By Thomas Sendlein, C.M.
Province of China
The journey of Francis Regis Clet was long and exhausting – six
long months. In his day, there were no airplanes, just a boat. The
way was roundabout. The exact destination was unsure. The terrain
was difficult. The political situation was hostile. The language
was a mystery. It was a journey from France to the so-called “Middle
Kingdom”, which seemed to the French the far side of the world
and from which Francis Regis Clet realized that he would never return.
Only his remains made the journey back to France.
Two
hundred and nine years later, the journey or “pilgrimage” was
the same distance, but only took an exhausting day. The means of
transport was not a ship, but a crowded uncomfortable airplane. The
way was not as roundabout as before, just stops in Bangkok and in
the Netherlands. The destinations were Paris and Rome. The political
situation was again hostile. A fresh controversy, precisely because
of the canonizations, was erupting between the Vatican and the People’s
Republic of China. The languages of French and Italian seemed mysterious
to the Chinese pilgrims from Taiwan. We were on a pilgrimage to Paris
to pay respects to Clet where his remains are entombed at the Chapel
of St. Vincent de Paul and a pilgrimage to Rome to share in the ceremony,
which publicly elevated Francis Regis Clet to the ranks of the saints.
Visiting the tomb of Francis Regis Clet
In
planning the pilgrimage, we felt that the first stop should be Paris.
Although the Vincentian priests, seminarian and Vincentian parishioners
were exhausted after the long journey, we immediately celebrated
the Eucharist at rue de Bac, asking the assistance of Mary to accompany
us on our spiritual journey and on the constant journey of the Chinese
people in history. The next day was September 27th, St.
Vincent de Paul’s feast day. We celebrated the Mass with St.
Vincent looking down upon us and St. John Gabriel Perboyre and St.
Francis Regis Clet on each side looking up to us. We were surrounded
by our Vincentian roots, from where many missionaries left for China.
From Appiani and Muellner (1699) to the present, Vincentian missionaries
have shared in the evangelization of China. Throughout our 300-year
history in China and with well over 1,000 Vincentians, both Chinese
and foreign, the congregation has influenced the history of the Catholic
Church in China.
As
we, the Vincentian Chinese pilgrim group, made our prayerful way
from St. Vincent de Paul to St. John Gabriel Perboyre and then to
St. Francis Regis Clet, we reflected on their lives and sufferings
and even more, prayed to them to intercede for the Chinese people.
From the church we moved to the relic room at the Maison-Mère.
There we saw instruments used in the martyrdom of our saints and
the clothes worn by them. Our understanding was widened when we realized
that many more Vincentians and Daughters of Charity had died violent
deaths as they served God’s people in China. One particular
section was dedicated to Bishop Schraven and his companions (a total
of 3 Dutch, 2 French, 1 Polish and 1 Austrian confreres), who were
killed by the Japanese in 1937 in Zhengding (Chengtingfu). The sole
survivor of the massacre, Fr. Joseph Chow (Zhou), lives in Taiwan
and just celebrated his 94th birthday.
Prayer Vigil in Preparation for the Canonization of Francis Regis
Clet
In
Rome the Chinese group could feel the spirit of the canonization
rising as we entered the Church of San Gioacchino, where the Vincentian
prayer vigil was just about to start. From the side altar right next
to the sanctuary, we could hear and see the ceremony and enter into
prayer with the other members of our Vincentian family. As we sang,
prayed and listened to God’s word together, one had a deep
sense that the Vincentian family was bigger than just one parish
or just one part of the world. We were united in true family spirit
both with those present at the prayer vigil and with those who could
not be there. The ceremony brought together both the present and
the past. The Vincentian heritage was being celebrated and being
continued at the same time. This became more real as we gazed on
the pictures of our various saints and blessed, which were being
elevated at the sanctuary by various members of the Vincentian family.
Rev.
Robert Maloney, C.M., Superior General of the Congregation of the
Mission and of the Daughters of Charity, gave his personal testimony
of visiting the place of Francis Regis Clet’s execution. He
summed up the reasons why Clet was such an extraordinary person:
Clet was a whole person, genuinely integrated,
Clet trusted deeply in God’s providence, where he found meaning
in life,
Clet shows an astounding peacefulness about dying.
Father Maloney concludes: “My brothers and sisters, the saints
make holiness real to us. They make it concrete. In them holiness
comes alive. Their lives are not books of abstract theology, nor
manuals of dry spirituality. They are the real thing. I encourage
you today to rejoice in, and of course learn from, this wonderful
man. He was a whole person, filled with tenderness and compassion.
He trusted deeply in God’s providence in his life and, with
God leading the way, he walked peacefully to his death. Is there
much more that we need to learn about living than that? If Francis
Regis Clet can teach us these lessons, then his martyrdom was surely
not in vain.”
The Canonization of 120 Martyr Saints of China
The
morning was overcast. A light drizzle could be felt now and then.
As we arrived at St. Peter’s Square, we were all praying for
a miracle – that it wouldn’t rain! A strong sun or a
heavy rain would make the ceremony really miserable. The Vincentian
Chinese delegation made its way up front toward the center where
we had tickets for prearranged seats. We met another delegation from
Taiwan and a Chinese delegation from Canada. We were all armed with
our umbrellas and properly dressed for the occasion – in plastic
raincoats.
Throughout
the waiting and the ceremony, the thousands of people worked in unison
as everyone opened their umbrellas as it began to rain and closed
them when it stopped. This happened innumerable times and it became
so natural that no one seemed to mind. As I reflected during those
moments, I thought of Francis Regis Clet who was dragged from place
to place and from prison to prison – 33 in all. It must have
been raining on some of those occasions and with what great physical
suffering!
In
the biographical profile for the canonization, we read:
“Blessed Francis Regis Clet of the Congregation of the Mission
(Vincentians). After obtaining permission to go to the Missions in
China, he embarked for the Orient in 1791. Having reached there,
for thirty years he spent a life of missionary sacrifice. Upheld
by an untiring zeal, he evangelized three immense provinces of the
Chinese Empire: Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan. Betrayed by a Christian, he
was arrested and thrown into prison where he underwent atrocious
tortures. Following sentence by the Emperor he was killed by strangling
on 17 February 1820.”
87
of those newly canonized were Chinese and the Pope John Paul II said
in his homily that with this solemn proclamation of holiness, the
Church intends “to recognize that those martyrs are an example
of courage and consistency to us all, and that they honor the noble
Chinese people.” Referring to the 33 foreign missionaries,
His Holiness said, “Resplendent in this host of martyrs are
also the 33 missionaries who left their land and sought to immerse
themselves in the Chinese world, lovingly assimilating its features
in the desire to proclaim Christ and to serve those people.”
As
the formula of canonization was read we sang in unison: “Amen.
Alleluia”, as we gave praise to the Lord for the example of
our brothers and sisters, who gave their lives for the faith and
the Chinese people.
At the “Angelus” that day, Pope John Paul II greeted the faithful
assembled for the canonization: “With affection, I greet
all the faithful gathered here to honor the Chinese Martyrs, especially
those of you of Chinese origin, who are seeing for the first time
the canonization of martyrs belonging to your own people. Likewise,
my thoughts reach out to all the Catholic faithful in China. I
know that you are spiritually united with us, and I am certain
that you understand that this is a special moment of grace for
the whole Church and for the entire Catholic community in China.
I wish to assure you once more that I pray for you every day. May
the Holy Martyrs comfort you and sustain you as, like them, you
bravely and generously bear witness both to your fidelity to Jesus
Christ and to your genuine love of your people. [Then in Chinese
he said] I wish you peace.”
The Banquet after the Canonization
Several
members of the Vincentian Chinese delegation were invited immediately
after the canonization to a banquet. Both for me and for them the
highlight of the meal was the possibility of meeting personally many
relatives of Francis Regis Clet. The connection with Clet continued
to become real.
The Get-together of the confreres in the evening
As
evening came, so did a great number of confreres who joined together
for a buffet meal at Via Pompeo Magno. Old acquaintances, distant
friends, classmates dispersed on mission around the world had come
to Rome for the canonization of our confrere. After lively conversations,
everyone enjoyed a great meal and the Polish confreres belted out
songs to enrich the already pleasant atmosphere.
The Mass of Thanksgiving on Oct. 2, 2000
Cardinal
Shan from Kaohsiung, Taiwan celebrated the Mass of Thanksgiving for
the canonization of the Chinese martyr saints. Many of the confreres
concelebrated this outdoor Mass in St. Peter’s Square. Once
again, we had the orchestra of the opening and closing of the umbrellas
as the rains came and left at various moments during the Mass. Once
again, we didn’t mind as we concentrated on giving thanks to
the Lord for these great Christian examples.
The Continuation of the Jubilee Pilgrimage
The
Vincentian Chinese Pilgrimage continued as we visited the remaining
three Basilicas of St. Paul, St. John Lateran and St. Maria Maggiore.
At each, we gave thanks to the Lord for the opportunity to participate
at the canonization and the Jubilee Year 2000 and we prayed for our
brothers and sisters in China.
Meanwhile in Mainland China
Before
October 1st, a vigorous anti-canonization campaign was
launched through state media, press and television. All sorts of
accusations were broadcast against the foreign missionaries and their “infamous
Chinese henchmen”. Interference in China’s internal religious
affairs was again brought up. The government pressured the official
bishops and priests to avoid speaking publicly about the canonization
during the Masses on Sunday, October 1st. Many analysts
see the intensity of the campaign as the government’s concern
more about the official Church than about the unofficial one because
more and more bishops and young priests are moving towards Rome.
Despite the ban on even mentioning the word “canonization”,
on October 1st fresh flowers appeared on two side altars
in a church, a silent, but simple and profound proclamation of
the deep appreciation of our brothers and sisters in China toward
St. John Gabriel Perboyre and St. Francis Regis Clet.
