History
Prior to the late 1940s, Maryknollers’ main ministry focus was on direct evangelization, not on social work and pastoral ministry. Of course, Maryknollers provided pastoral care to their communities, but this was done under the auspices of direct evangelization. The Fathers, Brothers, and Sisters did home visiting, led parish groups, offered the sacraments, and gave religious counsel. They got to know the people’s spiritual needs and addressed these needs as best they could. They provided pastoral care because it was their duty as missioners, but also in the hope that it would turn the people toward Catholicism.
In some missions, Maryknollers also led socio-economic ministries, which served as income streams for the missions and a means to expose the locals to Catholicism. One example is the Sisters’ industrial department (also called the vestment department), begun in Hong Kong in 1924. The department, headed by Sr. Teresa Yeung, created and sold vestments and altar linens designed by Sr. Mary Liguori Quinlan and Sr. Frances Venard Lotito. Sr. Teresa oversaw the local women and girls hired as seamstresses and embroiderers, giving them an opportunity to earn a living. The Fathers, Brothers, and Sisters in Fushun collaborated to create the “Maryknoll MissionArts” program in the 1930s. Through this program, local men and boys learned wood carving, and local women and girls learned sewing and embroidery. After their training, the employees made vestments, altar linens, crucifixes, and religious statues. These products were sold to raise money for Maryknoll.
Pre-World War II, Maryknoll’s main social work in China was orphanages. Many parents who could not afford to care for their children would leave them at the missions. The Fathers and Brothers saw this problem firsthand when they arrived in 1918 and opened orphanages in Yeungkong and Loting within two years. When the Sisters arrived in 1922, they took charge of the orphanages. Many of the babies and children were extremely sick when they arrived, and sometimes all the Sisters could do was baptize them. The children who lived were raised by the Sisters, became Catholics, received an education, and learned a trade. Through the orphanages, the Fathers and Sisters addressed the social needs of the community and offered the children a more prosperous future. However, most importantly to the Fathers and Sisters, the orphanages allowed them to save the children’s souls for Catholicism.
After World War II and their expulsion from mainland China, Maryknollers in Hong Kong and Macau became aware that their ministries needed to adapt to the time and place in which they served. And what was needed in that time and place were ministries devoted to the social, economic, and spiritual uplifting of their communities.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the Fathers’, Brothers’, and Sisters’ pastoral and social works were devoted to the huge refugee population in Hong Kong and Macau. But by the early 1970s, the refugee crisis was over and the Diocese of Hong Kong took over most of the schools, parishes, and social ministries begun by the Fathers and Brothers. Some Fathers and Brothers stayed on as staff members in parishes and schools, and others turned their attention to new social works and pastoral ministries in Hong Kong. These included: serving as chaplains at universities and prisons; working as reporters and editors for diocesan, local, and international Catholic publications; organizing and advocating for workers’ and migrants’ rights; running programs for the sick, the elderly, and people with disabilities; and creating neighborhood pastoral centers with social and religious programs for people of all ages. The Fathers and Brothers continue ministries like these today.
The Sisters began new social works and pastoral ministries in Hong Kong in the 1960s and 1970s. Some Sisters worked directly in parishes, leading catechetical programs, teaching in church schools, directing youth and women’s groups, and visiting parishioners. Other Sisters did similar work directly with the Diocese of Hong Kong, creating and leading catechetical programs, diocesan volunteer organizations, and organizations for women religious. New social ministries led some Sisters to work as chaplains to university students, as social workers, as volunteers with local organizations, and as writers and editors for Catholic publications. The Sisters also used diocesan and parish pastoral centers as bases for community classes and group meetings. Here they taught subjects like English, basic healthcare, art, labor organizing, and community organizing, and led rights groups for workers, migrants, women, and others. Sisters staffed community welfare centers too, where they led programs to help the ill, the elderly, people with disabilities, students, and the poor find services, jobs, healthcare, and housing. Social works and pastoral ministries like these are still part of the Sisters’ work in Hong Kong.
In 1982, the Sisters began a new ministry in Macau in the Diocese of Macau’s pastoral offices. There the Sisters did both social work and pastoral ministry. They organized ministries for the elderly, immigrants, the deaf, and people with disabilities. These ministries helped people connect in new community groups, have Bible study and religious gatherings, find employment, and further their education. The Sisters worked in these ministries until 2021.
Collections Related to Social Work and Pastoral Ministry
MFBA China Missions Collection, Series 1, Series 3 Subseries 3, Series 4 Subseries 1
MFBA Hong Kong Regional History Collection
MFBA Mission Diaries Collection, Series 2 Subseries 1, 3, and 5
MFBA Newsletters Collection, Series 2 Subseries 1-2
MFBA China History Project Records, Series 7 Subseries 3-5
MSA Mission Diaries Collection, Series 2 Subseries 3, 6, 9, and 14
MSA Chronicles Collection, Series 2 Subseries 5, 9, and 15