Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-06-01
JESUITS RETURN
TO SOUTH SEA

TOXIC, June spanish missionaries
return to a field they lost at the end
of the Spanish American War. when
eighteen JesuIts arrive this month in
Ponape. chief Of the group Of the South
Sea islands. They succeed German Cath
Ollie missionaries displaced when the En-
pire Of Japan was awarded the man
date over the South Sea islands at the
peace table in Versailles. and they will
RESUME the work Of other Spanish priests
and lay workers, who were forced to
temporarily suspend their labors IN the
South Sea field in 1899.
Far removed from the centers %
Christian civilization, In a land where
tropical disease and climatic conditions
unite to make life unpleasant these
eighteen Jesuits, nine priests and nine
lay workers, 90 to Ponape as special
emissaries Of Pope Benedict. chosen.
despite the difficulty Of their field and
the almost certain knowledge that they
will never return to Europe, from scores
Of applicants.
1t was one hundred and thirty years
ago that the Jesuit Fathers from Europe
first established Catholic missions In the
South Sea islands. Few Catholic com
munities at that time knew much about
the South Sea islands or the great field
for labor among the natives there. The
natives knew only a touch of the western
civilization; they talked no language
save a native lingo that was hard to mas
ter. no matter how diligent were the stu
dents The first Of the Jesuits labored
well with their subjects IN the newly
opened field and when the Spanish Amer
lean war began there were Catholic
schools and churches In the islands and
IL - l. i
stand the religion of the western peoples
Then came the treaty which ended the
war between America and Spain and Ger
man Catholics were assigned to the work
then being conducted by missionaries
from Spain. Priests and lay workers
were sent there as the representatives Of
Pope Leo, and many Of the new converts
took up n study of the German language.
giving mp the Spanish which had been
part Of their regular courses. In the
twenty-five years the natives who knew
Spanish became fewer and fewer, until
today it is said hiatt few save the oldest
Catholic converts can speak the language
of the newcOming priests. The work OF
the German missionaries continued until
one year ago. when Japan, anxious To
have the work of civilization continued,
asked Pope Benedict to send other work
ers to POnape and the South Sea centers
where 10000 Catholics were interested in
keeping the work of that religion going
forward.
There is no feeling Of triumph on our
part" said Father Castro, who sailed
from Yokohama recently with three Of
his brethren. the last group Of Spanish
Catholics to go to the islands. while
we are replacing the German fathers,
and at the same time returning to q field
which was ours twenty-five years ago,
we are going primarily to continue the
good work which has been going on in
the islands for 100 years now, and we
are proud that we were chosen from so
many applicants in Spain to take up so
responsible a work"
The last of eighteen missionaries from
Spain were guests of the Jochi College
Catholic School in Toxic for one month,
while they waited for a ship to take
them into the tropical land which will
be their home, very probably for the re-
mainder of their lives.