Born in Grenoble on the 19th of August 1748, Francis Regis Clet was ordained a priest in Lyon on the 27th of March 1773. He taught theology at the seminary of Annecy and was director of the Internal Seminary at the Mother House of the Congregation. Amid the French Revolution, he asked to leave for foreign missions; having landed in Macao, he worked for thirty years in the Chinese missions. He was martyred at Outchangfou on the 18th of February 1820. He was beatified on the 27th of May 1900 and was canonized on the 1st of October 2000.
Invitatory Antiphon: The Lord is the King of martyrs; come let us adore Him.
Hymn
The martyrs living now with Christ
In suffering were tried,
Their anguish overcome by love
When on his cross he died.
Across the centuries they come,
In constancy unmoved,
Their loving hearts make no complaint,
In silence they are proved.
No man has ever measured love,
Or weighed it in his hand,
But God who knows the inmost heart
Gives them the promised land.
Praise Father, Son and Spirit blest,
Who guides us through the night
In ways that reach beyond the stars
To everlasting light.
Antiphon 1: I believe that Providence has spoken; God wills it-that is my motto.
Antiphon 2: Our true home is heaven to which we can gain entry from any country in the world.
Antiphon 3: I am waiting patiently and tranquilly, thanks be to God, for the sentence of death to be carried out, saying with St. Paul, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Scripture Reading
Philippians 1:12, 21-23.
I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.
Short Responsory
V. I greatly desire to leave this life and to be with Christ.
R. I greatly desire to leave this life and to be with Christ.
V. I am waiting patiently and tranquilly.
R. I greatly desire to leave this life and to be with Christ.
V. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
R. I greatly desire to leave this life and to be with Christ.
Benedictus Antiphon: For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Intercessions
The Cross illuminated the martyrdom of Saint Francis-Régis Clet and crowned his ministry as an announcer of truth. We ask Christ to grant us participation in this mystery of salvation and constancy in serving the Church and our brothers:
R. May the strength of Your cross save us, Lord.
Sun rising from above, make Your face shine upon us, free us from evil, and satisfy us with the goods of Your house. R.
Teach us to carry the cross in union with Your sufferings, so that the light of Your glory may manifest within us. R.
You made the cross a tree of life; grant its fruits of salvation to those reborn in baptism. R.
Assist the heralds of the Gospel, confirming them with Your charisms, and let each of us proclaim Your resurrection with coherence of life. R.
Our Father
Concluding Prayer
O God, Who anointed Saint Francis-Régis Clet
to proclaim the Gospel to the people of China,
and crowned his apostolic zeal with martyrdom;
may those who are Christians
be strengthened by the Holy Spirit in the profession of faith,
and may they not fear to give their lives up for the growth of Your Kingdom.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever.
Hymn
Our Lord the path of suffering trod
And since His blood for man hath flowed,
’Tis meet that man should yield to God
The life he owed. Alleluia, Alleluia.
No shame to own the Crucified—
Nay, ’tis our immortality
That we confess our God who died,
And for Him die. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Filled with this thought, with patient smile
All threats the martyr doth withstand,
Fights, Lord, Thy cause, and leans the while
Upon Thine hand. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Beholding his predestined crown,
Into death’s arms he willing goes;
Dying, he conquers death; overthrown,
Overthrows his foes. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Lord, make us Thine own soldiers true
Grant us brave faith, a spirit pure
That for Thy name, Thy cross in view,
We may endure. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Eternal Father of the Word,
Eternal Word, we Thee adore,
Eternal Spirit, God and Lord,
For evermore. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Antiphon 1: God is patient; follow his example, be patient also.
Antiphon 2: All countries are good, provided that one can serve God in peace, because we have no fatherland here below.
Antiphon 3: Our true home is heaven, to which we gain entrance from any country in the world.
Scripture Reading
1 Peter 4:13-14.
Rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
Short Responsory
V. Let us be glad when we share in the sufferings of Christ.
R. Let us be glad when we share in the sufferings of Christ.
V. Because it means the Spirit of God is resting on us.
R. Let us be glad when we share in the sufferings of Christ.
V. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
R. Let us be glad when we share in the sufferings of Christ.
Magnificat Antiphon: Francis Regis will dwell in the Kingdom of Heaven; his peace will last forever
Intercessions
Let us ask our Father to make us worthy followers of Christ, amidst trials and persecutions from the world.
R. Father, fill us with your Holy Spirit.
Francis Regis worked joyfully for many years preaching the gospel. May we too find joy in spreading the Good News. R.
Francis Regis gave himself completely to your will. May we have the courage to seek it in our daily lives. R.
Francis Regis gave all that he had to the people of China. May that great country be open once again to God's saving message. R.
Francis Regis loved the Vincentian Community, and I remained faithful even during persecution. May we, too, be faithful to our vocation, R.
We praise you for our Chinese brothers and sisters, who have borne the pain of persecution and have departed from this world. May we count the trials that we encounter as signs of your love and enjoy your beatific vision together with them. R
Our Father
Concluding Prayer
O God, Who anointed Saint Francis-Régis Clet
to proclaim the Gospel to the people of China,
and crowned his apostolic zeal with martyrdom;
may those who are Christians
be strengthened by the Holy Spirit in the profession of faith,
and may they not fear to give their lives up for the growth of Your Kingdom.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever.
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