Story of Sr. Theophane's Missionary Life in the Jungles of Papua New Guinea

SSpS Sr. Immolata Reida

Description

Selfless is the story of Sister Theophane, a passionate, driven nun dedicated to serving the poor around the world. Discover the inspiring story of how a precocious young girl from upstate New York became a servant and apostle to the poor in the jungle missions of Papua New Guinea, and, eventually, a prisoner of the Japanese in World War II.Selfless: The Story of Sr. Theophane's Missionary Life in the Jungles of Papua New Guinea was written in 1946 by a fellow sister of the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, but it is just now being published for the first time. Long held in anonymity, Sr. Theophane's amazing life of service and apostolic zeal is now finally being revealed to the world. Her story is a breathtaking tale that will inspire a new generation of Catholics to heed the call of service to Christ and others.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Catholic Church

Informations

• Publié par: St. Benedict Press LLC
• Date de parution: 01 décembre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781618901316
• Langue: English

Extrait

C opyright © 2013 Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit.
A ll rights reserved. With the exception of short excerpts used in articles and critical review, no part of this work may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in any form whatsoever, printed or electronic, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
C over design by Caroline Kiser.
C ataloging-in-Publication data on file with the Library of Congress.
I SBN: 978-1-61890-120-0
P ublished in the United States by Saint Benedict Press, LLC PO Box 410487 Charlotte, NC 28241 www.saintbenedictpress.com
P rinted and bound in the United States of America.
T o the Holy Spirit, Who in His infinite wisdom, has chosen to withdraw this work from obscurity in the 21st century, and to William and Louise Maier, who raised their children to love Christ and His Holy Catholic Church such that their love would pass on to future generations.
T ABLE OF C ONTENTS
Introduction
Preface to Original Manuscript
CHAPTER
1 Sacrifice of the Lambs
2 First Steps to God
3 New Horizons
4 At Nazareth
5 Graduation and the Last Year at Home
6 Novitiate
7 Facing Failure
8 Off for Papua New Guinea
9 Breaking in a New Missionary
10 “Pastor” at Last
11 Ulingan
12 Love Urgeth Us
13 Then Came the War
14 Voyage of Tears
15 The Spirit Lives
Epilogue
Bibliography
Notes
Acknowledgments
I NTRODUCTION
S ISTER THEOPHANE , Inez Maier, was my aunt. I never met her because she had been sent to Papua New Guinea years before I was born, and died when I was barely eight months old. Yet her story was so amazing, and so far beyond the adventure of any other family member, that we all became very familiar with her exploits. This was seen to by my other aunt in the Maier family, Sister Rosalie SSJ, who was beloved by all and had an abiding interest in keeping the memory of her sister alive. Consequently, she collected and edited the fine narrative letters sent by Sister Theophane from the missions in Papua New Guinea to her mother (her father died in 1929) and to her brothers and sister. This collection of letters was published in limited edition by the Sisters of St. Joseph under the title “New Guinea Adventures.” All the Maier children and grandchildren were encouraged to read this work in order to familiarize themselves with Sister Theophane’s amazing life.
I was very familiar with this work, and in re-reading it again last year, I felt that the letters did not fully bring the story to life. It seemed to me that a biography of Sister Theophane was really needed to fully explain her life, and so I began to look for resources to begin this new work. After some internet searching I was amazed to find that someone had the same idea seven decades earlier, and had written an unpublished manuscript of the biography I had planned. I obtained access to this manuscript and was amazed to find not only a well written work, but an extensive bibliography showing at least two years of research that could never be duplicated because all of the witnesses were long dead. The author, Sister Immolata Reida S.Sp.S, who, although her contemporary did not know Inez personally, did an impressive amount of research. She interviewed the members of Inez’s family who knew her best and obtained detailed monographs from them. She contacted priests, Sisters, friends, teachers, and fellow missionaries who knew Inez well and who could give detailed accounts of her life. The collective research is incredible, and was a remarkable find for me. It was clear that much of the work I had envisioned had already been done. My task became editing, some rewording, adding photographs, and preparing for publication, as well as preserving the priceless research that had been done.
T he story is unforgettable and, at times so remarkable it is difficult to believe that this is the true story of a young woman who, from childhood, demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the ideal of missionary life. It is a story of understated suffering and total, passionate, self-giving love and devotion to the well-being of others. It contains humor, excitement, endurance and compassion; all driven by an unwavering faith in God, in a religious order, and in a timeless idea. This project was an inspiration for me and I hope it will be the same for its readers.
G REGORY J. M AIER P otomac, Maryland
P REFACE TO O RIGINAL M ANUSCRIPT
“S ISTER, what virtue shall we say you practiced most?” Sister Milreda Zeller, pad and pencil in hand, was again teasing Sister Theophane about her future biography.
S ister Theophane eyed her inquisitor mischievously and replied: “Write that I loved animals!” Then, as though to confirm her statement, she hurried from the kitchen with leftovers from the meal for the dogs, cats, and chickens.
S ister Theophane did not know then that one day someone would reach across the Pacific to the South Seas in order to gather material about her. Neither did she dream that her passionate cry, “I want hardship!” would flash before the world as the summary of a missionary life heroic in the service of people in a remote land.
I n these pages that life of missionary zeal, which burst into flame in the child of six and was quenched only when an intrepid Sister lay dead on the deck of a prison ship, is simply told. Sister Theophane’s direction, “Write that I loved animals” has not been neglected—but there was more than that to tell.
E xtensive use has been made of Sister Theophane’s letters from the missions and of her diary notes. The diary itself fell into the hands of the Japanese and, though once recovered, was again taken and burned. No notes from it appear in the account of the last three years of Sister Theophane’s life. When it is cited in the text, Sister Theophane herself states in the letter that she is taking notes from it. Letters cited, unless otherwise indicated, are personal letters addressed to the author. All other material about Papua New Guinea is taken from accounts of Sister Theophane’s fellow missionaries.
I hope that deficiencies in style may be lost in the grandeur of the message held out to the world in the life of an American girl whose burning love led her over jungle trail and threatening sea in search of souls.
M y sincere gratitude is extended to Sister Rosalie, S.S.J., elder sister of Sister Theophane, for invaluable aid in gathering material for the biography. Heartfelt thanks is also due to Sister Theophane’s teachers, friends, and advisors in Rochester, New York; to the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters who furnished material about Sister Theophane’s postulancy, novitiate, and early religious life in the U.S.A.; and especially to Sister Ottonia, S.Sp.S., companion of Sister Theophane’s Papua New Guinea labors. I further acknowledge my indebtedness to all who read the manuscript and especially to Dr. Cecil B. Williams, for suggestions and revisions of the text.
S ISTER I MMOLATA R EIDA , S.S P .S. H oly Ghost Convent T echny, Illinois A pril 8, 1946
CHAPTER 1
S ACRIFICE OF THE L AMBS
T HE SUN rose with stunning beauty in the misty skies over the South Pacific. It was Sunday morning, February 6, 1944 and the people around the world were preparing to go to their churches to pray that the Almighty would spare them, and especially their loved ones serving in remote theaters, from the scourge of a brutal war that had enveloped the earth. Even the peacefulness of beautiful islands in the South Pacific had been shattered by the sound of exploding bombs as the relentlessly advancing forces of Imperial Japan ran into determined allied resistance.
T he ever mysterious land, now called Papua New Guinea, had become the final extremity of Japanese advance. And it was here that the allied forces, particularly the American Air Force, began implementing General Arnold’s strategy relying on air superiority to halt the battle hardened-Japanese military juggernaut. A key element of this strategy was the systematic destruction of Japanese coastal shipping, the principal means of military transportation in Papua New Guinea and the surrounding islands due to mountainous interiors and few reliable roads.
T he Americans had recently supplied their forces with a new aircraft, the twin-engine Douglas A20G, often mistaken for the better known B25 Mitchell of similar size, but specifically designed for low level, direct attacks on surface targets. This bomb carrying aircraft was rugged, powerful, and especially equipped to strafe surface targets with a battery of six nose-mounted .50 caliber machine guns designed to enable the pilot to deliver withering, concentrated fire power on any selected target.
P ursuing the American strategy of destroying coastal shipping, twenty-nine A20G aircraft of the U.S. Fifth Air Force had attacked Japanese cargo barges at Kairiru and Muschu Islands near Wewak early on that Sunday morning, sending columns of thick black smoke billowing into the clear sky. The attack had been successful with a large number of barges and coastal craft sunk, and so the attacking aircraft, led by 90 th Squadron’s Major Michael Ellis, turned to begin the return flight to their home base. Just after the squadron formed up for the flight home, Major Ellis spotted a lone Japanese troop transport about six miles from Wewak churning through the blue waters a few miles off the Papua New Guinea coast. To Major Ellis, the transport, plainly visible at the head of a zig-zag wake, was an irresistible target of opportunity.
B rimming with confidence after the successful mission against the unarmed barges at Kairiru and Muschu Islands, Ellis decided to add to the success of the mission by making a pass at the transport, and if nothing else, expend his remaining ammunition. He radioed for his wingman to get out of the way, saying “I’ll take it,” advising that he would lead the attack on the transport.
E llis banked the powerful A20G, pushing the yoke for