Léon Dehon
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Léon-Gustave Dehon, SCJ (14 March 1843 – 12 August 1925), also known as Jean of the Sacred Heart, was a
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
and the founder of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (the Dehonians). Dehon's focus in his ecclesial life was to express his closeness with workers but he especially promoted a devotion to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is p ...
. He established an order in 1878 dedicated to this task and to working in the foreign and diocesan missions in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and abroad. But impediments caused the order's dissolution. Dehon later reformed and reestablished it in 1884, leading the order until his death. It expanded to North and South America in the early 20th century. The process for his beatification started in 1952. It was revived in the late 20th century, and information gathering included documentation of a miracle in South America. The process was halted in 2005 due to allegations by both clerical and secular sources that his published works were
anti-Semitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
in nature. He had been named as
Venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...
on 8 March 1997.


Life


Education

Léon-Gustave Dehon was born in La Capelle in
Soissons Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital ...
on 14 March 1843 to Alexandre-Jules Dehon (1814-82) and Stephanie Vandelet. His
baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...
was celebrated on 24 March 1843. Dehon's mother fostered a deep devotion to the
Sacred Heart The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is p ...
and encouraged her son in this practice. He received his
First Communion First Communion is a ceremony in some Christian traditions during which a person of the church first receives the Eucharist. It is most common in many parts of the Latin tradition of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church and Anglican Communion (ot ...
on 4 June 1854 and was
Confirmed In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. The ceremony typically involves laying on of hands. Catholicis ...
on 1 June 1857. In 1855 he was sent to the college at
Hazebrouck Hazebrouck (, , , ) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France. It was a small market town in Flanders until it became an important railway junction in the 1860s. West Flemish was the usual language until 1880, when French was taught ...
, where he studied under noted priest Jacques Dehaene, and graduated in August 1859. In his adolescence Dehon felt called to the priesthood (which manifested at
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
1865), but his father sent him for higher education to the Sorbonne in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. He earned a degree in civil law on 2 April 1864 (with top honors), after studying from 1860 to 1864. He had spent much of his free time in a local church. His father sent him on a long tour of the East (including
Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
), but en route to return to France, Dehon found his call to the priesthood renewed. He entered the Saint Claire institute in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
on 25 October 1865 to begin ecclesial studies. Before he entered, he had met with
Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...
, who encouraged and blessed his vocation. Dehon referred to Pius IX as "goodness united with holiness". Dehon obtained a bachelor of sciences on 16 August 1860. He began his religious studies at the Pontifical Gregorian and at the
Pontifical Roman Athenaeum S. Apollinare Pontifical Roman Athenaeum S. Apollinare is a former pontifical university in Rome, named after St. Apollinaris of Ravenna. Its facilities are now occupied by the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. Initially, the Palace of St. Apollinare w ...
. He obtained a doctorate in philosophical studies on 27 June 1866. After ordination, he continued his studies, earning an STD in theology on 13 June 1871 and a JCD in
canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...
on 24 July 1871.


Priesthood

Dehon was
ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
to the priesthood on 19 December 1868 in the
Basilica of Saint John Lateran The Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran (officially the ''Major Papal, Patriarchal and Roman Archbasilica, Metropolitan and Primatial Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist in Lateran, Mother and Head of A ...
. His father had come to terms with his son's vocation and returned to the Church following the ordination. Dehon celebrated his first
Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...
in Rome with both his parents present. Dehon served as stenographer at the
First Vatican Council The First Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the First Vatican Council or Vatican I, was the 20th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, held three centuries after the preceding Council of Trent which was adjourned in 156 ...
(1869-1870). (He was one of four French priests to serve as such; Dehon's record of the proceedings was published as the ''Diario del Concilio Vaticano I'' in 1962.) Beginning on 16 November 1871, Dehon served as a parish priest, a
curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are as ...
, at Saint Quentin. He had begun feeling drawn to communal
religious life Consecrated life (also known as religious life) is a state of life in the Catholic Church lived by those faithful who are called to follow Jesus Christ in a more exacting way. It includes those in institutes of consecrated life (religious and sec ...
. He made a pilgrimage to Loreto in 1877 with Odon Thibaudier, Bishop of
Soissons Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital ...
. On 28 June 1878 Dehon founded the Oblates of the Sacred Heart. He took the religious name "Jean of the Sacred Heart" upon the profession of his vows at the founding. He had begun his
novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...
on 31 July 1877 prior to founding. His new order grew at a rapid pace, but misunderstandings about their mission attracted undue opposition. The order officially disbanded on 3 December 1883 with Dehon feeling (in his words) "torn to shreds". Following a period of depression and serious reflection, during which he undertook the
Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola The ''Spiritual Exercises'' (), composed 1522–1524, are a set of Christian meditations, contemplations, and prayers written by Ignatius of Loyola, a 16th-century Spanish Catholic priest, theologian, and founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesui ...
, Dehon reformed the order. It was founded as the
Priests of the Sacred Heart The Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (), also called the Dehonians, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men in the Catholic Church founded in northern France in Saint-Quentin, Aisne, Pi ...
in March 1884, known informally as the Dehonians after him, and its focus was parish and foreign mission work. Bishop of Soissons Thibaudier had intervened to restore the order, since he supported Dehon's work. In 1886 Dehon was elected as the order's Superior-General and held the position until his death. Dehon ensured that another focus of the order was to promote a special devotion to Eucharistic adoration. The order received the decree of praise from
Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...
on 25 February 1888. In a 6 September audience, the pope asked Dehon to preach based on the pope's
documents A document is a written, drawn, presented, or memorialized representation of thought, often the manifestation of non-fictional, as well as fictional, content. The word originates from the Latin ', which denotes a "teaching" or "lesson": ...
. The pope later appointed him in 1897 as a consultant to the
Congregation of the Index The (English: ''Index of Forbidden Books'') was a changing list of publications deemed heretical or contrary to morality by the Sacred Congregation of the Index (a former dicastery of the Roman Curia); Catholics were forbidden to print or r ...
. He said: "Let it be known that I approve his positions as I entrust him to the function of one who must judge the doctrine of others". In 1889 Dehon started a magazine called ''Reign of the Sacred Heart''. Though the Dehonians had secured the support of Leo XIII and his successors, until
Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...
Dehon and the order's priests were accused of slander and various other charges. Dehon was criticised for his behaviour and relations with the diocese overall. He participated in congresses and conferences and founded new houses. He was especially noted for hearing confessions for long hours at a time. Dehon began the construction of the Basilica del Sacro Cuore di Cristo Re in Rome (18.05.1920). Pius X had said of Dehon in 1906: "We are looking for saints. Here is one that is being born". Pius XI granted his order definitive papal approval in 1923. In 1906 the order's
motherhouse A motherhouse or mother house is the principal house or community for a Catholic religious community.YourDictionaryMotherhouse/ref> One example is the Missionaries of Charity's motherhouse in Kolkata, which functions as the congregation's headquart ...
relocated to
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
after passage of legislation in France in 1905 to establish
Church-State separation The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular sta ...
. The new law resulted in difficulties for religious congregations, which often served as integral parts of local governments to administer welfare and operate schools. Dehon wrote numerous articles for newspapers and
periodicals Periodical literature (singularly called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) consists of Publication, published works that appear in new releases on a regular schedule (''issues'' or ''numbers'', often numerically divided into annu ...
, and published books on social matters and devotional topics.


Death

In December 1914 Dehon drafted his will and spiritual testament. In 1925 he began suffering from
gastroenteritis Gastroenteritis, also known as infectious diarrhea, is an inflammation of the Human gastrointestinal tract, gastrointestinal tract including the stomach and intestine. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Fever, lack of ...
, which was very painful. Dehon died in Brussels on 12 August 1925 at 12:10pm. He reportedly pointed at an image of the Sacred Heart and his last words were: "For Him I lived; for Him I die. He is my everything, my life, my death, and my eternity".


Controversial publications

Dehon was noted as a prolific writer. He often wrote articles for various newspapers and periodicals on a wide range of different social issues, as well as devotional subjects such as the Sacred Heart. The latter was a predominant theme in several of his published works. In the 21st century, the process of beatification of Dehon was underway and the first step was approved. But in 2005 serious allegations were made regarding Dehon's works. Dehon was alleged to have been
anti-Semitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
and to have expressed anti-Semitic views in his writings. This caused the suspension of his beatification until a reexamination of his writings could be undertaken. On 5 February one French historian drew attention to seven controversial texts in which Dehon expressed anti-Semitic opinions. The French paper ''La Croix'' published extracts, in which Dehon wrote: * Jews were "thirsty for gold" * Jews' "lust for money is a racial instinct in them" * The
Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...
is "a manual for the bandit, the corrupter, and social destroyer" Dehon also suggested in his writings that Jews should wear special markings, that
ghettos A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...
should be re-established, and Jews be excluded from
land ownership In common law systems, land tenure, from the French verb "" means "to hold", is the legal regime in which land "owned" by an individual is possessed by someone else who is said to "hold" the land, based on an agreement between both individuals ...
and teaching positions. In his 1898 "Social Catechism", he said that
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
people "favor enemies of the Church".


Beatification process

The beatification process opened in the Mechelen-Brussels archdiocese on 8 July 1952, granting Dehon the title of
Servant of God Servant of God () is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression ''Servant of God'' appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...
; officials collected witness testimonies and other evidence related to Dehon's work and life before the informative process could close. The cause remained inactive until 21 October 1988. The
Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, passi ...
validated this process and received the
Positio A ''positio'' (short for the Latin ''positio super virtutibus'': "position on the virtues") is a document or collection of documents used in the process by which a Catholic person is declared Venerable, the second of four steps on the path to can ...
in 1990 for assessment. The theologians approved the cause on 30 January 1996 as did the C.C.S. members on 3 February 1997.
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
titled Dehon as
Venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...
on 8 March 1997 after confirming that the late priest had lived a life of
heroic virtue Heroic virtue is the translation of a phrase coined by Augustine of Hippo to describe the virtue of early Christian martyrs. The phrase is used by the Roman Catholic Church. The Greek pagan term hero described a person with possibly superhuman a ...
. Dehon's beatification depended upon a miracle being approved. These miracles are most often documented healings of a miraculous nature in which medicine and science fail to explain the healing. The case chosen came from
Lavras Lavras is a municipality in southern Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Located at an altitude of 919 m, it has a population of 104,761 inhabitants (2022). The area of the municipality is 564,495 km2. The average annual temperature is 19.6°C and t ...
. It was investigated from 1961 until some point later; another process of investigation was opened and closed in the same location in 1965. The miracle in question related to the healing of
electrician An electrician is a tradesman, tradesperson specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, transmission lines, stationary machines, and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the ...
Geraldo Machado da Silva from a grave case of
peritonitis Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and covering of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One pa ...
on 1 June 1954; he had invoked Dehon's intercession in prayer. The C.C.S. validated this process on 4 October 2002, and medical experts approved the healing as a miracle on 15 May 2003. Theologians approved it also on 21 November 2003 after confirming the miracle came after Dehon's intercession was invoked. The CCS confirmed the findings of the two boards on 20 January 2004. John Paul II confirmed the healing as a miracle on 19 April 2004, and confirmed that Dehon would be beatified. The current
postulator A postulator is the person who guides a cause for beatification or canonization through the judicial processes required by the Catholic Church. The qualifications, role and function of the postulator are spelled out in the ''Norms to be Observed i ...
for this cause is the Dehonite priest José Briñón Domínguez.


Suspension

Dehon's beatification cause has been suspended. Initially it was postponed from a 24 April 2005 date because of the death of John Paul II three weeks prior. But the Vatican later announced that the beatification was placed on hold due to allegations of Dehon having expressed anti-Semitism by both clerical and secular individuals and organizations. Before John Paul II's death in 2005, Cardinal
Archbishop of Paris The Archdiocese of Paris (; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is one of twenty-three archdioceses in France. The original diocese is traditionally thought to have been created i ...
Jean-Marie Lustiger Jean-Marie Aron Lustiger (; 17 September 1926 – 5 August 2007) was a French cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Paris from 1981 until his resignation in 2005. He was made a cardinal in 1983 by Pope John Paul II. His lif ...
sent an urgent letter to Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as po ...
(who became Benedict XVI not long after) expressing alarm at Dehon's writings and asking for an examination. The French Episcopal Conference urged caution with the cause, and the French government warned that it would not send a representative to the beatification if it went ahead.
Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, his resignation on 28 Februar ...
ordered an urgent reexamination of Dehon's writings, with the first meeting scheduled for that 24 June. The pope tasked Cardinal
José Saraiva Martins José Saraiva Martins, C.M.F. GCC (born 6 January 1932) is a Portuguese cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints from 1998 to 2008. Biography Born in Gagos de Jarmelo in Guarda, Portug ...
to lead the effort, and also appointed Cardinals
Paul Poupard Paul Joseph Jean Poupard (born 30 August 1930) is a French prelate of the Catholic Church who has been a cardinal since 1985. He held positions in the Roman Curia for more than 25 years, serving as President of the Pontifical Council for Cult ...
and
Roger Etchegaray Roger Marie Élie Etchegaray (; 25 September 1922 – 4 September 2019) was a French cardinal of the Catholic Church. Etchegaray served as the Archbishop of Marseille from 1970 to 1985 before entering the Roman Curia, where he served as Preside ...
.


Further developments

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
on 5 June 2015 expressed his desire for Dehon's cause to proceed, referring to the founder of the Priests of the Sacred Heart as "the almost beatified Dehon". While anti-Semitism had been prevalent in Dehon's lifetime, the Catholic Church had worked to reduce this bias among its clergy and congregations following the disastrous
Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
of World War II and the effort since to build more just societies. The pope said that attitudes must be viewed in their historical context, and said that he wanted the cause to "end well". Francis added that "it's a hermeneutic problem" that warranted an evaluation of the "hermeneutic of the time", rather than evaluating Dehon's writings through contemporary viewpoints.


References


External links


Hagiography Circle

Encyclopedia Britannica

Priests of the Sacred Heart U.S.A.

official website Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Dehon info

Dehon Africa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dehon, Léon 1843 births 1925 deaths 19th-century French Roman Catholic priests 19th-century venerated Christians 20th-century French Roman Catholic priests 20th-century venerated Christians French male writers Participants in the First Vatican Council People from Aisne Pontifical Gregorian University alumni University of Paris alumni Venerated Catholics by Pope John Paul II Workers' rights activists