1887 - Jean-Baptist Pernet

May 9, 1887

Sanli, Guangxi

Jean-Baptist Pernet was born in the French town of St. Pierre d’Albigny on June 7, 1859. At the age of 19 he entered the seminary of the Missions Etrangères de Paris. After graduating, Pernet was selected to spend a year of advanced studies in Rome. When he returned to Paris he was ordained a priest and appointed to join the mission of Guangxi in southern China.

After a period of language study, Pernet commenced work at Sanbanjiao. An abundant harvest was being reaped, with several villages inviting the missionaries to come and instruct them in the ways of the Lord. The advance of the kingdom of God is never without opposition, and so it proved in this case. In early October 1883, a group of over 200 bandits converged on the mission residence while Pernet was celebrating mass. The congregants fled, but it was too late for the Frenchman. He was stabbed in the side, chest, back, and arms. Pernet later described what happened as lay on the ground in a pool of his own blood:

“A strong cord was used to bind my hands behind my back, and I was strung up to a beam which supported the front of the roof. I was completely naked on account of having my garments torn off by the intruders, and I was subjected to the taunts and insults of these unhappy pagans….

I watched as the men plundered the house and sanctuary, carrying off everything of value. My heart sank as I saw them steal even the Communion cups. The scene was representative of what must occur in hell! ....

The brigands continued to insult me, pulling my hair and plucking out parts of my beard. For two hours I remained bound to the beam as the plundering continued. Finally, as I was about to pass out, they let me down and led me to the reception room in order to put me to death. Their swords were lifted up and I cried out to God, committing my spirit into His hands. Right at that moment an argument started among the brigands. Some of them wanted to kill me, but others were opposed to the idea, fearing a backlash from the authorities. For ten to fifteen minutes my life hung in the balance. Never has my heart been more peaceful. Finally I was taken back to the beam and tied up to it again.”[1]

Around eleven o’clock in the morning the bandits decided to leave. Pernet’s naked body was completely numb due to having been tied up so long. The bandits cut the cords that held him to the beam, and he fell to the ground. The men then demanded the Frenchman get up and walk. They had decided to take him captive back to their mountain hideout.

Surrounded by five or six men armed with rifles, shovels, sabres, and long knives, Pernet was pushed along the road as the rest of the men triumphantly carried their spoils. Along the way Pernet saw several frightened Christians who hid while the procession passed by. Mile after mile he was shoved along narrow tracks between rice paddies and up into the hills, all the time with his hands tied awkwardly behind his back.

For hours the naked priest continued to be subjected to humiliation. He remembered that the Apostle Paul had written: “God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men…. To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.”[2]

The leader of the bandits told Pernet he could gain his release if the Catholic mission agreed to pay a ransom. The Frenchman laughed, telling them the priests had no money as they gave everything they received away to the poor, and besides, it was their policy not to pay any ransom demands. Unhappy with his response, the bandits forced Pernet to write a letter to Pierre Foucard, the Vicar Apostolic of Guangxi Province. The touching letter said,

“I have been captured and brought here with my hands bound behind my back. I do not know where I am. Some will say it is a pity for a man to die at the age of twenty-five. They want thousands of dollars paid before I am released. My death is certain! I know that God’s kingdom will be served by my death. May God preserve you a long time in Guangxi, and may He protect all the missionaries!

Your child, obedient unto death

J. Pernet, Apostolic Missionary.

PS: I have given my body as a living sacrifice to God. I hope that He will accept it. Please pray He will bless me.”[3]

For eight torturous days Pernet was forced to march deeper into the mountains. The area was so remote that human habitations were few and far between. Finally, seeing their captive was near death, Pernet was set free. The countless blows and wounds he had received, and the intense deprivation ruined the young Frenchman’s health. He was sent to Hong Kong for medical treatment, and showed signs of improvement. He recommenced work in Guangxi, conducting more than 130 baptisms in 1885-86.

In early 1887 Pernet’s health again deteriorated because of the earlier persecution. He also struggled with the psychological scars of his brutal tortures, and his co-workers saw he was a broken man in body and mind. Although just 27-years-old, Pernet’s eyesight failed and on May 9, 1887, the Heavenly Father mercifully took his servant to his eternal rest.

1. My translation of the Jean-Baptist Pernet Obituary in the Archives des Missions Etrangères de Paris, China Biographies and Obituaries, 1800-1899.
2. 1 Corinthians 4:9,11-13.
3. Jean-Baptist Pernet Obituary in the Archives des Missions Etrangères de Paris.