Jules Chevalier

The Good News:  MSC re-connected with their founder!  Their website now provides great info on Jules Chevalier.  The setting is the mid 1850’s in France.  Let’s take a look …

MSC website: As a priest, Jules first served as curate in three different parishes in quick succession.

Hell! Hope Jules wasn’t being bounced around like … Risdale-style …

MSC: At the age of thirty (same age as Jesus) he was sent to Issoudun, which was regarded as the most dechristianised town in the whole region.

Cool.  You don’t get to pick & choose as a missionary priest, btw. You go where you’re told.  History doesn’t make it clear if Jules was sent to Issoundun as a punishment or: they thought if anyone can re-christianize those Issoundun heathens - it’s Jules.  (Song idea: Hey Jules … don’t make it bad …)

The other curate in the parish was Fr Emile Maugenest, one of a small group of his companions in the seminary who had shared Chevalier's vision.

For context, Catholicism was, at that time, a large powerful group.  Not that they didn't have internal, rival Christian orgs to deal with.

At Issoudun the two priests became determined to found a religious congregation of Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. However, aware that they could be deluding themselves they wanted a clear sign that this was what God wanted.

Ok …. heavy.   Points for acknowledging this could be a delusional thing  - how did …?

Over a period of nine days, they prayed asking Our Lady to intercede for them in having God provide this sign.

As you would, i guess,  if you're super-religious expialidocious spectrum … Then … lo n behold:

The following morning one of the parishioners called at the presbytery with a letter announcing a gift of 20,000 francs from an anonymous donor.

Wow!  Ask & you shall receive!

The donor's preference was for a house of missionaries to be established in the area with the approval of the Archbishop.

So serendipitous! 

The Archbishop agreed as long as they had some means of financial independence and support.

Shit - there’s always a catch …

Another period of prayer resulted in another anonymous benefactor promising to give an annual gift of 1,000 francs which was enough for both of them to live on.

Man, that prayer shit really pays off … !

They now had the sign and the means to begin the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.

There you have it:  the secret sign from God at the heart of the sacred heart … was … 20, 000 francs.  

With the original 20,000 francs the two priests purchased a rundown vineyard with a sound house and tumbled-down barn in Issoudun. The house became their first community house and the barn was renovated as the first chapel, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

Such a nice story … fully-restored in MSC internet puff-piece-speak.

This was in 1855.   From these simple beginnings has come a whole family of Missionaries of the Sacred Heart - priests, brothers, sisters and lay associates. 

Great. One big happy family! Fathers, brothers, sisters, all without sex, supposedly - or is that what you mean by lay-associates? 

Later, because of national tensions in colonial areas where missionaries worked, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart were founded by Fr Hubert Linckens MSC with the approval of Jules Chevalier,

Lot going on in that sentence.  Why was there an order of women founded because of colonialism tensions?  Were the priests kicked out?

Within twenty-five years of their small beginnings, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart had spread in Europe and to North America. Before his death, Fr Jules Chevalier was to see his 'family' working in Central and South America, the Philippines, Australia and the Pacific Islands.  Their concern was global .. the fulfilment of a dream that Fr. Chevalier already had as a seminarian.

Nice dream.  Probably didn't envisage the NT Reports finding that that dream resulted in a culture whereby: sexual abuse of Aboriginal children is common, widespread and grossly under-reported .. abuse is rife

The spirit of Jules Chevalier/MSC?  

1. The Blessed Virgin: Strong-to-creepy link to Our Mother-figure  … inspiring Celibacy.  Doubles as an objectification of women.

2. The Lord speaks in mysterious ways … but sometimes it’s obvious ways too - like money 

3. Dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus:  Assuming it’s not the physical organ, i’m guessing the innate goodness of Jesus - who identified with the downtrodden, uplifted them … by speaking truth-to-power … arguing with the experts in the street … 

4. Most unchristianized places on earth:  No challenge is too great 

5. Global mind-control:  One God, one culture - to rule them all.