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Dehon and Rome
"On [October] 25, 1865 I arrived in Rome, touched by the aim of my journey and the view of this city, which evokes in us the entire history. I saw the most important monuments, I recognized myself and I was happy to come back."(NHV IV/122)
From 1865 to 1871 Leo Dehon studies in Rome. He will return again and again to his beloved city. Starting from the 90‘s Dehon spends many winter months not in France but in Rome.
Thus he writes in 1896 to P. Falleur from Rome: "Tell my friends not to worry about my future. I love Rome and I’m happy to live here. Saint Quentin is exile for me; Rome is my native land." (18.12.1896)
A simple calculation underlines this impression. From 1888 until 1920 Leo Dehon travels 27 times to Rome, spends nearly 70 months there (more than 5 years) with an average duration of over 2 months! If in the years 1865-1871 his studies lead him to Rome, his stays later on are a type of beloved exile, a consequence of the difficulties with the diocesan administration of Soisson and with his own confreres in St. Quentin.
"Soon I will go to spend four months in Rome, I am happy about this... It’s like a blue strip in an otherwise cloudy sky, an oasis in the desert of these sad years." (NQT XII/1896, 10)
The aspect of the exile apart, Rome is for the Ultramontanen Catholic Dehon a natural place of residence, a source for his spirituality and theology. Beyond that numerous activities lead him to the eternal city: his efforts concerning the recognition of his congregation, his engagement in Social Catholicism (Christian Democracy), his connections with high-ranking contacts and conferences, the development of the scj-house in Rome and other personal relationships. Whenever Leo Dehon travels to Rome, he is happy and this he sums up in simple words: "I expect to live there some months in paradise." (NQT XII/1997, 90)