Laity of the Chevalier Family
The Chevalier Family consists of professed members from the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, as well as other professed groups and many thousands of lay people from 36 countries.
The laity have a very important place within the Chevalier Family sitting alongside the professed members. This was always the vision of Fr. Chevalier for an interconnected operational structure.
At the international level, the governing body of the Laity of the Chevalier Family is not considered to be underneath the professed members and serves alongside the governing bodies of the professed. This is also the vision at the national and local levels and is a work in progress.
The professed and laity are interconnected, each with its own autonomy. This is Synodality in practice. The Laity of the Chevalier Family fulfils a need in people's lives who are called to a lay vocation. This need arises from a desire in people to deepen their spirituality as Catholics and to live their lives committed to following Jesus by living a Spirituality of the Heart as expressed by Jules Chevalier.
We believe that Jesus’ compassionate Heart reveals God’s unconditional love for every human being and all creation. Belief in God’s unconditional love, which is the remedy for the ills of society, transforms our own hearts and at the same time enables us to participate in the healing of creation.
Dates: 21st – 29th January, 2024.
Arrival 20th – lunch 21st January, departure after lunch 29th January.
Planning Committee arrival 20th January.
General Assembly theme:
One in heart in caring for our common home
General Assembly scripture: The Good Samaritan. Luke 10:25-37
Synopsis of General Assembly theme
This General Assembly, scheduled for January 2024 will occur in the midst of troubled times. These times will be viewed through the lens of Spirituality of the Heart as the remedy for the ills of our time.
The shared experiences of 2024 may well include:
- the consequences of a global pandemic that may or may not yet be controlled;
- an urgent imperative to find ways to live sustainably on the earth and justly for the earth’s peoples;
- a loss of hope in the face of inequality, injustice, violence, over-consumption and greed.
- and more …
The reality of the pain and suffering of the world at that time and the possibility of hope and healing that can come through Spirituality of the Heart will be woven into the Assembly program. Our hope is that participants go home more deeply formed in Spirituality of the Heart and better able to be the Heart of Christ in their own communities as a result of the Assembly.
The phrases that make up our Assembly theme are drawn from Pope Francis' encyclicals ‘Laudato Si’ and ‘Fratelli Tutti’, which together offer a road-map for humanity to face the challenges of these times. The Assembly content will draw upon these two important documents. One in Heart reminds us that we are one in the Heart of Christ. This oneness does not happen automatically, it must be worked towards. The content of the General Assembly must allow for the diversity of experiences of life and of church and a variety of understandings and expressions of Spirituality of the Heart. We begin as separate hearts and leave ‘Heart-Bonded’ as One Heart to carry out our mission to care for our common home.
Heart, in Spirituality of the Heart, draws us to our belief in Jesus’ compassionate Heart that reveals God’s unconditional love for every human being and all of creation. Belief in, or an experience of God’s unconditional love is what transforms our own hearts and is the remedy for the ills of society. Our prayer is that God’s loving presence will draw each person deeper into their own hearts, in an encounter with our God of love that offers renewal and transformation.
The mission of the laity is to live our lives undertaking our obligations, while at the same time, looking for every opportunity to go beyond those commitments to be a source of kindness, understanding, compassion, mutual forgiveness, gentleness, humility and simplicity to those we encounter. In other words, the mark of our lives is to try to live our whole life in a spirit of family, and thus, to be a source of hope and healing to the world. This is our shared mission and what we hope to go home with hearts burning to offer.
 Dom Bosco Retreat House, Cebu
|
 Debbie Mellijor – Chair, Philippines Organising Committee |
Who are the Laity of the Chevalier Family?
The Laity of the Chevalier Family is a very large group of men and women from every walk of life, living in many countries and cultures spread around the globe. At its most basic level, to be a member of the Laity of the Chevalier Family requires a commitment to live a life of love, as best we can, wherever we find ourselves in our family, professional and community lives.
To deepen and live more fully that life of love, we draw on a particular focus on Jesus we call Spirituality of the Heart. We believe, and have experienced for ourselves, that Jesus’ compassionate heart reveals God’s unconditional love for every human being, especially those who are poor, excluded or treated unjustly. This love extends to all creation. We know that it is this love that has made a difference in our own lives, adding deeper meaning and purpose, and can potentially make a difference to the pain and suffering of the rest of the world.
And so, we live our lives undertaking our obligations, while at the same time, looking for every opportunity to go beyond those commitments to be a source of kindness, understanding, compassion, forgiveness, gentleness, humility and simplicity to those we encounter. In other words, the mark of our lives is to try to live our whole life in a spirit of family.
From the very beginning, Jules Chevalier had a vision of professed members and lay people working together to undertake our shared mission of offering the Sacred Heart of Jesus to others.
The Chevalier Family is comprised of professed members of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, the Daughters of our Lady of the Sacred Heart and the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, and many thousands of lay people. Together we form one family and as such, we are interdependent.
Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC)
Laity of the Chevalier Family
Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (FDNSC)
The Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSC)
