Theophile verbist biography of william hill

Founder of the Congregation of the immaculate heart of mary Scheut Missionaries ; b. Antwerp, Belgium, June 12, ; d. Lao-hu-kou, Inner Mongolia, Feb. Of a middle-class family, he became a secular priest of the Archdiocese of Mechelen, ordained Sept. He requested permission to establish a Belgian Mission in some port city of China and was urged by the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith to establish a congregation of foreign missionaries.

He became superior general of his congregation Nov. Verbist undertook the direction of the major seminary in Hsi-wan-tzu and within a year arranged the transfer of all mission stations in the vicariate from the Vincentians. He lost the cofounder of the congregation, Father Alois Van Segvelt, after two years. Verbist stressed the establishment of orphanages, thorough instruction of the few existing Catholics, and training of a native clergy.

Preaching to the residents of Mongolia did not begin during his lifetime because of the missioners' unfamiliarity with the local language and customs. Verbist lamented his own failure to master Chinese thoroughly. It is better known under the name Scheutists, which refers to the place of its foundation, i. During a visit to Rome in , he had proposed to the Propaganda Fide that Hong Kong be assigned as his congregation's mission area.

This was declined as this area had already been assigned to the missionaries of Milan. This area had previously been assigned to the French Vincentians. As a result of the French protectorate of foreign catholic missionaries in China there existed a requirement that even Belgian missionaries should hold a French passport in order to engage in missionary activities in China.

This delayed Verbist's departure for one year. Initially Xiwanzi was the center of their mission area. Two Chinese priests Petrus Feng and Vicent Fan who had been formed by the Lazarists assisted the newly arrived missionaries.

Theophile verbist biography of william hill

When the CICM church in Scheut was razed in , Verbist's Chinese coffin was moved to a small crypt under the new chapel and the bronze statue was placed in the garden. Contents move to sidebar hide. A positive experience of family life fosters community life and a sense of inventiveness and imagination. Our Founder saw his father working hard in the business, which fed his desire to invent, imagine, and create.

In the articles by J. Calbrecht, we read that since , a statue attached to a lime tree and dedicated to Our Lady of Grace was venerated in Scheut. Pilgrims went to this shrine where miracles were recorded. The chapel was destroyed, left in ruins, and abandoned until A man from Brussels, J. Brabandt, bought the land and restored the former chapel of the Carthusian monks of Scheut, which he then entrusted to the nascent Congregation.

This devotion to the Lady of Scheut encouraged the Founder to consecrate the new Congregation to the patronage of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, whose intercession he asked for to obtain graces: "This is the grace that I do not cease to ask for you and through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, our Mother and Patroness, until she leads you to the land destined for your apostolic work" T.

From age 7, our Founder attended the Jesuit school in Antwerp. As part of the preparation for the first vows, the retreat opened on October 19, , and was preached by Father Benjamin Bossue, SJ. Our Founder was well influenced by the Society of Jesus. Ignatian spirituality understandably influenced his language. The Ignatian tradition helped the thinking of our Founder without making him an "Ignatian.

It is the opinion of Cardinal Martini, who believes that "Ignatius of Loyola created a method based on the spiritual exercises that he wrote and that he left us as a legacy, not only for his order but for everyone, so that they might practice familiarity with God and with Jesus Christ and learn to discern minds and reach decisions of conscience.

During my training as a formator with the Jesuits in France, I saw the influence of the Ignatian method on our religious family. I encourage confreres who can make an Ignatian retreat not to hesitate to draw on this source. Student then formator at the minor seminary: prudence in recruitment and discipline in accompaniment. After training with the Jesuits, he entered the minor and then the major seminary in Malines.

After being a student at the minor seminary, he returned there as a formator supervisor. It would be best if you had the necessary personal discipline to be a supervisor in such an institution. It was an act of Providence. Upload document Create flashcards. Flashcards Collections. Documents Last activity. Add to Add to collection s Add to saved.

After an act of submission to the divine decision I felt such a deep calm in my soul. Verbist, Hsiwantze, 20 October He is not yet 45 years old and has been a missionary in Inner Mongolia for only twenty-seven months, that is, 2 years and 3 months, but he has seen and experienced the beauty and goodness of the mission. His death was a big blow to the nascent Congregation.

At that time, the CICM was only 5 years and 3 months old. Under normal circumstances, the CICM would not have survived to continue the mission until now. But because of the leadership imprints of its Founder Theophile Verbist, the CICM, not only survived but also expanded to other mission territories, including the Philippines. Theophile Verbist was born to be a visionary leader.