The "passion" of the House of the Sacred Heart in Peking

summer 1966

This House of the Sacred Heart in Peking, situated in a district reserved for foreign embassies and having a school for the children of the personnel of these embassies, was the only FMM house remaining in China after the closures of 72 houses between 1950 and 1953, and the expulsion of all the non-Chinese sisters. The community of the Sacred Heart was made up of 8 non-Chinese sisters, of whom the provincial, M.M. of the Cross was one, and some Chinese or Eurasian sisters.

The "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution" in China was born of the conflict unleashed between the radical line defended by Mao Tse Tung and a more realistic line of development seeking to rebuild the economy of the partly ruined country. It had been prepared by the Movement of Socialist Education from 1962 and was launched in 1966. The principal actors of this "revolution within the Revolution" were schoolchildren and students, from whom emerged the élite of the "Red Guards" (about 11 million young people passed in parade before Mao and Lin Piao!) These Red Guards attacked local surroundings, destroying the "four ancient values" (thought, culture, morals and ancient customs). This movement was brought to an end by bloody rivalries and was finally suppressed by the army (1968).

Work guidelines:

  1. Try to make a quick summary of the principle facts.
  2. Select all that seems to you to be heroic and a witness of faith in the conduct and the words of the sisters. How did they embody the richness of charism?
  3. In this account, what touches you? Does it challenge you?

A RECONSTRUCTED ACCOUNT

OF THE EXPULSION OF THE FRANCISCAN MISSIONARIES OF MARY

FROM THE SACRED HEART CONVENT IN PEKIN

THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION

The account drawn up by the Sisters states that, right up to August 24th, the SacredHeartSchool had not been subject, as others were, to the Cultural Revolution.

Several weeks before the SacredHeartSchool was taken over, the Cultural Revolution had spread rapidly to Pekin. The Professors of various Schools had to undergo the consequences of this new Progressive movement.

However we, - religious and school - had not been molested. We thanked God that we were able to end the school Year on June 25th in peace. Two weeks later, we started Summer Sessions to satisfy the demands of those parents who wanted to have lessons for their children. These Summer Classes went on without interruption until August 24th.

THE TAKE.OVER OF THE SACRED HEARTSCHOOL AND CONVENT (24 August)

This account is from the Mother Provincial.

On the afternoon of August 24th some Red Leaders came to the Sacred Heart to ask us to take down the big Statue of the Sacred Heart which dominates the Convent. On our reply that this was too difficult for us, they said « If you cannot do it, we will do it ourselves, or at least, it must be covered up ». They went off at that; their attitude made us understand that they would come back.

At 8 o‘clock at night, we were gathered together for a short recreation in order to explain to our dear Sisters the gravity of the situation. Then we went to the chapel to say the Rosary and recite Invocations to the Sacred Heart, Our Lady and to Blessed Hermine. While we were in chapel, the door bell rang, we heard screams etc. Mother Mary Olga Sofia (the Superior) went to the door with Yana - a very courageous ex-novice who has been with us for years. - I called out to the Sisters: « Let us each go to our cell ». As a rule, the Reds rarely enter into the cells; we always told them it was absolutely forbidden. But on this occasion, every effort was useless they were the Masters of the House and ran all over the place, while Mother M. Olga Sofia and two or three Sisters tried to follow them. It was then that Mother M. Olga Sofia was able to save the Ciborium and put it in the box full of old papers and dust. Poor Jesus! He spent the night there! Next morning, the cook, who did the cooking with THEM, was able to make up a tiny parcel of hosts and thus each one managed to communicate secretly. What a consolation, after a night of hell!

FIRST NIGHT (from 24th — 25th August)

Continuation of Mother Provincial‘s Account.

Their chief grudge was against the Crucifix and the Blessed Virgin. On the very first night they dragged a large Statue of the Blessed Virgin into my room and thereupon they set about destroying it, telling me to look at my Mother. The bead, arms etc. fell beneath their blows, the bits covered the whole floor. Each blow resounded in my heart and I thought of the sorrow the Blessed Mother must have had when she saw her Jesus bowed down beneath the blows. Next came the Crucifix on my writing table which received violent blows; the whole night went on like this. I was alone in my room with an old Chinese Sister of 83 years - Sister Marguerite - while the European and Chinese community was shut up in a big room downstairs. They endured the same suffering, watching while statues and crucifixes were broken up. When the Reds‘ saw the Oratory, they made the European and Chinese Sisters come in there and sit on the ground to see the destruction of anything which had not yet been smashed in the oratory.

AUGUST 25TH -LOT RESERVED TO THE CHINESE SISTERS

Detailed account of the Expelled Sisters.

They devastated the house from top to bottom, breaking open doors which they found locked, destroying everything they came across, especially religious articles. That went on all night without interruption until 6 o‘clock, Thursday morning, at which time we were ordered to go to bed. We, the foreigners, were separated from our dear Chinese Sisters and relegated to a dormitory, with one or two Guards near each bed; and we were forced to remain there in silence until our departure which was on Sunday night, August 28th.

Mother Provincial‘s letter gives more details

about the Chinese Sisters.

Towards morning, our Sisters were ordered to bed. Only then were our Chinese Sisters separated from the Europeans. It was heartbreaking! From the very first night our dear Chinese Sisters had to take off their holy religious habit. The next morning they were obliged to put it on again, and go outside in front of the Convent to be insulted. Each article of clothing had to be taken off again, or pulled off in front of the infuriated mob. The old Sister Marguerite, my room companion, had to go out like the others. She was replaced by Sister M. Sigisbert, in spite of the Guards. Our Sisters had to plead for a long time, stating that Sister M. Sigisbert could not remain alone as she was unable to get about on account of her crutches. Thus, Sister M. Sigisbert remained with me until the evening of our departure on the 28th, while our other Sisters were shut up in different rooms, with a few Red Guards, and still forbidden to speak. The Chinese Sisters were completely separated from us. I think that was the time when they underwent their martyrdom. They were forced to stay in front of the house or in a room. Without being able to see them, we could hear the yells of the crowd and the moans of our dear little victims. Mother M. Olga Sofia heard the voice of good Sister Marie N. D. de Zoce (franco-chinese) who was saying in a voice as plaintive as a lamb «Jesou ». The next day we saw two or three of them who bore the marks of the blows. « The dear little Associate - sister Michael - is nearly dead », one of our Sisters whispered to me. You can guess what we suffered not to be able to relieve them. Beloved Mother, you may be proud of your little Chinese victims and thank God for having given them His Holy Grace. We think of them continually and we are greatly consoled to know that so many prayers are being offered everywhere for them.

IMPRISONMENT IN THE CONVENT FROM AUGUST 24TH-28TH

The details of four days of imprisonment are taken from several sources;

First: The Account of the Expelled Sisters:

During the four days of our captivity in Pekin from August 24th to August 28th the Red Guards continued their work of destruction, night and day, under our eyes, breaking up Statues, Crucifixes and Holy Pictures with the help of hammers and other tools. They blasphemed against God, profaned the pictures of the Blessed Virgin. They even tried to make us walk on the Crucifix, but they did not succeed. They shouted against us, insulted us, and made ferocious gestures to frighten us; but by the Grace of God, we felt calm and recollected, begging of Him to accept our reparation for the outrages which were being committed.

Mother Provincial gives a few supplementary details:

We were in the hands of real maniacs, capable of anything, vulgar and coarse to a degree, fanatical, hateful, threatening us all the time with all sorts of instruments: scissors, hammers, knives, stilettos, not forgetting the whip which they used from time to time, but rather lightly. All that seemed of little account to us, however, compared to the blasphemies and profanations. On Wednesday the 24th August, on the night of the attack on the Sacred Heart, I was afraid that I had lost my eye by a blow from a whip on my head, but after two or three days, there was no longer trace of the mark. As soon as a group of «Little Reds» saw my eye, they began to shout at the one who had struck me. I then understood that they had been forbidden to strike. As a matter of fact a few blows here and there, more menacing than otherwise. I say this because I have seen in the newspapers incorrect statements on this point. Moreover, more than once the newspapers have, I am sorry to say, published facts which were not quite correct.

THE 26TH AUGUST

This day was marked by Meetings during which

they were accused, as noted in the general account.

On the afternoon of August 26th, the whole community, both the foreign and Chinese Sisters, was brought out to face the crowd on the steps in front of the School, to be « tried » by the People. We were forced to remain standing, bare-headed and bent, while the loudspeakers proclaimed our faults in Chinese. Then we had to kneel down, with our heads still bowed, until the end of the accusations.

During the afternoon of this same day we were separated from our dear Chinese Sisters. Each of us was put in a separate room where we were left for several hours at the mercy of five or six Red Guards, who insulted us to the limit. Then each one was subjected to a Private Trial before the Representatives of the Police, who tried to convince us that we had taken part in various activities -above all, religious activities -against the law.

AUGUST 28TH, THE NON-CHINESE SISTERS‘ EXPULSION

These lines are also taken from the general account.

On Sunday morning, August 28th, we were told to prepare a small suitcase containing clothing of immediate necessity. At 6 o‘clock in the evening, we were called downstairs in order to meet once more in our dear Chapel, now ruined in a most lamentable manner. At this sight, our hearts were filled with sorrow, but still we begged God to allow us to come back and set up again the tabernacle which had just been overthrown. Then, another heartbreaking sacrifice was asked of us: that of separating from our dear Chinese Sisters who were not allowed to come with us.

The Mother Provincial relates how one of them thought,

right up to the last minute, that she, too, was expelled.

Sister M. Fintina‘s father was English and her mother was Japanese; but she had been registered as Chinese. Sister M. Fintina bad been brought up in Chefoo and Tientsin by our Sisters where she had been a pupil in our Boarding Schools and we always considered heras English. She scarcely knows Chinese. We had asked the Chinese Authorities to allow Sister M. Fintina to join us when we were leaving. The Authorities did not answer but at the time of ourdeparture from the Sacred Heart on August 28th, Sister M. Fintina was there, just like us, with her small suitcase. Since then we do not know what has become of her! Mother M. Conleth made enquiries at the British Consul in Hong Kong who replied that he could do nothing about it, since she had not been registered in their Office. We do not know what to think. We are praying for this poor little sister. Where is she? What has happened to her? May the Sacred Heart and the Blessed Virgin watch over her

Continuation of the general account of the expulsion.

From the chapel, we were escorted to the steps leading up to the School; there an immense crowd had assembled to witness our condemnation. We were again forced to bow down our heads in front of the People, whilst the loud-speaker announced our condemnation in a long speech. We were pushed through the mob, getting kicks and blows on every side, right up to the Jeeps which were to bring us to the Railway Station. There, happily, there was no more display and we were able to board the train quickly and quietly.

Knowing well how precarious our situation in Pekin was, we had during recent years, prepared for this expulsion and, by dint of continuous saving, we had managed to put aside a sum of money which was to provide for our own needs and for those of our Chinese Sisters whom we would have to leave behind us. All that money was taken from us and we had to set out without a penny!

One of the expelled Sisters sums up the feeling of them all.

God grant that my Offering of myself as a Victim and my little sacrifices may obtain the conversion of so many blinded souls among these poor Chinese people. In truth, they know not what they do! But what will become of our dear little Chinese Sisters? It is our great sorrow to know nothing about them. They will surely be martyred! May the Good God protect them and give the strength and courage to be faithful until death!

JOURNEY FROM PEKIN TO CANTON AND HONG KONG

SISTER M. EAMONN‘S DEATH, MACAO

The General Account is continued.

The Railway journey from Pekin to Canton passed without incident. Although we had no permission to speak to each other, we managed to pray together and we were happy to renew our Religious Vows, offering ourselves as Victims for the souls we had just left behind, and for the Church, especially for that China which had been our Mission for so many years.

The train arrived in Canton on Tuesday, August 30th at 2 o‘clock in the afternoon. We were taken at once to a hotel where we were treated well. We remained there until Wednesday morning, when we were led, without any display, to the train which was to take us to the frontier. It was during this trip of three hours that Sister M. Eamonn began to be ill. The infirmarian took her temperature twice, gave her an injection and some pills. Sister M. Eamonn had been well in Pekin and seemed to be well during the journey from Pekin to Canton.

A few words from Mother Mary of the Cross, Provincial,

gives precise details of the conditions in which

Sister M.Eamonn had made the first part of the journey.

As for dear Sister M. Eamonn, she could not have been better prepared for the Great Meeting. During the trip from Pekin to Canton, in spite of the order no Speakingwe succeeded in having short conversations, sometimes even jokes, for Sister M. Eamonn, - like the good Irish Sister she was - had a keen sense of humour and she needed to laugh. But, above all, we prayed; several times we renewed our Vows for the Church, for souls, and especially for those in dear suffering China. The four days and nights in Pekin before our departure were a very good preparation.

Another Sister gives some details of her own:

We are sad to lose our dear Mission, and very sad indeed to lose our dear Sister M. Eamonn. R. I. P. I was her next door neighbour during the whole four days of our imprisonment in Pekin. From time to time we were able to whisper a word or two. She was very patient, smiling at the insults addressed to her. She received a bigger share than we (because she was fairly well built). I admired her patience greatly. I thought that it would be a consolation for you, Mother, to know that we remained silent and calm and I am sure that THEY were a little touched by our resignation. And even, when we were in the Canton train, one of the young girls, a Red Guard, came into our compartment to say to Mother M. Olga Sofia « You are very good » !