VincentWiki:Ephemerides/16 September

1621

A meeting is held in Maçcon to deal with a method that Vincent de Paul had proposed that would eliminate the beggars from this area. The minutes from this meeting state: "At this time there is a religious priest, chaplain of the galley slaves, who, filled with piety and devotion, has studied the way to sustain and feed these poor people who are living in the area of Trevoux and in other surrounding villages. He suggest visiting these places so that their exact number might be known (how many of them are invalids and how many are able to work).

1660

Nicolas Gedoyn writes to Vincent: "Certain young women of known piety would like to come and work there along with the priests — although in a separate house — and to gather some girls and women together to instruct and catechize them in a house they want to rent for this purpose. This would be done at hours different from the tones we will take for our regular exercises in similar meetings — I mean our sermons, catechism, and discussions. They go there in a body, as do the priests, and even use the place where the mission of two or three weeks is to be given to prepare the girls and women for confession. During the time of that mission they do in their own house what the priests are doing in public in the church. We have heard that it is not customary among you to have women working in the missions, and we do not wish to act contrary to your course of action because we have the honor of being united to you through the Company."

1664

Fr. Almeras sends each missionary a copy of the Life of Vincent de Paul, written by Abelly.

1857

Fifty Daughters of Charity and two members of the Congregation of the Mission leave for Chile and Peru.

1885

Two missionaries from Ireland, A. Boyle and M. O’Callaghan, leave from London to establish the Congregation in Australia.

1950

Fr. Tchae is executed in China. Since his last words were "down with the communists" it is not certain that he died a martyr of the faith.

1951

Fr. Souen is martyred in China. After his death there are accounts of many miracles occurring at his grave.