Narrator

“ Who, after reading this brief notice of the formation of the society for the propagation of the faith, can refrain from pausing in grateful admiration of the wonderful ways of that Almighty Being, the author of every good work, who, to accomplish his bountiful designs in favour of man, and to confound the loftiness of human wisdom, often adapts means the most simple and weak in appearance to the execution of his noblest purposes? ”

“ Fly sloth and idleness, and pay great attention to all the lessons of your masters. If reprehended or punished, murmur not; but submit with humility, and strive to amend your faults. In the discharge of your various duties, do not act, like slaves under the eyes of their task-masters, but do all through the simple yet perfect motive of pleasing him, who searches the reins and heart. ”

“ Thus will you draw down upon yourselves the continual blessings of heaven, and will go on daily increasing in virtue and knowledge, till you arrive happily at the close of your probation.
"4. Regardless of the distinctions arising from the diversities of nation or country, let charity and perfect concord reign among you; for, in a college, all are brethren one of another. Far from you be all contention and vain-glory, each one making it a rule with himself to behave towards every brother with the humility of an inferior. ”

“ It is the singular privilege of the Catholic faith to inspire its ministers with zeal and charity so disinterested as this—Towards the close of the last century, a British ambassador at the court of China, being an eye witness of the devotedness of our missionaries, could not withhold from them this high but just eulogium. ”

“ These virtues are, humility, obedience, chastity, patient zeal for the salvation of souls, charity to the poor, mortification and self-denial. In a word, animate yourselves to diligence in your studies by the recollection that ignorance in ministers of the gospel is the mother of all the errors at almost all the disorders with which the faithful become infected. ”

“ It is a singular spectacle (he writes) to see men animated by motives so different from those which usually actuate human actions, quitting for ever their country and friends, and consecrating their lives to the task of changing the religion of a people they have never seen. ”

“ The dignity, to which you are aspiring, of becoming priests and missionaries is so sublime, so awful and so holy, that admission to it is closed against all who do not give proofs of their vocation by the innocence and regularity of their behaviour, and by sweetness and docility of disposition. ”

“ Contrary to the laws of China, which forbid the execution of any criminal until the condemnation has been ratified by the Emperor, the sentence was instantly carried into effect. The holy prelate presented his head to the executioner with a presence of mind and serenity of countenance, wich filled the by-standers with admiration. His head was held up to public view, when many of the Christians, encouraged by so heroic an example, exclaimed: "would to God we might die like him," and the pagan spectators bore testimony to the murder of a just and innocent man. ”

“ Dread nothing so much as profaning them by approaching to them unworthily. The perpetration of so horrid a sacrilege would plunge you, as it did Judas, into an abyss of evils, and would imprint on your souls the sure character of eternal reprobation. ”

“ Already you have suffered much; but, your vocation being to follow the footsteps of the apostles in the propagation of the kingdom of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ, your lives will necessarily be filled with tribulation. Yet, take courage, for, provided you are faithful to the grace which is offered you, he, who. has conquered the world and hell, will give you the victory over all your enemies. ”

“ May it not, however, still be hoped, that English Catholics, so liberal in their charities at home, will yet be induced to give them a wider scope, and feel a holy emulation to concur by their prayers and alms in extending the inheritance of the Lord, in unfurling the standard of the cross to the idolatrous nations of the eastern and western hemispheres, and subjecting millions of their fellow-creatures, who are still sitting in darkness and the shades of death, to the salutary influence of the gospel of Jesus Christ? ”

“ Every day enter seriously into yourselves, and examine before God the state of your conscience. Have special devotion to the Blessed Virgin, by continually reciting prayers in honour of her, begging her intercession, and imitating her virtues, particularly her humility, obedience, purity, patience, and ardent love for Him, who was the fruit of her womb."
"3. Obey those who have rule over you, and submit yourselves; for they watch, as being to render an account of your souls. Religiously observe all the rules of the college. ”

“ Those in particular who have been condeed to wear the canga for life, are noticed as being subjects of great edification both to the faithful and the pagans, in as much as they wear it with humility and patience and fearlessly go through all the exercises of religion, as far as they are able, and say their accustomed prayers in the presence of their keepers. ”

“ For it is only by these signs that a solid judgment can be formed of your vocation."
"Lastly, my dear children, since you are preparing yourselves to carry the light of the gospel to infidel nations, labour assiduously during your abode in the college to enrich your souls with all the treasures of virtue and wisdom, that it may never be said of any of you on account of your ignorance; this man hath begun to build, and hath not wherewith to complete his work. Apply yourselves particularly to the study. ”

“ If you are careful not to deviate from the path marked out for you by your divine master, you will ever find him your comfort in labour and tribulation, your resource in adversity, and your strength in infirmity, for God is faithful, and will not suffer you to be tempted above your strength. ”

“ In the towns of Lo-tche-hien and Tchoung-kiang-hien the christians particularly distinguished themselves by their heroic constancy. Men, women and children, almost without exception, boldly came forward and declared their willingness to die rather than forsake their religion; for which they were subjected to insults, injuries, stripes and the confiscation of their property. At Lo-tche-hien the emissaries of government, unable to shake their perseverance, left the women and children, and took before the governor the men who bad been most active in encouraging the faithful by their exhortations. ”

“ The resident catechists are almost all married men or widowers, selected from the best instructed and most fervent Christians. Their office is, in the absence of the priest, to preside at general meetings of devotion, especially on Sundays and Festivals, when they read aloud prayers and some pious book, give familiar instructions on the Christian Doctrine, and announce to the faithful the feasts, fasts and abstinence prescribed by the church. ”

“ In the pursuit of this object they incur dangers of every kind, suffer all sorts of persecution, and renounce all the comforts of life. By means of their address, talents, perseverance and humility they triumph over every obstacle and succeed in making establishments necessary for the propagation of their faith, without using their influence to procure for themselves any personal advantage."
Such has been, and such is to this day the character of our Catholic missionaries. ”

“ All the students seem to burn with the love of God,and will doubtless hereafter become good and zealous missionaries, as well as confessors and martyrs. Although naturally timid, they have no dread of martyrdom. The relations of several of them have confessed and died for the faith. The father of one is now carrying the canga [1] and the son, I assure you, is a little saint worthy of such a father. ”

“ Of all the countries of Asia, China, from its superior state of civilization, is doubtless the finest theatre for the establishment and progress of Christianity. But no where are greater obstacles to be encountered. ”

“ And how will every sincere believer feel himself called upon to bless Providence, which is raising up such men to be the instruments of his abundant graces to the countries destined to become the theatres of their future labours! ”

“ Much charity had always been exercised by the missionaries in enquiring for and baptizing the children of pagans in danger of death, the permission to do which they were, in most cases, compelled to purchase with money. During this year they baptized 8,076 infants, of whom 5,808 passed from this life into the kingdom of heaven. This success was principally owing, under Province to a considerable legacy bequeathed for that purpose by a priest at Macao.
The vice-roy and many of the mandarins now began to shew less hostility to the christians than in former years ”

“ From their, exile in Tartary the Christians have occasionally found means of getting letters conveyed to their friends at home, the tenor of which is in the highest degree consolatory and edifying. They express themselves as being content with their fate, or, if they have any source of unhappiness, is the fear of bring deprived at the hour of death of the ministry of a priest. ”

“ The constancy of the faithful, under the most trying hardships and vexations, was a source of mutual encouragement to each other; the devoted missionaries fearlessly faced every danger in order to administer to them the consolations of religion ”

“ Thus, when the moment marked out by his eternal decrees has arrived, he inspires into the soul of perhaps but a single powerless individual a pious, strong, active and overruling thought or desire analogous to the effect he would produce. ”

“ Happily, however, for the faithful, the mandarins, wearied perhaps with their former unsuccessful attempts to extirpate the christian religion, and sickened with the effusion of so much innocent blood, were but little inclined to rouse themselves from repose in order to carry into effect the deadly projects of the new vice-roy. The actual extent of the persecution was confined to an occasional extortion of money from the christians by the underlings of office ”

“ When persecution is an obstacle to the existence of such communities, many pious females devote themselves to a single life im the midst of their own families, where they live in retirement and assiduous application to the exercises of piety and works of charity suited to their sex. ”

“ At Tong-king no person is admitted to the office of catechist until he has learnt by heart a work in two volumes comprising a refutation of all the idolatrous superstitions, the method of teaching the Christian Doctrine, and that of preparing the faithful for approaching worthily to the Sacraments. ”

“ They visit the sick and attend the funerals of the dead, to see that the rites of the Catholic church are observed without any mixture of Pagan superstition. They correct scandals and abuses, comfort such as are persecuted for the faith, and watch over the preservation of peace and fraternal charity. ”

“ Never presume to censure the conduct of others: but be indugent rather towards their imperfections, and severe only in the amendment of your own. Avoid even the shadow of evil where there would be danger of scandalizing a brother. ”

“ Ingenuity often seemed at a loss to contrive fresh kinds of torments. Two catechists, having been first whipped with thongs and beaten with sticks, were compelled to kneel three whole days on iron chains without being suffered to move, two men, one on each side, being appointed to pull them by the ears whenever they attempted to procure a little ease by a change of position. ”

“ Whilst the christians were going on in the public exercise of their religion and the missionaries in the discharge of their ministerial functions, an unexpected trouble befel them from a conspiracy against the life of the Emperor by a sect of pagans known by the appellation of Tao-yen, which fortunately was discovered in time and stifled by the arrest of the conspirators. ”

“ The itinerant catechists, who during their engagement in that capacity are obliged to live in a state of celibacy, accompany and assist the missionaries in the course of their visits, or go wherever they may be deputed to visit the different stations, to catechise, instruct, exhort and console the faithful, as well as to baptize, regulate Christian burials, and correct abuses. ”

“ A letter addressed by the holy martyr, whose death has just been recorded, to the students of this seminary is too interesting an evidence of the spirit, which the Almighty perpetuates from age to age, for the edification and increase of his church, to require an apology for presenting to the reader a few extracts from it. ”

“ The priests, owing to the paucity of their number and their consequent inability to administer to all the spiritual wants of their respective flocks spread over very extensive tracts of country, are assisted in some of their duties and ministerial functions by what are termed lay catechists. ”

“ These applaud his zeal, and are eager to become sharers in his merit From that moment all obstacles! seem to be surmounted; the path to the desired end id levelled before their feet, and every step betokens further success, because the hand of the Almighty directs their movements. ”

“ In the centre is a hole of barely sufficient diameter to fit a person's neck. For the purpose of putting it on, it is divided into two parts through the centre. When thus put on, the parts are put together, and the whole weight of the canga rests upon the patient's shoulders, who, moreover, from the size of the table, is unable to apply his hand to his mouth, but requires to be fed by another person. ”