James Walsh (priest)
Encyclopedia
James Edward Walsh was an American Roman
Catholic priest
and a bishop
in China
. He was a member of the Maryknoll
order, and a missionary in China.
Father Walsh was born in Cumberland
, Maryland
on April 30, 1891 to Mary Concannon and William E. Walsh. He was the second child of nine. He worked as a timekeeper in a steel mill until he became aware of Maryknoll, a new American order. In 1915, he became the second priest ordained in this order.
He and three other men were sent on the orders first foreign mission to China. in the year 1918. The other three were
Fr. Walsh and Fr Meyer arrived first, Fr. Price and Fr Ford some weeks later. Their first point of debarkation in South China was Hong Kong (which was a British colony at the time) on 30 Oct 1918. While they were in Hong Kong, they stayed briefly with the Paris Foreign Mission Fathers at Battery Path. From Hong Kong, they went to Yeungkong (now known as Yangjiang) and started their missionary work in China from there.
At the age of thirty-six, on 22 May 1927 he was ordained a bishop for the Diocese of Kongmoon (now known as Jiangmen) in China. The consecration was held on Sancian Islan, a lonely spot off the coast of South China where St. Francis Xavier, the Apostle to the Indies, died in 1552.
In 1936, Bishop Walsh left China to returned to the United States
to head up Maryknoll. However, the Vatican
specially requested his service again in China, so in 1948 he returned to take charge of the Catholic Central Bureau to coordinate mission activities in China.
When the Chinese communists got into power in 1949 they targeted Catholic clergy for harassment. The Bureau was shut down by the government in 1951. When his superiors in Maryknoll inquired about his safety he responded by saying, "To put up with a little inconvenience at my age is nothing. Besides, I am sick and tired of being pushed around on account of my religion."
He was eventually arrested by the communists in 1959 and sentenced to twenty years in prison. He spent twelve years of his prison sentence in isolation and was suddenly released. He was forced to walk over a bridge into Hong Kong
and to freedom.
Bishop James E. Walsh died at the age of ninety on July 29, 1981 in Maryknoll, New York.
Roman Catholic (term)
The term Roman Catholic appeared in the English language at the beginning of the 17th century, to differentiate specific groups of Christians in communion with the Pope from others; comparable terms in other languages already existed...
Catholic priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
and a bishop
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. He was a member of the Maryknoll
Maryknoll
Maryknoll is a name shared by three organizations that are part of the Roman Catholic Church and whose joint focus is on the overseas mission activity of the Catholic Church in the United States...
order, and a missionary in China.
Father Walsh was born in Cumberland
Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland is a city in the far western, Appalachian portion of Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Allegany County, and the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 20,859, and the metropolitan area had a...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
on April 30, 1891 to Mary Concannon and William E. Walsh. He was the second child of nine. He worked as a timekeeper in a steel mill until he became aware of Maryknoll, a new American order. In 1915, he became the second priest ordained in this order.
He and three other men were sent on the orders first foreign mission to China. in the year 1918. The other three were
- Fr Thomas Frederick PriceThomas Frederick PriceThomas Frederick Price was the co-founder of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, better known as the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers.-Youth and Education:...
, one of the founders of Maryknoll and Superior of the group, - Fr James Edward Walsh,
- Fr Francis Xavier FordFrancis Xavier FordFrancis Xavier Ford, M.M. was an American Roman Catholic bishop and Maryknoll missionary in China. Because of his torture by the Communist Chinese and death in prison in 1952, he is considered a martyr, and his cause for canonization is pending.-Early life and priesthood:Francis Xavier Ford was...
, and - Fr Bernard F. Meyer.
Fr. Walsh and Fr Meyer arrived first, Fr. Price and Fr Ford some weeks later. Their first point of debarkation in South China was Hong Kong (which was a British colony at the time) on 30 Oct 1918. While they were in Hong Kong, they stayed briefly with the Paris Foreign Mission Fathers at Battery Path. From Hong Kong, they went to Yeungkong (now known as Yangjiang) and started their missionary work in China from there.
At the age of thirty-six, on 22 May 1927 he was ordained a bishop for the Diocese of Kongmoon (now known as Jiangmen) in China. The consecration was held on Sancian Islan, a lonely spot off the coast of South China where St. Francis Xavier, the Apostle to the Indies, died in 1552.
In 1936, Bishop Walsh left China to returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to head up Maryknoll. However, the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
specially requested his service again in China, so in 1948 he returned to take charge of the Catholic Central Bureau to coordinate mission activities in China.
When the Chinese communists got into power in 1949 they targeted Catholic clergy for harassment. The Bureau was shut down by the government in 1951. When his superiors in Maryknoll inquired about his safety he responded by saying, "To put up with a little inconvenience at my age is nothing. Besides, I am sick and tired of being pushed around on account of my religion."
He was eventually arrested by the communists in 1959 and sentenced to twenty years in prison. He spent twelve years of his prison sentence in isolation and was suddenly released. He was forced to walk over a bridge into Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and to freedom.
Bishop James E. Walsh died at the age of ninety on July 29, 1981 in Maryknoll, New York.
See also
- Bishop Walsh SchoolBishop Walsh SchoolBishop Walsh School is a K-12 Catholic school located in Cumberland, Maryland, and under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Approximately 600 students attend. The school also hosts a pre-K program and operates the St...
- Bishop Walsh Primary SchoolBishop Walsh Primary SchoolBishop Walsh Primary School is a primary school in Hong Kong founded by Father John McLoughlin, MM. The School was founded in 1963 by the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers in Hong Kong. It was named after Bishop James Walsh who was imprisoned by the Communist China at that time in Shanghai...
, a co-educational primary school in Hong Kong. This school was founded in 1963 after Bishop James Edward Walsh, who had suffered a lot for his mission in China. This school is now managed by the Catholic Diocese of Hong KongCatholic Diocese of Hong KongThe Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong is a Latin Rite ordinary diocese of the Catholic Church headed by Bishop John Tong Hon. Though the bishop is subject to the Roman Pontiff, he is not the vicar of the latter: he governs it in his own name. The diocese takes its name from the see city, the community...