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September 11th - St. John Gabriel Perboyre
Following the French Revolution, Napoleon in 1801 brought religious peace to
France. The country was still Catholic, especially rural France. Pierre
Perboyre
and his wife Marie on a small farm in Puech near Cahors typified the French
peasant's faith. God blessed them with eight children. Three sons became
priests
in the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians), and two daughters entered
the
Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.
The eldest son of Pierre and Marie, John Gabriel, was born on the 6th of
January
1802. In 1816 John Gabriel accompanied a younger brother, Louis, to a high
school in Montauban that had been started by their uncle, Fr. Jacques
Perboyre,
C.M., to prepare young men for the seminary. In the Spring of 1817, his
teachers
noting John Gabriel's intelligence and piety suggested he remain with his
brother and continue his studies. Though willing to return home if needed on
the
farm, John Gabriel wrote to his father that he believed that the Lord was
calling him to the priesthood.
From his earliest days in the seminary, John Gabriel had longed for the
China
mission. In 1832, however, his superiors appointed him a novice director in
the
Vincentian Motherhouse. The departure of some Vincentians to China in 1835
renewed his missionary longing. Poor health stood in the way, but finally
his
doctor saw the voyage to the Orient as a possible cure. Five months at sea
brought John Gabriel to Macao where he studied Chinese.
In December of 1835, Father Perboyre, along with several missionaries, set
sail
from Macao in a Junk. Since the Chinese law forbade the entry of Christian
missionaries, the Christian captain and crew disguised themselves as
merchants
and smuggled John Gabriel on to the mainland of China.
Following a five month overland journey to the Vincentian mission center in
Ho-nan, Father Perboyre suffered a severe attack of fever that forced him to
rest for three months. But he was able enough to continue his mastering of
the
Chinese language. In the company of two Chinese Vincentians he spent the
years
1837 and 1838 reanimating the faith in Catholic villages by preaching,
catechizing and administering the sacraments. Some of the Vincentian mission
areas were desperately poor and John Gabriel shared the meager fare of his
flock.
For more than a century, China outlawed Christianity and had a death penalty
on
all Europeans attempting to spread the faith. Authorities often overlooked
this
law, but in 1839 the Viceroy of the province of Hu-pei began a persecution
and
used his local Mandarins to obtain the names of priests and catechists in
their
areas. In September 1839, the Mandarin of Hu-pei, where there was a
Vincentian
mission center, sent soldiers to arrest the missionaries. Warned of the
danger
by some Christians, the priests scattered in different directions. John
Gabriel
hid in a bamboo forest, but a beaten and tortured catechist led the soldiers
to
him.
Frequently tortured in prison, Father Perboyre refused to betray his faith
and
his associates. In May 1840 his case went to the Emperor where he was found
guilty of preaching Christianity and condemned to death. John Gabriel
Perboyre
was executed on September 11, 1840, in the Chinese custom of being tied to a
stake and triple strangled. Andrew Fong, a generous and valiant catechist
who
had aided Father Perboyre in his imprisonment, retrieved his body and buried
it
in the Christian cemetery where Blessed Francis Regis Clet, C.M., was
buried.
Both their remains now repose in the chapel of the Vincentian Motherhouse in
Paris, France.
The heroic suffering and death of John Gabriel led to his beatification in
1889.
And in recent times, Pope John Paul II canonized him as Saint John Gabriel
Perboyre, C.M., on June 2nd 1996.
Saint Quote:
"Do not disturb your soul at the sad spectacle of human injustice .... One
day
you will see the inevitable triumph of Divine justice over it."
-St. Padre Pio
Bible Quote:
It is through many tribulations that we must enter the kingdom of God. Acts
14:21
<><><><>
Oratio Universalis (Universal Prayer) of Pope Clement XI (1649-1721):
Lord, I believe in Thee: increase my faith. I trust in Thee: strengthen my
trust. I love Thee: let me love Thee more and more. I am sorry for my sins:
deepen my sorrow.
I worship Thee as my first beginning, I long for Thee as my last end, I
praise
Thee as my constant helper, and call on Thee as my loving protector.
Guide me by Thy wisdom, correct me with Thy justice, comfort me with Thy
mercy,
protect me with Thy power.
I offer Thee, Lord, my thoughts; to be fixed on Thee; my words: to have Thee
for
their theme; my actions: to reflect my love for Thee; my sufferings: to be
endured for Thy greater glory.
I want to do what Thou asketh of me: in the way Thou asketh, because Thou
asketh.
Lord, enlighten my understanding, strengthen my will, purify my heart, and
make
me holy.
Help me to repent of my past sins and to resist temptation in the future.
Help
me to rise above my human weakness and to grow stronger as a Christian.
Let me love Thee, my Lord and my God, and see myself as I really am: a
pilgrim
in this world, a Christian called to respect and love all whose lives I
touch,
those in authority over me or those under my authority, my friends and my
enemies.
Help me to conquer anger with gentleness, greed by generosity, apathy by
fervor.
Help me to forget myself and reach out toward others.
Make me prudent in planning, courageous in taking risks. Make me patient in
suffering, unassuming in prosperity.
Keep me, Lord, attentive at prayer, temperate in food and drink, diligent in
my
work, firm in my good intentions.
Let my conscience be clear, my conduct without fault, my speech blameless,
my
life well-ordered.
Put me on guard against my human weaknesses. Let me cherish Thy love for me,
keep Thy law, and come at last to Thy salvation.
Teach me to realize that this world is passing, that my true future is
happiness
of heaven, that life on earth is short, and the life to come eternal. Help
me to
prepare for death with a proper fear of judgment, but a greater trust in Thy
goodness. Lead me safely through death to the endless joy of heaven.
Though Christ our Lord. Amen. |
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