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Francis Regis Clet was born August 19, 1748 in Grenoble, France. He was the tenth of fifteen children born to Claudine Bourquy and Cesar Clet.
Francis attended the Jesuit school in Grenoble and then entered the diocesan seminary. He was a brilliant student. The Priests of the Congregation of the Mission were well known in his town and Francis decided to follow the Vincentian way of life.
Francis entered the novitiate of the Congregation of the Mission in Lyon, in the Fourvier district, March 6, 1769. He was ordained to the priesthood March 27, 1773.
His first appointment was that of Professor of Moral Theology in the Major Seminary of Annecy where he was very much admired and later in 1786 was named Rector.
In 1788 he became Director of the internal Seminary of the Congregation of the Mission at the Motherhouse in Paris.
Around this time the ravages and difficulties of the French Revolution began to take their toll and on July 13, 1789 Saint Lazare was invaded. The priests and lay brothers had to run for their lives. They returned to the Motherhouse the following day and found everything ransacked.
In spite of the devastation of the French Revolution, the Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission wanted to send missionaries to China. Francis Regis offered himself and his Superior accepted. In April of 1791 he left for China and arrived in Kiang-Si on October 15, 1792.
For nearly thirty years he dedicated himself fully to the Chinese Mission and adapted to a new way of living and a new language, which was a special difficulty. The majority of priests came into China illegally.
The Vincentians, helped by Chinese Priests, worked within the various provinces of China serving more than 200,000 Christians. The situation was very dangerous due to religious persecutions and they had to avoid being recognized.
Francis Regis was detained in Jinjiagang and later taken to a prison in Nan-Yang-Fou. After sufferings months of cruel and brutal torture he was sentenced to death by the Emperor: “You have came into China secretly, you have deceived many people preaching your doctrine, and according to the Law you must be strangled to death immediately” . He died February 18, 1820, near Ou-Tchang-Fou, having been strangled while hanging on a cross.
He was beatified May 27,1900 and canonized with 119 Chinese Martyrs October 1, 2000.
His body lies in repose at the Mother House of the Congregation of the Mission in Paris.
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