William Finnemann
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| William Finnemann | |
|---|---|
| bishop and martyr | |
| Born | 1882, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany  |
| Died | 1942, Batangas, Philippines  |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Feast | 26 October |
 Saints Portal |
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William (Wilhelm) Finnemann was born on December 18, 1882 in Hultrop, Soest, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He was a priest of the Society of the Divine Word and apostolic vicar of Calapan. On October 26, 1942, he was killed (thrown to the sea), near Verde Island in Batangas, Philippines.
[edit] Martyrdom
In 1941, Japan invaded the Philippines. It was the start of World War II in the Pacific region. The war took Bishop Finnemann by surprise, but he continued attending to his ministry. In spite of his German origin, he did not adulate Japan, who was Germany’s ally and victor in Asia. Neither did he render tribute, whether obligatory or diplomatic. The Bishop focused more on his works of charity during the war.
In Mindoro, many women suffered from sexual abuse by the Japanese military. Bishop Finnemann strongly denounced these abuses. Because of this, Bishop Finnemann became unpopular with the Japanese. When they learned that Bishop Finnemann was no longer a German national, having taken Filipino citizenship, they started harassing him.
It came to a point when a distraught father sought the help of Bishop Finnemann because a married Japanese soldier was courting his daughter, threatening the family with death if the girl turned down his proposal. The bishop advised the girl to flee into the mountains. When the scorned suitor learned of Bishop Finnemann's involvement in the girl's disappearance, he decided to vent his fury on the Bishop.
One day, a Japanese commission led by the scorned suitor visited Bishop Finnemann, informing him of his desire to rent a house, a property of the Bishop, located beside the Church. Bishop Finnemann asked them why they wanted to rent the house. The Japanese told him that they intend to use the house as a brothel. This made the Bishop furious. He told the soldiers, "This being the case, you cannot have the house. You may take it by force, but never with my consent. I will never compromise!" Because of this, he was imprisoned and tortured. He returned to his house without complaining about the tortures he received.
On the morning of October 26, 1942, Bishop Finnemann was pleasantly invited by the Japanese military to Manila. He was loaded to a military ship and taken away, never to be seen again.
News that Bishop Finnemann would be brought to Manila spread among the Catholics in the city. This created such an impact that the Japanese government made up a story that the Bishop committed suicide by jumping off the ship. Soon, it was announced that the bishop was already dead, without any information as to when, where and how. One account describes that he died, “Along the way in the waters between Verde Island and Batangas, the soldiers bound his hands and feet, tied his body on a huge rock and dropped him overboard into the depths of the sea.”
The news of the Bishop’s death spread all over Manila, and no news spread as fast as Bishop Finnemann’s death during the Japanese Occupation, transmitted from one person to another. The tragic event was talked about all over the city with fear, sorrow, and admiration.
[edit] Canonization
Finnemann is currently in consideration for sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church with protocol number 2290 assigned by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. On December 7, 1999, he was declared Servant of God.
[edit] External links
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| Filipino Saints, Blesseds and Servants of God |
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| Saint/s: Lorenzo Ruiz Blessed/s: Pedro Calungsod Venerable/s: Isabel Larrañaga Ramírez | Ignacia del Espíritu Santo Servant/s of God: Dionisia De Santa Maria Mitas Talangpaz | Cecilia Rosa De Jesus Talangpaz | William Finnemann | Alfredo Maria Aranda Obviar | Joaquina Maria Mercedes Barcelo Pages | Francisca del Espiritu Santo Fuentes | Aloysius Schwartz | Eugenio Sanz-Orozco Mortera | Iustus Takayama Ukon | Jerónima de la Asunción | Maria Beatriz Del Rosario Arroyo |
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