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Leo Dehon: a young priest's first pastoral experiences
It is almost a surprise for Dehon himself to discover very soon after his arrival in Saint-Quentin (November 1871) in a letter to his friend Palustre:
"I'm now perfectly installed and began my work many weeks ago. I got much better than I expected in the active ministry." (Letter from January 8th, 1872)
Quite typical for the pastoral situation and practice of his time, he describes the first pastoral 'successes', referring to his contact with children and the sick:
"It is a source of consolation each day. The last conversions of dying people, the honest and naive resolutions of children, all this wipes out somehow the sadness caused by the apathy and the immorality of the masses." (ibid.)
But rather quickly the entire correspondence (with his parents, Palustre, P. Freyd) is dominated by his commitment to the patronage of St Joseph (for children) and the Catholic workers' circle (for teenagers). Thus he describes in a letter to one of his St. Quentin's collaborators, Mr. Julien, his experiences while assisting at the Congress of Workers' Associations 1873 in Nantes:
"Dear and excellent friend,
I can't even express all the joy I feel for having come to this Congress. I have not attended such a noble and holy assembly since the Council. … Mr. Harmel, of Val des Bois, delighted us by describing the miracles of his factory, which became an astonishing field/ground for Christian life. He showed us clearly and supported with facts the solution to the problem of the sanctification of the factory. While the Congress voted the publication of his report per thousands of copies, I decided to visit Val des Bois and I count on you to accompany me there." (Letter from August 28th, 1873)
Still in the same letter he doesn't forget to address 'his' young friends: "Tell our children and young men that I don't forget them. I live here only for them. I prepare to give to the work of St Joseph a new spirit of joy and piety! I will obtain new games for them and I hope to find some rifles, which respond better to their martial temperament. I received some splendid badges for the sections' chiefs and I promise to order medals in Lourdes for all members." (ibid.)