The CICM Missionaries officially named as the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ( la, Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae) abbreviated C.I.C.M, is a
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men established in 1862 by the
Belgian Catholic priest
Theophile Verbist
Theophile Verbist, CICM (12 June 1823 – 23 February 1868) was a Belgian Catholic priest who founded the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a missionary religious congregation of men. He led missionary activities in China.
Early life ...
(1823–1868). Its members add the post-nominal letters C.I.C.M. to their names to indicate membership in the congregation.
The order's origins lie in
Scheut,
Anderlecht
Anderlecht (, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, and Saint-Gilles, as well as the ...
, a suburb of
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, due to which it is widely known as the Scheut Missionaries. The congregation is most notable for their international missionary works in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
,
Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...
, the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
and in
Congo Free State
''(Work and Progress)
, national_anthem = Vers l'avenir
, capital = Vivi Boma
, currency = Congo Free State franc
, religion = Catholicism (''de facto'')
, leader1 = Leopo ...
/
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964.
Colo ...
(modern-day
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
).
Presently, their international name "CICM Missionaries" is preferred, although, in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, the congregation is mostly known as Missionhurst.
History
Verbist was a
diocesan priest
In Christianity, the term secular clergy refers to deacons and priests who are not monastics or otherwise members of religious life. A secular priest (sometimes known as a diocesan priest) is a priest who commits themselves to a certain geogra ...
in the
Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
in the mid-19th century. He served as chaplain to the military academy in Brussels and at the same time as a national director of the
Pontifical Association of the Holy Childhood
The Pontifical Association of the Holy Childhood ( la, Pontificium Opus a Sancta Infantia) or Missionary Childhood Association, is a Catholic children's association for the benefit of foreign missions. It is one of four Pontifical Mission Societie ...
. A compassionate man of God, he led a group of other Belgian diocesan priests who became deeply concerned with the abandoned children in China and with millions of Chinese who lived at that time in ignorance and poverty. The congregation is named after a religious Marian devotion to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary
The Immaculate Heart of Mary () is a Roman Catholic devotional name used to refer to the Catholic view of the interior life of Mary, mother of Jesus, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love ...
and has sought to expand its missionary work in various countries abroad.
Foundation
Verbist's desire to consecrate himself to the life of a missionary seemed on the point of fulfillment when the
Treaty of Peking
The Convention of Peking or First Convention of Peking is an agreement comprising three distinct treaties concluded between the Qing dynasty of China and Great Britain, France, and the Russian Empire in 1860. In China, they are regarded as amon ...
of 1861 opened
imperial China
The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the '' Book of Documents'' (early chapte ...
to his zeal and that of the little band who desired to accompany him. In 1862 he founded the Belgian Mission in China. On seeking ecclesiastical permission, however, they were commissioned by
Cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
Alessandro Barnabò
Alessandro Barnabò (2 March 1801 – 24 February 1874) was an Italian Catholic Cardinal and Prefect of the Congregation Propaganda Fide.
Early life
Barnabò was born on 2 March 1801 in Foligno.
At the age of 10, he was sent by the French admin ...
,
Prefect
Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area.
A prefect's ...
of the
Propaganda Fide
Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...
, 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
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, 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
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...
. In the winter of 1865, Verbist and his four companions arrived in inner Mongolia, which was entrusted to the fledgling congregation by Rome, and where they immediately began organizing small Christian communities. The founding Fathers never imagined that many would follow their footsteps notwithstanding the cost of traveling by sea and in the hinterlands of China. Three years later on February 23, 1868, Verbist died of
typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...
at the age of 44 in Lao-Hu-Kou.
After
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
Belgium lay devastated and the Missionary Fathers of Scheut decided to establish a centre in a safe location from which they could send out their missionaries. As many Belgian refugees at that time were living in London it was thought that a church in that city would serve the spiritual needs of the Belgian community of London and also become a base for the Order's missionary activities. In 1922 the
Church of Our Lady of Hal was established in a hut on Arlington Road in
Camden Town
Camden Town (), often shortened to Camden, is a district of northwest London, England, north of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Camden, and identified in the London Plan as o ...
while a permanent church was built opposite this site in 1933.
Plaque to the Scheut Fathers - London Remembers website
/ref>
World War II
During World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Father Jozef Raskin
Jozef Maria Raskin (21 June 1892 – 18 October 1943) was a Belgian artist, painter, draftsman, and Scheutist missionary who served in World War I and became a missionary in China from 1920 to 1934. Later, during World War II, he was drafted ...
, ordained in the congregation in 1910, and a missionary to Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...
in 1920-1934, was made a chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...
in the Belgium army and was a personal advisor to King Leopold III
Leopold III (3 November 1901 – 25 September 1983) was King of the Belgians from 23 February 1934 until his abdication on 16 July 1951. At the outbreak of World War II, Leopold tried to maintain Belgian neutrality, but after the German invasi ...
. While he was operating under the code name Leopold Vindictive 200 for the Dutch resistance in 1942, he was captured by the Gestapo
The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe.
The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...
, tried, convicted, then sentenced to death and beheaded on October 18, 1943.
Growth
The congregation, however, grew and has a worldwide presence today. Originally a Belgian Foundation, CICM has grown into an international religious missionary congregation of men from different races, colors and nationalities who are dedicated to universal brotherhood.
The Scheutveld priests and brothers have faced severe perils, e.g. the Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising in China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by ...
in China, involving the massacre of Bishop Hamer, Vicar Apostolic of South-Western Mongolia, seven missionaries and 3000 Christians; the even greater decimation of their numbers by the Congo climate, not to mention the persecution of the missionaries and their local congregations.
In connection with their missions the Fathers opened a number of benevolent institutions, for example the hospital at St-Trudon, Upper Kassai, for those afflicted with sleeping sickness.
Today, 780 CICM priests and lay brothers are present in Asia: in Taiwan, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia and Japan; in the vast continent of Africa: in Congo, Cameroon, Zambia, Senegal, Central Africa, and Malawi; in the Americas: Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Brazil, Mexico and the United States; and in Europe: Belgium, Netherlands, and Italy.
Picture gallery
File:Relief of Fr. Jules Sepulchre in the Philippines.jpg, A Relief of Fr. Jules Sepulchre, CICM, in Bontoc Bontoc may refer to:
* Bontoc, Mountain Province, Philippines
* Bontoc, Southern Leyte, Philippines
* Bontoc people, an ethnic group from Central Luzon, Philippines
* Bontoc language
Bontoc (Bontok) (also called Finallig) is the native language ...
, Mountain Province
Mountain Province is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Bontoc. Mountain Province was formerly referred to as ''Mountain'' in some foreign references. The name is usually short ...
, Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. He is one of the founding Missionaries in the Northern Philippines
Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political cen ...
.
File:Plate under the Relief of Fr. Jules Sepulchre.jpg, The plate under the relief of Fr. Jules Sepulchre, CICM in Bontoc Bontoc may refer to:
* Bontoc, Mountain Province, Philippines
* Bontoc, Southern Leyte, Philippines
* Bontoc people, an ethnic group from Central Luzon, Philippines
* Bontoc language
Bontoc (Bontok) (also called Finallig) is the native language ...
, Mountain Province
Mountain Province is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Bontoc. Mountain Province was formerly referred to as ''Mountain'' in some foreign references. The name is usually short ...
, Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
Historical table
CICM Schools in Philippines
Current
:* Saint Louis University, Baguio
:* Saint Louis College, San Fernando City, La Union
:* University of Saint Louis Tuguegarao, Tuguegarao City, Cagayan Valley
:* Saint Mary's University, Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
:* Saint Louis College – Cebu, Mandaue City, Cebu
:*Saint Catherine's School (Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya)
:*Maryhurst Seminary, Baguio
:*Maryhill School of Theology, Quezon City
:*Maryshore Seminary, Bacolod City
:*Saint Vincent's School, Bontoc, Mountain Province
:*Santo Rosario School, Pudtol, Apayao
Former
:*Paco Catholic School
Paco Catholic School is a co-institutional private school. The school is located in the district of Paco, Manila, Paco in the City of Manila, Philippines. Paco Catholic school started in 1912 as an informal class for a handful of young boys inside ...
, Paco, Manila
Paco, formerly known as Dilao, is a Manila#Barangays and districts, district of Manila, Philippines located south of the Pasig River, and San Miguel, Manila, San Miguel, west of Santa Ana, Manila, Santa Ana, southwest of Pandacan, Manila, Panda ...
(Turned over to the Archdiocese of Manila
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
)
:*Infant Jesus Academy, Silang, Cavite
:*Cainta Catholic College Cainta, Rizal
:*Pasig Catholic College
Pasig Catholic College ( fil, Kolehiyong Katoliko ng Pasig), also referred to as PCC, is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution located in Pasig, Philippines and was founded by CICM fathers in 1913. It is consid ...
, Pasig
:*Saint Louis School, Solano, Nueva Vizcaya
Solano, officially the Municipality of Solano ( gad, Ili na Solano; ilo, Ili ti Solano; tl, Bayan ng Solano), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 65,287 ...
(Turned over to the Diocese of Bayombong in 1999)
:*Saint Joseph's Academy, Las Piñas
Las Piñas, officially the City of Las Piñas ( fil, Lungsod ng Las Piñas), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 606,293 people.
Las Piñas ...
, Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...
(Turned over to the Diocese of Parañaque)
:*Saint Andrew's School, Parañaque
Parañaque, officially the City of Parañaque ( fil, Lungsod ng Parañaque, ), is a first class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to t ...
, Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...
(Turned over to the Diocese of Parañaque)
References
Bibliography
* Raskin, Albert (1977) 'The archives of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (C.I.C.M.)', ''History in Africa'', 4, 299–304.
* Berg, Leo van den (1994) 'The China world of the "Scheut fathers"', ''Bulletin de l 'Institut Historique de Belge de Rome'', 64, 223–263.
*
*
External links
CICM Missionaries
i
ODIS - Online Database for Intermediary Structures
Archives of the CICM Missionaries
i
ODIS - Online Database for Intermediary Structures
{{Authority control
Catholic Church in Belgium
Religious organizations established in 1862
Catholic missionary orders
Roman Catholic missionaries in China
Catholic religious institutes established in the 19th century
1862 establishments in Belgium