Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Fides Service) - Filled with a deep devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and aware that the human and divine Heart of Christ is the most perfect revelation of God’s love for mankind, in 1854 on December 8, French Father Jules Chevalier founded the congregation of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) who this year mark the 150th year of their service to the Gospel. In view of the liturgical solemnity of the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Fides asked MSC Superior General, Father Michael Curran to illustrate the Congregation’s jubilee celebrations and its missionary activity.
What initiatives and themes have been highlighted in the 150th anniversary of your foundation
There have been several initiatives, too numerous to mention, in the Provinces throughout the world. There have been Assemblies to recall the story and celebrate the event in liturgy, publications, works of art, pilgrimages and so on. The Generalate has introduced a number of initiatives in its effort to promote the anniversary: A series of three booklets has been produced as material for reflection on our charism, spirituality and mission, as these have taken shape historically and challenge us today to a creative fidelity to our vocation. A book has been put together from the testimonies of some thirty confreres representing the different Provinces. The purpose was to present ourselves to one another: “We are MSC”. Drawing on our Founder’s writings and other MSC sources, a novena has been composed to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, to be prayed in preparation for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. This will be done with special solemnity at Issoudun, in France, our foundation place, with a representative from each of our Provinces world wide. Among the works of art we have commissioned for our anniversary, one is of special importance, a panel produced here in Rome by our Brazilian MSC artist, Brother Anderson Pereira de Sousa, to highlight the essential themes of our history, spirituality and inculturated presence in 50 countries of the world. We have also commissioned a Jubilee Song, “Let us be the Voice of your Heart”, composed by our German confrere, Father Norbert Becker, and a video of our Founder produced in Australia.
From the outset, the history of the MSC was marked with difficulties: misunderstandings, expulsion from some countries, confiscation of structures, death of its members due to disease, lack of food, even martyrdom. Nevertheless in 1965 the MSC had no less than 3,000 members...
These charisma that spring up in the Church from time to time are not easily explained as human phenomena. A charism is a gift of the Holy Spirit. I think that our Jubilee has deepened our awareness of the great gift of the Holy Spirit given to our Founder and to those who with him responded to God’s call with tremendous faith, courage, generosity and enthusiasm. They were filled with an experience of God’s love for the world, shown forth in the Heart of Jesus, and they were filled with a deep experience of Mary’s role in the unfolding of this mystery of love. Our Founder attributed everything to Our Lady in our Society, to her intercession and care of us. We honour her with the title Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, to underline the ties that unite her to the Heart of her Son and to his work in the world.
What are the spiritual and charismatic characteristics of the MSC The question is put by way of comparison to other religious and missionary institutes.
I am reluctant to compare myself or the MSC with others. Ours is a charism (gift) of the Holy Spirit in the Church. It is lived and shared by the Church as such, by the faithful. We constantly discover it in their lives, as well as in our own hearts and in our community. It is an insight into the Heart of God, as this is revealed in the humanity of Jesus, in the Gospel, which emphasises God’s goodness towards creation, God’s compassion for human suffering and God’s love for all men and women everywhere. Our charism emphasises the way of the heart, our sharing in the unfolding of the mystery of God’s love in the life of Jesus and in our world today. The way of the heart is the full flowering of our humanity, in hearts freed from sin and selfishness, in hearts open to others in a compassionate solidarity for the world and the human family. Our Constitutions say that “ours is a spirit of family and a spirit of brotherhood, formed by kindness and understanding, by compassion and mutual forgiveness, by gentleness, humility and simplicity, by hospitality and a sense of humour”. There, in a nutshell, are the characteristics of the MSC.
What are the principal fields of action and the frontiers of mission of the MSC in the world
There has been from the beginning a clear distinction between mission and ministry. The mission is expressed in our motto, “May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be loved everywhere”, and that is, that God’s love for the human family might be known and produce a faithful and loving response from human hearts. Ministry is multiplex, because the MSC from the beginning have been “prepared for every good work”. The early objective of mission was the renewal of the local Church through the devotion to the Sacred Heart. But the growing family, comprising men and women, priests and lay people, developed a rich variety of ministries in various fields, such as the evangelisation of non-Christian peoples, education, health care, pastoral and development work among the peoples of the world.
Vocations are growing in places that have only small Christian communities, while they have decreased in Europe. Does Europe really need to hear the Gospel announced
The whole world needs to hear the Gospel announced, with a new élan, “new in its ardour, new in its methods, and new in its expression”. The cultures of the peoples of the world are constantly changing, undergoing metamorphoses and transformations. Evangelisation is the encounter between the Gospel and the people in the reality of their lives, cultures, emotions and aspirations. Europe needs to hear and listen, so does Indonesia, so does the institutional Church of the Vatican. The Gospel calls people to faith and conversion, in openness to God’s saving will for his Church and for his world. The world is moving rapidly out of mediaeval, stratified feudalism, out of hierarchical and monarchical constitutions, towards democracy. This movement is basically Gospel-friendly, recognising as it does the dignity and rights of peoples and individuals, their giftedness and uniqueness before God. The Church, especially through its religious and missionary communities, has nourished and fed this evolution, preparing people to take up their place in the world and in the Church as children of God.
The MSC were the founders of the Church in Oceania, and they were among the first European missionary congregations to welcome native peoples as members. Please tell us about the MSC experience in the field of inculturating the faith?
The MSC certainly witness to the variety of cultures in our membership. Wherever the missionaries went, they learned the language and customs of the people, celebrated life’s sad and joyous occasions with the people, enhanced their stories and songs, gave a dignified acceptance to their traditions, and communicated the Gospel as a word to enhance, enlighten and transform the lives of God’s people. Some of the missionaries became renowned anthropologists and linguists, recording cultural riches for the first time, and later founding schools for the enhancement and diffusion of these riches. But everywhere, in Europe, Oceania, Latin and North America, Africa and Asia, the MSC have served the inculturation of the Gospel.
What elements unite and what elements distinguish the various branches of the Family founded by Jules Chevalier
While all the branches of the family, that is made up of religious men, religious women and lay people, are united in a common spirituality and mission, their ways of being and ministry reflect their distinct gifts in the people of God. While the lay vocation is defined by their baptismal consecration and initiation into the life of the Church, the profession of vows and community life marks the religious way of life. Besides, many of the male MSC are priests and have a distinct ministry to perform in the liturgy and pastoral ministry. But many of the male religious are lay brothers, who express their vocation in a wide variety of services, which are often the same as those performed by lay people, sisters or priests. The MSC Sisters and Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart give expression to their religious identity and charism as women in the Church and in the world, engaging in ministries of various kinds that they have developed over the years or are still developing. Distinctions are grounded in the distinct identity of the people that make up the Christian community rather than on the activities they perform, a distinction being made of course for those activities that require priestly ordination for their validity.
A Jubilee always implies looking to the future. What roads will be travelled by the MSC in the third millennium
The challenge is to live authentically, to be faithful to the charismatic identity we have as members of the family of Jules Chevalier. The challenge is to walk the way of the heart, to be men and women of faith, vision, courage, compassion and hope. This will imply our being men of a deep interior life, men united in brotherhood, united in our vision, in our love for one another and in our love for the world. We need to keep alive the spirit and practice of brotherly community. We need to inspire one another to get involved in worthwhile projects for the enhancement of human life in little communities of people around the world or in the centres of influence where decisions are taken affecting the lives of people. In the third millennium, the Church will be the main source of hope and life for people. We need to “inculturate” the Word of God, the faith, through our dialogue with people everywhere, through forging language and symbols that give expression to human longings and aspirations. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 18/6/2004; Righe 128 - Parole 1,741)
