The General Leadership Team’s letter for the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus 2026

SOLEMNITY OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

Dear Brothers,

On the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, celebrated this year on 12 June, we are invited once again to return to the source of our name. We are Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This name is a grace, but it is also a responsibility. It is not simply a title we carry; it is a way of seeing, a way of being, and a way of bringing hope.

In recent times, the Church has been invited anew to rediscover the depth of the Heart of Jesus. Pope Francis, in Dilexit nos (“He loved us”), presents hope as something deeply personal, relational, and embodied in the Heart of Jesus. Rather than treating hope as optimism or endurance, the Holy Father roots it in the experience of being loved by Jesus and transformed by that love. Hope is not transactional; it is born from meaningful and enduring relationships. The Sacred Heart is the visible and affective sign of that divine relationship: wounded, merciful, and still open to humanity.

This Feast comes at a time dominated by merchants of illusion, who incite fear to manufacture consent for war, displacement, and indifference to human suffering. We do well to remember 1 John 4:18: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” It is the perfect love of the Sacred Heart that raises and nourishes hope in us.

Pope Leo XIV roots hope in those who suffer. In Lebanon, speaking to Christians of the Levant, he described himself as a “pilgrim of hope” and urged them to lift their gaze to the Lord while becoming “artisans of peace, heralds of peace, witnesses of peace.” He explicitly links hope with rejecting revenge, overcoming division, and opening new chapters of reconciliation. In his Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te (n. 11), Pope Leo XIV names a world where a wealthy elite can live in comfort while millions face hunger, exclusion, and conditions unfit for human beings. Hope cannot be separated from justice. Any “hope” that leaves the poor invisible is counterfeit.

Flowing from this, in June this year Pope Leo will make his apostolic journey to Spain. His visit to Madrid, the Basilica of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, and his encounter with migrants in the Canary Islands offer an image of the Church we are called to become: rooted in enduring faith, and close to displaced and vulnerable people. The Sagrada Família reminds us that faith is built through patience, sacrifice, imagination, and hope. The encounter with migrants reminds us that the Heart of Jesus is turned towards those who are excluded, exploited, or uprooted, and offers them hope.

Next year, the MSC General Conference is also to be held in Spain. The challenges of our times require it to be more than just a meeting. It needs to reconnect us with our name, so that we can give witness to our hope in the Heart of Jesus.

Hope is the source of our joy, and among the signs of that hope are the professions and ordinations that have taken place this year. One of these was celebrated in the Basilica of the Sagrada Família at the end of May. Through that ordination, held in a sacred space shaped by the labour of many hands, we are reminded that every vocation is a work under construction. This ordination becomes a sign of hope for Europe and for the whole Congregation: a sign of hope that challenges our way of seeing.

On 11 June, the bishops of the United States consecrated their country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as part of their 250th anniversary commemorations. This is a sign of renewed attention to the Heart that loves all people unconditionally, in their diversity, their origins, and their faith traditions. It calls that nation, and all of us, to a time of soul-searching. May we see a new world emerging, a world of promise and hope.

In February, in both the Indonesian and Spanish Provinces, fresh leaders were chosen, bringing new perspectives and opening horizons that draw us forward. Confrères who attended the Chapter of the Australian Province in April spoke of their courage for tomorrow: the strength to take the next step even before the whole road is visible. The Chapter was marked by a spirit of prayerfulness and genuine brotherhood, becoming a living act of faith in the Heart of Jesus. Hope is the grace to believe that, in challenging times, God is making a way.

We give thanks for the programmes of renewal held across the Congregation. The group facilitation training in Rome and Brazil brings great promise, strengthening our capacity for responsible participation and making leadership easier. The programmes of the Cor Vitae and Cor America Teams welcome the Chevalier Family to a new engagement with the movements of the Heart of Jesus, reminding us to trust that God is continually at work within us at all stages of life.

The Feast of the Sacred Heart is not only a celebration. It is an invitation to turn again to the Heart of Jesus with authenticity and hopefulness. Let us pray that our own hearts may be renewed: for all those recently professed, ordained, or preparing for ministry; for those serving in leadership; for our provinces and unions; for our formation communities; for our elderly and sick confrères; and for all who share our mission.

May Our Lady of the Sacred Heart accompany us, help us receive the love of her Son, and carry it with trust and deep confidence to the ends of the earth.

With fraternal affection in the Heart of Jesus,

Mario Abzalón Alvarado Tovar MSC
Chris Chaplin MSC [author]
Simon Lumpini MSC
Gene Pejo MSC
Carl Tranter MSC
Bram Tulusan MSC

General Leadership Team