Father Beunen's Contributions to Life

By Jan Van Aert c.m.

Father Gerard Beunen was born in the small village of Roosteren in the Netherlands on October 1, 1915 during the first world war. From childhood he pledged to devote his life to God and, determined to serve his Church. He entered the Vincentian Congregation on September 20, 1935, and was ordained priest on July 19, 1942. In 1946, at he end of the second world war, Father Beunen was sent to Peking and later Tianjin in northern China, where he performed missionary work, headed the Legion of Mary and completely devoted himself to helping the poor and distressed. After four years China fell to the Communists and Father Beunen was forced to leave his beloved and impoverished friends whom he would think of day and night.
At the end of 1950 ,Father Beunen came to Taiwan where he took up the post of Head of the Communications Department of the Vatican Embassy to the ROC and head of the Dutch Vincentian Mission in Taiwan. In 1962 he established the Catholic Parish of Shihpai and actively developed pastoral work at the Veteran's Hospital. To take care of children with polio Father set up the Vincentian Polio Center in Chiaohsi in 1970, which has received excellent praise from the local people.

Another fact that fills us with admiration for Father Beunen is the center for seriously mentally and physically handicapped children. It has been in existence for 30 years now. Saint Anne's Home, which he set up in 1972. As Father Beunen came close to retirement age, a time to him to enjoy his leisure time, he still worked indefatigably, taking care of every single thing personally to help the handicapped. He worked tirelessly day and night, without any resentment or regret.
For most of his life Father Beunen adhered to the spirit of Saint Vincent and silently helped the children of China, and eventually making this foreign country his home. Although he was not a man to publicize his compassion and brotherly charitable contributions, he was soon known at home and abroad, and honorary titles were bestowed upon him one after the other; in 1993 he received the decoration Papal.Honor from Pope John Paul II; in December 1995, the Queen of the Netherlands bestowed on him the title of "Knight of the Order of Oranje-Nassau" and on July 17, 1996, the Catholic Providence University bestowed on Father Beunen an honorary doctoral degree. In 2001 Congregation of Mission of the China Province, established the "Father Gerard Beunen Social Welfare Foundation" in reverence of his respect for mentally and physically handicapped children.

In recent years Father Beunen has been confined to bed and after entering the Veteran's Hospital on April 14, 1999, he never again left that place until he was taken home the day before he passed away. At 4:30 in themorning of January 2, 2002, Father Beunen succumbed to respiratory failure at Saint Anne's Home,the house he built and loved so much. The life of Father Beunen spreads many years and many different important historical events. In each place he worked, his first concern was to serveGod in the poor in Taiwan, his home for more than 50 years, he has left an impressive legacy of service in the spirit of his spiritual guide, the Saint Vincent de Paul, may he rest in peace.

When I was in major seminary, Fr. Beunen visited us and he made a impression of a joyful father. He drove a big American car, which he could use from a friend, but later he changed another smaller car, because how he could collect money for the mission if it was driving such an expensive car.

In 1962 I came to Taiwan and Fr. Beunen was in the H.S.I.S (Holy See InformationService), where he made tapes for instructions and sold many band recorders for the use of the missionaries. We had quite often our meetings in his house and we could stay there overnight, although there was not much place. Later Tien Mu was rebuilt and we stayed there for our monthly meetings and Fr. attended them always. In 1964 he built the church in Shih Pai. In that time his most parishioners were people from the hospital, such as doctors and nurses and he baptized many people and not few of them became sister later.

In 1967 Fr. Beunen became the superior of the house Tien btu and he changed place with Fr. Hermans. For six years Fr. was the superior, I was his assistant superior and I do not remember big problems. Bad things we normally remember. So not much bad must have happened. During that time he started St. Anne's Home which started on 28 December 1972 (feast of the Innocent Children). In 1973, he was to busy to be superior (and I toke that over) and Fr. was parish priest in Tien Mu for the whole parish, Chinese and foreigners, he had his helpers ) and built St. Anne's Home. The building was finished in 1977 and Mgr VI'ang, who was auxiliary bishop of Taipei at that time and now is bishop in Taichung, blessed the house on 28 December 1977 (feast of the Innocent Children).

Father talked good care of his children and many times he carried children in his arms which surprised me (and others). Fr.Beunen wa wearing white clothes (because Pai Sen Fu is the priest in white) but he did not mind if children made his clothes dirty. The deep reason why he did this was his love for people a Jesus' word what you do for the least of mine you have done for me. This was reality for him, although he would not say that too loud or too often.

Fr. was not camera shy, because he thought it would bring in money, so that he could take care of his children. For himself, he did not need much. Ile liked music and had many tapes and he listened often. One on his fonder CI) was the one the Pope prays the rosary. Classic music he liked, but also folksong of his home province Limburg and when he was with Limburgers he talked always the dialect, but when other people came in, he changed to the official Dutch langu Ile spoke good English, in the inning a little like a football coach, bete he was that in American school to make some moneyfor his lis ing and that of the confreres. (Fr. Hermans told him how cap you teach people to play soccer, 4' because you never was good in it yourself. Fr. Beunen's answer is you are completely right that I was not as good player, but I know what good soccer is and that I teach them."

When French speaking people came to Fr. Beunen, he changed immediately to French, which he spoke also fluently. The same with German and his Chinese pronunciation was also good. Father was humorous, he liked to tell jokes and always nice one (the one you can tell under the Christmas tree =no dirty jokes. In his sermons Fr. likes to put in one or two jokes and people liked it. (One joke is when a baby was crying he would say: Good intentions and crying babies should be carried out immediately).

Father Beunen was a good priest and a good confrere, who was always there when help was needed. Fr. was happy he built tit. Anne's Home, Ile regretted it that he had not built a second one or even more. Father must be in heaven, because what Fr. did for the least of the people he did for Him who is judging him now. Father Beunen, my good friend, may you rest in peace and see you again.

A CHINESE MISSIONARY

When we speak of Chinese missionaries we usually mean foreigners who become missionaries to China. Recently the death of Father Andreas Xu brought into focus the life of a Chinese priest who was a missionary to China. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, a number of Chinese priests and students left China. Among them was Father Xu, who was ordained in May 1947 The basic facts of Father Xu's life are simple. He studied in Paris and received a doctorate in Roman Law from the University of Paris in 1957, after which he came to Taiwan. In Taiwan he settled in a poor country place called Sz Hu (Four Lakes) in the middle of Taiwan near the coast with several other Chinese confreres, where they founded Saint Vincent's High School and several small parishes. He was principal of the school for many years and lived long enough to see the school flourish and to welcome younger confreres to the work. He died on February 8, 2002 and was buried on February 21, 2002. His is the ordinary story of the devoted Chinese confreres who like him the Lord brought to Taiwan. But in his dying we came to know him as a Chinese missionary to both Taiwan and China.

He once noted that when he first came to this area of Taiwan, there were no Catholics in the whole area of Sz Hu. He had to dream up a ways to get in contact with the local folks. This was hampered by the fact that the language of the area was Taiwanese. In those first years, Fr. Xu not only couldn't speak Taiwanese, he couldn't even speak a decent form of Mandarin since he originally hailed from the countryside of the Jiangxi Province in Southeastern China. But he managed and made contacts by making friends in various and sundry ways. Some of the older Catholics say that before they entered the Catholic Church, Fr. Xu used to take time to teach them how to play Mahjong — a Chinese "gin-rummy" type of game played with little square tiles. The Chinese often spends days playing this game and gambling. He was a Vincentian who always had time just to be with people. One of his famous expressions was: "Mei guan-xi" which literally means "Do not worry" because things would eventually work out for the better, no matter how bad they seemed at first. He had chosen the poor people of the countryside in preference to a teaching career in Taipei. He gave them his heart and they knew it.

He was receiving the best of care at the Miraculous Medal Home for the Aged in Tainan, but he had a passionate desire to return home to die. Home for him had become Sz Hu. The first evening he was back, he was strong enough to be in a wheelchair and quietly concelebrate the Eucharist. At the end of Mass he spoke and wished the people of Sz Hu and the environs blessings and a happy life, not only the Catholics, but everyone around. That evening the Mass was in Taiwanese and the faith of the people was an eloquent testimony to his evangelical influence. Within the week he had gone to the Lord. The funeral Mass was in a huge tent in the schoolyard and more than half the people were not Catholics.

His sister and nephew came from Jiangxi to be with him in his final weeks. They opened to us the other half of his missionary vocation. He was also a missionary when he returned home each year or every other year. Father Xu was always a priest, instinctively a priest, so it was natural for him to fill the void in the priestless area from which he had come. He kept a record of baptisms, celebrated the Eucharist and shared his faith with all who came. The whole story cannot be detailed here, of course. What became evident in his last weeks was not only his humanity and natural closeness to the people, but that he had two homes. He was equally at home among the people of Yunlin County in Taiwan and among his relatives and friends in Jiangxi, China. The Church we have learned is missionary by nature, so is the priesthood. The last act of Father Xu's life, his dying at home, told the whole story of a Chinese missionary 

HUGH O'DONNELL, C.M. & RICHARD PREUSS, C.M.

BISHOP JOHN MULLENER, C.M. (1673-1742)

BISHOP JOHN MULLENER, C.M. (1673-1742)
FOUNDER OF THE INDIGENOUS SEMINARY IN CHINA

The following was taken from an article by Francois Willemen, C.M. for the XXXIII International Eucharistic Congress, held in the Philippines in 1937

Bishop Mullener did not open a new country to the preaching of the Gospel as did Mateo Ricci. He was not one of those great figures who attracted the attention of historians. We can say that he was not even well known. Nevertheless, he made a unique contribution. He was, as far as we know, the first missionary to found an indigenous seminary in the interior of China, where Chinese priests could be trained and educated. It was in the beginning of the 18th century.

In 1697 Pope Innocent XII organized an expedition to China comprised of Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans and a Vincentian, Luis Antonio Appiani, C.M., who was put in charge of the group. The qualities which Fr. Appiani manifested as professor of Montecitorio and spiritual director of the Colegio Urbano were the reasons why he was chosen for this office. The Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith added two secular priests and an affiliate of the Sacred Congregation, a young priest of 23, John Mullener, who, during the journey, joined the Congregation of the Mission.

A principal goal of the Sacred Congregation was to found a seminary for the formation of
indigenous clergy in one of the great cities of the empire, Peking (Beijing) or Canton. However, upon arrival in China, Fr. Appiani found such great opposition and intrigue that he and Mullener decided to go to the far-away province of Sichuan, less frequented by the Europeans, with the hope of realizing there the desires of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. So, the first Vincentians in China, Frs. Appiani and Mullener, entered as missionaries of the Propagation of the Faith.

They entered China in 1699 and arrived in Sichuan in the beginning of 1702. Fr. Appiani, of course, was the superior. They took to heart the formation of Chinese priests from the moment they entered Sichuan. Fr. Appiani had at most 100 Christians, but from this small flock he was able to get one priest.

The state of the Church in China during the 18th century can be summarized in the following words "relative freedom of religion in Beijing and sporadic persecutions in the provinces." After two years Fr. Appiani was compelled to return to Canton, where Bishop Tournon (the first legate of the Pope) chose him to be his secretary. When a persecution broke out in 1706-07, however, Fr. Appiani was imprisoned. Thus began his life as a Confessor of the Faith. He passed 19 years and 9 months in prison and was only released through the intercession of the pope in 1726. He was exiled to Macao where he died in 1732.

As a result of the same persecution, Fr. Mullener was taken to Canton on two occasions. On the second occasion he was exiled to Macao and then ordered to leave Macao for Batavia (Surabaya, Indonesia) where he arrived on December 18, 1708. In 1710 he returned to China and remained in Canton in hiding; until he was able to enter Hu-Kwang (present day Hunan Province). The idea of a seminary had not left him. He promised himself, if he found a favorable place, to reunite his former students and develop his seminary: "I am going by myself ... very far ... If it pleases God to give me a safe place, I will be able to begin, or better, to continue the seminary began in
Chongqing." The journey was extremely difficult. To the material difficulties were added monetary ones.

Fr. Mullener returned in 1711 to Hu Kwang. There he found an opportunity to preach the Gospel: "Because of this I stayed longer than I expected. Seeing the fruits which the good Lord has sent me, I decided to buy what was necessary for a church." Fr. Mullener remained alone with the direction of the Sichuan Province and in 1716 was named its Vicar Apostolic. The Province of Hu-Kwang (present-day Hubei and Hunan Provinces) was also placed under his direction, because Bishop Visdelou was in exile. He acquired a church there, actually a house which served as an oratory for the Christians and a residence for missioners. The seminary was still in the Province of Sichuan, in the capital, Chengdu.

The heroic zeal and perseverance of Bishop Mullener finally were rewarded. From 1712 he worked in relative peace. He was not thrown out of the province and he could give his entire attention to the care and formation of his flock. Bishop Mullener remained by himself until 1721. Help arrived when he was able to ordain the first Chinese priest from his seminary in 1721, and, later, in 1731-32, when two other Chinese priests joined him in his pastoral ministry.
What were the results of this life full of sufferings and hardships? When Frs. Appiani and Mullener arrived, there were perhaps 300 Christians in the whole province. At the death of Fr. Mullener there were from 8 to 9,000 Christians.

How was it possible to obtain such results, given the fact that he was alone for so long and faced enormous difficulties? The principal means was the formation of catechists. The catechists "...are actually the ones who founded the Christian communities through the conversion of many (non-believers). This is done throughout the China mission." Key to the support of the catechists, in Mullener's mind, was the creation of a native clergy through the indigenous seminary. He said, "I would say for my 22 years here, I have not experienced a more useful and necessary method than TO EDUCATE AND FORM CHINESE YOUTH FOR THE PRIESTHOOD." The original mission remained his constant dream, as he said at one point, "From my students...with the help of God, I will be able to find good priests and ministers of the Gospel, according to the intention of the Pope and the Sacred Congregation."

Bishop Mullener in 1721 ordained Paul Sou, a young Chinese student of his, his first and best "disciple" and faithful companion to the day of his death. He was also the first Chinese Vincentian. Father Appiani wrote in praise of both Mullener and Paul Sou, when he wrote from prison in 1719, "Bishop Mullener is so full of zeal that he would sacrifice (everything) in order to educate a dozen young men and place them in the care of his first disciple Paul Sou (who at the time was 28 years old and in minor orders)."

The formation of Chinese clergy in the 18th and first half of the 19th century was a real apostolic effort to the glory not only of so many missioners but also of the Christians of those times. Bishop Mullener's seminary was a great accomplishment for the Church of China and a good example for the future.