History
of
the
Congregation
Our
Founder
Fr.
Leon
Dehon
 The
Congregation
of
the
Priests
of
the
Sacred
Heart
was
founded
by
Fr.
Leon
Dehon
who
was
born
on
14
March,
1843
in
La
Capelle,
France.
His
father
Alexandre
Jules
Dehon
was
an
honest
and
upright
man,
although
he
had
ceased
to
practice
his
religion.
He
was
an
untiring
worker
careful
of
his
resources
but
he
spared
no
expenses
to
pay
for
his
son's
studies.
Leon's
mother
on
the
other
hand
was
a
woman
of
great
piety,
dedicated
to
good
works
and
with
a
deep
compassion
for
the
poor
and
unfortunate.
Leon
Dehon
was
taught
the
catechism
by
the
parish
priest
and
his
mother
helped
to
prepare
the
young
boy
for
his
first
Holy
Communion
which
he
received
on
04
June
1854.
His
mother
has
given
him
a
manual
of
devotion
to
the
Sacred
Heart
of
Jesus
and
the
future
founder
of
the
Priests
of
the
Sacred
Heart
must
have
made
this
booklet
his
special
treasure.
When
he
was
fourteen
years
old
Leon
Dehon
made
the
resolution
that
he
would
one
day
become
a
priest.
In
1859
he
matriculated
and
his
father
was
anxious
that
he
should
become
a
lawyer
and
qualify
to
the
Bar.
The
idea
that
his
son
desired
to
become
a
priest
and
not
a
lawyer
filled
him
with
dismay.
In
Autumn
of
this
same
year
at
his
father's
insistence
Leon
journeyed
to
Paris
to
proceed
with
his
legal
studies.
In
1862
he
was
admitted
to
the
Bar
and
two
years
later
he
obtained
his
L.L.D.
He
passed
his
legal
examination
brilliantly
but
never
practiced
in a
court
of
law.
His
vocation
lay
elsewhere.
On
25
October
1865
Leo
Dehon
entered
the
French
seminary
of
St.
Chiara
in
Rome.
He
finalise
his
studies
four
years
later
and
was
ordained
on
the
19
December
1868
in
the
Cathedral
Church
of
St.
John
Lateran.
In
November
1871
Fr.
Dehon
was
appointed
curate
in
the
parish
of
St.
Quentin
in
the
diocese
of
Soissons.
Spiritually
the
town
was
desolate
but
the
young
priest
being
certain
of
what
course
to
follow
set
about
his
work
with
great
determination.
He
established
a
Catholic
Youth
Club
which
was
amongst
the
first
in
France,
followed
by a
Catholic
newspaper
and
a
school.
To
improve
the
situation
of
the
working
class
he
needed
to
work
with
the
workers
as
well
as
with
the
factory
owners.
He
set
up
organizations
both
religious
and
social
in
an
effort
to
effect
a
permanent
cure
in
the
society.
Establishing
the
new
Congregation
The
idea
of
reparation
had
been
in
vogue
for
some
time
in
France
and
although
it
was
especially
enshrined
in
religious
institutions
for
women
there
were
no
such
orders
for
men.
Father
Dehon
discussed
the
matter
with
the
bishop
of
Soissons
who
shared
his
views
that
such
an
order
should
be
founded.
To
shelter
the
new
Society
he
authorized
Fr.
Dehon
to
establish
a
college
in
St.
Quentin
which
was
inaugurated
on
08
June,
1877
-
the
feast
of
the
Sacred
Heart.
In
this
way
Fr.
Dehon
became
the
founder
of
the
new
religious
Society.
On
the
Feast
of
the
Sacred
Heart
28
June,
1878
he
pronounced
his
first
vows.
The
college
was
the
cradle
of
the
new
Society
-
the
Oblates
of
the
Sacred
Heart
-
and
remained
its
headquarters
for
many
years
to
come.
In
1884
Fr.
Dehon
was
directed
by
the
Holy
See
to
reorganize
his
Congregation,
draw
up
the
new
Constitutions
and
adopt
a
new
title.
Thus
the
Oblates
of
the
Sacred
Heart
were
renamed
as
Priests
of
the
Sacred
Heart
which
is
an
apostolic
and
missionary
Congregation.
The
first
SCJ
missionaries
Fr.
Dehon
felt
obliged
to
undertake
missions
to
remote
countries
for
the
apostolic
duty
of
preaching
the
gospel
all
over
the
world.
In
1887
he
received
an
offer
of a
mission
in
New
Guinea.
It
was
a
German
colony
and
the
German
missionaries
were
required
but
unfortunately
the
mission
could
not
be
accepted
as
the
only
Germans
in
the
Congregation
were
students.
In
1888
the
proposal
was
received
from
Fr.
J.
Matovelle
for
mission
work
in
Ecuador.
Fr.
Dehon
approved
it
and
Fr.
Grison
became
the
first
SCJ
missionary.
A
few
years
later
he
was
joined
by
brother
Lux
-
who
was
ordained
the
priest
in
Colombia
in
1895
-
and
brother
Gerspacher.
As a
result
of
the
revolution
in
Ecuador
in
1896
all
the
missionaries
were
expelled
.
Although
this
mission
proved
unsuccessful
it
marked
the
beginning
of
the
SCJ
apostolate
in
Latin
America.
When
Propaganda
Fidei
and
the
Civil
Authority
called
for
missionaries
to
undertake
the
evangelization
of
the
upper
reaches
of
the
Congo
Fr.
Dehon
immediately
offered
his
services.
This
part
of
the
Congo
was
still
little
known,
knowledge
of
it
was
confined
because
of
its
vast
extent
and
differences
of
climate
and
population.
The
interior
had
scarcely
been
penetrated
and
in
those
parts
where
contact
had
been
made
with
the
inhabitants
the
climate
was
deadly.
It
seemed
extremely
difficult
for
foreigners
to
avoid
mortal
fevers.
But
these
conditions
did
not
discourage
merchants
in
search
of
profit,
nor
missionaries
in
search
of
the
new
endeavors.
Frs
Grison
and
Lux,
both
young
men
with
unwavering
trust
in
God
left
Antwerp
for
the
Congo
in
1897.
They
arrived
in
Stanleyville
and
set
out
for
the
interior
where
they
built
themselves
a
mud-hut
in
the
forest.
They
were
looked
upon
with
much
suspicion
and
hostility
by
the
local
native
dwellers.
Fr.
Lux
was
destined
not
to
remain
in
the
Congo
and
broken
in
health
and
worn
out
by
labour
and
suffering
he
returned
to
France.
Fr.
Grison,
however,
was
to
spend
the
rest
of
his
long
life
on
the
mission.
On
the
opposite
site
of
the
first
mud-hut
the
great
mission
of
St.
Gabriel
was
later
built.
In
his
old
age
Fr.
Grison
who
became
the
bishop
had
the
consolation
of
ordaining
the
first
African
priest
there.
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