CICM FOUNDER

Theophile Verbist
Luke 4:16-20 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he has chosen me to bring
good news to the poor. He has sent
me to proclaim liberty to the
captives and recovery of sight to
the blind, to set free the oppressed,
and announce that the time has
come when the Lord will save his
people.”
Missionary leadership is
inspired by Jesus.
 Theophile Verbist was born in Antwerp
(Belgium) on June 12, 1823.

Theophile was ordained as a diocesan priest

on September 18, 1847.
He was initially assigned as a supervisor in
the Minor Seminary of Mechlin, after which
he became chaplain at the military school
and rector of a community of the Sisters of
Notre-Dame de Namur in Brussels in 1853.

In 1860, he got an additional

appointment as National Director of the
Holy Childhood in Belgium.
November 28, 1862- the statutes of the
new congregation were approved.

On August 25, 1865-the first batch of

missionaries, headed by Father Verbist
himself, left for Chinese Mongolia, via
Rome, where the founder got his
appointment as apostolic pro-vicar.
With him were the Reverend Fathers
Vranckx, Van Segvelt, and Hamer, and
lay helper Splingard.

On February 23, 1868, Father

Verbist died of typhoid fever in
a small place in China. He was
only 45.