The Maryknoll Sisters in Hong Kong, 1921–1969: In Love with the Chinese

220 Pages·2004·1.395 MB·English

by  Cindy Yik-yi Chu (auth.)

The Maryknoll Sisters in Hong Kong,
1921–1969
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The Maryknoll Sisters in Hong Kong,
1921–1969
In Love with the Chinese
Cindy Yik-yi Chu
THEMARYKNOLLSISTERSINHONGKONG,1921–1969
© Cindy Yik-yi Chu,2004
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2004 978-1-4039-6586-8
All rights reserved.No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
First published 2004 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN™
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Houndmills,Basingstoke,Hampshire,England RG21 6XS
Companies and representatives throughout the world
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave
Macmillan division of St.Martin’s Press,LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.
Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States,United Kingdom
and other countries.Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European
Union and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-52919-3 ISBN 978-1-4039-8161-5 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781403981615
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Chu,Cindy Yik-yi
The Maryknoll Sisters in Hong Kong,1921–1969 :In love with the Chinese /
Cindy Yik-yi Chu.
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1.Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America—Missions—China—
Hong Kong—History—20th century.2.Maryknoll Sisters—Missions—
China—Hong Kong—History—20th century.I.Title.
BV2300.C35C49 2004
266’.25125—dc22 2004044460
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd.,Chennai,India.
First edition:November 2004
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my parents
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Contents
List of Tables and Figures viii
Preface ix
1. Introduction 1
2. Early Arrival, 1921–1937 19
3. Difficult Years, 1937–1951 43
4. Extreme Poverty of the 1950s, King’s Park and Tung Tau Tsuen 67
5. Refugee Communities in the 1950s and Chai Wan 89
6. Wong Tai Sin, Kowloon Tsai, and Social Services in the 1960s 109
7. Kwun Tong and Chai Wan in the 1960s 129
8. Conclusion 149
Appendix I: Statistics on Maryknoll Sisters Who Were in Hong Kong
from 1921 to 2004 163
Appendix II: List of Maryknoll Sisters Who Were in
Hong Kong from 1921 to 2004 165
Notes 169
Bibliography 201
Index 211
List of Tables and Figures
Tables
3.1 The enrolment figures for M.C.S., 1936–1939 47
3.2 Maryknoll houses in Hong Kong before the Japanese
occupation in 1941 48
4.1 Average monthly activities in King’s Park in 1952 74
4.2 General survey of work at King’s Park (June 1–December 31, 1953) 77
4.3 The living standard of the family of a government-employed
street-sweeper in 1954 80
4.4 Standard of living in 1954 81
5.1 Catechetical work from 1952 to 1957 98
5.2 Relief goods in Chai Wan in 1956 and 1957 101
6.1 Types of work in the house in Wong Tai Sin (1963) 114
6.2 Types of work in the house in Kowloon Tsai (1963) 123
6.3 Relief food and clothing, distributed April 1, 1963–March 31, 1964,
Maryknoll Sisters Catholic Welfare Center, Homantin-King’s Park
Resettlement Area 124
6.4 Statistics in King’s Park in the ten months of 1963/1964 125
7.1 Types of work in the house in Kwun Tong (1963) 135
7.2 Catechetical activities in Chai Wan (1961–1963) 140
Figures
2.1 The Maryknoll Sisters on their day of arrival in Hong Kong
on November 3, 1921 22
3.1 Maryknoll Convent School on Waterloo Road in 1950 61
4.1 Sister Moira Riehl distributing noodles to residents in
King’s Park, ca. 1951 78
5.1 Sister Rose Bernadette Gallagher making a house visit in
Chai Wan, ca. 1950s 96
6.1 Sister Maria Rieckelman (middle) in Our Lady of Maryknoll
Hospital, ca. 1965 117
7.1 Plan of organization (1966–1967) of the South China Region 144
8.1 Maryknoll Sisters in a retreat in the convent on Waterloo Road
in 1974; also present were the Jesuits 154
Preface
This book is the product of my own research project. I came up with the idea of
looking into Maryknoll history in summer 2000; the American Sisters had left me the
impression of being independent, outgoing, optimistic, and socially conscious, very
different from stereotyped images of conservative and reserved nuns seen on T.V. and
in news magazines. When I approached the Maryknoll Sisters in August that year,
they were enthusiastic about the project and showed no hesitancy in answering my
queries, giving me a very good start. The more I read about Maryknoll history,
through books written by the women themselves and others, the more I was amazed
by the courage they had in going to foreign lands with languages and cultures they
knew very little about. When the six pioneers came to Hong Kong in 1921, they had
to get through tremendous cultural shock, not to mention the responsibilities of
opening a mission field and making important decisions in a situation they were still
trying to adjust to. They had to persevere, and foreign mission was a life-long task
simply because the congregation did not have plans for the missionaries to return
home until 1946. Those who arrived in the colony after World War II were often
shocked by the appalling poverty of most people. A Sister described her experience in
the Chinese culture as equivalent to one of “reincarnation.”
I made two research trips to the Maryknoll Mission Archives in Maryknoll, New
York, the first one in summer 2001 and the second one in summer 2003. The
records of the Sisters were very detailed, as they probably did quite a lot of writing
during their stay in Hong Kong; it seemed as if I were able to see with my own eyes
their daily work, living, and people around them. Their description of Hong Kong
society resembled a first-hand history book, tracing developments of the place
through different times of the twentieth century. As a Hong Kong person, I almost
thought that I could go back to history, and I appreciated the unbelievable sacrifices
and hard work of the Chinese people, making Hong Kong what it is today.
In my research in the Maryknoll Mission Archives, I received much help from
Sister Martha Bourne and I am particularly grateful to her for answering every ques-
tion of mine, no matter how unimportant it was. I thank the Maryknoll Mission
Archives for permission to publish photos and quotations in this book, and for the
kindness of its staff. Also, I appreciate the Hong Kong Catholic Diocesan Archives
for permission to use its material, the assistance of staff at the Hong Kong Public
Records Office, Hong Kong Collection of the Main Library of the University of
Hong Kong, Archives on the History of Christianity in China of the Hong Kong
Baptist University Library, and Map Library of the Hong Kong Central Library.