will lead to a fruitful cooperation, in perfect trust, the beginning of a lifelong friendship” (p. 91).
We, the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, can therefore rejoice in this work. Getting to know such a companion of Fr. Dehon better also means getting to know Dehon himself better.
Émeric Saucourt-Harmel, Léon Harmel – L’origine catholique de la paix sociale dans le monde contemporain, Éditions Salvator 2025.
