LATE IN Feb. 1836, Fr. Perboyre left Macao with a Chinese Catholic guide. First they had a 9 week boat trip along the coast of South China to Tou-gan, then up the river to Fokien. Then 20 days on foot through Kien-chang-fou in Kiang-si Province. Next in a small boat by river thru Nan-chang-fou, the capital of Kiang-si. Another 18 days by small boat up the Yang-tze River brought them to Wu-chang, the place of Blessed Clet's martyrdom, and then to Han-keow harbor.
The next stage of the trip Ocean going Chinese sail through Hu-pei lasted for ships like this, had crews one month. At the end of 200 to 300 men. June they arrived at Honan where they rested 20 days. The final walk brought them to Nan-yang in August. This was Fr. Perboyre's assignment - the same house in which Blessed Clet had been taken prisoner. He was finally in his new home - his mission - after 17 months of travellin over some 24,000 miles by every type of ship, boat and by foot. His mission included some 6n0 Catholics, spread over 50,000 square miles. Fr, Perboyre himself supplies these interesting statistics for all of China: about 220,000 Catholics out of a population of 300 million or less than one tenth of 1 percent Catholic. For them, about 80 Chinese priests and 40 foreign missionaries.
Fr. Perboyre lived with 2 Chinese Vincentian priests who helped him to continue to learn Chinese. Soon Family-size sail boat However, they had to start making mission trips to other areas. They took turns guiding him on these trips, introducing him to the Catholics, show¬ing him the safest backroads and lanes and how to conduct these missions.
The next stage of the trip Ocean going Chinese sail through Hu-pei lasted for ships like this, had crews one month. At the end of 200 to 300 men. June they arrived at Honan where they rested 20 days. The final walk brought them to Nan-yang in August. This was Fr. Perboyre's assignment - the same house in which Blessed Clet had been taken prisoner. He was finally in his new home - his mission - after 17 months of travellin over some 24,000 miles by every type of ship, boat and by foot. His mission included some 6n0 Catholics, spread over 50,000 square miles. Fr, Perboyre himself supplies these interesting statistics for all of China: about 220,000 Catholics out of a population of 300 million or less than one tenth of 1 percent Catholic. For them, about 80 Chinese priests and 40 foreign missionaries.
Fr. Perboyre lived with 2 Chinese Vincentian priests who helped him to continue to learn Chinese. Soon Family-size sail boat However, they had to start making mission trips to other areas. They took turns guiding him on these trips, introducing him to the Catholics, show¬ing him the safest backroads and lanes and how to conduct these missions.
