September 11
Juan Gabriel Perboyre (1802–1840)
Priest
Born in Mongesty, France, John Gabriel had two brothers and two sisters who, like him, entered the spiritual family of Saint Vincent de Paul.
Biography
He became a Lazarist in Montauban and a priest in Paris in 1825. He held various positions of trust in his congregation for ten years, and in 1835 he embarked on a mission to China. He spent eighteen months in Ho-Nan and then went to carry out his apostolate in the mountains of Hou-Pei. Betrayed by a young man, he was led from city to city and his martyrdom lasted a whole year. His executioners did with him whatever they wanted: they loaded him with chains, ground his feet in a wheel, beat him with bamboo sticks, disfigured his face with whips, made him drink dog's blood and he had the glory of being crucified and dying as his Savior. Pope Leo XIII beatified him on November 10, 1889 and his relics rest in the headquarters of his Order in Paris. On June 2, 1996 he was canonized by Pope John Paul II.
Practical advice
With simplicity and joy, give up a comfort to remain faithful to your conscience without leaving for tomorrow the good that you can do today.