John Gabriel Perboyre, C. M. Martyr and First Saint of China by Joseph Chow Chih-yi, C.M. Andrew Spelman, C.M., Translator

• The Blood of John Gabriel stimulates our zeal for souls
  
• John Gabriel Perboyre, model of self-denial
  
• China, country of many martyrs, seed of Christians
  
• Spiritual Benefits
  
• Christians in the fourteen Vincentian Vicariates in China
  
• Lazarists in Taiwan (Republic of China)
  
• Conclusion

The great news of the Canonization of John Gabriel Perboyre is a source of rejoicing for us and invites us to give thanks to the good God, and also to our Holy Father, His Holiness John Paul II, whom God has inspired to canonize him. Let us sing a "Te Deum" because it is a great honour for all the Congregation, and in particular, for the Chinese Confreres and Missionaries of China.

Let us imitate the zeal of John Gabriel who, with insistence, asked to be sent to China to save the infidels. Having prayed fervently, he went and prostrated himself at the feet of the Superior General, Fr. Salhorgne, to beg him for leave to go to China to save the heathen. It is zeal which enabled him to put up with hunger and thirst for the greater glory of God in his pastoral ministry. It is zeal for souls that drove him to be always ready, day and night, to hasten wherever his ministry called him. He thought nothing of weariness or lack of sleep.

It is zeal for souls which enabled him to reply to the judge, "I shall refuse until death to deny my Lord, or trample the Crucifix underfoot". Finally, it is due to his zeal for souls that he underwent more than twenty interrogations, in the midst of torments and most cruel sufferings, kneeling bare-legged on iron chains. In a word, he endured every suffering without the slightest complaint.

He lived only 38 years on this earth. His time among us was short, but he accomplished a great deal. Born on 6th January 1802, he was martyred on 11th September 1840. His stay on earth passed like a lightening flash. His zeal for souls drove him to go to China to save the Chinese, and even the whole world; his charity for the pagans, and his ardent love for God, brought him to his martyrdom. "He who lacks zeal, is also lacking in the love of God", says St. Augustine. And, St. Paul can say "woe to me if I do not preach the Good News". Are we charitable and zealous enough to evangelise the poor as John Gabriel did? Are we worthy to be his confreres?

Amongst the wonderful virtues of John Gabriel is the great self-denial which he showed in a spectacular manner when his superiors sent him to Paris in 1821 to continue his studies. On this occasion, he was allowed to visit his family, but despite his tender love for them, he declined this very legitimate satisfaction, replying to the superior who made him the offer, "St. Vincent went only once to visit his family, and regretted doing so; with your permission I will offer this sacrifice to God".

John Gabriel's self-denial was demonstrated especially in China, where he lived alone in the absence of all human support, with no protection, except that of Providence, in a non-Christian country, surrounded by enemies. His energy was admirable, not only when falling into the hands of pagans, but during the long months of his captivity, and when the hour of his immolation struck.

China, the land of martyrs and apostles, was rendered fertile by the blood of Vincentians and Daughters of Charity. As Tertulian put it, "The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians". It is for this reason that I wish to cite for you the names of the Vincentian martyrs and victims in China.

Blessed Francis Regis Clet, C.M., who set out for China in 1791. When, in 1818 persecution redoubled its violence, he was thrown into prison, condemned to death on 1st January 1820, and on 17th February of that year, died for the Faith, by strangulation at Ou-tch'ang, Hubei. On 9th July 1843 he was declared Venerable by Pope Gregory XVI. On 27th May 1900, Pope Leo XIII proclaimed this martyr "Blessed".

In 1825, François Cheng, C.M., prison companion of Blessed Francis Regis Clet was condemned to exile and massacred.

In 1840, Blessed John Gabriel Perboyre was martyred at Ou-tch'ang, Hubei. On 11th September he was attached to a gallows, a post in the form of a cross. He was beatified by Pope Leo XIII in Rome on 10th September 1889. He will soon be canonized by Pope John Paul II.

In 1857, Fernand Montels was beheaded along with two Christian companions, because they persisted in proclaiming themselves priest and Christians.

In 1870, Claude Marie Chevalier and Vincent Ou, both Lazarists, were choked to death at Tientsin.

On 21st June 1870, 10 Daughters of Charity were massacred at Tientsin.

In 1900 and 1901, during the Boxer Revolution, 3 confreres (Maurice Doré, Pascal d'Addosio and Jules Garrigues) were massacred and burned.

In 1903, André Tsu, C.M., a young confrere aged 28, was torn to pieces by the pagans. His chest was opened up in the shape of a cross.

In 1906, Jean Marie Lacruche, C.M., was massacred in the town of Nanchang, Jiangxi.

In 1907, Antoine Canduglia was beheaded.

In 1937, the massacre of Monsignor Francis Xavier Schraven, C.M., Bishop of Tchengting, together with 8 others took place. On the evening of 9th September, about 7 p.m., after the visit to the Blessed Sacrament in the Bishop's Residence, there were 40 of us priests in the refectory for the evening meal. Because of the Sino-Japanese war, we had been unable to leave the Cathedral of Tchengting after the retreat which had lasted from 19th to 28th August. Almost immediately after the soup was served, 9 Europeans were arrested by the Japanese. Only one, an old Trappist of Notre-Dame de Liesse, named Fr. Alberic, escaped the massacre. He had been dining in his room because of his age and infirmity. The 9 victims were Monsignor Schraven, the Bishop of the Vicariate of Tchengting, aged 65, a native of Holland; Lucien Charny, C.M., French, aged 55; Thomas Ceska, Austrian, Assistant Superior, aged 65; Eugène Bertrand, French, aged 32, the Bursar of the Vicariate; Gerard Vouters, C.M., a Dutch missionary, aged 28; Anthony Geerts, C.M., a Dutch lay brother, aged 62; Vladislas Prinz, C.M., a Polish lay brother, aged 28; Fr. Emmanuel, a French Trappist of Notre-Dame de Liesse, aged 60, as well as a layman of Czech nationality, named Biscopich, who was in Tchengting to repair the Cathedral organ.

In 1940, at Kao-cheng, Shing-An, in the Vicariate of Tchengting, Father Laurent Ch'enn, a diocesan priest, was buried alive, together with his catechist, by the Communists, half-way between Siao-kuan-yang and his residence. He had just come from giving the Sacrament of Extreme Unction to a dying man. They were killed because the priest had reprimanded a woman who had had dishonourable contact with Communists.

In 1945 at Tchengting, Louis Uao, a diocesan priest, was imprisoned and later condemned to forced labour, as a result of which he died.

In 1947, in Tchengting, Joseph K'ung, C.M., a colleague of Monsignor Job Ch'enn, C M, was condemned to death by a so-called People's Jury, then executed on the pretext that he had collaborated with the Japanese during the Sino-Japanese War.

In 1950, at Che-kia-Tch'oang, in the Vicariate of Tchengting, Jacques Chao, C.M. and Jacques Ou, a diocesan priest, were condemned to death. Before the execution, they were shackled and forced into a lorry to form part of a parade of prisoners in the streets of the town. The two victims shouted loudly, "Long live the Catholic Church, the Pope and the Chinese Republic". They sang the Ave Maria in Latin and called out, "Down with Communists". They were then executed by beheading.

In 1950, at Nanchang, Jiangxi, it was the turn of the archbishop, Monsignor Joseph Chow T'si-che, C.M., who taught Latin to Joseph Chow Chih-yi, C.M., in the seminary. During their occupation of Mainland China, the Communists proposed to Monsignor Chow that they would have him appointed "Pope of the Patriotic Church of Communist China", with the intention of separating this so-called "patriotic" church from the Roman Catholic Church. One day some insidious Communist leaders contacted him and made known their intention in visiting him. But, Monsignor answered them with marvelous, even piquant adroitness, as follows: "Thank you for your visit. Your idea is praiseworthy, but it is impossible for me to be Pope of Communist China, since Communist China is too small to have a Pope. If you could propose me as Pope of the Universal Church, I would willingly accept. Otherwise, it is useless to discuss the matter". The Communists departed angrily; the archbishop was put under surveillance, and later imprisoned. He died in a forced-labour camp in 1972, after 22 years of imprisonment.

In 1951, in Beijing, Pierre Souen, C.M., Director of the Beijing Seminary, was imprisoned. His chains were so tight, that his wounds became gangrenous. He died on 16th September 1951.

Miracles. According to some people who came back from Beijing after visiting relatives on the Mainland, some people prayed near the tomb of Fr. Pierre Souen, to obtain his intercession for a cure, which several of them did obtain, thanks be to God.

Paul Tchang, C.M. and Fr. Ignace Ts'i, a diocesan priest of the Beijing Diocese, were imprisoned on the same day as Fr. Souen.

In 1952, in Tientsin, Jean Chao, C.M., was condemned to forced labour; since then there has been no news of him.

The object of the following lines is to point out that the Lazarists never lost sight of the recommendations which St. Vincent used to make to his missionaries, when sending them to evangelise the poor country people, nor of the double objective given them by the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, when confiding to them the mission of China this is, the conversion of infidels and the formation of a native clergy.

To start with, in 1721, Fr. Muneller, C.M., had opened a seminary in Macao. Of the 8 seminarists, 3 were ordained priests, 2 becoming Lazarists. Fr. Muneller himself was teaching Latin. The 2 ordained Lazarists were Frs. Shu and Paul Sou.

In 1802, Fr. Chislain, C.M., had been confirmed as Superior of the Lazarist Mission of Beijing, in succession to Fr. Raux, C.M. Being a competent physicist, he could have been a member of the Academy of Mathematics, but declined the offer made him on behalf of another confrere. In fact, his preference was for continuing in the country mission field and, in particular, in the formation of Chinese priests, with the help of Fr. Ferreti, C.M., and a Chinese Lazarist, Fr. Joseph Han, who was the Assistant Director of the Novitiate. Up to that point, the Lazarists had completed the formation of 25 young confreres. In his lifetime, Fr. Chislain saw 18 of his students ordained priests.

Up to the year 1746, only 2 Chinese had been ordained priests for the Community; by 1852, in the whole of China, there were 25 Chinese of the total of 43 Lazarists. In 1859, 29 of the total of 56 Lazarists were Chinese nationals. By 1873, of the 125 Vincentians in China, a total of 105 were Chinese priests.

To achieve the object of forming a native clergy, each Apostolic Vicariate under control of the Congregation had, by 1900, its own seminaries (both major and minor) as follows:

Four mission districts were handed over to the Lazarists in Taiwan since 1952. It was thus that the Dutch arrived in 1952 in the Diocese in Taipei, where they worked in 6 parishes. The Americans arrived next in 1953 in the Diocese of Tainan, where they run 5 parishes. After that, other Americans came to the Diocese of Kaohsiung, where they have 5 parishes. Finally, some Chinese confreres came to Sze-hu in Kiayi Diocese, where they have 4 parishes.

The Canonization of John Gabriel Perboyre and the Missionary Commitment of the Congregation by Juan Delgado, C. M.
Brief Chronology of the Life of St. John Gabriel Perboyre
Biographical Sketch by Robert Stone, C.M.
Life of St John Gabriel Perboyre by Thomas Davitt, C. M.
The Case for Canonization: In English | en français | en español
Similarities between the deaths of Christ and St. John Gabriel Perboyre
Gallery - St. John Gabriel Perboyre - photos of important sites.
Prayer of St. John Gabriel Perboyre
Index to the Website for St. John Gabriel Perboyre