What does it mean for a religious of the Sacred Heart to be involved in the Jesuits’ European mission in Brussels? I’m not going to go into detail here about the exact nature of my ministry at the heart of the European institutions in Brussels, since the website of the Chapel of the Resurrection will explain that still better, and I invite you to consult it: www.resurrection.be. But I would just like to tell you how well this mission fits in with our charism.

First of all there is the existence of the “Europe” community. It consists of 5 rscj, one of whom is Spanish, one German, one French and two Belgian. Of the five, three are involved in a ministry connected with European questions, and two have responsibilities within the Province of Belgium/Netherlands.

The existence of this community is a personal opportunity for me, but I think it is also a symbolic opportunity to weld the European RSCJ into a community oriented towards a united Europe.

It is by small projects, even ones entailing a certain risk, that we shall build Europe. In their early stages, these projects mean a sacrifice for the Provinces, but in the long term, they promise the flowering of new fields of action… From our community, in which the various aspects of our mission are shared as we meet people both formally and informally, a dynamism is being created. Every day we can experience a certain atmosphere of openness to difference, to the issues being debated in the Institutions of the European Union, a greater openness to the world and its complexity.

That makes me wish that other rscj could have a European experience. This context does indeed allow one to be realistic and confronts one with the great challenges of today.

I have the good fortune to be responsible for a spiritual site at the centre of the European institutions in Brussels. A place of worship, a place open to eucumenism, a place of international and intercultural meeting; a special place for Christian officials to find silence, prayer, an attentive ear, discussions and a chance to “recharge their batteries”, ongoing formation to look more deeply into the important political or economic issues of the moment.

The running of such a centre calls for many gifts and resources springing from our charism. We have first of all to welcome people from many different countries and languages. (It is a good thing to speak at least two languages besides one’s own.) Directing Catholic and ecumenical celebrations, and maintaining a project and a creative programme based on events and meetings, are also important.

My first task was to create teams of volunteers to involve people in the life of the chapel. Finding people and giving them responsibility, inspiring trust, not doing oneself what others can do, these attitudes are not so different from our charism of education. We can also hear other people’s ideas, see how to develop them, be on the watch for little daily happenings and encounters that could bring something new into the programme for the month or the year. And so, seeing new faces arriving from Eastern countries, we have to welcome them and invite them to set up meetings, so that newcomers and old hands from the 25 countries can share their differences and desires.

Another important aspect is the almost continual discernment our presence in the Chapel of the Resurrection entails. Indeed this place is increasingly in demand by all sorts of groups, for conferences or celebrations.

Vigilance is necessary in accepting or refusing these groups… We often have requests from sects or so-called churches. This leads us, as a pastoral team or sometimes as individuals, to draw up criteria for acceptance, such as openness to the Council, belonging to established churches, ecumenical spirit, perhaps Ignatian spirituality open to all, etc.

The chapel is a place of open friendship, of dialogue and pastoral accompaniment, and that fits in well with the charism of the heart. Something you learn in Brussels, in contact with the European institutions, and which I have found very enriching, is the art of debating. This forms part of the European Union’s method of community government. You learn to dialogue, to respect other people, to listen to their different points of view and express your own, or listen to the things they disagree with and look for possible meeting-grounds, compromises that can be made without sacrificing your own identity. It’s a whole art required by the international setting, but it is particularly experienced in Brussels. Of course there is the risk of confining oneself to debate and deciding nothing!... But there is also the art of small steps towards respect for all, and that can be experienced very strongly at the ecumenical level.

An example has been the creation of a theological reflection group, Catholic to begin with, then ecumenical, in which all can express their Faith in an existential, personal way, while welcoming whatever can move us on to make some progress together. The chapel is a place for simple meetings around a cup of coffee or a sandwich, sharing the day’s unexpected events, the mixture of generations and the welcome extended to all, which can contribute to the growth and enrichment of all.

My work here is much like the work of all the people responsible for the other 4 mission areas of the European Jesuits, with whom we have a meeting each month, convened by the provincial co-ordinator of the provincials of Europe, Mark Rotsaert.

This is an exciting job! It’s a place for rscj to be present if they want to live from the heart, a heart that watches, listens and grasps opportunities… a heart that helps people grow, because it lets itself be transformed and touched by the different, captivating faces of all the men and women working to build Europe in a spirit of peace and justice.

Dominique Sadoux rscj
Province of France
“Commmunauté Europe”, Brussels