Message to the Dehonian Family after the 7th International Theological Seminar

Dear Dehonian Family,

With great joy and sincere gratitude, we address you as we conclude the 7th International Theological Seminar, held from July 30 to August 4, 2026 at Faculdade Dehoniana and Convento Sagrado Coração de Jesus in Taubaté, Brazil. We are pleased to welcome and acknowledge the participation of several formators and lay members of the Dehonian Family who are active as university theology professors.

This gathering took place in the context of two significant jubilees: the centennial of Father Léon Dehon’s death (2025) and the 150th anniversary of the Congregation’s founding (2028). These jubilees are agracious invitation to return to our roots with thankful hearts and to allow our charism to bear fruit in the world today.

Under the theme Father Dehon in His Texts, each Continental Theological Commission worked using the method proposed by Wayne C. Booth, which identifies Dehon as the implied author of his writings andattempting to imagine the mock reader he addressed. We approached him with respect, creative fidelity, and a critical spirit, giving thanks for the opportunity to discover anew the man, priest, religious, and founder who speaks to us through his writings.

Through the work of the Continental Theological Commissions, we gratefully recognized the key dimensions ofhis legacy:

• In Dehon’s letters, the Africa Commission revealed a warm, approachable man attentive to

people’s struggles and vocational paths.

• The European Commission showed us in the Notes Quotidiennes the founder interpreting history for hisdisciples guided by Providence.
• In his spiritual writings, Couronnes d´amour the North American Commission helped us see an invitation to a living union with the Heart of Jesus, characterized by oblation, reparation, and service
• In his social writings, the Latin American reflection on the Social Catechism allowed us to recognize a pastor deeply attentive to the wounds of his time, urging justice, workers’ dignity, and aid for the poor.
• The Asian Commission, working on La Chronique du Sud-Est, helped us to see Fr. Dehon as a collaborator,contributing editorials encouraging youth to embrace political responsibility as Christians.

The seminar reminded us that every text must be understood in its historical context before being applied to ourlives. Furthermore, our working method—presentations followed by responses and dialogue among groups and Commissions—revealed that theological research is a shared and synodal journey.

The contributions of the Commissions should not be seen as definitive conclusions that close future understanding of Father Dehon. Instead, each contribution paves new ways for exploration. When one Commission responds to another’s contribution, it helps us see fresh perspectives and deepens our ongoingstudy. The variety of voices from different Continents does not weaken our identity; it enhances it.

We express our heartfelt gratitude to the General Government for its support; to the Brasil São Paulo Province forits generous hospitality; and to the Faculdade Dehoniana, the Convento do Sagrado Coração de Jesus, the organizers, and all the participants for their dedicated work. For all these gifts, we give thanks to God.

The primary fruit of these days is a simple invitation: let us read Father Dehon. Today, his texts are readily accessible to everyone on Dehondocs. Reading our Founder means entering into dialogue with him. We invite all members of the Dehonian family, religious and lay, to set aside time in our communities to read anddeepen our core concepts—pure love, oblation, reparation, the interior life, the social question, and the reign of the Heart of Jesus—and to reinterpret them for today’s world. We invite everyone to visit the Faculdade Dehoniana website, where the proposals and developments discussed here can be consulted in several languages.

As we approach our 150th anniversary, let us move beyond nostalgic remembrance. With grateful hearts, let ushonor Father Dehon by allowing the love of the Heart of Jesus to live on in us through concrete acts of fraternity,justice, and service.

At the Shrine of Aparecida, we had the opportunity to entrust our work to Mary under the title of Our Lady ofAparecida. Today, we also entrust the fruits of this seminar to her and to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. With thanksgiving, we ask that the spirit of Father Dehon continue to accompany us and that the Heart of Christ reign in our hearts, our families, our communities, and our mission.

Vivat Cor Iesu – Per CorMariae