Blessed John Martin Moye was born in Cuttinga,
Lorraine in the year 1730. He was the sixth of the thirteen children of John Moye
and Catherine Demange. His older brother, a seminarian, taught him the first rudiments of Latin, and he completed his classical studies at the College of Pont-à-Mousson. He then studied Philosophy at the Jesuit College of Strasburg , and entered the the theological Seminary of St-Simon, Metz, in the fall of 1751. Ordained a priest of the diocese of Metz 9 March, 1754, and was later appointed vicar in the episcopal city the same month. His great zeal for souls attracted attention; many pius ladies placed themselves under his firm and wise direction. This enabled him to find some select souls for the establishment of schools for country children whose education he had much at heart. He began the work in 1763; in 1767 in spite of the ill-will of many and the persecutions of a few, the Congregation of the Sisters of Divine Providence was founded. That same year he was appointed superior of the little seminarthe Congregation of Providence at home, devoting themselves to the care of the sick and to the Christian Instruction of Pagan Chinese women and children in their own homes. After a hundred years of success, they are still active in the Chinese mission. Exhausted by labors and sickness, Father Moye returned to France in 1784. He resumed the direction of the Sisters of Divine Providence and evangelized Lorraine and Alsace by preaching mission. The Revolution of 1791 drove him into exile, and with his sisters he retired to Trier. After the capture of the city by French troops, typhoid fever broke out and, helped by his sisters, he devoted himself to hospital works. He contracted the virulent disease and died, a martyr of Christian charity, in 1793. Leo X111 declared John Martin Venerable and authorized the introduction of the cause of his beatification 14th January 1891. He was later beatified by pope Pius X11 on November 21, 1954
After experiencing many storms during the revolution, the Congregation of Providence survived, and has since revived and “multiplied” according to the supreme vow of our Founder. Some circumstances, recognized as providential, have brought about the external separation of some branches, but that has not weakened the vitality of the tree rooted in Christ. Today, Daughters of Blessed Jean Martin Moye exist in different parts of the world, have different names or costumes and most importantly have continued to remain faithful to the spirit of the Founder who represents for them the unshakable trunk.y of St. Dié. Leaving the care of his sisterhood
to two friends, Father Moye now determined to act upon his long delayed desire
to become a missionary. In 1769 he joined the Séminaire des Missions Etrangères
at Paris, and in 1773 he was
at work in Oriental Su-tchuen, China. Nine years of hard
labor, frequently interrupted by Persecution and imprisonment, made him
realize the necessity of native help. In 1782 he founded the
"Christian Virgins", religious women following the rules of
and Catherine Demange. His older brother, a seminarian, taught him the first rudiments of Latin, and he completed his classical studies at the College of Pont-à-Mousson. He then studied Philosophy at the Jesuit College of Strasburg , and entered the the theological Seminary of St-Simon, Metz, in the fall of 1751. Ordained a priest of the diocese of Metz 9 March, 1754, and was later appointed vicar in the episcopal city the same month. His great zeal for souls attracted attention; many pius ladies placed themselves under his firm and wise direction. This enabled him to find some select souls for the establishment of schools for country children whose education he had much at heart. He began the work in 1763; in 1767 in spite of the ill-will of many and the persecutions of a few, the Congregation of the Sisters of Divine Providence was founded. That same year he was appointed superior of the little seminarthe Congregation of Providence at home, devoting themselves to the care of the sick and to the Christian Instruction of Pagan Chinese women and children in their own homes. After a hundred years of success, they are still active in the Chinese mission. Exhausted by labors and sickness, Father Moye returned to France in 1784. He resumed the direction of the Sisters of Divine Providence and evangelized Lorraine and Alsace by preaching mission. The Revolution of 1791 drove him into exile, and with his sisters he retired to Trier. After the capture of the city by French troops, typhoid fever broke out and, helped by his sisters, he devoted himself to hospital works. He contracted the virulent disease and died, a martyr of Christian charity, in 1793. Leo X111 declared John Martin Venerable and authorized the introduction of the cause of his beatification 14th January 1891. He was later beatified by pope Pius X11 on November 21, 1954
Blessed be the Lord for the gift of Blessed
John Martin Moye to the world.
Holy Man Of God, Pray for us
Holy Man Of God, Pray for us
