Priests of the Sacred Heart / Dehonians
The Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (SCJ), commonly known as the Dehonians, are a religious congregation of priests and brothers in the Catholic Church, founded by Fr. Leo John Dehon in France in 1878.
At the heart of our vocation is the Heart of Jesus. We contemplate Christ’s love revealed in His life, His compassion for humanity, His obedience to the Father, and His self-giving on the Cross. From this contemplation comes our desire to offer our own lives to God and to serve His people.
We are called Dehonians because our life and mission are inspired by the spiritual heritage of our founder, Fr. Dehon. He wanted his followers to unite a deep interior life with an active commitment to the Church and society. For him, love for the Heart of Christ could never remain only a personal devotion. It must become a way of life expressed in prayer, community, service, justice, reconciliation, and mission.
Our spirituality is centered on love received and love offered. We seek to receive the love of Christ, allow that love to transform our hearts, and share it with others—especially with those who are poor, wounded, forgotten, or searching for hope.
The Dehonian family is international and multicultural. We serve the Church in different countries and cultures through parish ministry, missions, education, formation, youth ministry, social action, communication, and the promotion of spirituality and vocations.
Although our ministries are diverse, our identity remains one: we are men consecrated to God who seek to live with the Heart of Christ and to make His love present in the world.
Vivat Cor Jesu — Per Cor Mariae!
May the Heart of Jesus live through the Heart of Mary!
Our Identity and Mission
Our identity begins with Jesus Christ and His Heart.
The Heart of Jesus reveals a God who loves humanity with a love that is faithful, compassionate, and self-giving. As Dehonians, we seek to shape our lives according to this Heart. We want to become people who listen, welcome, forgive, serve, reconcile, and give themselves generously for others.
Our spirituality can be expressed through several key attitudes.
Ecce Venio — “Here I am; I come to do Your will.”
With Christ, we place our lives in the hands of the Father. We seek to live with availability, obedience, and generosity, offering ourselves for God’s mission.
Oblation — the gift of ourselves.
We offer to God not only special moments of prayer but our whole lives: our work, joys, difficulties, relationships, sacrifices, and service. Everything can become an offering united with Christ.
Reparation — responding to wounded love.
We seek to respond to the wounds caused by sin, injustice, division, and indifference. Reparation leads us toward compassion, reconciliation, justice, and concrete service.
Sint Unum — “That they may be one.”
Communion is an essential part of our vocation. We strive to build communities where people learn to listen to one another, forgive, work together, and live as brothers and sisters.
Adveniat Regnum Tuum — “Thy Kingdom Come.”
Our mission is directed toward the coming of God’s Kingdom. We want to help build a world where God’s love, justice, peace, and reconciliation can take root.
For this reason, prayer and mission belong together. Eucharistic celebration and adoration lead us toward service. Contemplating the Heart of Christ opens our eyes to the needs of the people around us. Our relationship with Christ sends us beyond ourselves.
Our mission, therefore, is not simply to perform religious activities. It is to make the love of Christ visible and concrete.
We serve wherever the Church sends us: in parishes and missions, in formation and education, among young people, in communities experiencing poverty, and in places where people need accompaniment and hope. We seek to be close to people, to listen to their stories, to share their struggles, and to work with them for a more just and reconciled society.
For Dehonians, the Heart of Christ is both our source and our direction. From His Heart we receive the love that transforms us; toward His Kingdom we are sent.
Our identity in one sentence
We are Dehonians, men consecrated to God and inspired by the Heart of Jesus, called to live in communion and sent to make His love present in the world.
Our mission in one sentence
To receive the love of the Heart of Christ, to offer ourselves with Him, and to bring His love, justice, reconciliation, and hope to the world.
Ecce Venio. Sint Unum. Adveniat Regnum Tuum.