garden - more

The garden of La Capelle

Wherever Leo Dehon was able to experience and enjoy nature, it became a religious experience. That is quite obvious in his travel diaries. From early on the parental garden behind the Dehon’s house had a special importance and significance for Dehon. From this garden as a little boy he takes flowers and plants to decorate his small chapel to play Mass. In his Memoirs he writes: "From my early childhood it gave me pleasure to work in the garden and I always had my own little garden" (NHV I/6v).

Yet more detailed is the description in 1869, and, with Dehon's ability of describing landscapes, trees and other objects in the garden become real companions:

"In the morning and in the afternoon I went to my old church, and I spent excellent hours in the garden with breviary prayer and chaplet and good literature. Sometimes I walked around in this place of my cradle, in the shadows of nut trees, acacias and cherry trees, sometimes I sat down on a kale bank or on an iron chair in the shadow of the old morning pasture. My companions were chaffinches and thistle finches." (Summer 1869, NHV VI/165f).

No wonder that the garden becomes even a paradigm in his catechetical teaching (it is a common one in late 19th century): A marvellous example of this comes from a letter from April 1877 to his niece Marthe, one year after her First Communion (perhaps for us a hundred years later the letter may sound a little bit strange).

"My dear Marthe,
I believe, it is only one year ago that we spent some beautiful days together. We prepared a small garden, your soul. And then we planted in it delicious flowers, good resolutions. Did you maintain these precious flowers since that time well? Or do you let them fade away and dry? Is this peaceful place still beautifully decorated with the lilies of purity, the roses of love and the violets of humility and obedience? Does our Lord Jesus sometimes descend there to this richly decorated quiet place? To satisfy me, it would be enough that you could say, you're doing what you can. I would be happy to see you soon. Tell mummy and dad thanks for their good wishes. Pray for us all. Your devoted uncle - L Dehon."

This letter, not only testifies to the affection of an uncle for his niece, but also is an example of how much Dehon's own experiences in nature crept into his talking about God.