Father Heiner Wilmer S.C.I. is the Superior General of the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He was born in 1961 in the German state of Lower Saxony and was elected to this office in May 2015. Fides interviewed Father Wilmer in Rome during the summer at the congregation’s headquarters.
Léon Dehon
Léon Dehon was born on 14 March 1843 in La Capelle in France and died on 12 August 1925 in Brussels, Belgium. Already in his youth, under the influence of his mother, he became devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and felt called to the priesthood. He was ordained a priest in 1868. On 28 June 1878 he founded the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Saint-Quentin in northern France.
Father Heiner Wilmer SCJ comes from Emsland in northwestern Germany. There he grew up as the eldest son on a farm together with two brothers and one sister. “According to tradition, I was expected to take over the family farm after my father.” That, however, did not happen.
Heiner Wilmer completed his secondary education in 1980 and in the same year began his novitiate at the monastery of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in Freiburg. From 1981 to 1986 he studied theology in Freiburg and Romance languages in Paris. Archbishop Oskar Saier of Freiburg ordained him to the priesthood in 1987. He then studied French philosophy at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and earned his doctorate in theology in Freiburg in 1991 with a dissertation on the concept of mysticism in the philosophy of Maurice Blondel. After that, he also qualified as a teacher of history.
Following his studies, Father Wilmer served in various roles, including at the suggestion of Father Henri Nouwen in the L’Arche community in Toronto, as well as working as a school chaplain and teacher. For a longer period he served as headmaster of the Gymnasium Leoninum in Handrup, which is run by the Priests of the Sacred Heart. In 2007 he was elected Provincial of the German Province, and in 2015 he was elected Superior General of the entire congregation.
Priorities of the Work
What does the Superior General and the General Curia wish to emphasise? According to Father Wilmer, the task of the congregation is always to keep alive the charism of its founder, Léon Dehon. “At the same time, it must always be presented in new ways.” At present this is especially evident in bringing the Dehonian charism into cultures that are not European or Western, to regions where the mission of the Catholic Church and of the Priests of the Sacred Heart is growing, including Central and Southern Africa, Asia and the Americas. Even in secularised and in some places de-Christianised regions, the Gospel, the Good News, must be proclaimed anew.
The congregation encourages its priests to study French so that they can become familiar with Father Dehon’s writings in the original language. In this way they are better able to integrate his charism into their own cultures, for example in Asia.
SCJ
The abbreviation SCJ comes from the Latin name Congregatio Sacerdotum a Sacro Corde Iesu. In some countries the Priests of the Sacred Heart are better known as Dehonians after their founder. Today the congregation has approximately 2,250 members, more than 1,600 of whom are priests. It is present in about 455 communities in 43 countries.
The congregation is also deeply interested in dialogue with other religions. There are many points of contact with Islam, particularly as a result of migration in Europe, but also in Indonesia and in African countries. “Such encounters require that we know our own roots and our own foundation. In order to be convincing witnesses of Christ, we must remain firmly rooted in our Christian heritage, our teaching and the tradition of our Church.”
For this reason, several confreres are currently studying Arabic in order to better meet people whose faith is based on the teachings of the Qur’an. Father Wilmer also considers it important that Christians give a united witness in faith and action and act together as Church in the broad sense of catholicity.
The congregation places great value on its work with young people. “Our message to the young is this: we need you as companions on the journey, as collaborators in our projects and as renewers of our missionary task.”
The Importance of the Pope
“Already as a young man in Germany I felt close to the popes John Paul II, Benedict and now Francis. The Pope is the Vicar of Christ on earth. He is a figure who unites us Catholics and who has something to say to all Christians. Personally, he is a key figure in my life, in my faith and in my work. I receive ideas from him, and they become tasks for which I feel responsible.”
“Recently I wrote a letter reminding my confreres how we might approach young people even better. Besides Father Dehon, Pope Francis was an important inspiration. He not only writes and speaks about the joy of the Gospel, he radiates it and lives by it. That radiance of joy speaks to young people.”
Thus Father Heiner Wilmer describes his relationship to the Pope: “For me the Pope is a great inspiration and a foundation. I am a great admirer of him.”
In Rome
In his new and truly international environment, Father Wilmer feels very much at home. “I have settled in well here during these two years. I am assisted by a five-member General Council whose members come from four different continents. In addition, our Secretary General is Spanish, our Procurator and liaison to the Vatican is Brazilian, and our Econom comes from northern Italy.”
“For me this General Curia is a great gift and grace, not only because of their competence but also because it is humanly good to work together with them. Our group is relatively young, efficient, dynamic and creative.”
Marko Tervaportti
Villa Aurelia
The headquarters of the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart is located in Rome on Via Gregorio VII, southwest of the Vatican, on a hill. Attached to the headquarters is the well-maintained hotel and conference centre Villa Aurelia. It is well suited as accommodation for visitors to Rome. Further information is available at villaaureliaroma.com/en/ (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.)