the director - more

Born 16.09.1809 at Wormhoudt (close to Dunkerque/France), ordained to priesthood in 1834, director of the municipal College Hazebrouck in 1838, fondation of the ecclesiastical College ‘Saint-Francois' in 1865, died 15.7.1882

In his memoirs Leo Dehon writes about Dehaene: "This faithful man has exercised an enormous apostolate in the north. He was a noble soul, combining the passion of a southerner with the propriety and dignity of a man from the north. The college was insufficient for his zeal; he evangelized all of Flanders. He preached with great eloquence in both Flemish and french. At the college he led the daily spiritual reading, the Sunday catechism, he held sermons for us and heard our confessions. He taught philosophy, presented the conferences and led the congregation. He was able to be at the same time both extremely good and reserved. I had the fortune to be his penitent for four years." (NHV I/14r f.)

Contrary to other contemporary priests, Dehaene's course of rhetoric was based on Virgil, i.e. non-christian authors were explored, as well, in his instruction. At the same time he gave the pupils some extracts from the church fathers, in order not to base the young boys' culture exclusively on pagan authors and to place the profane studies into the service of a religious culture.

"It seems to me that by the grace of God something of his own soul passed into mine." (NHV I/16v) Even knowing Dehon's predilection for superlatives in praising other persons, this one is a rare formula. We can find it again when he speaks about his relationship with his mother. But in fact, many elements of how to run and direct a college Leo Dehon learned from Dehaene, e.g. what Dehaene demanded of his teachers: "A good teacher must give his time and energy, his knowledge and his heart to his students - especially his heart, in order to bind with love and compassion all the weakness that are part of being young, after the example of the one perfect Master/Teacher." (in Lemire, l'abbé Dehaene, p 99)

The annual school excursion on the name-day of the director, the celebration of the school year's end in a public event (including the director's speech), the search for a clerical community, an education to an apostolical zeal, a pedagogical concept, which has regard for body, intellect and spirit - Hazebrouck with the dominating personality of its director Dehaene influences and prepares Leo Dehon in many respects for his later work.