Hearts On Fire: Fr. Chevalier’s 200 years of life and mission

Celebrating, remembering and forward-looking.

John Cester, MSC. That could define the 4th May 2024 event in Cebu District – one of the districts of MSC Philippines. It was a day of celebrating the gift of life and vocation to the founder – Fr. Jules Chevalier, MSC. It was a day of remembering his life of mission and contribution to the universal Church. It was a day of forward-looking at his shared charism and mission to spread the love of God and live the spirituality of the heart.

‘Hearts on Fire ‘, the name of the event, is a powerful representation of the passion and inspiration that filled the gathering of young people, lay collaborators, Chevalier family lay associates, MSC and DOLSH in Lapu-Lapu City and Cordova, Cebu, Philippines. With almost 2000 people present, the event marked the culmination of a year-long celebration of the life of the founder.
Art, with its unique power to convey emotions and ideas, was the prevalent medium used to express the life and mission of Fr. Jules. With hearts aflame with zeal and determination to evangelize through his life and works, the participants expressed their passion through various forms of art, effectively spreading the message of the founder.
Dance theatre was the primary means of expressing the founder’s life. Different acts were performed through dance interpretations. Reflective songs and dances were also performed in between to help the audience contextualise in their lives what they had seen in Fr. Jules’s life, his great love and devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Our Lady, and his love for mission.
Significantly, MSCs and DOLSH shared their giftedness in singing and dancing to radiate the joy of sharing the founder’s charism and the joyful life in mission.
Young people’s hearts. At first, it was thought of as a gathering to evangelise the young people. Yet, as hearts exploding with so much love, passion, and determination, the so-inspired hearts of the young were evangelising their co-youth. They studied the life of the founder. They consulted the MSCs and DOLSH about Fr. Jules. They creatively expressed it through dancing, acting, and singing. They not only learned who Fr. Jules was, but they also shared him with others.
Enflamed hearts for mission. Many people came to know more and better who Fr. Jules was. It was like an “AHA” experience – an eye-opening and faith-inspiring experience. Many hearts were inspired to continue loving the Sacred Heart and sharing the mission. Left to people is not only their awareness of the lived spirituality of the Heart in the life of Fr. Jules. Many are inspired to do the same and be one.
The celebration of the life of the founder is not just a mere remembering of who he was. However, it is anchoring to the charism we all shared to look and move forward in the mission of making the Heart of Christ known and loved everywhere. The Hearts on Fire, as the event was called, does not only refer to the heart of Fr. Jules. It also refers to our hearts. The heart of Fr. Jules inspired our hearts to be the bearer of the Heart of Christ in the world.