By DEB PIROCH
Born on Epiphany in 1802, he would take his priestly vows on the Feast of the Holy Innocents, and be martyred in the fashion of crucifixion in China. He was martyred and buried in Wuhan. Today’s saint is St. Jean-Gabriel Perboyle, whose feast is fast approaching on September 11.
The first Catholic missionaries actually began trying to convert China as early as 1294. First the Franciscans, then came Jesuits, then Dominicans. But by 1715 the Qing Dynasty banned Christianity. By the nineteenth century, when our saint lived, Europeans spreading Catholicism could be sentenced to death.
A member of an order referred to variously as “Vincentian,” or “Lazarist,” and founded by St. Vincent de Paul, Jean-Gabriel belonged to an order called the Congregation of the Mission. It was dedicated specifically to helping the poor and educating the clergy in need of reform. Jean-Gabriel not only became a religious but was one of eight children, five of whom joined Vincentian Fathers or the Daughters of Charity.
His uncle was also a missionary, one who started a once secret school at the start of the French Revolution. Later 18 of his kin would be educated there, including Jean-Gabriel and his brother. It was there that he discovered his religious calling.
He gradually discovered he wished also to be a Vincentian and possessed a longing to be a missionary in China. He was a bright student and after completing his studies, at 23 was ordained and appointed head of the novitiate in Paris. His brother, Louis, attempted the trip first, but died on the way at 24 and was buried at sea. Jean-Gabriel suffered poor health, always writing of exhaustion. When he asked to take his brother’s place, it was hoped the sea journey might help improve his constitution and he was granted permission. It took five months just to reach Macao, on the southeastern side of China, close to Hong Kong. Having been sick on the way, it took him a few months to recover. Then he had to travel inland, and master Chinese. Just to reach Hunan and Hu-bei took 17 months of travel.
The years 1837 and 1838 were spent catechizing, administering the sacraments, and ministering to the people’s needs. He was with other priests who guided him in this foreign land. He sent letters home, but it must have taken a long time to reach their intended recipient.
A poem he wrote then includes these words:
“O my Divine Savior, Transform me into Yourself. May my hands be the hands of Jesus. May my tongue be the tongue of Jesus. Grant that every faculty of my body may serve only to glorify You. Above all, transform my soul and all its powers, so that my memory, will, and affections may be the memory, will, and affections of Jesus….Grant that I may live but in You, by You and for You, so that I may truly say with St. Paul, ‘I live — now not I — But Christ lives in me’.”
The work was dangerous, as Catholicism was forbidden. Though often officials looked the other way, one was never guaranteed safety. But Fr. Jean-Gabriel trusted in God and also wrote of many miracles associated with the Miraculous Medal.
Then came renewed persecution in 1839, following a decree of the Manchurian Emperor Quinlong, followed by the Opium War with the British. Europeans were definitely personae non gratae. When soldiers came, it was on the 15th of September, the feast of the Birth of Mary, 1839. Our saint hid belatedly, having been betrayed by a newer Christian. The details that will follow mimic Our Lord’s Passion in a great many ways. He hid in a bamboo forest, but when he went to a Christian at night for a little food and sleep, he was captured. When taken, he was dressed in a red robe, red indicating guilt.
He was stripped and dressed in rags, and dragged about, undergoing a series of interrogations and even torture. According to a Vatican article, he was subjected to three trials, four tribunals, and 20 interrogations. Over and over he was asked to deny Christ. He was hung by his hair and thumbs, knelt on chains for hours, and beaten for not giving the right answers. Was holy oil a drug? Beaten. Would he confess? No. Beaten. He kissed the crucifix. Beaten again. No doubt the worst torture for him was the mockery made of God, Christ, and our Blessed Virgin. He was made to kneel on pottery shards and “Kiao-Fei” was carved into his forehead, meaning “abominable sect.”
At one point he was asked to don his priestly vestments and instead of looking weak, he looked majestic, and two Christians asked him for absolution. But he was becoming very weak in body and as he would not deny our Lord nor lie, was finally sentenced to die by strangulation.
Like Christ, he was sentenced to die on a cross, with criminals. But he had the grace of Last Rites. When a Fr. Yang somehow came to see him, he could no longer sit or stand, he was so weak. The attending priest wept to see him. The seven criminals would die first, during which Jean-Gabriel was seen praying. Then he was tied to a cross. They wound a rope around his neck, and strangled him during the sixth hour, at noon, like Christ. Onlookers noted that his face was most peaceful in death. All this occurred at Red Mountain, in Wuhan, and he was buried in the same cemetery as another martyr, Francis Regis Clet. Later his body was moved to the motherhouse in Paris.
Duc in altum (Luke 5:4). Reach out into the deep. Could this not have been our saint’s motto? Over two centuries since his death, we face an ever-Communist China, and Wuhan is synonymous with biological terror and secrecy throughout the world. During the 38 years Fr. Jean-Gabriel spent forming his life and spirituality, just three were spent in China, the final one in prison, and suffering.
But the last three years would not have been possible without the prior ones. God never asks more of one than a soul can give Him. Mother Teresa also once said God asks us to be faithful, not successful. We do not know how many souls he may have touched, moved, or saved. But God does. He ordained it so.
“When our pious undertakings meet with little success, let us not be troubled; when God wills anything to be done for His glory, He will not fail to urge on the work until it is accomplished. . . .
“The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ is the shortest way to perfection. The life of Christ was but a continuous cross. God confers a great honor on us when He calls us to walk the same path as His only Son. . . . Be generous and remember that we ought to walk in the footsteps of Jesus crucified. The servant of God who is not crucified with Jesus Christ, what is he?” — Flowers of Passion, based on the writings of St. John of the Cross.
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