In February, Fr. Jim Schroeder, SCJ, was the main presenter of the in-service day for staff of Sacred Heart Southern Missions in Mississippi.
He reflected on how Ven. Fr. Leo John Dehon’s heart was impelled by the needs of others to take action, noting that “When Leo Dehon got his first assignment as a priest, he said that pastors need to get out of their churches and go to the people, because he had a heart for people,” adding that “When Leo was first assigned to a parish of 30,000 people, he was the seventh and youngest assistant priest, and he was introduced to all the dignitaries. But, on his own, he contacted the Vincent de Paul conference to discover how the people really lived. Those members would form the core of the youth club that Dehon would soon found.”
After sharing an experience from his own life, Fr. Jim asked participants to reflect on “your history of faith and prayer, your history of witnessing care for the needy and joining in that care. What affected you to have a heart of flesh for others?”
In his second session of the conference, Fr. Jim said that Fr. Dehon “wanted others to join him in proclaiming the love of God to the world. He wanted others to help him go to the neglected and forgotten, and to mission lands. He wanted to bring love and social action for justice to every group and every corner of the globe.”
Fr. Jim then asked the SHSM staff to reflect on how “being with the SCJs has affected you? How has it affected your faith life or your belief in God? Where has your heart of flesh led you?”
Click here to read Fr. Jim’s full text.
