Refleksja nad misyjnym wymiarem charyzmatu sercańskiego wpisuje się w bogaty kontekst historii oraz duchowości życia zakonnego. Na przełomie XIX i XX wieku powstała we Francji większość instytutów zakonnych męskich i żeńskich w odpowiedzi na religijne i społeczne potrzeby ówczesnej Europy. Zakładane nowe zgromadzenia zakonne ubogacały Kościół specyficznymi formami czynnego życia apostolskiego, bazując na charyzmacie i misji swoich założycieli, a także bogatej duchowości zakonów mniszych, żebrzących i kleryckich. Osobiste pragnienie połączenia kapłaństwa z życiem zakonnym stało się dla ojca Leona Dehona inspiracją do założenia Zgromadzenia Księży Najświętszego Serca Jezusowego dla dobra Kościoła oraz osobistego uświęcenia jego członków.

A dimension of Dehonian mission charism

The reflection upon the Dehonian mission charism fits into the rich context of the history of religious life. At the turn of the 19th and 20th century most of the religious orders for men and women in France came into being, as the response to the social needs of Europe of that time. Shaping of the new religious orders enriched the Church with the specific forms of apostolic life, based on charisms and missions of their founders, and the rich spirituality of the orders of monks, beggars and clerics. Personal desire to combine both priesthood and religious life became the inspiration for Fr. Leon John Dehon to found the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart for the benefit of the Church and for the personal sanctification of its members.

The reflection upon the Dehonian mission charism fits into the rich context of the history of religious life. At the turn of the 19th and 20th century most of the religious orders for men and women in France came into being, as the response to the social needs of Europe of that time. Shaping of the new religious orders enriched the Church with the specific forms of apostolic life, based on charisms and missions of their founders, and the rich spirituality of the orders of monks, beggars and clerics. Personal desire to combine both priesthood and religious life became the inspiration for Fr. Leon John Dehon to found the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart for the benefit of the Church and for the personal sanctification of its members.