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A Vincentian in China
Jean Gabriel Perboyre was born January 5, 1802 at Puech, a hamlet of the Montgesty parish in the diocese of Cahors, France. John Gabriel was one of eight children born to Marie Rigal and Pierre Perboyre. The family earned their livelihood farming with John Gabriel growing up in a very Christian household.
Jacques Jean, his father's brother, was a priest of the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians). He was on mission at the Vincentian Seminary at Montauban working in the formation of future priests. The Perboyre family held him in great esteem and at least seventeen cousins and nephews of the family passed under the hands of their Uncle James at the Seminary at Montauban.
Louis, the next in the family to Jean, was sent to this Seminary in 1816 and Jean Gabriel went to accompany his brother for the winter months as well as study. In the Spring, when Jean was due to return to the farm, with the direction of his uncle, Jean discerned that he wished to become a priest.
On December 15, 1818 Jean Gabriel was received into the Congregation of the Mission at Montauban. On September 23, 1825 he was ordained a priest by Bishop William Dubourg, of the diocese of New Orleans of the United States, in the Chapel of the Daughters of Charity at Rue du Bac in Paris.
After a time as Professor of Theology at the Seminary in Saint-Flour and then as Director of a boarding school in the same town, he was called to Paris in 1832 to be Assistant Director of Novices at the Internal Seminary of the Congregation of the Mission.
But Jean wanted to go to the Missions in China. On August 29, 1835 he arrived in Macao, the gateway to the Missions in China. After working in many apostolic activities at Ho-Nan and in spite of dangers and persecutions, he was betrayed and imprisoned in September 1839.
On September 11, 1840, after long and severe torturing, he suffered martyrdom at Ou-Tchang-Fou by being tied to a cross and strangled with a rope.
He was beatified November 10, 1889 by Leo XIII and canonized by Jean Paul II, June 2, 1996.
His remains were transported to St. Lazare, the Vincentian Motherhouse, twenty years after his death.
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