PEDRINI, TEODORICO. – Missionary of St Vincent de Paul, born at Fermo on 30 June 1670, died at Peking on 10 December 1746. He entered the Congregation of the Mission in Rome on 24 February 1698; having obtained the degree of doctor in utroque, he was ordained priest in 1701.
On 26 December 1703 he set out for China. Being an excellent musician and a skilled builder of organs and other musical instruments, Clement XI ordered him to establish himself at the Emperor’s court, who was passionately devoted to this art. After an adventurous journey lasting seven years, he finally arrived in Peking on 30 January 1710, having travelled via America and the Philippines. But owing to the jealousies and intrigues of the court, after several years of favour and beneficial influence he fell into disgrace with the prince and was subjected to many brutalities and imprisoned on several occasions. In his later years he devoted himself entirely to apostolic work, built a large missionary college and magnificently organised religious life. In this way Fr Pedrini laid the new foundations that enabled the astonishing development of missionary works in the years that followed.