Fu Jen Academia Catholica/Chinese Ferdinand Verbiest Cultural Association
Braving the Red Sea --- the Transitional Period of Taiwan's Catholic Evangelization
November 11, 2022, Sat.
Braving the Red Sea --- the Transitional Period of Taiwan's Catholic Evangelization
November 11, 2022, Sat.
Fu Jen Academia Catholica and Chinese Ferdinand Verbiest Cultural Association [Verbiest Cultural Association] jointly hosted "Crossing the Red Sea ~ the Transitional Period of Taiwan’s Catholic Evangelization" on November 19, 2022 (Saturday) from 9:00 to 17:00. The symposium was held at the St. Paul Hall on the fourth floor of Zhuozhang Building, Fu Jen Catholic University. The organizer also invited the Regional Association of Major Religious Superiors of Men and Women in Taiwan [AMRSMW] to participate as co-organizers.
This symposium first focused on the evangelization history of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM) in Taiwan, and then introduced the experience of other church groups, presenting the "transfer process" of each group from its initial mission in Mainland China to its continuation in Taiwan. At the opening ceremony in the morning, Fr. Jeroom Heyndrickx, the founder of Leuven’s Verbiest Foundation Foundation, and John Selvamani, the dean of the Catholic Academic Research Institute of Fu Jen Catholic University, delivered the introductory talks, followed by nine speakers: Professor Chen Fangzhong, Sister Agnes Lin (ICM), Fr. Francis Chong (CDD), Fr. Edmund Ryden (SJ), Fr. Piotr Adamek (SVD), Lecturer Michael Chang, Sister Sofia Chang (FI), Fr. Jeroom Heyndrickx and Fr. Charles Phukuta (CICM).
Prof. Chen Fangzhong, Chairman of the "Verbiest Cultural Association", Dir. Francisco Carin, Prof. Gu Weiying, and John Selvamani, dean of Fu Jen Academia Catholica, acted as moderators during the presentations, and director Hong Lixing presided over the Comprehensive Discussion and Dialogue session closing the symposium.
Continuity and Innovation: CICM in Taiwan (1954-1972)
Prof. Chen Fangzhong, Chairman of the "Verbiest Cultural Association", Dir. Francisco Carin, Prof. Gu Weiying, and John Selvamani, dean of Fu Jen Academia Catholica, acted as moderators during the presentations, and director Hong Lixing presided over the Comprehensive Discussion and Dialogue session closing the symposium.
Continuity and Innovation: CICM in Taiwan (1954-1972)
In the first period of the morning, we invited Prof. Chen Fangzhong (Professor of History Department and Dean of the Faculty of Arts of Fu Jen Catholic University and Chairman of the "Verbiest Cultural Association") for the lecture: " Continuity and Innovation: The initial development of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Taiwan (1954-1972)". Professor Chen mentioned that since the establishment of Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM) in 1862, the Chinese and the Inner Mongolia are were its primary evangelization objectives. They came to Taiwan in the 1950s. At the beginning, all CICM priests coming to Taiwan were Belgian, including Remi Van Hijfte, Ernst Gassner, Ba Changming and Albert Geusens; and then a bit later, fathers Ivo Stuyck and Jeroom Heyindrickx also came, one after the other. Professor Chen also introduced the early history of Guangren Catholic Elementary School and the first steps of Kuang Jen Catholic High School, and the establishment of Taichung Yu-jen Catholic Elementary School… and the outstanding contributions of the CICM Missionaries in Taiwan.
Brief History of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Taiwan
The morning continued with Sister Agnes Lin, (ICM) with the talk: " Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary: Brief History of their Mission Evolution in Taiwan over the Last 63 Years". The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary were founded in India in 1897 and left mainland China in 1954. In 1959, the nuns crossed the sea from Hong Kong to Taiwan. During these 63 years of the Taipei Archdiocese, the nuns dedicatedly served in the fields of education, medical care, pastoral care, social work and other fields. Among the initiatives the speaker focused on were Our Lady of China Foreign Language School, Yonghe’s St. Joseph's Hospital and its transformation to Gengxin Hospital-Yonghe Branch, and their full commitment into the fields of Life Education and Human Holistic Development.
Awards Ceremony Commemorating Father Heyndricks’ 90th Birthday / 65th Anniversary of Evangelization among the Chinese / 40th Anniversary of the Foundation of Verbiest Foundation Leuven.
Brief History of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Taiwan
The morning continued with Sister Agnes Lin, (ICM) with the talk: " Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary: Brief History of their Mission Evolution in Taiwan over the Last 63 Years". The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary were founded in India in 1897 and left mainland China in 1954. In 1959, the nuns crossed the sea from Hong Kong to Taiwan. During these 63 years of the Taipei Archdiocese, the nuns dedicatedly served in the fields of education, medical care, pastoral care, social work and other fields. Among the initiatives the speaker focused on were Our Lady of China Foreign Language School, Yonghe’s St. Joseph's Hospital and its transformation to Gengxin Hospital-Yonghe Branch, and their full commitment into the fields of Life Education and Human Holistic Development.
Awards Ceremony Commemorating Father Heyndricks’ 90th Birthday / 65th Anniversary of Evangelization among the Chinese / 40th Anniversary of the Foundation of Verbiest Foundation Leuven.
In the morning interlude, the Symposium organizer presented a special dedication award. First, Mr. Joseph Lim Secretary of the Board of Directors of Verbiest Foundation Leuven was invited to explain the award, and then Professor Gu Weiying, board member of Verbiest Foundation Leuven, briefly introduced Fr. Heyndricks’ history in Taiwan since 1957, and the establishment of the Leuven VF Foundation by Father Heyndricks. Afterwards, Yang Dunhe, executive director of Verbiest Association, handed the award, a glazed trophy symbolizing "five loaves and two fishes", to Fr. Jeroom. Afterwards, Fr. Jeroom expressed his gratitude.
A Missionary Journey in Taiwan.
A Missionary Journey in Taiwan.
In the third session in the morning, we invited Fr. Francis Chong, General Superior of CDD, to give a lecture on " The Missionary Journey of the Congregatio Discipulorum Domini in Taiwan". Fr. Zhang explained that Fr. Guo Ruoshi was the first CDD member to arrive in Taiwan from Mainland China. With the appointment of Fr. Joseph Kuo as Apostolic Vicar of Taipei, CDD started a new missionary journey in Taiwan. Father Chong also explained that Archbishop Kuo led the Archdiocese of Taipei for about ten years (1949-[Apostolic Vicar]-1952 -1959), and the CDD exercised their pastoral work through preaching, education (Heng Yee Catholic High School), parish ministry, as well as in the cultural realm (Costantinian Bimonthly).
Jesuit’s first steps in Taiwan.
Jesuit’s first steps in Taiwan.
In the fourth session of the morning, we invited Jesuit Fr. Edmund Ryden and pastor of Zhudong Parish in Hsinchu Diocese to give a lecture on the topic "The history of the early missionary history of the Jesuits in Taiwan". Fr. Ryden explained that the content of the speech has as main reference material the "History of the Jesuits in Taiwan" written by Fr. Fernando Mateos sj. but not yet officially published. The Jesuits came to Taiwan for the first time during the Ming Dynasty, and then their ship was attacked by Dutch pirates in 1636; then they came to Taiwan in 1714 as part of the mission sent by Kangxi to map the empire; in 1943 some were captured by the Japanese army in Singapore and came to Taiwan as prisoners. Finally, in 1950, after being expelled from Mainland China they came to Taiwan. They first taught English, and later, they began working in the area that later will become Hsinchu diocese. In Taiwan they also continued the academic work they had in China, with the production of a five-language Chinese dictionary and the foundation of Taipei Ricci Institute, which was responsible to keep up China research, and, among other, the publication of dictionaries.
Bearers of Good News.
The fifth session of the symposium started in the afternoon with the presentation of Fr. Piotr Adamek, a member of the SVD Society of the Holy Word Society and assistant professor of the Department of Religious Studies at Fu Jen Catholic University, on the topic: "Bringing Good News: Divine Word Missionaries in Taiwan". Fr. Adamek used two poems written by members of the Holy Word Society who came to Taiwan in 1954 and 1964 to present a first portrayal of the feelings aroused by the progression of the mission work in Taiwan. Upon arrival to Keelung port in 1954 one wrote:
An eerie storm and eerie rain.
Everything around us turned dark.
Our boat rocked back and forth.
It’s not possible to disembark.
Krieftewirth, Erinnerungen (1954)
Then, 10 year later, another said:
May I never forget Alishan,
its beautiful cherry blossoms in April and May
and the sun rising at Yushan’s back;
Neither should I fail to recall
the sunrise from Yushan’s top.
Oh, what a beautiful land!
Krieftewirth, Rundbrief (1964)
In his talk Fr. Adamek also mentioned the interactions between the SVD and Taiwan (1875-1953), the pastoral service of the missionaries who came to Taiwan (1954-1959), and the ensuing development of the SVD mission work in the south (Chiayi, Kaohsiung, Alishan) and the north (Dapinglin [Taipei], Fu Jen Catholic University [New Taipei]).
The Post 1949 Development of the Local Church in Taiwan.
An eerie storm and eerie rain.
Everything around us turned dark.
Our boat rocked back and forth.
It’s not possible to disembark.
Krieftewirth, Erinnerungen (1954)
Then, 10 year later, another said:
May I never forget Alishan,
its beautiful cherry blossoms in April and May
and the sun rising at Yushan’s back;
Neither should I fail to recall
the sunrise from Yushan’s top.
Oh, what a beautiful land!
Krieftewirth, Rundbrief (1964)
In his talk Fr. Adamek also mentioned the interactions between the SVD and Taiwan (1875-1953), the pastoral service of the missionaries who came to Taiwan (1954-1959), and the ensuing development of the SVD mission work in the south (Chiayi, Kaohsiung, Alishan) and the north (Dapinglin [Taipei], Fu Jen Catholic University [New Taipei]).
The Post 1949 Development of the Local Church in Taiwan.
In the sixth session of the afternoon, we invited Mr. Michael Chang, a Mandarin teacher at the International Chinese Language Institute of the College of Liberal Arts, National Taiwan University, to give a lecture on "The Development of the Local Catholic Hierarchy during the Transitional Period of Catholic Missions in Taiwan and the Relocation of Mainland Diocesan Priests in Taiwan". Mr. Chang introduced in detail the refugee-like history of the Chinese Catholic Church after 1949, the relationship between the state and the church under the Cold War, the statistical analysis of the number of clergy from 1948 to 1969 (15-809), the ecclesiastical division of Taiwan in dioceses and the establishment of the local Chinese hierarchy, and finally he explained the contribution of the diocesan priests and their dedication to the church in Taiwan.
The Mission Experience of the Daughters of Jesus in Taiwan
The seventh session, was facilitated by Sister Sofia Chang (FI), provincial of the East Asia Province of the Daughters of Jesus, who presented " The Mission Experience of the Daughters of Jesus in Taiwan”. The Daughters of Jesus Arrived in Taiwan in early 1953 and actively carried out evangelization in the field of education with the establishment of schools, like Sedes Sapientiae Kindergarten & Primary School, Taipei DaRen Girls’ High School, teaching in colleges and universities, youth ministry and religious formation, Taipei Mingde Girls’ Dormitory, parish work and social services.
Every local Church must know its roots
The Mission Experience of the Daughters of Jesus in Taiwan
The seventh session, was facilitated by Sister Sofia Chang (FI), provincial of the East Asia Province of the Daughters of Jesus, who presented " The Mission Experience of the Daughters of Jesus in Taiwan”. The Daughters of Jesus Arrived in Taiwan in early 1953 and actively carried out evangelization in the field of education with the establishment of schools, like Sedes Sapientiae Kindergarten & Primary School, Taipei DaRen Girls’ High School, teaching in colleges and universities, youth ministry and religious formation, Taipei Mingde Girls’ Dormitory, parish work and social services.
Every local Church must know its roots
The eighth session was animated by Fr. Jeroom Heyndricks (CICM), founder of Verbiest Foundation Leuven. His conference topic was "Every local church must understand its roots - researching the history of local churches to serve the pastoral ministry of the church duty". Fr. Heyndricks described in his speech how studying Church history is important for every local Church because knowing our past helps us to find the right course for us to follow today as we face the challenges of our time. “Historia Magistra Vitae” (History is our teacher for life). That's the reason why Verbiest Foundation initiated a program of research on Chinese Church history and even became a promoter recommending others to engage in it.
Writing local Church history is an important task for every China missionary and every congregation.
History research: a service for the Local Church Community.
Writing local Church history is an important task for every China missionary and every congregation.
History research: a service for the Local Church Community.
In the last session of the afternoon, we were honored with a video presentation by Father Fr. Charles Phukuta, CICM, General of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and Vice-Chairman of VF Leuven. The topic of his lecture was "History research in service of the Local Church Community. That’s what CICM missionaries and Verbiest Foundation promote". In his speech, Fr. Phukuta emphasized that during four full years – 1969 to 1972, the community of CICM in Taipei Archdiocese spent all their pastoral discussion meetings to discuss, adapt and revise the relationship of cooperation between CICM and the Local Church to align it with the direction of Vatican II. It all culminated in a new agreement of CICM with the Archdiocese of Taipei that implied the living of the missionary charisma in service of the local Church as promoted by Vatican II. That agreement defined the relationship of CICM with the local Church in Taiwan for the years that followed.
Overall Review and Comprehensive Discussion and Conclusion
In the final session of the symposium, Prof. Hong Lixing, director of the Catholic History Research Center of Fu Jen Academia Catholica, summarized the content of all the presentations of the day. Prof. Hong analyzed the similarities and differences he found in the history of missionary work in Taiwan, and together with the speakers engaged in a dialogue with the participants in the "Comprehensive Discussion and Conclusion” session.
At the closing ceremony of the symposium, Prof. Chen emphasized in his speech that history is to explore the truth of things, and it is possible to deeply explore how historical events occurred and evolved.
Overall Review and Comprehensive Discussion and Conclusion
In the final session of the symposium, Prof. Hong Lixing, director of the Catholic History Research Center of Fu Jen Academia Catholica, summarized the content of all the presentations of the day. Prof. Hong analyzed the similarities and differences he found in the history of missionary work in Taiwan, and together with the speakers engaged in a dialogue with the participants in the "Comprehensive Discussion and Conclusion” session.
At the closing ceremony of the symposium, Prof. Chen emphasized in his speech that history is to explore the truth of things, and it is possible to deeply explore how historical events occurred and evolved.
83 participants joined for this symposium. We are very grateful to everyone for their enthusiastic participation, and to all the speakers who participated in the event. At the same time, we would like to thank Dean John Selvamani, Dir. Hong Lixing, Mr. Liang Shijie and the staff of "Fu Jen Academia Catholica" for their cooperation. Also, thanks to Fr. Jeroom Heyndricks, the founder of "Chinese Ferdinand Verbiest Cultural Association", Prof. Chen Fangzhong, Fr. Francisco Carin, Prof. Gu Weiying, Secretary Joseph Lim and all colleagues for their cooperation and determination, which made possible the successful completion of this symposium. The presentations of this symposium will be available in the Voice of Catholic Church channel by early 2023. Those interested, please check for the link at the websites of Verbiest Foundation or the Voice of Catholic Church.
