A word from the superior general

The Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was founded one day in October 1835 when the first companions decided to live in community under the leadership of Father Garicoits so as to put into practice what he had been sharing with them.  The community grew and scattered because of the nature of its mission in the service of small colleges or in popular missions in the diocese of Bayonne.

In 1856 a small party set out for Argentina where it formed a community at the service of popular missions and, from 1858 undertook the service of education in St Joseph’s college in Buenos Aires.  In 1861 the community at Montevideo was founded.  From then onwards the growth of communities continued in other places in Argentina.  Then in 1904 it was the opening in Paraguay and in 1935 in Brazil.  In order to facilitate the government of these communities so far away from Betharram, the Superior General would delegate a Vicar­­- Father Harbustan, successor to Fr Didace Barbe, called a Provincial. This maintained until 1890 when, after the final approval of the Constitutions, the first American delegation came into being.

Between 1930 and 1940 the Congregation knew such expansion that at the 1947 General Chapter it was decided to create provinces. There was then the French Province constituted by French communities together with the community in Morocco and the two communities in the Holy Land. The Province of Argentina was linked with Spain, that of America was constituted with the communities in Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil.  The vice-provinces of Italy, England, the mission to China and the Procure community depended directly on the Superior General.

Four years later in 1951 the General Council modified this organisation of the provinces as follows: the French Province remained as in 1947, the Province of St Joseph of Rio de la Plata comprising the communities in Argentina, Spain, Paraguay and Uruguay; finally the Vice-provinces of England, Italy and Brazil.  In 1958 the Vice-province of Italy became a province in its own right.

The Rule of Life, drawn up in 1969 after the Council Vatican II decided on the creation of delegations, attached directly to the Superior General or to a Provincial Superior.  This is how in 1977 delegations of Paraguay and Spain were created followed by that of Uruguay in 1986 and finally the Holy Land and Ivory Coast.  In 1983 came the Vice-province of Paraguay followed by the transformation of the mission to Thailand into a Vice-province.

The 1999 chapter decided to regroup the (Vice-) provinces and Delegations in regions: so for example the St Michael Garicoits Region included France, Spain, and Ivory Coast together with the communities in Italy, the Holy Land and the Central African Republic (which previously had been attached to Italy).  The Father Etchecopar Region grouped the communities of Argentina and the vice-provinces Paraguay and Brazil; finally the Blessed Mariam Region was formed with the communities of the Vice-province of England (formerly a Province in 2001), the Delegation of India (founded in 2001) together with the Vice-province of Thailand.

The 2005 General Chapter decided (by 25 votes in favour and 1 against) the change in the Rule of Life so as to give a canonical form to this organisation of the Congregation in regions.  Consequently articles 116, 227, 228, 229, 235, 252, 253, 254 were modified and became law on 1st January 2009.  This new organisation in Regions and Vicariates responds to the wishes expressed in the orientations of the acts of the 2005 General Chapter (Acts 40 – 42).

It was the Council of Congregation meeting in Bangalore in 2007 which created the Regions and Vicariates as follows: the St Michael Garicoits Region with the vicariates France-Spain, Northern Italy, Central-Southern Italy, the Holy Land, Ivory Coast and Central African Republic; Father Etchecopar Region with the vicariates Argentina-Uruguay, and those of Brazil and Paraguay; finally the Blessed Mariam Region with the vicariates of England, Thailand and India. The 2011 Chapter was to fuse the two vicariates in Italy.

With the creation of vicariates and their administration the wish was to develop the unity of the Congregation while at the same time respecting the cultural differences, to facilitate the inculturation of the charism.  This is how it is explained in the Rule of Life, 2012 edition: To promote greater unity, to manifest the life of the family, and to ensure a more immediate and direct animation in regard to different cultures, the Congregation is organised into Regions (art. 221). Each region is subdivided into vicariates which give to our family their own characteristics and riches (art. 261).

With this new organisation of the Congregation the real aim is to express better what Pope Francis was saying in his homily on 29th June 2013:  “diversity in the Church, which is a genuine blessing, is to be founded on harmony in unity. Like a great mosaique where the pieces mingle so as to form the great plan of God.  That is something which should help us to overcome any conflict wounding the body of the Church.  United in our differences: there is no other way open to us to be faithful to unity.  That’s the Catholic spirit, the Christian spirit: be united in our differences.  That is Jesus’ way of doing things.”

The Father August Etchecopar Region  is the most uniform and that for two very good reasons: the Church in Latin America and the Caribbean is already used to meeting as in a synod during the Episcopal conferences and other instances of the CELAM.  Besides, the different realities of the countries in this part of the world, are already used to pooling ideas since 1986, with the six meetings of the ELAB (Betharramite meetings in Latin-America), meetings from time to time of the Vice-provinces with the Latin-American Coordinator, the meetings of young Betharramite religious, not forgetting the meetings with directors and students.

As for the St Michael Garicoits Region it is the largest of all, first by the number of religious as for the distance between the different Vicariates.  We have not been able to make one Region out of the two countries: Ivory Coast and Central African Republic which are still quite fragile.  It didn’t seem ideal either to leave things as they were: on the one hand Ivory Coast with France and on the other Central African Republic with Italy.  This is why it was thought better to make two Vicariates so as to better respect their cultural differences.

The Blessed Mariam Region has organised itself in function of language.  English is the unifying instrument and even then it is limited.  It is the newest Region where there is much life for the Congregation.  It needs to be accompanied by the charismatic and missionary experience of the hundred years old Vicariate of England.  Material help and exchange visits by the religious is a genuine result of this Region.

Gaspar Fernández Pérez, scj