Showing 240 results

The Irish Jesuits in China

Group photograph of the first seminarians and their professors taken at the Regional Seminary.

A file of letters sent by the consultors of the Hong Kong mission to Irish Fr Provincial. The letters contain information on the mission and the opinions of the consultors regarding the mission and its work.

Group photograph of the first year of Aberdeen Seminary, Hong Kong. The photograph includes Bishop Valtorta and Fr Thomas Cooney SJ (Rector) and other Irish Jesuits.

A file of letters from Fr Michael Saul SJ to Irish Fr Provincial concerning his journey to the Hong Kong mission.

List of volunteers for the Chinese mission.

Photograph depicting a view of Hong Kong harbour and Kowloon.

Photograph of a Chinese woman holding a baby.

Plan of a building belonging to the Jesuit mission in Hong Kong.

Correspondence between Thomas Fleming and his Irish Fr Provincials during his professional life in China and in Australia.

Letter book containing copies of letters and cables sent to the Hong Kong Mission by the Irish Province.

Letter from Bishop Valtorta, Catholic Mission, 16 Caine Road, Hong Kong to Irish Fr Provincial John Fahy SJ congratulating the Irish Jesuits on their work in the Chinese mission.

Material relating to Fr John J Neary SJ, including catalogue entry, correspondence regarding his time in Hong Kong and biographical information.

Letters from the Superior of the mission, Fr George Byrne SJ to Irish Fr Provincial.

A file of letters from Fr Joseph McCullough SJ to Irish Fr Provincial concerning his journey to Hong Kong and his work in China.

Account sheet of income and expenditure relating to building work carried out in the Chinese mission.

Carte postale from Fr Richard Gallagher SJ, Catholic Mission, Shiu-Hing, West River, China to Mrs M. A. Archibald (aunt), 16 Lower Gardiner street, Dublin, describing Chinese students and his teachings.

Map of Canton. Scale 1:25,000.

Black and white photographs of Fr Richard Gallagher SJ on his voyage to China and photographs of China.

• 'Shadow of 'Mongolia' on bank of Canal (Suez) about 7.30', 5 October 1927;
• 'Monsoon in China Sea', 20 October 1927;
• 'Cecilia, Two [ ] The Coolie is wearing a mackintosh D' [1928] - [1938];
• Fr Richard Gallagher SJ at his desk [1928] - [1938];
• Fr Richard Gallagher SJ in Ireland [1945]-[1947];
• 'Left to right standing - Father H. Morris, Con Lynch, M O'Flanagan, Mosignir Collins, Monsignir Crowley. Seated Fr Michael Sheehy, Fr Tom Lynch';
• 'At a party given for Fr Dick by two lawyer friends' [1950] - [1962];

Memorandum on problems for the future of the Hong Kong mission.

A file relating to Ricci Hall, Hong Kong. Includes documents relating to the finances of the hall, visitation memorials, Historia Domus.

A file of letters from Fr Daniel J Finn SJ to Irish Fr Provincial concerning his voyage to China, the early years of the Chinese mission and his work in the mission. Includes a letter describing the difficulties he has encountered in learning Chinese (8 April 1927, 6pp). Includes a description of a visit to a mission in Shiuhing (9 May 1927, 14pp). Includes a letter discussing the staffing needs for the Hostel attached to Hong Kong University (17 May 1927, 8pp). Includes a letter describing the move to the Sacred Heart College Canton, China. Describes how they are settling in (9 September 1928, 8pp).

A file of letters from Fr Daniel MacDonald SJ to Irish Fr Provincial concerning the Hong Kong mission, describing his work in villages around the West River (Shiuhing).

A file of letters from Fr Patrick Joy SJ to Irish Fr Provincial concerning the Hong Kong mission.

Covering letter from Fr Daniel J Finn SJ, 16 Caine Road, Hong Kong to Fr Patrick Connolly SJ, Dublin enclosing an article [written for 'Studies'] inspired by a recent visit to a town called Wai-Chan.

Letters from Fr Daniel J Finn SJ, 62 Robinson Road, Hong Kong to Fr Aubrey Gwynn SJ concerning his life and work in Hong Kong. Describes his surroundings and discusses Chinese culture. The second letter is incomplete.

Letter from Fr Daniel J Finn SJ, 62 Robinson Road, Hong Kong to Fr Brennan SJ concerning the Chinese mission, his work and the Chinese people.

Copy of the appendix to the Report of the Commission on Seminary Training.

A file relating to the Regional Seminary, Aberdeen, Hong Kong. Includes documents relating to the establishment of the Regional Seminary, finances, annual report detailing the opening of the Seminary in 1931 (24 January 1933, 6pp). Includes letters relating to the Terna for the Rector of the Seminary (12 - 15 April 1937, 5 items and 30 June 1937 - 2 July 1937, 7 items).

A file of letters from Fr Richard Gallagher SJ to Irish Fr Provincial concerning his journey to Hong Kong, learning Chinese, his work in the Chinese mission and in Wah Yan College.

Series of letters written by Fr John Neary SJ to Irish Provincial John Fahy SJ concerning his arrival to Hong Kong and the development of the Mission there

5 December 1926, 3pp
9 December 1926, 3pp
12 December 1926, 4pp
18 December 1926, 5pp
21 December 1926, 3pp
29 December 1926, 3pp
17 February 1927, 1p
26 February 1927, 2pp
1 March 1927, 1p
11 April 1927, 3pp
2 June 1927, 1p

Two letters written by Fr John Neary SJ to Irish Provincial John Fahy SJ relating to arrangements for his journey to Hong Kong.

Panoramic postcard containing views of the harbour at Hong Kong. Annotations on reverse by Fr John Neary SJ pointing out significant features.

https://www.iji.ie/2023/09/25/a-fond-companion-go-well-fr-russell/

Photographic album with original and copy inserts of scenes from Hong Kong, Canton and China. The copy photographs (seem to be mass-produced and touristic) have numbers in the bottom left hand corner, with white handwritten captions, for example, 'A chair at Hong Kong', while original photographs are often described on reverse with pencil, 'The Seminarians 1926', and underneath in light pencil. The first number of photogrpahs are missing. The album appears to contain a large number of photographs of Franciscans in China and of Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, Inc. (Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers), and some Jesuits. Includes: the consecration of Bishop Valtorta [with the] Band from the Salesian Industrial School, Macao (1926); Fr Crochet SJ and his Chinese flock; Bishop Wittner OFM and his Chinese priests; seminarians of the regional seminary at Tatungtu, Shansi; Fr Netto; Fr Pradel with lepers at Sheklung; Fr Nugent (Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America), Ningpo, Fr Gleeson, Frs Driscoll, Malone and Murphy (Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America). The Irish element to the album may perhaps why it ended up with the Irish Jesuits.

Documents for Ireland and Hong Kong.

• House Histories (Historia Domus);
• Annual Letters (Litterae Annuae);
• Lives of those who have died (Summarium vitae defunctorum);
• Province Accounts (Status temporalis trienalis domorum et arcarum Provinciae);
• Index of authors and books published by Ours (Index auctorem et librorum a Nostris editorum).

Postal district map of Kwangtung District. Scale 1:300000.

A file relating to the establishment of a foreign mission to China and the foundation of a school for higher studies in Hong Kong.

Copy of circular sent by Irish Fr Provincial John Fahy SJ to Jesuit houses in Ireland announcing Fr General's decree for an Irish foreign mission to the Chinese province of Nan-King.

Many Jesuit Provinces had missions in China before 1926 when the Vicar Apostolic of Hong Kong, Fr Henry Valtorta (1883-1953), invited the Irish Jesuits to his vicariate. In October 1926, Frs George Byrne (1879-1962) and John Neary (1889-1983) left Dublin for Hong Kong, which became a Mission for the Irish Province. They were joined, in early 1927, by Fr Daniel Finn (1886-1936) from Australia and later by Frs Richard Gallagher (1887-1960), Patrick Joy (1892-1970) and Daniel MacDonald (1891-1957).

The initial work of the mission concentrated in Hong Kong, with some teaching in Canton and Macao. Their works involved: reviving the Catholic journal, ‘The Rock’; the opening of a hostel (Ricci Hall) for Chinese Catholic students at the University of Hong Kong (1929-); their involvement in the Regional Seminary, Aberdeen, Hong Kong (1931-1964), Wah Yan College, Hong Kong (1932-) and Wah Yan College, Kowloon (1952-). Some lecturing occurred in the university, in areas such as archaeology, education, engineering, and geography. In Canton, Frs Michael Saul (1884-1932) and Joseph McCullough (1892-1932) died from cholera. Hong Kong was under Japanese occupation 1941 - 1945. The Irish Jesuits organised a school for refugees from Hong Kong in Macao and the Regional Seminary was also moved to Macao. Wah Yan College was closed in 1941 and reopened in 1945. Fr Thomas Ryan’s account “Jesuits under Fire in the siege of Hong Kong 1941” deals fully with this time.

After World War Two, the Irish Jesuits established a language school, student centre and parish in Canton. They were expelled by the Communists in [1953]. Wah Yan College grew and developed and further works included the foundation of a university hostel at Kingsmead Hall, Singapore and at Xavier Hall, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. Other works of note that Irish Jesuits had a hand in establishing and running in Hong Kong include: the Hong Kong Housing Society (1938); Wah Yan Relief Association (1938); Shoeshine Boys Club (1952-1962); the Credit Union Movement (1962); Rehabilitation Centre for the Handicapped (1962); Catholic Marriage Advisory Council (1963); Road Safety Association for Schools (1964); Industrial Relations Institute (1968); Chinese Opera in English (1960s); Fisherman’s Children School (1960s) and Welfare for Police in the Training School. In 1966, Hong Kong became a Jesuit Vice-Province and in 1985, the Province of Macau-Hong Kong was established. Today, Hong Kong is a unit within the Chinese Jesuit Province.

Over a hundred Irish Jesuits have served in Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Singapore - 30 of whom are buried in St. Michael’s Cemetery in Hong Kong and two in mainland China.