From the late 1700’s to the early 1800’s a large missionary movement took place within the Church. Vincentian missionaries were among those who journeyed to places like China and North America.

About the same time as the first Vincentians were settling at Saint Mary’s of the Barrens in Perryville, a Vincentian missionary was being martyred in China.

This martyr was Francis Regis Clet, C.M. His missionary work and subsequent death in China inspired another Vincentian martyr who was to follow him to China. Following Francis Regis Clet’s example, John Gabriel Perboyre, C.M. became a missionary. He himself died as a martyr in China in 1840. Saint John Gabriel was the first saint of China.

His Early Life

Francis Regis Clet was born in Grenoble, France in 1748, the tenth of fifteen children of a deeply religious farm family. Francis entered the Vincentians in 1769 and was ordained in 1773.

After he was ordained, Francis served as professor of moral theology at the Vincentian seminary in Anncey, a city about 80 miles northeast of his home. Staff and students called him “the walking library” due to his extensive knowledge of many subjects.

Later he became the rector of the seminary at Anncey, and in 1788, the recently elected Vincentian Superior General selected Francis as the director of novices at the internal seminary at the Vincentian motherhouse in Paris.

His Mission Request Is Granted

Francis had a burning desire to serve his faith as a missionary. After turning down his repeated requests for a missionary assignment to China, his superiors finally relented, and in 1791, they selected him to replace another priest who had to withdraw from his assignment at the last minute.

Francis arrived in Macao, China, after a six-month journey by sea. He spent some time in Macao acclimating himself to the Chinese culture, customs, and learning Chinese. He struggled for the rest of his life attempting to learn the language.

In 1792, he traveled to Kiang-si, one of the poorest areas of the whole country. Here he was the only European in the whole region. Late in 1793, Francis was selected as the Vincentian superior for a vast area of China. His personal “parish” included a region larger than the present day state of Alaska.

His Persecution, Imprisonment, and Death

His tireless missionary efforts over the succeeding years brought many Chinese to the faith. Anti-Christian persecutions took place periodically during his entire stay in China.

However, in 1812, his parish church and school were destroyed in a new wave of persecution. Francis narrowly escaped with his life. Christians in China, especially missionaries, were being accused of inciting rebellion against the ruling Qing dynasty.

Francis spent the remaining years of his life trying to avoid those who were seeking to imprison and torture him. He hid out in the mountainous terrain of the region, often hidden by Chinese Christians at great risk to their own lives.

In 1818, the persecutions of Christians in China again erupted with renewed vigor. In mid 1819, a Chinese Christian betrayed Francis and a fellow Chinese Vincentian for a large sum of money. He was subsequently tortured and forced to march for hundreds of miles shackled in chains—just like his fellow missionary from the early Church, Saint Paul.

On January 1, 1820, a magistrate found Francis guilty of deceiving the Chinese people by preaching Christianity. For this crime, the magistrate sentenced Francis to death by strangulation on a cross. The emperor approved the sentence and on February 18, Francis Regis Clet was executed. Just like his savior, Christians spirited his body away. He was buried on Red Mountain, where his body remained for several decades. His body was eventually returned to Paris.

His Faith

Francis lived the faith of a martyr, just as Saint Vincent had wished for those who followed him. Vincent said that to live the Gospel faithfully and to cultivate virtues like humility, simplicity, zeal, and charity each day is a virtual martyrdom, “a dying to self that Christ might live in you.” Francis Regis Clet truly lived these words of Saint Vincent to the fullest and he humbly accepted martyrdom for his Christian faith. Saint Francis Regis Clet’s feast day is February 17.

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