Missionary Society of St. Columban - Beyond 'The Red Lacquered Gate'

As a boy growing up in my native Hong Kong, I was a member of the Legion of Mary and had heard the remarkable stories of a Columban priest who had been imprisoned for his faith. How special it was then that one day, after I had moved to the United States as a teenager, I would meet this extraordinary man of faith, Fr. Aedan McGrath, and eventually become a member of his community: the Missionary Society of St. Columban.

The history of the Society, though only 90 years, is rich and deep. While the story of the founding of the Society has been told in detail by William Barrett in his readable and inspiring book, “The Red Lacquered Gate,” other bold and holy missionaries have continued the legacy beyond the beginnings to the present day.

“The Red Lacquered Gate” concludes with China’s civil war, whose cruelty was felt by the populace and the Catholic Church, even as the Communist Party took control of the government and set up the People’s Republic of China in 1949. It was in this period of persecution that Fr. Aedan McGrath—this strong Columban personality—was to emerge.

In 1951, Archbishop Antonio Riberi, himself recently expelled from China, asked Fr. McGrath to launch the Legion of Mary in China even though the People’s Republic had formally ordered its dissolution. Under Fr. McGrath’s prayerful watch, the Legion’s groups increased and became schools of faith for the youth and training places for a courageous apostolate that risked imprisonment and threat of death.

In one case, a young girl was asked to sign a declaration against the Legion. She refused and was threatened with imprisonment and beheading. Before answering, her captors asked her to think of her parents. She thought it over and replied that she had asked Jesus, and He said not to sign.

The Rosary, Mary & The Eucharist

Fr. McGrath was finally arrested on the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the same day as the founding of the day of the Legion of Mary, and spent 32 months in prison.

For the Chinese Catholic, it is not the story of his imprisonment that inspires; it is his life and faith. Many Chinese Catholics have gone to prison and some even to their deaths. Until today, the story of Fr. Aedan McGrath is told and retold, sharing his love for the rosary, the Blessed Mother and the Eucharist.

He is remembered as one who taught others to pray, to be hopeful through trials and to be faithful until death. After his expulsion from China, Fr. McGrath continued his Legion work around the world until his death on Christmas Day 2000.

In the late 1970s, five Columban priests went to Taiwan at the request of the bishop of the Xinzhu Diocese. There was no civil war, but Taiwan was under martial law and individuals were arrested and disappeared without the benefit of a trial.

With the exception of one, the members embarked on language studies and when they left the mission, each left behind a legacy whether it was parish ministry, working with the physically challenged or with workers. Fr. Ned Kelly, a big, gentle man with a doctorate in Chinese history, astounded even the most educated Chinese scholars with his ability to read and understand the ancient written form of their language.

Fr. Ned was pastor of Holy Spirit, the first parish assigned the Columbans in Xinzhu Diocese. In addition to his ministry, Fr. Ned spent hours reading material banned by the then-Nationalist government. He collated and translated the information critical of the totalitarian government, using a computer and keeping everything on computer discs.

He was a visionary who saw the capabilities of computers at a time when many were still unsure of what they were. For his efforts to bring the writings of the Taiwanese political reformers to light, Fr. Kelly was expelled from Taiwan and moved to Hong Kong.

There he founded AITECE (Association for International Teaching, Education and Curriculum Exchange), an organization that facilitated the teaching of English in China and continues to this day. Fr. Ned was one of the first to involve lay people in the proclamation of the Gospel in China, albeit in an indirect manner. At the Caritas Chapel in Hong Kong, many remember Fr. Kelly for his homilies that challenged them to live lives aware of God’s mercy and to actively participate in social justice.

Communism Replaced With Capitalism

Columban missionaries continue proclaiming the Good News by serving the Chinese in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Columbans priests and seminarians give witness in the China reality by working with the marginalized such as non-Han ethnic groups, migrant workers who often are poorly paid and unjustly treated and rural communities in danger of losing their land as the government makes way for urbanization.

The China of those who have journeyed before us is gone. McDonald’s, Starbucks and Wal-Mart and the like are in all the major cities. The poverty and famine of the 1920s is a distant memory for most, though poverty is not eradicated. Freedom of religion is allowed within strict guidelines spelled out by the Bureau of Religious Affairs.

Ironically, it is no longer Communism, itself, which is the enemy. Instead, capitalism and consumerism creates a society of haves and have-nots.

And the vision of “The Red Lacquered Gate” has grown beyond China to be found throughout Asia, the Americas, Australia, Europe, New Zealand and the South Pacific. We have moved in response to the spirit of God who calls us to the same mission to move forward the Kingdom of God as Fr. Edward Galvin (the co-founder of the Society), Fr. Kelly and Fr. McGrath. Today we need different tools and methods to be faithful to mission in this 21st century global reality.

Columbans, traditionally, have not been about doing great things yet many remember us as individuals who have done things in great love. Let us continue the journey in seeing the possibilities of doing things with great love.

Columban Father George Da Roza was ordainted in 1985. He currently serves as the Regional Education coordinator in the United States.