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The Maryknoll Sisters in Hong Kong, 1921–1969 This page intentionally left blank The Maryknoll Sisters in Hong Kong, 1921–1969 In Love with the Chinese Cindy Yik-yi Chu THE MARYKNOLL SISTERS IN HONG KONG, 1921–1969 © Cindy Yik-yi Chu, 2004 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2004 978-1-4039-6586-8 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. First published 2004 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN™ 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 and Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England RG21 6XS Companies and representatives throughout the world PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-52919-3 ISBN 978-1-4039-8161-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9781403981615 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Chu, Cindy Yik-yi The Maryknoll Sisters in Hong Kong, 1921–1969 : In love with the Chinese / Cindy Yik-yi Chu. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America—Missions—China— Hong Kong—History—20th century. 2. Maryknoll Sisters—Missions— China—Hong Kong—History—20th century. I. Title. BV2300.C35C49 2004 266’.25125—dc22 2004044460 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India. First edition: November 2004 10987654321 To my parents This page intentionally left blank Contents List of Tables and Figures viii Preface ix 1. Introduction 1 2. Early Arrival, 1921–1937 19 3. Difficult Years, 1937–1951 43 4. Extreme Poverty of the 1950s, King’s Park and Tung Tau Tsuen 67 5. Refugee Communities in the 1950s and Chai Wan 89 6. Wong Tai Sin, Kowloon Tsai, and Social Services in the 1960s 109 7. Kwun Tong and Chai Wan in the 1960s 129 8. Conclusion 149 Appendix I: Statistics on Maryknoll Sisters Who Were in Hong Kong from 1921 to 2004 163 Appendix II: List of Maryknoll Sisters Who Were in Hong Kong from 1921 to 2004 165 Notes 169 Bibliography 201 Index 211 List of Tables and Figures Tables 3.1 The enrolment figures for M.C.S., 1936–1939 47 3.2 Maryknoll houses in Hong Kong before the Japanese occupation in 1941 48 4.1 Average monthly activities in King’s Park in 1952 74 4.2 General survey of work at King’s Park (June 1–December 31, 1953) 77 4.3 The living standard of the family of a government-employed street-sweeper in 1954 80 4.4 Standard of living in 1954 81 5.1 Catechetical work from 1952 to 1957 98 5.2 Relief goods in Chai Wan in 1956 and 1957 101 6.1 Types of work in the house in Wong Tai Sin (1963) 114 6.2 Types of work in the house in Kowloon Tsai (1963) 123 6.3 Relief food and clothing, distributed April 1, 1963–March 31, 1964, Maryknoll Sisters Catholic Welfare Center, Homantin-King’s Park Resettlement Area 124 6.4 Statistics in King’s Park in the ten months of 1963/1964 125 7.1 Types of work in the house in Kwun Tong (1963) 135 7.2 Catechetical activities in Chai Wan (1961–1963) 140 Figures 2.1 The Maryknoll Sisters on their day of arrival in Hong Kong on November 3, 1921 22 3.1 Maryknoll Convent School on Waterloo Road in 1950 61 4.1 Sister Moira Riehl distributing noodles to residents in King’s Park, ca. 1951 78 5.1 Sister Rose Bernadette Gallagher making a house visit in Chai Wan, ca. 1950s 96 6.1 Sister Maria Rieckelman (middle) in Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital, ca. 1965 117 7.1 Plan of organization (1966–1967) of the South China Region 144 8.1 Maryknoll Sisters in a retreat in the convent on Waterloo Road in 1974; also present were the Jesuits 154 Preface This book is the product of my own research project. I came up with the idea of looking into Maryknoll history in summer 2000; the American Sisters had left me the impression of being independent, outgoing, optimistic, and socially conscious, very different from stereotyped images of conservative and reserved nuns seen on T.V. and in news magazines. When I approached the Maryknoll Sisters in August that year, they were enthusiastic about the project and showed no hesitancy in answering my queries, giving me a very good start. The more I read about Maryknoll history, through books written by the women themselves and others, the more I was amazed by the courage they had in going to foreign lands with languages and cultures they knew very little about. When the six pioneers came to Hong Kong in 1921, they had to get through tremendous cultural shock, not to mention the responsibilities of opening a mission field and making important decisions in a situation they were still trying to adjust to. They had to persevere, and foreign mission was a life-long task simply because the congregation did not have plans for the missionaries to return home until 1946. Those who arrived in the colony after World War II were often shocked by the appalling poverty of most people. A Sister described her experience in the Chinese culture as equivalent to one of “reincarnation.” I made two research trips to the Maryknoll Mission Archives in Maryknoll, New York, the first one in summer 2001 and the second one in summer 2003. The records of the Sisters were very detailed, as they probably did quite a lot of writing during their stay in Hong Kong; it seemed as if I were able to see with my own eyes their daily work, living, and people around them. Their description of Hong Kong society resembled a first-hand history book, tracing developments of the place through different times of the twentieth century. As a Hong Kong person, I almost thought that I could go back to history, and I appreciated the unbelievable sacrifices and hard work of the Chinese people, making Hong Kong what it is today. In my research in the Maryknoll Mission Archives, I received much help from Sister Martha Bourne and I am particularly grateful to her for answering every ques- tion of mine, no matter how unimportant it was. I thank the Maryknoll Mission Archives for permission to publish photos and quotations in this book, and for the kindness of its staff. Also, I appreciate the Hong Kong Catholic Diocesan Archives for permission to use its material, the assistance of staff at the Hong Kong Public Records Office, Hong Kong Collection of the Main Library of the University of Hong Kong, Archives on the History of Christianity in China of the Hong Kong Baptist University Library, and Map Library of the Hong Kong Central Library. x / Preface When I asked individual Sisters for interviews, every one of them was willing to grant me opportunities, for which I am truly grateful. I also thank the Sisters for their hospitality during my visits in Maryknoll, and the generous support of Sisters Rose Duchesne Debrecht, Betty Ann Maheu, and Mary Lou Martin in Hong Kong. There are people I should thank for their advice: Professors Stephen Uhalley, Hok- lam Chan, Ka-che Yip, Joseph Yick, Gerald Chan, Timothy Man-kong Wong, Lisa Leung, Yin-lee Wong, Elisabeth Koll, Marilyn Levine, and Odoric Wou. I also thank Ms. Lisa Yang for her expertise on land issues, Ms. Angela Choi, and Ms. Law Yuen- han for their diligent work as research assistants. Grants from the Hong Kong Research Grants Committee and the Hong Kong Baptist University paid for research trips and the work of research assistants. A Note on the Names of People and Places In the late 1960s, the Maryknoll Sisters could choose to return to their baptismal names instead of using their religious names. For Sisters whose names changed in the Hong Kong archival records owing to this reason, their religious names are put in parentheses when their names are first mentioned in the text. For people and places in Hong Kong, this book spells the names in the same way they have been spelled officially in Hong Kong (close to Cantonese pronunciation). As for names of people and places in China, pinyin is used instead. Cindy Yik-yi Chu May 2004 Hong Kong.