The Narthex

In 2017, I published online a comprehensive biographical essay of an American priest, in which I highlighted his time as a Vatican diplomat in Hong Kong, entitled “Martin T. Gilligan: An American Hero Neglected—Until Today: Saving Lives During the Communist Takeover in China, 1946-1952.” That essay is no longer accessible,…

The day will come when the lands of China (and Muslim lands) will open to evangelism. China has been closed since 1949, 74 years. Communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe collapsed in 1989 after 72 years. The Roman Empire legalized Christianity under the Edict of Milan in 313…

On August 31, 1970, Bishop Walsh arrived at Kennedy Airport, New York City. He had last been in the United States in 1948. Greeting him were 200 people, including Terence Cardinal (now Servant of God) Cooke of New York, Lawrence Cardinal Shehan of Baltimore, seven more bishops, members of his…

I call the imprisoned portion of Bishop Walsh’s life his contemplative ministry because of how he later described his activities in prison. He could not celebrate Mass and had neither breviary (the Church’s prayerbook) nor Bible, rosary, crucifix, or any image of Jesus or one of His saints. After he…

In May 1949, Shanghai surrendered to the Communists. By the end of that year, the Communists imprisoned and tortured Chinese bishops, priests, brothers and sisters. The Communists started a church independent of the Pope. In response, Bishop Walsh and the Bureau distributed a pamphlet explaining the difference between the Catholic…

In mid-May 1944, still in the midst of World War II, Bishop Walsh undertook a 10-week journey on a Liberty ship, arriving in Calcutta on August 2. A couple of weeks later, after dealing with colic and diarrhea, he took a transport plane for 9.5 hours to Chungking (now Chongqing).…

When the Maryknoll Superior General and co-founder died in 1936, the election for his successor was held in Hong Kong for the convenience of the many Maryknollers in China. Under Vatican rules, in order for a religious society of men to elect a bishop to be their superior, a supermajority…

Just a few days after James Walsh’s consecration as a bishop, Father Daniel McShane, the first man ordained by Maryknoll (in November 1914) died at age 39 of smallpox contracted when he picked up a baby abandoned on the roadside. During his seven years in Loting (Luodong), he had cared…

The year 1924 saw the Vatican give Maryknoll’s mission territory independent status, with Fr. James Walsh being its head with the rank of monsignor. Headquarters was at Kongmoon (now Jiangmen), a major seaport on the West River, 40 miles west of Macao, with a population of 100,000. In other towns,…

James Walsh was ordained just three-plus years after joining Maryknoll at age 24 on December 7, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, 1915. The initials after his name were initially A.F.M. for American Foreign Missioner. They later became M.M. for Maryknoll Missioner. Walsh’s first assignment, for two years, was headmaster…

Most teens and young adults are in the process of deciding what to do with their lives: what education or training to pursue, what line of work to choose, who to marry -- decisions that mark the way to their eternal destiny. Such should be the subject of frequent and…

My boys who live in the Village at Misericordia, in Chicago, are a sign to us all that not one of us has merited anything. How hard it is for us to accept the truth that we have not merited what we see every day and what we think (and…

If you were to visit Misericordia, you would first see the impressive physical setting. The grounds are spacious and are beautifully landscaped with shrubs, pine trees, tulip bulbs, a gazebo, and a toboggan hill. The Village consists of nine homes. They are lovely and spacious. Each has six full baths…

On Sunday, May 21, the University of Notre Dame will award its highest honor, the Laetare Medal, to Sister Rosemary Connolly, RSM (Religious Sister of Mercy), age 92. When the announcement was made on Laetare Sunday, it was accompanied by a video (linked at the bottom of this post). Previous…

When Jesus performed miraculous healings, those he cured -- along with their friends, relations, and all observers -- gave praise to God. Beginning the moment of their cure, these men, women and children would talk nonstop about it. The man with leprosy “started talking about it freely and telling the…