Notre-Dame de Paris
In the chapel of the Holy Childhood (or missionary childhood), located in the north aisle, is placed the reliquary of Saint Paul CHEN.
Paul CHEN (Chen Changpin) was born on April 11, 1838 in Sintchen in the Chinese province of Kouy-tcheou (Guizhou). His family is not Christian. He is instructed by the Holy Childhood and entered the minor seminary in 1853 where he is baptized and confirmed on the day of Christmas of the same year. He made his first communion in 1854. Gentle and quiet character, he works diligently
In 1857 his father asks him to return home but he strongly refuses because his vocation is solid.
In 1860 he entered the great seminary of Tsin-gay, this is where he was arrested and decapitated on 29 July 1861 with another seminarian Joseph Chiang, a Christian Jean-Baptiste Lô and Martha Wang, the cook of the seminary. The seminary is destroyed by the soldiers.
These four martyrs are declared venerable in 1879 and then beatified on May 2, 1909 by Pope Pius X. Today canonized, the 120 martyrs of China are celebrated on July 9th.
Paul CHEN is one of school children by the work of the Holy Childhood, today called missionary childhood. He likes the prayer, games, songs, and taught the Gospel by heart. He receives baptism and decided to become a missionary as Father Louis FAURIE, his master of catechism. He is admitted to the seminary, learned the trade of Carpenter, studied latin and theology with passion and dreams of becoming a priest. Persecution against Catholics breaks his dream on July 29, 1861. Paul is executed with other Catholics, he was only 23 years old. Paul Chen is the first child Chinese to become a seminarian, martyr and saint. Beatified in 1909, his relics are brought to Paris and filed in the Notre Dame Cathedral on 10 June 1920. He will be canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000.
www.notredamedeparis.fr/en/la-cathedrale/histoire/grandes...
Notre-Dame de Paris
In the chapel of the Holy Childhood (or missionary childhood), located in the north aisle, is placed the reliquary of Saint Paul CHEN.
Paul CHEN (Chen Changpin) was born on April 11, 1838 in Sintchen in the Chinese province of Kouy-tcheou (Guizhou). His family is not Christian. He is instructed by the Holy Childhood and entered the minor seminary in 1853 where he is baptized and confirmed on the day of Christmas of the same year. He made his first communion in 1854. Gentle and quiet character, he works diligently
In 1857 his father asks him to return home but he strongly refuses because his vocation is solid.
In 1860 he entered the great seminary of Tsin-gay, this is where he was arrested and decapitated on 29 July 1861 with another seminarian Joseph Chiang, a Christian Jean-Baptiste Lô and Martha Wang, the cook of the seminary. The seminary is destroyed by the soldiers.
These four martyrs are declared venerable in 1879 and then beatified on May 2, 1909 by Pope Pius X. Today canonized, the 120 martyrs of China are celebrated on July 9th.
Paul CHEN is one of school children by the work of the Holy Childhood, today called missionary childhood. He likes the prayer, games, songs, and taught the Gospel by heart. He receives baptism and decided to become a missionary as Father Louis FAURIE, his master of catechism. He is admitted to the seminary, learned the trade of Carpenter, studied latin and theology with passion and dreams of becoming a priest. Persecution against Catholics breaks his dream on July 29, 1861. Paul is executed with other Catholics, he was only 23 years old. Paul Chen is the first child Chinese to become a seminarian, martyr and saint. Beatified in 1909, his relics are brought to Paris and filed in the Notre Dame Cathedral on 10 June 1920. He will be canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000.
www.notredamedeparis.fr/en/la-cathedrale/histoire/grandes...