Joseph Freinademetz
Saint Joseph came SVD ( Ladin Ujöp Freinadametz, born April 15, 1852 in Abbey - Oies, Tyrol, † January 28, 1908 in Taikia, Imperial China ) was a Catholic religious and missionary to China. He was canonized on October 5, 2003. His Chinese name is " Shengfu Ruòsè " (若 瑟圣福/若 瑟圣福, father jitter ').
Life
Joseph came to was in Oies, a small hamlet of five houses in the Dolomites - then belonging to Austria, today Italian - born and baptized the same day.
Already during his studies at the seminary of the Diocese of Brixen he considered himself to be a missionary. After his ordination on 25 July 1875, he received the work Determination for St. Martin in Thurn, not far from his birthplace. Two years after his ordination, he sat down with Arnold Janssen in Steyl (Netherlands) in conjunction, the founder of the first German mission house, which later became the " Society of the Divine Word" ( Divine Word Missionaries, SVD = Societas Divini Verbi ) emerged.
With the permission of his bishop, Joseph came drove in August 1878 Steyl to the mission house. On 2 March 1879, he received his mission cross and went with another missionary, Johann Baptist von Anzer, on the sea route to China. Five weeks later, the two left the ship in Hong Kong and prepared for two years in the port city to the next step before. They were intended for South Shantung, 1881, they traveled in this Chinese province, which was one of only 158 Christians 12 million inhabitants.
The following years were extremely difficult, characterized by long and arduous travel, raids by bandits and the difficult work of forming the first Christian communities. But once a community had just barely developed, the bishop in charge was called the missionaries to leave everything there to start over again in another location.
Joseph came, how valuable the committed laity, for first, especially in catechesis. He dedicated much energy to their formation and prepared a catechetical manual in Chinese. He also dedicated himself, together with Anzer, who had become bishop, preparation, spiritual formation and training of Chinese priests and other missionaries.
He also took over alternately several important and responsible offices: he was administrator of the mission areas, rector of the seminary, spiritual or spiritual leader of the first Chinese priest, and finally Provincial Superior.
Chinese among Chinese
His whole life was marked by a desire to become a Chinese among the Chinese. So he wrote to his relatives: "I love China and the Chinese; I want to die and be buried with them. "
1900, after 20 years of toil in China, invited Father Arnold Janssen his first missionary to Steyl to the Silver Jubilee of the Society of the Divine Word, a. Freinademetz refused. It was the time of the Boxer Rebellion. The German authorities operating in China called on all the missionaries, to go immediately to the port of Tsingtao, where one could protect her better. Joseph Freinademetz decided on the mission station in Puoli to stay (in the circle Yanggu the prefecture-level city Liaocheng today ), although he was aware of the existing danger.
Once he sent a group of orphans from the interior to the coast of Qingdao, where they were relatively safe. With the orphans he sent a letter to the brethren in Tsingtao, in which he wrote: "They ( ie the orphans) are dependent on others for help. Have you yet the kindness to help them further. In the situation in which they find themselves, we shall have no doubt, to make some extra spending in order to save what can be saved ... "And he added:". I think it would be better to sell the horses "
When the bishop of Yanzhou, Augustin Henninghaus, traveling once again to Europe had, Joseph came to was entrusted with the administration of the diocese. During this time, there was a typhus epidemic. Freinademetz was itself infected by it.
He returned to Taikia (now Daizhuang in the district Rencheng the prefecture-level city of Jining ), the bishop's seat, back and died there on 28 January 1908. He was buried under the 12th Station of the Cross. His grave soon became a place of worship and pilgrimage for Christians.
His motto was: " The only language that everyone understands, is love. "
Freinademetz was canonized on October 19, 1975 blessed, and on October 5, 2003, in cooperation with the Divine Word Founder Arnold Janssen by Pope John Paul II.
Works
- J. Freinademetz: Sanctissimum Novae Legis Sacrificium. 1st edition. ET the cath. Mission, Yenchowfu (China) 1915.
- Joseph came to SVD, reports from the China mission. ( orden internally Analecta SVD 27, 1973) Apud Collegium Verbi Divini, Romae 1974.
- José Freinademetz: Relatos de la mision en China. Editorial Verbo Divino, Estella (Navarra ), 1976, ISBN 84-7151-199-1.
- J. Freinademetz: About the spirit of the Societas Divini Verbi. ( Analecta SVD 40), Collegium Verbi Divini: Romae 1977.
- Joseph Freinademetz: The Most Holy Sacrifice of the New Covenant. translated by Stan Plutz SVD, Tagaytay / Philippines 1980.
- Joseph came to: Letters to the homeland. ed. by Lothar P. Janek SVD, Secretary Joseph came to Abbey (BZ ) 2009.