The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-12-31

the Propagation of the Faith and Foreign Mission activities in the Hartford diocese, has received some encouraging news from the Mary knoll. (N. Y.) sisters who have been in the midst of the fighting in China. The work of maintaining the Chinese missions where many young American nuns of this order are laboring is financially aided to a large extent by the generosity of people from all over this state and in large measure by the donations of Waterburians enrolled in the Propagation of 4the Faith. Due to this generosity a check was sent to Maryknoll for these sisters in Chi- na who are in the midst of most desperatel conditions.
 Met Bishop
 Father Griffin visited with the recently consecreated Bishop of Nanking, China, a native of that country, this week in New York city. The bishop had been studying in Rome, was enfuute to. his diocese when he learned of the destruction of his episcopal city. Thirty-six years of age, this bishop is the youngest Catholic prelate in the world, doctor of philosophy and theology as well as a linguist.
 The story of the nine nuns from MarylSnoll and their experiences in war-torn China during the last month bespeaks their bravery. Writes the New York Herald as fol- lows:
 A simple story which describes only by inadvertent implication the bravery of nine American nuns Of Maryknoll who remained at their hospital post, scant ten miles from Shanghai. during the Japanese siege of the city, arrived at Ossin- ing, N. F., at the headquarters and mother house of the Sisters of Mary knoll.
 Faced Death
 The nine sisters, whose intimate account of hunger, death, danger and toll covers the period from No- vember to November 20, are sta- toned at Mercy Hospital for the Insane, at Peichiao. They said in their message that they believed 1t to be the only hospital in Chinese territory in the region not yet de- stroyed.
 "You would smile," the sisters re- ported to the nuns at the Maryknoll mother house, If you saw how we went to bed tonight (November 9) fully dressed, with a candle, matches, a bottle of holy water and clean handkerchief in our pock- ets." Then, significantly: sister gave US some money, 50 that in case we become separated we can get along"
 The story includes a description of the bombing of the road outside the hospital and tells of the hun- dreds of refugees who go daily to the hospital for shelter and treat ment. Bodies must be buried, pa- tients must be fed. One section of the letter tells how two of the sis- ters who went to Shanghai for food lost their car and had to walk back; they were stopped forty times dur. ing the trip.
 There is displayed no partiality for either the Chinese or the Jap anese in the sisters report, but merely pity and sympathy for the suffering and a calm consideration of their own situation.
 Chinese troops from Shanghai" the November s entry reports, pass the hospital all day. such little, un- derfed boysl We wonder how they held out during these last three months of fighting.
 Uncanny
 "It is reported that Japanese troops landed near Minhong. If the Japanese troops come f.om Shang- hai and Minhong, we will be the sandwich filling if the armies decide to light. There is something very quiet and uncanny about the whole affair.""
 The sisters care for some 400 wom- en patients of the hospital. The present staff includes Sisters Mary Antoinette Geist, of Pittsburgh; Mary Augusta Hook, of Meadville, Pa: Miriam Agnes Tibesar, of Quincy, Ill; Mary St. Dominic Kelly, of Forest Park, Ill.,: Herman Joseph Stitz, of Salem, Ore; Kathleen Marie Shea, Of Dorchester, Mass; Mary Ignatia McNally, of Dover. N. H.; Agnes Regina Rafferty, of Cam den, w. Va, and Mary Espiritu Ven- lieman, of Butte. Mont. The November account descfibes the Chinese retreat and the steadily advancing Japanese army. The sis- ters have enough rice for two weeks the entry says, but Loh Pa Hong. their Chinese benefactor. hae lost all his income, since his factories have been burned. SSIne excerpts from the nuns report follow: