WITNESS TO THE WORD III

CHAPTER 6 – ST. ARNOLD JANSSEN: PATRON OF NATURAL SCIENCES

 ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI – patron of animals and of Nature

 ST. ARNOLD JANSSEN – patron of natural sciences
 Arnold took up special studies in UNIVERSITY OF MUENSTER and UNIVERSITY OF BONN.
 In MUENSTER, he enrolled in the PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT and attended lectures in
MATHEMATICS and NATURAL SCIENCES, namely PHYSICS, BOTANY, ZOOLOGY,
ASTRONOMY and ANTHROPOLOGY.
 In BONN, he attended lectures in CHEMISTRY, MINERALOGY and GEOLOGY.
 As theology student, he was called “THE TEACHER”.
 CHARLES DARWIN – Origin of Species
 CREATIONISM – holds that God directly created every single specie.
 THOMISTIC DOCTRINE – human soul is directly created by God.
 Forerunners of Darwin:
 LINNAEUS – systematic biological classification
 LAMARCK – species including man descended from other species
 TEILHARD DE CHARDIN – pursued the original evolutionary theory
 Arnold acted as DEAN OF STUDIES.
 ANTHROPOS – anthropological publication founded in 1890 by FR. WILHELM SCHMIDT.
 A team of ethno-anthropologists that included FR. MARTIN GUSINDE and FR. PAUL
SCHEBESTA, conducted research activities in various mission territories of the Society:
 SOUTH AMERICA
 AFRICA
 INDONESIA
 CHINA
 JAPAN
 PAPUA NEW GUINEA (PNG)
 PHILIPPINES
 WWI did damage to the program in St. Gabriel Seminary.
 FR. MARTIN GUSINDE – supported the idea of Arnold Janssen
 FU-JEN UNIVERSITY OF BEIJING – became famous as center of natural sciences and allied fields
 UNIVERSITY OF SAN CARLOS, CEBU – their influence and personal work were responsible for
making the university an excellent institution on natural sciences
 NANZAN UNIVERSITY – Nagoya, Japan
 Formative Values of Training in the Natural Sciences:
 SELF-DISCIPLINE
 HOLISTIC OR WELL-ROUNDED EDUCATION
 REALISTIC JUDGMENT
 ARISTOTLE – Father of Natural Science; model philosopher; natural theologian
 JOHN 1: 1-3, “IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD...AND THE WORD WAS GOD...ALL
THINGS WERE MADE THROUGH HIM”.
 ‘INTEGRITY OF CREATION’ – is one of the characteristic dimensions or priority areas of SVD
mission today.

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 CHAPTER 7 – ST. ARNOLD AS STUDENT AND TEACHER

 ST. THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS – mission saint who never left her convent
 St. Arnold Janssen started his school days at the age of 10.
 He studied at the primary school in GOCH and the minor seminary in GAESDONCK.
 Arnold was brilliant in mathematics. He often referred to it as “MY BELOVED MATHEMATICS”.
 1858- He entered a peper in a mathematics competition which won first prize.
 Arnold earned a degree and license to teach in mathematics and the sciences (PHYSICS, ZOOLOGY,
BOTANY & MINERALOGY)
 BOCHOLT – the secondary school where Arnold taught
 After his studies in Bonn, he was offered a high paying teaching job in BERLIN.
 Qualities of St. Arnold Janssen as a teacher:
 INTEREST AND MASTERY OF SUBJECT MATTER
 GOOD METHODOLOGY
 CONCERN FOR TOTAL FORMATION
 TEACHING BY EXAMPLE
 OCTOBER 1861- two months after ordination, he was assigned by the bishop to teach in the
secondary school of Bocholt.
 He conducted up to 30 CLASSES A WEEK. When the school started to hire teachers, he held his
usual 24 CLASSES A WEEK concentrating on mathematics and natural sciences.
 1873 – Arnold resigned in Bocholt
 Fr. Arnold employed the SOCRATIC OR DIALOGICAL METHOD.
 1875 – Arnold became a theology teacher in the Steyl mission seminary
 As teacher, Arnold was DISLIKED IN BOCHOLT and LIKED IN STEYL.
 “VALUES ARE CAUGHT, NOT TAUGHT” – old Scottish saying
 CONFUCIUS, JESUS CHRIST – best teachers in history, taught by example
 ARNOLD JANSSEN – man of prayer
 1888 – he put up St. Raphael’s College in Rome, first SVD establishment after Steyl

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 CHAPTER 8 – ST. JOSEPH FREINADEMETZ: A CHINESE AMONG THE CHINESE

 JOSEPH FREINADEMETZ – like the Chinese not only in clothing and manners, he not only spoke
like of them, but also in his style of living and in his habits, even in his way of thinking, he was
CHINESE AMONG THE CHINESE.
 He was a man of his time (1852-1906). This was the era of CONQUEST and COLONIALISM.
 St. Joseph was a missionary long BEFORE VATICAN I.
 He was born in 1852 in SOUTH TYROL as member of the SMALL LADINO ETHNIC GROUP.
 ITALIAN – ecclesiastical language of South Tyrol
 GERMAN – third language of Joseph Freinademetz
 South Tyrol belonged to the AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN DANUBE MONARCHY.
 Joseph’s interest for missionary work in far-away lands was already awakened during his secondary
school days in BRIXEN.
 The mentality of Vatican I, was the EXTRA ECCLESIAM NULLA SALUS.
 PAGANISM AND ITS IDOLATROUS SACRIFICES – were the “darkness of sin and night of
unbelief”.
 IN THE SUMMER OF 1878, Joseph Freinademetz made up his mind to be a missionary.
 In JULY, he met Arnold Janssen at Brixen and consequently entered Steyl in AUGUST.
 In MARCH 1879, Joseph, together with JOHN BAPTIST ANZER, embarked for China. They are the
first SVD foreign missionaries.
 He wanted to be a missionary TO WAGE WAR AGAINST THE DEVIL AND HELL and TO
DESTROY THE TEMPLE OF THEIR FALSE GODS.
 KIRCHTAG – Church festival
 F from Freinademetz comes FU which means LUCK, GRACE, HAPPINESS. Then SHENFU which
means SPIRITUAL FATHER. Joseph Freinademetz was FU SHENFU.
 In MARCH 1882, Joseph started his work in SHANTUNG where there were about NINE MILLION
INHABITANTS but only 180 CHRISTIANS.
 Some statements of Chinese Christians about him: “FREINADEMETZ IS A LIVING SAINT”.
 BISHOP HENNINGHAUS – successor of Bishop Anzer
 THOMAS CARDINAL TIEN – young man, knew Freinademetz
 YEN YU-FUNG – elderly catechist

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