CHAPTER I, Lesson 4: Fr.

Theophile Verbist and His Companions

Video Clip Viewing (Cross the Line)

This is a four-minute video clip which gives tips on how to be successful in one’s
endeavors. Despite setbacks or challenges, we can still choose to care and cross the line. Crossing
the line necessitates choosing to commit oneself to one’s goals, working hard knowing that there
are no quick fixes, focusing and intending to succeed, and being resilient and willing to learn from
one’s own mistakes. This is the secret of great and successful people.

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

(Mt. 28:19-20)
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and behold,
I am with you always, until the end of the age."

These are the commissioning words of Jesus to His disciples before He left them.
Endowed with the authority and power of God, Jesus gives them a universal mission. He
entrusted them the mission to preach and teach in the name of the Triune God and gave them the
assurance of His presence that He will be with them in all their endeavors and struggles, to the
ends of the earth. They are to go and make disciples not just of the Jewish nation, but of all
nations. The Good News of salvation is not exclusively for one nation. It is for all peoples in all
generations. Such mission was accepted by the disciples and was handed down to the entire
Church.
One important aspect of the commissioning is that Jesus tells His disciples to baptize
people. At Baptism, we are claimed by God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We are set
into a personal relationship with the Persons of God. In the same way, Jesus tells His disciples to
teach the people. Jesus gives to all His teachings the force of Divine Law, commanded by Divine
authority. This means that the teachings of Jesus have the force of the Divine Law.

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 Another important thing to note is that throughout the history of the people, those
who receive a particular mission involving great difficulty are strengthened for the task by God’s
presence. Now, Jesus promises His disciples, “I am with you always…” The Divine Presence
will not forsake them. The Lord will be with His people, to the end of time. No earthly power, no
force of hell will destroy this new and final “community of worship”, the Church. She will stand
firm, not by her own virtue but by the power of Him who sends her. As the Church receives her
universal mission, she is promised the strength to carry it out. Jesus knows very well that the
Church has a long way to travel so He assured her that He is with the members always,
accompanying them in all their missionary journeys. The Lord works in many ways – and He
will go to prepare the way for them. He also sends them the Holy Spirit without whom it is
impossible to accomplish the work of evangelization.

To sum up, Jesus teaches the disciples; the disciples teach other people. The Good
News must be preached to all, both in word and in deed by the teachers/preachers and persevere
no matter what it takes. The Lord promises His abiding presence.

The Vatican II Document, “Ad Gentes” clearly states: “Therefore, let the missionaries,
God's co-workers, ( cf. 1 Cor. 3:9), raise up congregations of the faithful such that, walking
worthy of the vocation to which they have been called (cf. Eph. 4:1), they may exercise the
priestly, prophetic, and royal office which God has entrusted to them. In this way, the Christian
community will be a sign of God's presence in the world: for by reason of the Eucharistic
sacrifice, this community is ceaselessly on the way with Christ to the Father; carefully nourished
on the word of God; it bears witness to Christ; and finally, it walks in charity and is fervent with
the apostolic spirit.” (Ad Gentes, Chapter V # 15, on Missionaries)

Such missionary vocation/commitment of Fr. Theophile and his companions is

clearly supported in the above document. The CICM missionaries continue sharing the joy of the
Gospel by ministering to the people of different races in the world, and celebrating the Word of
God in the Liturgy and in the sacraments as Evangelii Nuntiandi beautifully puts; “Evangelizing
is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to
evangelize, that is to say, in order to preach and teach, to be the channel of the gift of grace, to
reconcile sinners with God, and to perpetuate Christ's sacrifice in the Mass, which is the
memorial of His death and glorious resurrection.” (E.N. #14 )

Furthermore, the Apostolic Exhortation of his Holiness Pope Paul VI,“To the
Episcopate, To the Clergy and To All the Faithful of the Entire World” states:

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 “The Twelve and the first generation of Christians understood well the lesson of this
text and other similar ones; they made them into a program of action. Even persecution, by
scattering the apostles, helped to spread the Word and to establish the Church in ever more distant
regions…In the course of history, the generations of Christians have periodically faced various
obstacles to this universal mission. On the one hand, on the part of the evangelizers themselves,
there has been the temptation for various reasons to narrow down the field of their missionary
activity. On the other hand, there has been the often humanly insurmountable resistance of the
people being addressed by the evangelizers. Furthermore, we must note with sadness that the
evangelizing work of the Church is strongly opposed, if not prevented, by certain public powers.
Even in our own day it happens that preachers of God's Word are deprived of their rights,
persecuted, threatened or eliminated solely for preaching Jesus Christ and His Gospel. But we are
confident that despite these painful trials the activity of these apostles will never meet final failure
in any part of the world.( #49-50)

This is very true in as far as the missionary activity of the CICM is concerned. The death
of the founder and many other confreres who were martyred for the sake of the mission did not
become a hindrance for the congregation to expand worldwide. Despite adversities, the
congregation remained faithful to the very origin of its missionary identity and constantly renews
its deepest commitment to the Lord’s call to proclaim the Good News of salvation to the whole
world, to all creation, right to the ends of the earth!

Indeed, the legacy left by the Founder remains alive in every CICM missionary: a life to
the end in the service of the mission. Such is the “mark” of CICM: the call to leave everything
for the sake of the mission. Such is the participation of the congregation in the great mission of
evangelization in response to Jesus' last words in the Gospel conferring on the evangelization
which the Lord entrusts to His apostles a limitless universality: "Go out to the whole world;
proclaim the Good News to all creation."

In this section, let us have a concise discussion of the CICM’s origin or foundation by
recounting the life and journeys of Fr. Theophile Verbist and his companions:

Fr. Théophile Verbist, Founder of the CICM

Fr. Theophile Verbist was born in 1823 in Antwerp,
Belgium. He was ordained priest in 1847, a diocesan priest of
the. Archdiocese of Malines-Brussels in Belgium. He was on
the staff of the minor seminary, the Chaplain of the Military
Academy of Brussels and the Chaplain of the Sisters of Notre
Dame de Namur. In 1860, he was appointed as the National
Director of the Pontifical Association of the Holy Childhood.
This is a pious association that animates its members to Fr. Theophile Verbist
support the missions, especially children in need, “I am extremely happy and contented. I would love to leave my
bones in China, though I have known many hardships and

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particularly children in China and the millions of oppositions… All this makes a missionary feel alive. When I see

Chinese who lived at that time in ignorance and all the young confreres who are fully engaged in the apostolate,

poverty. According to oral tradition, while praying at the and when I think of all the good they are doing and will

chapel of the Sisters, the flame was lit up in his heart be doing, I believe that the good Lord is pleased with us and

for his desire to become a missionary. It was nourished that He will expand our work.”

in gratitude for the faith so easily received in Catholic

Belgium, and in compassion for the many who have not yet heard the Good News. It was timely
that in October 25, 1860 the Treaty of Peking was signed, opening the gates of Imperial China
to missionary work. Verbist’s desire to establish a Belgian mission in China to take care of
orphans was further strengthened. In November 28, 1862 he founded the Congregatio Immaculati
Cordis Mariae (CICM) in Scheut, Brussels, Belgium, a Belgian Mission for China. On seeking
ecclesiastical permission, however, they were commissioned by Cardinal Alessandro Barnabo, Prefect of
the Propaganda Fide, to begin their work by founding a seminary in Belgium to supply priests for the
beginning mission, and laid the foundations of the Scheutveld College, 28 April 1863, in the Field of
Scheut, a short distance from Brussels, so the C.I.C.M. missionaries were also known as Scheutists or
Scheut missionaries. The congregation was born not knowing exactly what lay ahead. In
September 1863, the first group of missionaries set forth for Inner Mongolia.
In the winter of 1865, Fr. Theophile Verbist together with four zealous companions, Fr.
Alois Van Segvelt, Fr. Ferdinand Hamer, Fr. Francois Vranckx, and a Belgian layman, Paul
Splingaerd arrived in Xiwanzi, Inner Mongolia, the immense territory north of the Great Wall of
China, which was entrusted to the fledgling Congregation by Rome. There they immediately
began organizing small Christian communities. Being new to a foreign land, they had to face a lot
of difficulties, including the harsh terrain, severe weather, vast distances, learning the language of
the people, and unfamiliar diseases. But these challenges did not prevent them in planting the
seeds of CICM missionary work.

Fr. Theophile Verbist and his Companions

Fr. Albert Raskin, CICM who was the archivist of the Congregation in 1982,
described Fr. Theophile Verbist as a wise superior. “He went about his work with a level head,”

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Fr. Raskin wrote. This was manifested in the consultations that preceded the founding of the
Congregation. “He could take advice and follow it as well.”
Verbist wanted to found a missionary congregation, but he knew he could not do it without
having experienced the mission himself. In a letter of April 1866, Verbist writes, “Every day I
thank the Lord that He allowed me to go personally to the mission of the congregation so that
I would learn and experience what the demands of the missionary life are in reality.” At the same
time, he also observed the mission critically. To his sister Elisa he wrote: “The missionary would
jeopardize the success of his efforts if, before attempting to reform the world around him, he would
not first study matters in silence, observe with care, and, above all, exercise an enduring patience.”
It is from this experience that he would challenge the novices in Belgium to test their vocation
well. They have to make sure their vocation is
rooted in a pure love of God.
As a founder, Verbist was appointed pro-
vicar of the mission of Mongolia. No matter how
seriously others worried about the difficulty and
extension of this mission, Verbist remained full of
enthusiasm and dynamism. Even though he was
confronted with the difficult and sensitive take-
over of the mission when he arrived in China,
Verbist was optimistic that something good would
come out of it in the end. Because of his many
responsibilities, Verbist had almost no time to
focus on the study of the Chinese language. Still, Bishops praying beside Fr. Theophile Verbist’s coffin as
soon as he could express himself somewhat in
Chinese, he got involved in direct apostolate in Hsi-wan-tzu.
Raskin singles out Verbist’s tactfulness and sensitivity to the needs of others.
“Authoritarianism was not in his character. He knew that in the long run you could gain more
through quiet dialogue than with force.” For instance, writing from China, Verbist advised the
novice master of a young confrere who had just finished his novitiate and had been ordained a
priest to keep him in Belgium if possible for another year, “so he could recuperate from his
studies and his parents could enjoy having him nearby as a priest for some time.” For the
confreres in China, he proved himself a leader of much understanding. “When two new confreres
arrived and were assigned to West Mongolia, he insisted on taking them there himself. In this
way, he could see with his own eyes how they were housed and judge if their appointment was
good,” according to Raskin, quoting from a letter of Verbist,
Thenfounder shows his appreciation and concern for the Verbist’s Symbols as a Founder:
well-being of his confreres through, for example, 1. Polished Wooden Box - stands for his
spending heavily and bought no less than seven (7) horses, enormous work of keeping contact with
two (2) mules, and two (2) wagons just as Fr. Van Segvelt people in leading the young missionary
congregation and in managing the vicariate
was preparing to leave for Eastern Mongolia.
In February 23, 1868, Fr. Theophile Verbist died of 2. Small Chinese Riding Chip - stands for
typhoid fever, in a small villageof Lao – Hu - Kou. He was his many travels in the service of the
mission
45 years old. On hearing of his death, Pope Pius IX said,

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 “the man may die but God will not allow his work to disappear.” His legacy that is a life given to
the end in the service of the mission will be the inspiration of many more missionaries.

Indeed, in the period between 1865 to 1887, CICM sent no less than 74 missionaries to Inner
Mongolia to continue the missionary work that Fr. Theophile Verbist started. The founding
Fathers never imagined that many would follow their footsteps notwithstanding the cost of
traveling by sea and in the hinterlands of China. The remains of Fr. Theophile Verbist were
brought to the Memorial Chapel of the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace in Scheut, Belgium on
March 30, 1932. From time to time, CICM members go on a pilgrimage to Fr. Theophile
Verbist’s tomb for certain reasons: to pray in gratitude for their missionary
vocation and to rekindle the flame that was lit first in the heart of the founder.

A CICM prays before the mortal remains of A gallery of all CICM missionaries at the
Fr. Theophile Verbist at the Mother House in Scheut, Brussels, Belgium Scheut House

— *A VIDEO CLIP VIEWING ON FR. THEOPHILE AND HIS COMPANIONS

A. It is important to emulate Fr. Theophile Verbist by:

1. Showing care and concern to the weak and vulnerable members of the society like taking
care of the children, handicapped, aged, sick and those in need of help.
2. Participating actively in the missionary advocacies of the CICM.
3. Participating actively in the different extension programs of the school.
4. Knowing that missionary life is not easy, writing letters/messages of encouragement to
CICM missionaries around the world might help.
5. Joining the CICM Campus Mission Volunteers (CCMV) and participate actively in the
different endeavors and ministries of the group.
6. Like Fr. Theophile Verbist and his companions, to “cross the line” and reach my
dreams/goals in life.
References:

Austin, Flannery, OP (Gen. Ed.), Vatican Council II: The Conciliar Documents. Vol 1, New
York: Costello Publishing Co., 1984.

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CICM, “Carrying on the Mission 100 Years of CICM in the Philippines”. CICM Philippines,
2007.
Rev. Fr. Heyndrickx, Jeroom J., CICM, “Verbiest Foundation-Leuven: An Institution for
Evangelization in China Created by the CICM in Christ is Calling Me 150 Years of
Service in God’s Mission 1862-2012. St. Pauls Philippines
Rev. Fr. Verhelst, Daniel, CICM,“CICM Missionaries Past and Present”. Leuven University
Press, 1995.
The Little Flame of CICM: Fr. Theophile Verbist (1823 -1868)
http://www.cicmphilippines.org/cicm-in-the-philippines/
www.cicmmissionaries.org

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