The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-11-18
THE SITUATION IN CHINA.

Many Catholic missionaries arc
laboring in China where the revolu-
tionists are endeavoring to overthrow
the old regime. Rev. F. Arsen1us
Mullin, young Canadian priest in a
letter recently says:
"The district confided to my care
is called Tien Msu, the Poor of
Heaven. God grant that I may be
able to open the true gate of the
celestial paradise to many of the
pagans by whom I am surrounded. At
my principal station there was former
ly a catechumenate, or home, where
pagan women and children were pre-
pared for baptism, but this institution
is now closed for lack of funds. For
the same reason the school has been
discontinued and have not the means
even to pay a teacher who could go
from village to village and instruct
the children. The Chinese Catholics
of this vicinity have been reduced to
great misery by the foods. Now in
August, the fields are covered with
water and the scanty harvest upon
which the natives rely will certainly
be insufficient to give them food for
. twelyemonth."
The misery depicted by Father Null
lin is by no means confined to the
district of Hankow where he is To-
Gated. The Rev. Adolphus Patuel,
whose mission is in the heart of An
nam writes in part as follows:
Each parish includes about fifteen
or twenty villages and about 1000
parishioners. Although try to cele-
brate Mass in the chief villages by
turn, the people have to make jour-
ney of seven or eight hours afoot in
order to assist at the Holy Sacrifice
on Sunday. The Catholics of this
region suffered greatly in the perse-
cutions of 1874 and 1883. The apostle
of Christ is accustomed to privations,
fatigues, scant and poor food, uncom-
Portable surroundings. He exists I'M
der all kinds of unfavorable conditions
and endures the ills brought on by
the dampness of his poor hut with
little complaint, although in the end
he may succumb to them. But he is
saddened when forced by circum-
stances to offer the Mass in one of
those wretched cabins built in the
native manner. have no better
chapel at any of the stations in my
district The best of these edifices
is worth perhaps $40. From this value
the scale descends. At Lang Khach
the chapel is merely shelter con-
structed of branches cut from the
neighboring trees. Such chapels last
it is necessary to build a new one.
Even the church at the mission head
quarters is greatly in need, of repair
and it is not in a fit condition for
the reservation of the blessed sacra-
ment. The roof leaks and during the
rains we have to put a rude canopy
over the altar. My people are eager
to build new church. They offer
to give their labor on it without
charge, and to draw building, ma
terials, stone, wood, sand, ETC., to
the site free"
Conditions are somewhat better in
Chen-Si, where Christianity was
preached as early as 1910, but the
neophytes of that time were sub
jected to cruel prosecutions. Perhaps
it was the patience under trials and
the sufferings of these first Christians
that obtained from God for the
Chinese Catholics of the present age
the freedom in religious matters that
they now enjoy. The North Chen-Si
mission at present numbers %, 1000 bap-
tized Catholics, and 1000 catechumens
among population of 100000
pagans. About forty missionaries,
half of the number being franciscan
and the remainder priests, ministers
to the Pensioners of 165 churches or
chapels, scattered over this extensive
vicariate apostolic. The mission has
seminary where sixteen students
are studying for the sacred ministry,
and a preparatory seminary with
twenty pupils. Fifteen Franciscan
missionary Sisters of Mary have
charge of orphanages, established in
the three principal cities of the prov
ince