The Period of 1959 – 1962 (2)

After long negotiations and many difficulties the Society succeeded to get its own mission territory from the Apostolic Prefect Niu, Bishop of Chiayi. It comprised the five districts: Chung-pu, Chu-chi, Fan-lu, Ta-pu, Wu-fung. All situated east of Chiayi. They included the mountain area with its Aborigines. This territory was given to the Society of the Divine Word for a period of 15 years to administer and evangelize. The contract was signed in Chiayi April 6, 1960. In this way the former missionaries, who were engaged in language studies, received a clearly delineated goal.

On ………………. Fr. Pott was appointed mission superior and he opened the office of the five district missions. His catechumen courses were well attended by the mountain people. Fr. Frisch, the oldest among the missionaries, was on August 20, 1960 the first to move up the mountains in order to settle down in Tefuyeh among the Aborigines. From there he took care of around 2000 Aborigines, living in six villages. In 1961 he had with the help of the Aborigines who donated the land offered their labor, and with donations from benefactors and from the Society already built a nice wooden church and a rectory.

In 1961 Fr. Theis and Fr. Kolanczyk also established two mission stations in the hilly land going up to the mountains. These stations very soon showed signs of intense religious life, especially since native Sisters took care of women and children. The mission superior Fr. Pott found a new place in the Western part of Chiayi, where he invited many Mountain People to join the common catechumenates. At the same time he there planned to establish a new city parish. As the statistics show the evangelization in the five districts made good progress. The area of which the SVD was taking care had about 100.000 inhabitants. June 30, 1960, so soon after the take-over, there were 126 Catholics. But already after one year, in June 1961, this number had increased to 402. Added to this was a great number of catchumens: Formosan people 400, Chinese from Mainland 18, Aborigines 190. Besides 6 priests in the year 1961 20 male and female catechists worked alongside for the spread of the faith. In order to also influence the leading circles the Society is planning a Middle School in the Chiayi area. This school would later on also comprise a preparatory seminary for the SVD and further provide education for the seminarians of the Bishop’s seminary. After thorough discussions with the missionaries, who saw in this Middle School a great support for their work in the country-side, mid 1961 a piece of land of 5 ha was bought at the southern edge of Chiayi. In the future his land will be a sufficient area for all the needs of the Middle School and the seminary. Modern plans for the School already have been prepared by Fr. Linzenbach and already in 1962 the construction will be started. Fr. Chu is the director and through his activities and good public relations has already given a fast push for the realization of this School project.

Outside of Chiayi the Society had a Society House in Taipei, which was bought in 1959 in order to have a base in Taipei and originally also to house a translation center, Lux Oriens. After this center, because of several internal reasons, could not be realized, it became the private SVD home for His Excellency Cardinal Tien and also the place where SVD missionaries passing through could stay. On July 21, 1960 it became a canonical house of the Society. Since 1961 when Fr. Wojniak arrived as rector of the house also pastoral activities were planned (a rectory). At the same time the SVD novitiate under Fr. Huemmer SVD will be moved here. Dec 27, 1961 the novitiate was approved by Rome. Bigger pieces of land were bought in order to provide for the needs of the regional administration, the novitiate, the private quarters of the Cardinal and the rectory. Building plans for all these are being prepared at the Bauburo in Nemi.

In the very south of the Island, in Kaohsiung, where till 1962 was the seat of the SVD Regionals was located, but which will now on the wish of the General Council be moved to Taipei, the Society had a language school in a rented house, run by Fr. Meiners. This house is at the same time a center for the care of students, because Fr. Meiners is first of all student chaplain for Kaohsiung, appointed by the Bishop there. In February 1962 new superiors for mission and Region in Formosa were appointed, namely Fr. Tauch as mission superior in the place of Fr. Pott, and Fr. Krieftewirth confirmed for a second three year term as Regional. Assistant Regional was Fr. Wojniak, and admonitor Fr. Chu. At the beginning of this new period the situation of the Society has become much more favorable. Having stable bases in the North and in the South, having one’s own mission territory in the center of the Island, one can also hope that the novitiate will soon be full and that local personnel will be formed, through which alone the Society can become rooted in the Island. Our big educational projects, like the Fu Jen University in Taipei, the Middle School in Chiayi and the Language School in Kaohsiung – as institutes of the Society – also urgently need local vocations.