Adolph John Paschang

Adolph John Paschang
Born	16 April 1895 Martinsburg, Missouri
Died	3 February 1968 Hong Kong
Resting place	O71G, Ossarium G, St Michael's Catholic Cemetery, Happy Valley, Hong Kong
Nationality	United States
Alma mater	Campion High School, Wisconsin; Kenrick Seminary, St. Louis
Occupation	Missionary, bishop, priest, relief worker, educator
Years active	1923—1968
Home town	Martinsburg, Audrain County, Missouri
Title	Bishop
Predecessor	Bishop James Edward Walsh
Successor	Bishop Li Pan shi (李盤石) (consecrated in 1981)
Religion	Roman Catholic
Website
http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bpasch.html

Bishop Adolph John Paschang (Chinese: 柏增主教, April 16, 1895 — February 3, 1968) was an American Maryknoll Catholic priest, missionary, relief worker and educator working in southern part of China in the early 20th century.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Ministries 2.1 Second World War 2.2 Early years of Communist Rule 2.3 Release by the Communist into Hong Kong 3 Later life 4 Memorial 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

Early life

Fr Adolph J. Paschang was born in Martinsburg, Audrain County, Missouri.^[1] He grew up on a farm there, studied at Campion College of the Sacred Heart (1916) (now Campion High School)^[2] then at Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis.^[3] He joined the newly founded Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, commonly known as the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, and was ordained a priest on 21 May 1921^[4]. After being ordained a priest, Paschang was immediately sent off to Kongmoon (now known as Jiangmen) China^[5].

Ministries

Fr Adolph J. Paschang preached and worked in southern China, covering Gaozhou, previously known as Kochow (Fr Paschang once worked in the Sacred Heart School in Gaozhou, Maoming, the second school ever founded by the Maryknollers in China, by Fr Bernard F. Meyer with inauguration held on 5 Oct 1923. and first graduation on 1926 Aug 30 ^[6][7]), Yangjiang (previously known as Yeungkong), Jiaying (previously known as Kaying) Taishan (previously known as Toishan) and Jiangmen. He was appointed Vicar Apostolic of Kongmoon on 17 June 1937 (consecrated Bishop on 30 Nov 1937^[8])), and later appointed Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Jiangmen (previously known as Kongmoon) on 11 April 1946, lived through the Japanese Invasion and Occupation of China in the Second World War.^[6]

Second World War

Japan invaded China in phases in the 1930s, gradually taking southern China towards the end of he decade. Until the attack on Pearl Harbor of 1941, Paschang and his diocese was not too heavily disturbed by the Japanese forces due to his American citizenship.

In February 1941, Fr Paschang received a pass from the Japanese occupation forces to visit Hong Kong but his purpose for coming here was only to leapfrog to the unoccupied areas of his Diocese of Jiangmen to visit the priests and Sisters. While Paschang was in Hong Kong, Fr Joe Sweeney from the Gate of Heaven Leprosarium in Ngaimen arrived, describing the exciting trip he had just made: the motor launch carrying Fr Big Joe and other passengers was attacked by a Japanese patrol boat as evening was coming on, but escaped capture when darkness descended and the Japanese patrol boat lost them. Bishop Paschang would have to take the same route and the same risks on his return visitations.^[9] While Bishop Paschang was in Hong Kong, he performed the ordinations at the Dominican Rosary Hill chapel, in the absence of Bishop Enrico Valtorta.^[9]

In May 1946, Bishop Paschang arrived at Stanley for a conference with more than a dozen Ordinaries of South China, including the four Ordinaries of Maryknoll. He arrived with a van dyke beard – only his Episcopal rank saved him from the customary Stanley practice of removing beards by forces.^[9]

Early years of Communist Rule

After liberation of Mainland China he chose to stay behind. He was captured by the Chinese Communist authorities.

• On 5 Dec 1951 Paschang was forced to contact with the Stanley House in Hong Kong three times to relate that the Red Chinese were demanding US$22,000,^[10]
• On 7 Dec 1951, the ransom became US$6,000, but nothing was paid.^[11][12]
• On 19 Dec 1952, similar news was reported in the New York Times, “Dec. 18 An official Roman Catholic spokesman said today that a 56-year-old Bishop, the Most Rev. Adolph Paschang of Kongmoon (now called Jiangmen), Kwangtung Province (now named Guangdong Province), had been beaten again there following the church's refusal to pay "ransom money" to the Chinese Communists as a means of saving him from the violence of the intensified "land reform" in that southeastern coastal province.”.^[13] *Bishop Paschang was subsequently severely tortured and broken as a person.^[14]

Release by the Communist into Hong Kong

Fr. William Downs in his Maryknoll Hong Kong Chronicle recorded on 9 June 1952, “Bishop Paschang, after very badly treated”, “was finally expelled from China”. Bishop Paschang was marched “from his mission at Pakkai” (now called Beijie, where the Immaculate Heart of Mary Cathedral, i.e. cathedral of the Diocese of Jiangmen, was located), “placed him on a junk and sailed off – he did not know his destination and the thought of Father Sandy Cairns’ unhappy ending at the hands of the Japanese must have crossed his mind".^[5]

• On 6 June 1952 Friday night, Paschang crossed the Chinese border into Portuguese Macao,^[15]
• On 9 June 1952 Mondayand finally reached Hong Kong. Lots of reporters were waiting anxiously for him at the Hong Kong Pier. Upon arrival, Bishop Adolph Paschang recalled that he had been made to kneel on broken bricks in the winter of 1951, in a third-degree procedure,^[16] but he had no hatred at all. After a long interview, Fr Paschang could finally return to the Stanley House for a very late dinner.

Later life

After being expelled by the Communist Chinese government, Bishop Paschang stayed in the Maryknoll Stanley House,^[17] headquarters of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers in Hong Kong, visited the States briefly but again returned to Hong Kong for his love of the Chinese people.^[4]

• In March 1957, Fr Paschang suffered a severe cerebral thrombosis, had to be taken to hospital, and was no longer able to walk. The Canossian Sisters’ St. Francis Hospital in Wanchai became his home for the best part of a year.^[5]
• In Oct 1957, Fr Paschang insisted to leave hospital and returned to the Maryknoll Stanley House to meet the visiting Superior General, Father John Comber. A storeroom on the ground floor next to the kitchen was transformed into a “suite” for him. He was in the tender, if non-professional, care of faithful houseboy Ah Fung.^[5]
• In May 1958, Fr Paschang finally had to use a wheelchair.^[5] Amidst all the mishap, Fr Paschang still attended masses regularly and helped in church services as far as his ailing body could.
• On 3 February 1968, Paschang died in St. Paul’s Hospital in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.^[4]

Memorial

In memory of Paschang, when a new primary school was founded by the Maryknollers in Ngau Tau Kok, Kowloon in 1969, it was named Bishop Paschang Memorial School, which is now known as Bishop Paschang Catholic School.^[18]

In the late 1990s, the Hong Kong SAR Government planned to re-develop the Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate, where Bishop Paschang Memorial School was situated. In 1997, the headmaster at that time, Leung Kwok Hung, applied for a new school premises from the government^[19] and was given a new school building in a "school village" in Kowloon Bay. AM section of Bishop Paschang Memorial School moved to the new campus in Kowloon Bay in 2002. The new school was named Bishop Paschang Catholic School.^[20]

The school building of Bishop Paschang Memorial School was finally handed back to the government of Hong Kong in 2008, in line with the plan of demolishing the then remaining portion of the Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate. The remaining classes of the PM section of Bishop Paschang Memorial School were relocated to Bishop Paschang Catholic School in Kowloon Bay as well.^[21]

See also

• Maryknoll
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Jiangmen
• Bishop Paschang Catholic School

References

External links

• UCA news
• Fr. Paschang with Latin students at Yangjiang, China, 1924 from USC digital library Website
• Children enjoying firecrackers at Jiangmen, China, 1947 from USC digital library Website
• Maryknoll priests at Dongzhen, China, 1922 from USC digital library Website
• Sacred Heart Hospital staff, Toishan, China, ca. 1949 from USC digital library Website
• Maryknoll Priests and Sisters at Hong Kong, China, ca. 1925 from USC digital library Website
• Bp. Fourquet at installation of Fr. Paschang at Jiangmen, China from USC digital library Website
• Bishop Paschang Catholic School official website

Preceded by James Edward Walsh

Bishop of Jiangmen 1937—1968

Succeeded by Li Pan Shi (consecrated in 1981)

Persondata
Name	Paschang, Adolph John
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	April 16, 1895
Place of birth	Martinsburg, Missouri
Date of death	February 3, 1968
Place of death	Hong Kong