The Heart, Body, and Soles of Fr. Thomas Price

Why Bernadette of Lourdes?

Bernadette is best known for receiving Marian apparitions during her youth. After multiple visitations, Our Lady of Lourdes directed her to cleanse the waters and have a chapel built at the grotto at Massabielle. Following these events, Bernadette joined the Sisters of Charity at Nevers. She remained in the Convent for the rest of her life.

Fr. Price was inspired by her faith and devotion to the Blessed Virgin, which they shared in common. It’s understandable that he wished to rest near the person whose life helped shape his own. Records suggest Fr. Price originally asked for his body to be interred next to Bernadette, but it was not possible for the Sisters of Charity to meet that request.

You can learn more about St. Bernadette’s life here:

https://maryknollmissionarchives.org/feast-day-of-st-bernadette/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernadette_Soubirous

Home Sweet Home

Fr. Price was initially buried in Happy Valley Cemetery, Hong Kong (now Hong Kong Cemetery). Maryknollers hoped to bring his body home, but it took longer than initially expected. Local law, enforced by the Hong Kong Sanitary Board, required that he remain buried for seven years before he could be exhumed. Fr. Price remained in Happy Valley Cemetery for 17 years before his homecoming.

Fr. Price had multiple headstones during his years buried in Hong Kong. This headstone (either the second or third iteration) seen on the left was written in Latin and Cantonese. The photograph captures Frs. Dietz, Taggart, Sweeney, and Murray while visiting his gravesite in Happy Valley Cemetery, Hong Kong in 1923.

Twenty years later, the Society Chapel was dedicated and the remains of Bishop Walsh and Fr. Price were transferred into the new crypt beneath it. They have rested here together since 1956, with absolutely no plans of relocating again.

The Soles of a Man

When Fr. Price was exhumed in Hong Kong on August 19^th, 1936, his casket was opened and thoroughly inspected by Bishop James E. Walsh, Bishop Valtora, 20 plus priests, the President of St. Raphael’s Burial Society, and Merritt N. Cootes, Vice Consul of the United States. Inside were the “well-preserved” bones of Fr. Price, and not much else. The only surviving objects were his Roman collar (made of rubber), a silver ring, an iron anklet, and the soles of his shoes (also rubber). Everything else had disintegrated.

Fr. Price’s bones, collar, and soles were resealed in a small coffin and approved for transport by the authorities. His remains were accompanied by Fr. Robert Kennelly, and they set sail for home on October 12, 1936. Bishop Walsh retained the ring and anklet for safe-keeping. Fr. Price was reburied in December 1936, but this time his soles were not.

Today, the soles of Fr. Price are housed in the Maryknoll Mission Archives. As relics of Fr. Price, they rarely leave their climate controlled environment, except on very special occasions. They repose in a transparent case so they can be viewed without endangering their long-term preservation. That case lives inside a box to avoid damage from light exposure. The photo below was taken prior to entering their current housing. These precious relics serve as a reminder to keep walking forward and working hard to build a better future together.