The third stage (1938-1952)
The population of China lived almost the first half of the 20th Century suffering the worst consequences and the destruction caused by wars and revolutions.
On the 5th of June 1947 the vicariate was raised to become a diocese and on the 30th of January in the next year Ochoa ceased in his responsibility. The mission was found to be without a visible head and missionaries started to leave for lack of security. ON the 20th of December 1949 they named a new bishop Arturo Quintanilla. He would not come to exercise his role as pastor for the diocese for a year.
The end of the Second World War precipitated the victory for Communism. On the 1st of October 1949 Mao Tse Tung proclaimed the Chinese People´s Republic. The communists had already the year beforehand occupied the Mission of Kweiteh and prohibited the public ministry of the missionaries. The seminarians leave for Hong Kong and Spain; the Augustinian Recollect Missionary nuns depart, they dispense the vows of the catechists of Christ the King and some friars flee towards the Philippines, Hong Kong or Shanghai and others are imprisoned.
During the times of greatest persecution vocations grew. This, along with the missionary impulse, gave faith to the Chinese population in a solid form. This would be kept during the decades of persecution, ideological pressure being unable to wipe out their religious convictions and the mark left by the work of the missionaries.
On the 21st of September 1951 they expel the last Spanish religious, including the bishop. The Chinese religious are obliged to return to their homes or are confined to work camps or re-education. Some will die of hunger, thirst, exhaustion or worst of all in solitude.
The mission goes under, but a hard work of more than twenty-five years left seeds implanted, responsible faithful, and some Chinese religious that after many years in prison, torment and isolation, will bring out the mission from its ashes three decades later.
Image gallery
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The population of China lived almost the first half of the 20th Century suffering the worst consequences and the destruction caused by wars and revolutions.
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During the times of greatest persecution vocations grew. This, along with the missionary impulse, gave faith to the Chinese population in a solid form. This would be kept during the decades of persecution, ideological pressure being unable to wipe out their religious convictions and the mark left by the work of the missionaries.
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During the times of greatest persecution vocations grew. This, along with the missionary impulse, gave faith to the Chinese population in a solid form. This would be kept during the decades of persecution, ideological pressure being unable to wipe out their religious convictions and the mark left by the work of the missionaries.
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One of the Spanish Recollect missionaries, Luis Aguirre, after his time in prison.
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Arturo Quintanilla was named Bishop of Shangqiu, but was only able to stay for few months in his diocese.
The fourth stage: beyond the bamboo curtain
