This bicentenary is not a celebration of our greatness or our successes, but rather a celebration of God's blessings over these 160 years of our CICM history.

Today is a significant occasion for us CICM as we reflect on the short but truly remarkable life of a man who dedicated himself to spreading the Gospel, first in his native Belgium and then in China.

Verbist lived in constant prayer and union with God, with a solid and tender devotion to our Lady, whom he invoked as the Immaculate Heart of Mary and Mary Immaculate.

There is no more noble way to honor this Chapter experience than to bear witness to the world as promoters of peace, love, wisdom, and missionary audacity.