Missions and social works.
Missionaries today
The second stage (1931-1937)
The first stage (1924-1930)
The first superior of Kweiteh was the vice procurator of Shanghai de Shanghai, Francisco Javier Ochoa. He arrived on
the 16th of February 1924 to prepare the residence, rent a property and advise so that the rest of the missionaries
would get under way. By the middle of March he opened an English school to get to know the population and educate
the young people. The other missionaries leave Manila on the 11th of March and arrive to Kweiteh on the 4th of
April. All of them have two years or less ordained. They start to learn Chinese, to take on the customs and to get
to know their surroundings.
The construction of the mission house allowed the religious to have a central place of operations, to relax, for formation and meeting.
In September 1924 there were now ten Augustinian Recollects and they were present in five cities in the mission. They were established within the inner wall of Kweiteh and opened their house on the 7th of July 1925. They also opened the Holy Infancy to gather in young girls abandoned in their houses.
But when the future seemed bright and promising, internal disturbances in the nation put everything in danger. In 1927 civil war broke out. The friars received an explicit order to go regress immediately to Shanghai. But the lack of unity in the foreign nations put a brake on the xenophobic feelings and calmed the general situation down. The Recollects saw the urgency to promote the mission. In July 1928 the magazine Todos Misioneros (All missionaries) came out. The composition resided firstly in Manila (the Philippines), later in Shanghai, and lastly in Marcilla (Spain). It was one of the most popular publications in the history of the Order.
In the middle of this atmosphere of conflict and bloodshed, Pope Pius XI founded the apostolic prefecture of Kweiteh. On the 8th of January 1929 they named Ochoa as apostolic prefect and Mariano Alegría pro-prefect.
The construction of the mission house allowed the religious to have a central place of operations, to relax, for formation and meeting.
In September 1924 there were now ten Augustinian Recollects and they were present in five cities in the mission. They were established within the inner wall of Kweiteh and opened their house on the 7th of July 1925. They also opened the Holy Infancy to gather in young girls abandoned in their houses.
But when the future seemed bright and promising, internal disturbances in the nation put everything in danger. In 1927 civil war broke out. The friars received an explicit order to go regress immediately to Shanghai. But the lack of unity in the foreign nations put a brake on the xenophobic feelings and calmed the general situation down. The Recollects saw the urgency to promote the mission. In July 1928 the magazine Todos Misioneros (All missionaries) came out. The composition resided firstly in Manila (the Philippines), later in Shanghai, and lastly in Marcilla (Spain). It was one of the most popular publications in the history of the Order.
In the middle of this atmosphere of conflict and bloodshed, Pope Pius XI founded the apostolic prefecture of Kweiteh. On the 8th of January 1929 they named Ochoa as apostolic prefect and Mariano Alegría pro-prefect.
Image gallery
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Javier Ochoa, the first apostolic prefect.
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Javier Ochoa, the first apostolic prefect.
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The situation of the children is so alarming that it will be one of the first social works of the religious.
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The situation of the children is so alarming that it will be one of the first social works of the religious.
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The situation of the children is so alarming that it will be one of the first social works of the religious.
The second stage (1931-1937)
