Maryknoll

Maryknoll http://home.maryknoll.org/index.php?module=MKArticles or, the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, is an American Catholic religious order which has, throughout its nearly hundred-year history, had a heavy emphasis on ministry and missionary work overseas, particularly East Asia, in China, Japan, Korea, as well as Latin America, Africa, and other places. Maryknoll Missionaries include Maryknoll Fathers and Maryknoll Brothers, Maryknoll lay missionaries http://laymissioners.maryknoll.org/index.php?module=MKArticles&mk_page=about.html and Maryknoll Sisters http://www.maryknoll.org/MARYKNOLL/SISTERS/ms_missn.htm, who are a Dominican Order working in partnership but who are canonically separate from the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. The headquarters for both the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers and the Maryknoll Sisters are located just outside the town of Ossining, New Yorkhttp://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=Maryknoll,+NY which is 32 miles north of New York City on the Hudson River.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This Society of Apostolic Life http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P2G.HTM was founded by Fr. James Anthony Walsh of Boston and Fr. Thomas Frederick Price of North Carolina, who met at the 2lst Eucharistic Congress in Montreal, Canada (7th ? 11th September 1910). Maryknoll was established in 1911 as the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America by the Bishops of the United States with the commission to recruit, send and support U.S. missioners in areas around the world. On June 29, 1911, Pope Pius X blessed the founding of Maryknoll. Maryknoll's first missioners left for China in 1918. Today there are over 550 Maryknoll priests and Brothers serving in countries around the world, principally in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

James Anthony Walsh

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(1867-1936)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

James Anthony Walsh, son of James Walsh and Hanna Shea, was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on February 24, 1867. After completing his elementary education in the public schools, he attended Boston College High School where, in extracurricular activities, his skills in debating and journalism were first recognized and developed. He began his college program at Boston College, interrupted it to study bookkeeping, transferred to Harvard College as a "special student", and completed his studies at St. John's Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts. He was ordained on May 20, 1892, at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After ordination, Walsh was appointed curate at St. Patrick's Church in Roxbury, Massachusetts where he directed sodalities and organizations for both the young men and women of the parish. In 1903, he was appointed Diocesan Director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith and in 1907 founded The Field Afar magazine, a monthly publication about the foreign missions of the Catholic Church.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Walsh's interest in the foreign missions led to his founding, together with Rev. Thomas Frederick Price, the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America (C.F.M.S.A.) (commonly referred to as the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers) in 1911. He acted as spiritual father and co-founder, with Mother Mary Joseph Rogers, of the Foreign Mission Sisters of St. Dominic (now called Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic). He served as Superior General of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers until his death in 1936. During the founding process and in his service as Superior General, Walsh made trips across the United States, to Rome and to other places throughout the world.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1933, Walsh was elected to the episcopacy and named Titular Bishop of Siene. He was consecrated in Rome on June 29, 1933, in the College of Propaganda Fide by Cardinal Fumasoni-Biondi. He died at Maryknoll, New York, on April 14, 1936.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In addition to his writings in The Field Afar, he wrote a number of books: Choral Sodality Handbook (1898,1955), A Modern Martyr (1907), Thoughts from Modern Martyrs (1908), Observations in the Orient (1919), and In the Homes of Martyrs (1922).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A biography of his life, All the Day Long, written by Daniel Sargent, was published in 1941 by Longmans, Green & Company, New York and Toronto. Further biographical information may be found in issues of The Field Afar (Maryknoll Magazine) and in writings of Maryknollers.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thomas Frederick Price

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(1860-1919)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rev. Thomas Frederick Price, Co-Founder of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, was born on August 19, 1860, in Wilmington, North Carolina. He was the eighth child of Alfred and Clarissa Bond Price. His parents were converts to the Catholic faith, and he was raised as a devout Catholic in the midst of Southern apathy toward Catholicism.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Youth and Education

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As a youth, Price had intimate contact with the priests of his parish (St. Thomas, Wilmington, North Carolina). One priest who figured prominently in his early life was Bishop James Gibbons, newly appointed first Vicar Apostolic of North Carolina. Gibbons established his headquarters at St. Thomas Church and soon began to show a special interest in young Price. Price often served Mass for Gibbons and accompanied him on special trips throughout the Vicariate.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

With his religious background (especially the deep devotion of his mother to the Blessed Virgin), Price soon felt an attraction to the priesthood. He confided his interest to the parish priest, Fr. Mark Gross, and arrangements were made for him to enter St. Charles Seminary at Catonsville, Maryland, in August, 1876. On route to the seminary by ship, Price escaped death in the shipwreck of the Rebecca Clyde. Price attributed his survival to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. After the accident, he returned home until January 1877.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Price attended St. Charles' Seminary from January 1877, until his commencement on June 28, 1881. On September 1881, he entered St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 20, 1886, by Bishop Northrup at the pro-cathedral in Wilmington, North Carolina (Both of Price's parents had died prior to his ordination.) Price was the first North Carolinian to be ordained to the priesthood, and he was assigned to missionary work in the eastern section of his native state.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Early Years of Priesthood

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Within one year after his ordination, Price was appointed the pastor of the few Catholics in and around the towns of Asheville and Bern. After the first few years of priesthood, he obtained permission from Bishop Haid, his ordinary, to begin a statewide evangelization program. His methods were influenced by Fr. Eliott, a famous Paulist preacher.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One of Price's tools for evangelization was the publication of the magazine Truth, which he began to publish and edit in April 1897.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A second tool was the establishment of Nazareth Orphanage in 1898. Price's plan was to first help the underprivileged of an area and thereby win the favor of the general population who would then be more inclined to listen to the message of the missionary.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Following the success of the Nazareth Orphanage, Price organized summer catechizing teams of seminarians. Finally, in 1902, Price opened his missionary training house at Nazareth. It was a preparatory seminary whose sole purpose was the education and formation of missionaries for the home missions. It was called Regina Apostolorum. From 1902 to 1909, Price directed the Regina Apostolorum and acted as its primary teacher and spiritual director.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Plans for a Foreign Mission Seminary

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As time went on, Price began to emphasize more and more often in the pages of Truth the need of a seminary for the training of young American men for the foreign missions. At the same time, Rev. James Anthony Walsh, of Boston, was developing the same idea in the pages of The Field Afar. At the Eucharistic Congress in Montreal in 1910, the two priests met and began to formulate plans for the establishment of a seminary for foreign missionaries. With the approval of the American hierarchy, the two priests traveled to Rome in June 1911, to receive final approval from Pope Pius X for their project.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After meeting with the Holy Father, Price traveled to Lourdes for the first time. During his stay at Lourdes, Price had a spiritual experience that was to significantly affect all of his future life. Price refers to the experience in his personal diary. A special devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes and Bernadette Soubirous would follow him all the way to his death.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Returning to the United States, Price, together with Walsh, began the plans for the establishment of the new seminary and the foreign mission society. After a brief stay at Hawthorne, New York, property was purchased at Ossining, New York, for the site of the new society: the American Catholic Foreign Mission Society (popularly known as Maryknoll).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Foreign Missions Begin

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Price made an around-the-country tour of America to gain support for the new endeavor. By 1918, three young priests (Frs. James E. Walsh, Francis X. Ford, and Bernard F. Meyer) were ready for the foreign missions in China. On September 7, Price went with them as superior to the new missions. From the time of the foundation of Maryknoll, Price had understood that Walsh was the one capable of administering and directing the seminary itself. Price himself had always hoped to be chosen as one of Maryknoll's first missioners, and his dream was realized.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Because of his age, Price had great difficulty learning the Chinese language. He also suffered from physical ailments. On September 12, 1919, he died in Hong Kong as a result of a burst appendix. In 1936, his body was exhumed and transferred to the cemetery at Maryknoll, New York. In 1955, his remains, together with those of Bishop James A. Walsh, were finally interred in the crypt below the Maryknoll Seminary Chapel.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Price was the editor of two books regarding St. Bernadette of Lourdes: Bernadette of Lourdes (1914) and The Lily of Mary (1918).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Catholic: Catholic (literally meaning: according to (kata-) the whole (holos) or more generally "universal" in Greek) is a religious term with a number of meanings:...

Religious order: A religious order is an organization of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with religious devotion. The members of such orders, termed religious as a group, are usually distinct from both the laity and the clergy. They are often termed monks, friars or brothers if male,...

Missionary: :The word "missionary" can also refer to the Missionary Generation....