St. Jean-Gabriel Perboyre
Feast Day: September 11
Some people want to be like Jesus in small ways.
Jean-Gabriel Perboyre asked to be transformed into Him completely.
He prayed for it every day.
He had no idea how literally God would answer.
He would die on a cross.
St. Jean-Gabriel Perboyre, pray for us.
Who Was St. Jean-Gabriel Perboyre?
Jean-Gabriel Perboyre was born in 1802 in southern France, into a devout farming family.
As a teenager, he joined the Congregation of the Mission, the community of priests founded by St. Vincent de Paul, often called the Vincentians.
He was ordained a priest in 1826.
A Teacher Who Wanted to Be a Missionary
For years, Jean-Gabriel trained young men for the priesthood in France.
He was a gifted teacher.
But his heart was in the missions.
His younger brother Louis, also a Vincentian, had died on his way to China.
Jean-Gabriel asked to take his place.
Mission to China
In 1835, he finally arrived in China.
Christianity was illegal there at the time, and missionaries had to work in secret.
He learned the language, dressed in Chinese clothing, and traveled from village to village, teaching and celebrating the sacraments.
He often felt lonely and weak.
But he kept going.
Betrayed and Arrested
In 1839, during a new persecution, Jean-Gabriel was betrayed by a former student for money.
It was hard not to see the parallel with Judas.
He was arrested and imprisoned for about a year.
He was interrogated and tortured many times.
He was ordered to step on a crucifix.
He refused.
Death on a Cross
On September 11, 1840, Jean-Gabriel Perboyre was tied to a wooden cross and strangled at Wuchang.
He was 38 years old.
The man who had prayed to be transformed into Christ died much like Christ: betrayed, mocked, and executed on a cross.
Canonized
Jean-Gabriel was beatified in 1889 and canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in 1996.
He was the first person martyred in China to be canonized.
His Prayer
His most famous prayer is short:
“O my Divine Saviour, transform me into Yourself.”
— St. Jean-Gabriel Perboyre
It is a prayer every Christian can make.
Not asking for an easier life.
Asking to become more like Jesus.
What St. Jean-Gabriel Perboyre Teaches Us
Jean-Gabriel teaches us that holiness is becoming like Christ, not just admiring Him.
He also teaches us perseverance.
He waited years to go to the missions.
He struggled with loneliness and fear.
He did not feel like a hero.
But he stayed faithful one day at a time.
When Is the Feast of St. Jean-Gabriel Perboyre?
St. Jean-Gabriel Perboyre is remembered on September 11, the anniversary of his martyrdom, especially by the Vincentian family and the Church in China.
Prayer Inspired by St. Jean-Gabriel Perboyre
Lord Jesus Christ,
St. Jean-Gabriel Perboyre asked You to transform him into Yourself,
and he followed You all the way to the Cross.
Transform us too.
Give us courage to stay faithful in loneliness and trial,
and bless the Church in China.
St. Jean-Gabriel Perboyre, pray for us. Amen.
