This week in Ecuador the Priests of the Sacred Heart celebrate the second of four yearly events that make up the Dehonian Jubilee, a four-year commemoration of the centenary of the death of Fr. Leo John Dehon (August 12, 2025) and 150th anniversary of the congregation (June 28, 2028).
The jubilee began last year with celebrations in Brussels and Saint-Quentin.
Ecuador was the site of the congregation’s first mission outside of Europe; SCJ missionaries arrived there in 1888, but they were forced to leave in 1896 in the midst of an anti-clerical revolution in the country. One hundred years later, Dehonians returned to Ecuador to renew their mission.
The community’s primary ministries are now located in Quito and Bahía de Caráquez. Besides pastoral work, the district has food distribution programs, ministries to children and youth at the Formacón Domus Cordis center, the Sagrado Corazón senior citizen center, and street ministry through “Callejeros del la Fe.” Following the country’s devastating earthquake in 2016, Dehonians played an important role in helping to rebuild homes for those affected by the quake.
Ecuador has also been a partner with the US Province formation program, hosting several SCJs for Spanish language immersion. Frater Michael Wodarczyk, SCJ, will go there this summer.
Click here to access the district’s Facebook page, where photos and videos of jubilee events will be posted. SCJs representing the US Province in Ecuador: Fr. Joseph Thien Dinh, Br. Andy Gancarczyk and Fr. David Szatkowski.
