November 26 has been permanently inscribed in the calendar of activities of all SCJ communities around the world as SCJ Memorial Day.  On this day the congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart remembers all those who have died as martyrs. This special day set to be celebrated every 26^th of November was decreed by the General Superior, Fr. Jose Ornelas Carvalho, and his council, on May 11, 2004.  Significantly this date corresponds with the death anniversary of Bp. Wittebols, SCJ who was murdered together with 27 religious during the Simba revolution in Congo in 1964. Their deaths occurred during the month of November from the 3rd to the 27th. On the 26th the Bishop of Wamba was killed along with six other missionaries.  They gave their lives for the love of evangelization.  Many of them were quite young.

Earlier, in 1936, Bl. Juan Maria de la Cruz, together with many priests, religious and lay people from Valencia, became victims of religious persecution during the Civil War in Spain from 1936 to 1939.

At some point in World War II, 5 priests were murdered or died in the hands of the Nazis:  1 was German and the 2 others were priests from Luxembourg, a Belgian and an Italian.  11 Dutchmen died in concentration camps in Indonesia.   Besides these religious, 3 French missionaries died in Cameroon in 1959 and also a Dutch missionary from the North Brazilian Province in 1975 as a result of his protective assistance to poor fishermen in Northeast Brazil.

As stated in the letter of General Superior Fr. Jose Ornelas Carvalho dated May 31, 2004:  All of them “washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 7:14) and achieved the ideal of the Founder who wished to be missionary and martyr.  By their untimely demise, they became one with Him who loved us and gave his life for us (Gal. 2:20 ). Their deaths were the consequence of a life choice made much earlier and kept perseveringly to the end. They are our inspiration and a source of strength for our vocation and mission. We recall that martyrdom can be one possible outcome for each of us as we look at a life coupled with a daily faithfulness to the Gospel taken on and lived in observance of a charism marked by the reparatory oblation of Christ.

Recently, on October 13, 2013, in Tarragona, Spain, another group of 522 martyrs was beatified.  They were also killed during the religious persecution from 1936 to 1939.  On this occasion, Pope Francis sent to all participants a special video with this very interesting and inspiring message:

“Who are the martyrs?  They are Christians who have been “earned” by Christ, disciples who have learnt well the sense of that “love to the extreme limit” which led Jesus to the Cross. There is no such thing as love in instalments, no such thing as portions of love. Total love: and when we love, we love till the end.  On the Cross, Jesus felt the weight of death, the weight of sin, but he gave himself over to the Father entirely, and he forgave. He barely spoke, but he gave the gift of life. Christ “beats” us in love; the martyrs imitated him in love until the very end.

The Sainted Fathers say: “Let’s imitate the martyrs!” We must always die a little in order to come out of ourselves, of our selfishness, of our well-being, of our laziness, of our sadnesses, and open up to God, to others, especially those who need it most.

We implore the intercession of the martyrs that we may be concrete Christians, Christians in deeds and not just in words, that we may not be mediocre Christians, Christians painted in a superficial coating of Christianity without substance – they weren’t painted, they were Christians until the end. We ask them for help in keeping our faith firm, that even throughout our difficulties we may nourish hope and foster brotherhood and solidarity.”

 The message of the Pope applies to each one of us as well. May the memorial of our SCJ brothers, who died as martyrs, become a source of inspiration and renewal of our faith and commitment to God and to his people.  May it become a seed of our growth in holiness.  May it teach us that every time we suffer, we are more credible and the Gospel proclaimed by us, has a greater value.

GENERAL SUPERIOR
CONGREGATION OF THE PRIESTS OF THE SACRED HEART
Dehonians

Prot. N. P0301/2013

November 12, 2013

            Dear Confreres,

It is with great sadness that we have witnessed once again the force and the devastation of extreme weather. This time it occurred in the Philippines. Typhoon Haiyan slammed into the Philippine coast last Friday. With storm surges of up to six meters and winds exceeding 200 km per hour, the death toll has reached many thousands especially near the coasts. At least 800.000 people have been displaced.

It is with a sense of relief that we can report that none of our confreres in the Philippines has been killed or injured. We do not have a precise report yet as to the damage done by the winds. Some of the families of our Philippine confreres were affected but we have heard of no deaths until now.

At this time we wish to stand with the Philippine people and try to help them in this time of need. On your behalf, the General Administration has already sent $20,000 for relief assistance. We have sent the money to Fr. Francis Pupkowski, the superior of the Philippine Region, so that he can direct the relief money to the neediest parts of the country.

We invite our Provinces, Regions and Districts to channel their own contributions either through the Generalate by contacting Fr. Aquilino Mielgo Domínguez (aquilino@dehon.it) or directly to the Philippine Region through Fr. Francis Pupkowski (fpupkowski@gmail.com).

In this time of need, we want to express our sympathy and our support. We hope that with international assistance the Philippine people will soon be able to rebuild homes and replace the crops that were ruined by the very high winds. We will support them also with our prayers.

May the Lord accompany the Philippine people in this difficult time and give them courage and determination to restore their lives and their livelihoods.

In the Heart of Christ,

Fr. José Ornelas Carvalho

General Superior

On September 22, members of the Priests of the Sacred Heart remember Blessed Fr.  Juan Maria de la Cruz, who was beautified on March 11, 2001 in Rome by Pope John Paul II.

The life and martyrdom of Fr. Mendez, SCJ, introduces us to a dark chapter in modern Spanish history – the religious persecution during the Civil War from 1936 to 1939.

Mariano García Méndez was born on September 25, 1891, in San Esteban de los Patos in the Province of Avila, the firstborn of 15 children. After his seminary training, he was ordained a priest for the diocese of Avila. His deep desire to lead a life of greater perfection led him toward religious life, but his first steps in this direction failed due to his poor health.

After his novitiate at Novelda (Alicante), Fr. Mendez made his first profession on October 31, 1926 and took the religious name of Fr. Juan María de la Cruz. Enjoying limited success as teacher in the minor seminary at Novelda, he became a fundraiser in 1929, begging for money in villages and market towns and looking for young students to direct to the congregation’s minor seminary.

The Civil War, opposing nationalists and republicans, broke out on July 18, 1936. In this context, on July 23, 1936, Fr. Juan traveled to Valencia seeking to find refuge with one of the congregation’s benefactors. “While traveling from the train station to the home of Señora Pilar, he passed by the church of ‘de los Juanes’ in the center of the city. He was horrified by ‘a horrible spectacle’ — his own words — when he saw men ripping apart the church interior and preparing to burn down the church. He could not stand by in silence. Fr. Juan did not hide his disdain at seeing the church torched. When the evildoers said to each other: ‘He’s a reactionary!’ He responded ‘No, I am a priest!’ The republicans there upon arrested him and took him to jail Modelo of Valencia.”

Afterwards, witnesses recalled that Fr. Juan led an exemplary priestly life in prison. He remained faithful to his religious practices, cared for other’s pastoral needs as he prepared for martyrdom. On the night of August 23-24, 1936 together with nine other prisoners, Fr. Juan was taken south of Valencia to be shot. On August 24th the bodies of the victims were thrown into a common grave in the cemetery of Silla.”