Missionaries of the Sacred Heart

December, 2007

Excerpt of a Letter from the Generalate to all Missionaries of the Sacred Heart on the Occasion of the 153rd Anniversary of Our Foundation It was 150 years ago that the Basilica and then Our Lady’s chapel were built in Issoudun, the first publications about our Lady of the Sacred Heart appeared and in 1869 the official approval of this new devotion by Pope Pius IX when he allowed the statue in the Basilica to be crowned in his name. From now until 2019, almost every year will be the 150^th anniversary of some event in the spectacular spread of this devotion. Our sisters, the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, have chosen to make 2009 their year of celebration. We will accompany them in celebrating the one whose name they are privileged to bear. At the same time, we feel that these next twelve years would be an ideal moment for us to revisit and to renew the devotion that with Fr. Chevalier we have given to the Church. Today we would speak more of a “spirituality than of a “devotion.” We do not mean to imply that we have two “spiritualities.” Rather, our Spirituality of the Heart has a Marian dimension that we should revisit and renew if we are to be faithful to our Founder and our charism.

In November 2007, our French, Spanish and Italian provinces (the three with the most active shrines to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart) held a meeting at Valladolid to study present and future directions for the Marian dimension of our spirituality. We wish them God’s blessings and are eagerly awaiting the results of their meeting. The direction that Mariology has taken since Vatican II (cf. conference by Stefano De Fiores, Symposium Cuskelly) invites us to place more emphasis on Mary in her different relationships. Pope Paul VI went so far as to say that Mary is pure relationship with God and with Christ. Fr. Chevalier’s intuition was exactly in this line. The new devotion, according to him, was to consider Mary in all the relationships with the divine Heart of her Son. Traditionally, we see these relationships as three: Mary was the mother of Jesus; she was his first disciple; she was the first missionary of his Heart. If, up until now, we have placed most emphasis on her role as mother, it is perhaps time to explore the other two relationships from the point of view of the title of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. St. Augustine held that, for Mary, being Christ’s disciple was more important and more meritorious than being his mother. A number of modern scholars have been exploring discipleship and mission for Mariogolgy in general (Cf., for example, Elizabeth Johnson: Truly our Mother). Can we see these dimensions present in our spirituality and in our way of speaking about Mary and praying to her? This, we believe, is the challenge facing us. In many ways, the people to whom we minister seem to have great devotion to Mary as a disciple who walks with us, who accompanies us, who shows us the way to the open Heart of Jesus. Marche avec nous Marie has become one of the most popular hymns at Issoudun while Santa María del Camino (Ven con nosotros a caminar…) is the most popular Marian hymn in Latin America. We walk with Mary as disciples of Jesus. She listens to God’s word, to Jesus’ word, and puts it into practice. She was at his feet on Calvary, the classical position for a disciple. She is one with the other disciples in prayer as they await the first Pentecost. Even the new statue of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart before the main altar at Issoudun emphasizes this dimension. Mary is also the first to go out as a missionary to proclaim the Good News. After her moment of discipleship at the Annunciation, she goes to bring the news of salvation to Elizabeth. After the birth of the Savior she flees with him and Joseph to Egypt. After the first miracle at Cana she follows Jesus along with the other disciples. And from the sorrow of Calvary she joins the missionary church in the joy of the resurrection and in the zeal of Pentecost. We encourage all of you to reflect, to pray, to read and to share the fruits of your prayer with others. May the Spirit guide us and may she who from the beginning guided and even preceded the “Petite Société” be truly our mother, our sister and our fellow missionary.

In Corde Jesu, Mark McDonald, MSCNarciso Abellana, MSCF. X. Wahyudi, MSCFaustino Fernández, MSC