atom feed

Monday, February 25, 2013

Marianist Foundation in Tokyo

The Very Rev. Joseph Simler (1876-1905) Fourth Superior-General of the Society of Mary (1833-1905) following William Joseph Chaminade (1817-1845), George Joseph Caillet (1845-1868), and John Joseph Chevaux (1868-1875)


Departure from Paris.

The Fathers of the Paris Foreign Mission Society was founded to develop missions for the Church. In the year 1875, they made the first appeal for the cooperation of the Society of Mary in making a foundation in Japan. This was one of many appeals to the Marianists

In Circular #42 (June 21, 1887), Father Simler writes "From all sides, requests for foundations continue to pour in". In the same Circular he announced that the foundation in Japan would wait until the opening of the scholastic year 1888.

Thus on November 18, 1887 two teams of Marianists left Paris for Japan. (Circular #47, May 19, 1888, pg. 15) The plans were to meet in Yokohama and open a school in Tokyo by October 1888:

Rev Nicholas Walter left for America; he planned to meet Brother Joseph Senentz in San Francisco and continue to Japan using the western route.

Rev. Alphonse Heinrich, Bros. Louis Stolz and Camillus Planche took the opposite route; they embarked at Marseilles to take the eastern route via the Suez Canal. Their voyage was expected to last about forty-five days.(Circular 43, October 15, 1887 pg. 2)


Marianist Founders in Japan

Rev. Nicholas Walter and Bro. Joseph Senentz arrived in Yokohama from the USA on December 21,1887. This team moved to Tokyo the following day.

Rev. Alphonse Heinrich and his team arrived in Yokohama on January 4, 1988. (via latina # 220 — February 2013)


Rev. Nicholas Walter and Bro. Joseph Senentz

Visit to the Sisters of the Congregation of our Lady of St. Maur. (December 21, 1887)

Marianists received in Tokyo by Bishop Pierre Osouf, M.E.P. (Paris Foreign Missions Society), Archbishop of Tokyo(1891-1906).(December 22, 1887).

Returned to Yokohama to join Father Walter's group.(January 4,1988)(Source: Circular #47 May 19, 1888, Foundation of Tokyo May 19, 1988 pg.72)


The United Community of 5

In the evening of January 4 there was still time to visit the French and American Consuls at Yokohama. At 10 AM the next day, the community boarded the train for Tokyo.

The first days the community lodged with Fr. Lecomte, of the Society of Missions. It was here that the group received their first lessons in the Japanese language.

Fr. Alphonse Heinrich founder of Marianists in Japan.


Bishop Osouf offered temporarily part of the seminary to the Marianists including a class-room on January 23.

On the vigil of Purification (February 1) The Marianists opened a small school called Gyosei Gakuen in the European Quarter of the town Tsukiji Kyobashi Akashi.

By February 10 Father Walter was teaching English; Bro. Senetz, German and Arithmetic; Bro. Stoltz, Penmanship and Drawing; and Father Heinrich, French. There were three Japanese students.(Source: Circular #47 May 19, 1888, Foundation of Tokyo May 19, 1988 pg. 79)

By September 11th, The Marianists had left the lodging which Bishop Osouf placed at their disposal. The Brothers had moved into a house used for residence and a school. There were about 50 students.

In November the Marianists prepared for the purchase of new school sites.

In July 1890 the schools were transferred to a new site at 1-2-5,Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. (See the Gyosei Gakuen website - use google page translation for English.)

_____

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Philppines Newsletter

The Brothers from the St. Anna and Novitiate Communities gathered together at the Novitiate on December 1 2012. They shared about what have they have done and what they experienced in their personal lives during the past year. ...from Garden of Eden January 2013.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Korea Region Annual Retreat

January 7-12 2013

The Regional 2013 annual retreat was held at the Marianist Spirituality Center on Ganghwa Island. Sister Katarina (이정순 카타리나) of the Sisters of Perpetual Help Order was the resource person for the retreat. The Theme of the retreat was "Midlife spirituality".

Monday, February 4, 2013

Marianist Mission in China 1903-1909

Catholic Mission in China 1899

The buildings of the Catholic mission were built on a piece of ground covering 30 sq. km. and given to the mission by the government in 1899, and completed in 1902.

Like all the catholic missions in South Shantung, the schools were under the supervision of the bishop of the Steyler Mission Society with its headquarters in Yen-Tchou-fou. (Edited from the Google book Guide to Tsingtau and its surroundings by F Behme and M Krieger (Free Google eBook).


Bro. Julius Gallerey (1864 - 1933)

Brother Julius Gallerey, the Director of our first mission in China, A native of Alsace, was born in the city of Selestadt. His parents' early death left him an orphan.

In the fall of 1879 Julius was admitted to the novitiate of the Society Of Mary at Courtefontaine, France. In 1889 he was appointed to assist the master of novices at Ris. For health considerations he was assigned to St. Mary's Institute near the "Pare de Monceau" in Paris.

In 1903, Life was looking dangerous for religious in France. At about the same time the Superior General in Nivelles received a letter from the Vicar Apostolic of Shantung, Msgr. Von Anzer, regarding the proposed foundation of a college at Yen-chu-fu. Preliminary matters having been satisfactorily arranged and agreed upon, The General Administration asked Brother Gallerey to be the director for a mission to China.

A month later, Bro. Gallerey, accompanied by Brothers Eugene Sandrock and Joseph Koehl, boarded the "Prince Heinrich," and after a voyage of six weeks the pioneer community of missionaries arrived at Yen-chu-fu on November 27 1903.

In a letter dated December 1, 1903, Bro. Gallerey reports that the missionaries were studying the Chinese language and preparing for the school that they expected to open at the end of February 1904.

The opening of two new imperial schools by the government took place on April 24, 1904. It was on March 8 that the Brothers were introduced into the first school. There were 23 pupils present. Soon they were working in the second school.

Bro. Gallerey and his team spent six years of devoted and painstaking work at Yen-chu-fu. Due to a change of terms of a treaty between Germany and China The Marianists were no longer able to continue their work and were transferred to Japan, leaving China on July 10, 1909.

Bro. Jules Gallery died in 1933 at Urakami at the age of 69; Bro. Joseph Koehl in 1912 at Freistadt at the age of 73; and Bro. Edward Sandrock in 1958 at Kamakura at the age of 80. (Post Edited From the the Necrology of Bro. Jules Gallerey of the Society of Mary Vol. 6 27pp)

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Region Construction Update

December 28 2012

Update for the Regional construction of the Church and Community House (From SM and FMI Korea)