The Legacy of John Schuette, S.V.D
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The Legacy of John Schuette, S.V.D. Heribert Bettscheider, s. ~D. Translated by Louis J. Luzbetak, S.~D. hen John Schuette, S.V.D., died suddenly on Novem left. Only two months later, though, he was drafted into the W ber 18, 1971, in an automobile accident outside of German army and assigned to the medical corps in Vienna. He Rome, the reaction to his death was worldwide. Not only news made every effort to obtain a study leave from the military media like L'Osservatore Romano of the Vatican but also a great authorities to finish his officially required studies. The request variety of Italian and German newspapers (e.g., II Tempo, II wasgrantedbutlimitedto onlyfour weeks. At aboutthistimethe Messaggero, II Giornale d'Italia, d'Avvenire, Die Welt, and Frank newly ordained priests of Schuette's religious congregation had furter Allegeine Zeitung) carried the shocking news. Similar re to submit their preferences to their superiors for the place and ports and tributes appeared in the American press, such as the type of ministry they would like to engage in. Schuette simply International Herald Tribune and the U.S. army paper Stars and wrote: "I am equally interested either in pastoral work or in Stripes. But who was Schuette whose death attracted so much teaching and formation of future missionaries. I am also equally attention? interested in Flores, the Philippines, Honan [Henan] China, and South America."? Youth and Early Education Schuette had absolutely no desire to be a soldier. He there fore applied for an exemption from military service, which he John Schuette was born on April 23, 1913, in Essen, Germany, as received on April 10. He succeeded in obtaining the necessary the third child of the family. He was baptized the next day in the papers to leave the country for China. He also obtained his local parish church and given the name of John the Baptist. Essen missionary appointment from his religious superiors. At his first is a small community in Oldenburg, a region of Germany known opportunityhe tookhisexamsat St. Gabriel's and, withoutdelay, for its great loyalty to the Catholic Church, a kind of heartland of made the necessary preparations for his departure. OnAugust8, Catholicism. Duringthe Nazi times the people stood staunchlyat 1940, he left Berlin by train for Peking (Beijing), going via Mos the side of their bishop, Bishop van Galen of Munster, defending cow and Siberia, and reached his destination fourteen days later. their religious way of life. He first went to the headquarters of the Society of the Divine Schuette's father was a stonemason, and his mother came Word in Taikia, near Tsining (Jining), to study Chinese, a lan from a family of masons. John attended the local Volksschule and guage he managed to learn well in the course of a year. Biirgerschule, after which he applied for admission to the Divine Word secondary schoollocated in Steyl, Netherlands, in hopes of Missionary in North Honan (1941-52) someday becoming a missionary. An uncle had died in an accident while still a Divine Word theological student, and The mission to whichSchuette was assigned hadbeentaken over young Schuette decided that he would "take his uncle's place." by the Society of the Divine Word in 1933. It covered 10,000 Schuette was always recognized as one of the best students. In square kilometers, with a population of two million. Previously March 1932he passedhis Abitur, the qualifying exams for gradu it had been a part of the Apostolic Vicariate of Weiweifu under ate work in Germany. the direction of the Foreign Missionaries of Milan. The superior In May of that year Schuette entered the novitiate of the of the mission was now Monsignor Thomas Megan, an Ameri Societas Verbi Divini (S.V.D., or Society of the Divine Word). He can, as were most of the missionaries there. Megan, as a matter of took his first vows in 1934, and a year later he finished his policy, welcomed missionaries from other countries, including philosophical course. Once again, others were struck by his Germany. Caught in the political turmoil of the times, mission unusual talents. In the fall of 1936, after a shortinterruption of his aries generally recognized this policy to be wise. studies in order to teach at St. Wendel's Seminary (St. Wendell Schuette began his missionary work under very difficult Saarland), Schuette began his theological studies at St. Gabriel's, political conditions. For some time the Japanese had occupied near Vienna,' a choice of schools he made for health reasons. part of the territory, but before long the entire area found itself On August 24, 1939, Schuette was ordained to the priest enmeshed in the civil war between the Nationalists and the hood. As is customary among Catholics, he celebrated his first Communists. Eventually, the entire mission fell into Communist Mass in his home parish. He was not yet finished with his hands. Schuette soon took on a number of responsibilities, serv required seminary training, however, but still had another year ing as pastor, leader and organizer of a middle school, pro prefect, and regional superior. His foremost responsibility, how Heribert Bettscheider, S.V.D, Professor ofDogmatics andFundamental Theol ever, was that of pastor of the main mission station. ogysince1973 at theS.V.D. Theological Facultyin Sankt Augustin nearBonn When the Japanese entered into war against the United and since 1995 Director of the S.V.D. Missiological Institute (Steyler States, American missionaries were interned. The prefect apos Missionswissenschaftliches Institut) thereaswell,haspublished extensivelyon tolic, Msgr. Megan, decided that his wisest course of action was missiological issues. to flee to the mountains. Schuette thus found himselfresponsible for the spiritual care of an entire city. There were also religious LouisJ. Luzbetak, S.V.D.,founding Director oftheCenterforAppliedResearch in theApostolate(CARA), nowat Georgetown University,hasservedaseditor instructions to provide for the girls' middle school. It was only of Anthropos and as a staff memberof the Pontifical Councilfor Culture. He with the greatest difficulty that he was able to maintain contact istheauthorofThe ChurchandCultures: NewPerspectivesinMissiological with Megan. At the end of March 1942 Schuette was transferred Anthropology (Orbis, 1988). to Sinyang (Xinyang), one of the largest mission districts, which January 2003 29 also included a number of outstations. In Sinyang he opened a recognitionand givesmegreatjoy. MaytheHolySpiritgrantyou girls' school. the wisdom you can so well use now in your very important and, Inthe middleof February1943 he was transferred to Sinsiang in fact, in your doubly lamed ministry."! (Xinxiang) "as intermediary with the government, as mission InMa y 1949 the capital city of Sinsiang was onceagain taken treasurer, and as pastor.":'The weight of responsibilitiessoon left by the Communists, who took control of the mission. More than its mark on Schuette, making it necessary for him to visit a ever, strong agitation was directed against the mission, espe physician in Peking. The doctor wisely prescribed a long rest for cially against the foreign missionaries. More than once, Schuette the overburdened missionary. On this occasion Schuette de was summoned to appear in court. Despite the hardships, some voted more thana year to the further study of Chinese. Hisfellow how everything still seemed to be going reasonably well. missionaries were impressed by his language ability, which he The year 1951 marked the beginning of the end. An ordi exhibited, for instance, in his religious instructions. Similarly nance required that all foreign-supported schools, hospitals, impressive was the way he could handle business matters. churches, and all foreign property had to be registered. Ameri In 1944 he returned to Sinsiang from Peking. For the next can property in particular had to be declared, the relationship four or five years he was leader and organizer of Fu Ien Middle with the United States had to be acknowledged, and American School, now less a pastor than an organizer, businessman, and possessions had to be handed overto thestate.Anyactivityof the director of an educational institution. In these roles he was fully mission was automatically regarded as an American enterprise. in his element. Schuette, as the head of the mission, was brought to courtseveral The middle school program that he had introduced for boys times, arrested, but always freed again. had previously existed as a girls' school. The affiliation proved InOctober1951 he wasfound guiltyand placed under house advantageous inasmuch as it guaranteed and strengthened the arrest, only to be freed again. He was questioned no less than standards of the school and, above all, served as an occasion to nineteen times, often for hours at a time. The main accusations obtainadditional approval for the school's various certifications. were "the funding and the direction of the Legion of Mary under Legally, the school was in Chinese hands, even if always under the spies Riberi and Megan. Every form of ministry was regarded the control of Schuette, who wisely stressed business aspects of as reactionary and declared antirevolutionary." Other accusa school management. With this emphasis in mind, he went into a tions were, for instance, "that we hindered Christians from kind of transportation business. He bought two trucks and a declaring membership in the Independent Church and that we vehicle suitable for both passenger and freight service. Since the forbade Christians under the pain of excommunication from trains were extremely unreliable, if functioning at all, Schuette joining the Communist Party or its youth organization; that we never lacked for customers and in this way was able to keep his maintained good relations with former [non-Communist] civil school financially afloat. Healso invested in limeand coal stocks, and military authorities.r" Finally, in a show trial onMay 7,1952, in an automobile repair shop, and in the wheat trade.