Prayers and Work: The Present Chinese Province
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7/12/2021
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The Present Chinese Province
The China Province that I was assigned to at the General Chapter was not the regular country, for foreigners
were not readily invited into mainland China. We had started this mission on May 18, 1891, and the Province
was going quite well. The initial Marist Brothers were French, Italian, and English and were dedicated to the
Christian education of youth as well as spreading the already very popular devotion to Mary. Our Marist
Brothers were anxious to spread the Word of God there and to serve a people. The Brothers faced the bitterness
against organized religion and would stop at nothing to carry on the Word of the Lord and devotion to his
beloved Mother Mary. The first few foreigners who had come to serve the people were very quickly popular
with these people, but the government did not particularly like this.
The Chinese were very diligent and eager to complete their training and courses. Some of the children of
foreigners joined the new Marist schools where children could become fluent in French, Spanish, and English.
The schools started slowly and after a few years were recognized as top quality and were much in demand. The
Marists’ first endeavors were mostly in Beijing and Shanghai. Their growing popularity soon caused them to
be in demand everywhere. A group of our French Brothers also started a small winery that soon became quite
popular as well as a source of revenue.
One of the characteristics of our Marist teachers is an attachment to and a genuine interest in the progress of
their students. And that same spirit was soon spread into all the various schools where we were at work. When
the government became hostile and wanted to get rid of these popular missionaries, many went to Hong Kong,
Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore. But their Marist loyalty was always evident, and they were eager to help out
and find jobs for any of their alumni. They all pulled together, students and teachers, and soon continued their
practice in the various countries they emigrated to. It was a quickly recognized and appreciated loyalty that
bound all Marists together as they left to help settle a new China with the help of alumni. That same spirit was
very evident in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia and became a hallmark of the Marist family.
Often, a quick review of the enrollment would turn up many friends from China.
After the trouble with the government started and it wanted to get rid of foreigners, it became impossible for me
ever to visit mainland China. So we used to go over to the dividing ridge where there was a small public park
where we could privately recite our rosary for the Marists on the mainland as we faced China. I had been told
that I would never be able to get into China, but we still had a few native-born Marist Brothers who had been
sentenced to prison and had finished serving their sentences. They were living as refugees in their own country,
often hidden by their families to protect them.
One of these Marists had started a school and taught classes in the evening. I was determined to go to see him
and to meet those he was living with, but was unable to do so until 1982 when I was no longer Assistant. I
managed to visit our beloved Brother Damien who has now come to Hong Kong to rest for the few years that he
had remaining. I managed to spend a full day visiting with our Brother Damien when I came as a visitor and in
Hong Kong. I was asked to be a helper and take care of a group of some 200 tourists visiting the mainland. As a
monitor I had twenty-four tourists to keep track of. Thus I was finally able to visit mainland China even if I was
no longer in charge of it and this pleased me tremendously.
Only God knows fully and accurately the many years of sacrifice suffered by our Marist Brothers, their alumni,
and other foreign students. Our Brothers had been persecuted during the Boxer Rebellion, in which a good
number of our Marist Brothers and some of their students were killed.
A much more recent death was that of Bro. Joche Albert. He was the Brother who had prepared many young
men and women to join the Legion of Mary. Brother Joche was their mentor who trained them and inspired them
by his own example. It was on April 21, 1951, that he was jailed along with some twenty-four members of the
Legion of Mary. They were brought to a public place in Sichang, China, and the people of the area were obliged
to attend and to witness how the Chinese government dealt with these Legion students. In a public park the
people of the area were required to watch as the soldiers killed every one of the twenty-four Legion students and
then finally shot Bro. Joche Albert, who had been made to watch the execution of his dear students.
7/12/2021
https://dev.lb.marist.edu/archives/prayerAndWork/pages/thePresentChineseProvince.htm
https://dev.lb.marist.edu/archives/prayerAndWork/pages/thePresentChineseProvince.htm
2/2
Our famous winery is still in operation by the Chinese who had kept the Brothers on as long as they needed them
to learn the trade and then dismissed them. The Chinese had already taken all of our buildings but had not
managed to win over the Legion of Mary. If one would like to get an idea of the extent of our Marist work for
China, he has only to go over to our residence at Flower Road in Singapore, which was our residence there for a
number of years. There one will see walls full of the most beautiful and gigantic photos of the Marist Juniors,
Brothers, Superiors, and school students all gathered for the many religious functions annually at that time.
In the early ’50s during the persecution, when China was sending out as many natives as possible, we had a
large number of Chinese students who also managed to escape. They came to attend courses at Marist College,
and some fifty or so graduated. Most of these Brothers have gone back to serve in our various schools of the
China Province; others have gone to Australia and other countries, and one of these original graduates of Marist
College is still actively teaching in one of the American schools. The blood of martyrs fertilizes the seedlings
that spread our Catholic faith. And if one of these Chinese is still active here with us today, only God knows how
many expatriated mainland Chinese await the call to return to China. They will answer that call and come from
Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Sarawak, and all the various corners of the globe to assure that the
Catholic Church is still very much alive. Let us join with the Marist Brothers around the whole world who came
from mainland China, and may that huge number of Marist Brothers unite daily to sing together once more our
own glorious hymn, “Salve Regina!â€
https://dev.lb.marist.edu/archives/prayerAndWork/pages/thePresentChineseProvince.htm
https://dev.lb.marist.edu/archives/prayerAndWork/pages/thePresentChineseProvince.htm
1/2
The Present Chinese Province
The China Province that I was assigned to at the General Chapter was not the regular country, for foreigners
were not readily invited into mainland China. We had started this mission on May 18, 1891, and the Province
was going quite well. The initial Marist Brothers were French, Italian, and English and were dedicated to the
Christian education of youth as well as spreading the already very popular devotion to Mary. Our Marist
Brothers were anxious to spread the Word of God there and to serve a people. The Brothers faced the bitterness
against organized religion and would stop at nothing to carry on the Word of the Lord and devotion to his
beloved Mother Mary. The first few foreigners who had come to serve the people were very quickly popular
with these people, but the government did not particularly like this.
The Chinese were very diligent and eager to complete their training and courses. Some of the children of
foreigners joined the new Marist schools where children could become fluent in French, Spanish, and English.
The schools started slowly and after a few years were recognized as top quality and were much in demand. The
Marists’ first endeavors were mostly in Beijing and Shanghai. Their growing popularity soon caused them to
be in demand everywhere. A group of our French Brothers also started a small winery that soon became quite
popular as well as a source of revenue.
One of the characteristics of our Marist teachers is an attachment to and a genuine interest in the progress of
their students. And that same spirit was soon spread into all the various schools where we were at work. When
the government became hostile and wanted to get rid of these popular missionaries, many went to Hong Kong,
Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore. But their Marist loyalty was always evident, and they were eager to help out
and find jobs for any of their alumni. They all pulled together, students and teachers, and soon continued their
practice in the various countries they emigrated to. It was a quickly recognized and appreciated loyalty that
bound all Marists together as they left to help settle a new China with the help of alumni. That same spirit was
very evident in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia and became a hallmark of the Marist family.
Often, a quick review of the enrollment would turn up many friends from China.
After the trouble with the government started and it wanted to get rid of foreigners, it became impossible for me
ever to visit mainland China. So we used to go over to the dividing ridge where there was a small public park
where we could privately recite our rosary for the Marists on the mainland as we faced China. I had been told
that I would never be able to get into China, but we still had a few native-born Marist Brothers who had been
sentenced to prison and had finished serving their sentences. They were living as refugees in their own country,
often hidden by their families to protect them.
One of these Marists had started a school and taught classes in the evening. I was determined to go to see him
and to meet those he was living with, but was unable to do so until 1982 when I was no longer Assistant. I
managed to visit our beloved Brother Damien who has now come to Hong Kong to rest for the few years that he
had remaining. I managed to spend a full day visiting with our Brother Damien when I came as a visitor and in
Hong Kong. I was asked to be a helper and take care of a group of some 200 tourists visiting the mainland. As a
monitor I had twenty-four tourists to keep track of. Thus I was finally able to visit mainland China even if I was
no longer in charge of it and this pleased me tremendously.
Only God knows fully and accurately the many years of sacrifice suffered by our Marist Brothers, their alumni,
and other foreign students. Our Brothers had been persecuted during the Boxer Rebellion, in which a good
number of our Marist Brothers and some of their students were killed.
A much more recent death was that of Bro. Joche Albert. He was the Brother who had prepared many young
men and women to join the Legion of Mary. Brother Joche was their mentor who trained them and inspired them
by his own example. It was on April 21, 1951, that he was jailed along with some twenty-four members of the
Legion of Mary. They were brought to a public place in Sichang, China, and the people of the area were obliged
to attend and to witness how the Chinese government dealt with these Legion students. In a public park the
people of the area were required to watch as the soldiers killed every one of the twenty-four Legion students and
then finally shot Bro. Joche Albert, who had been made to watch the execution of his dear students.
7/12/2021
https://dev.lb.marist.edu/archives/prayerAndWork/pages/thePresentChineseProvince.htm
https://dev.lb.marist.edu/archives/prayerAndWork/pages/thePresentChineseProvince.htm
2/2
Our famous winery is still in operation by the Chinese who had kept the Brothers on as long as they needed them
to learn the trade and then dismissed them. The Chinese had already taken all of our buildings but had not
managed to win over the Legion of Mary. If one would like to get an idea of the extent of our Marist work for
China, he has only to go over to our residence at Flower Road in Singapore, which was our residence there for a
number of years. There one will see walls full of the most beautiful and gigantic photos of the Marist Juniors,
Brothers, Superiors, and school students all gathered for the many religious functions annually at that time.
In the early ’50s during the persecution, when China was sending out as many natives as possible, we had a
large number of Chinese students who also managed to escape. They came to attend courses at Marist College,
and some fifty or so graduated. Most of these Brothers have gone back to serve in our various schools of the
China Province; others have gone to Australia and other countries, and one of these original graduates of Marist
College is still actively teaching in one of the American schools. The blood of martyrs fertilizes the seedlings
that spread our Catholic faith. And if one of these Chinese is still active here with us today, only God knows how
many expatriated mainland Chinese await the call to return to China. They will answer that call and come from
Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Sarawak, and all the various corners of the globe to assure that the
Catholic Church is still very much alive. Let us join with the Marist Brothers around the whole world who came
from mainland China, and may that huge number of Marist Brothers unite daily to sing together once more our
own glorious hymn, “Salve Regina!â€