St. Joseph Freinademetz

BE A MISSIONARY
ST. JOSEPH
FREINADEMETZ:
“A Chinese among the Chinese”
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson the students
will be able to:
Know St. Joseph Freinademetz

Elaborate more of St. Joseph

Frienademetz’s

Mission as he went to China.
Discuss the challenges and lessons

he taught as he interacted with the

Chinese people.
“He was like a Chinese
not only in clothing and
manners, he was not only
spoke like one of them,
but also in his style of
living and in his habits,
even his way of thinking,
he was a Chinese among
the Chinese”
INFORMATION ABOUT JOSEPH
St. Joseph was a missionary long

before Vatican II. He lived during the
time when views and policies towards
other cultures and religions were in
no marked by the modern
understanding of them.
BIOGRAPHY
 St. Joseph was born in 1852 in South Tyrol as member of the small
Ladino Ethnic group, from childhood Joseph was used to getting to know,
Understand, and love other peoples.
The ecclesiastical language of South Tyrol was Italian.
 In the elementary school he

already spoke German as his third language,
a language by which he pursued his whole
formation and studies to the priesthood.
PARENTS
Father – John Mathias Freinademetz –

farmer
Mother – Ana Maria Sottvalgiarai
a house wife Family of 13
children
“They lived poor and had to work hard. For

the fields and transport they had a horse.
They had a dozen of cows and pigs more
for sale.”
PRAYERS IN
THE FAMILY
Holy Rosary Devotion to the Regular pilgrimage to
Daily rosary Sacred Heart the chapel
before the of the Holy Cross
family altar - Kreuzkofel
PPTtemplate http://www.1ppt.com/moban/
MISSION CALL
January 1878 edition of the monthly
diocesan bulletin “Kirchenblatt”
brings the news about Mission House
of Steyl and its missionary objective:
“Priests will also be accepted whether
they wish to become missionaries
themselves or are simply dedicate
themselves to the training of future
missionaries.” During the next few
weeks he prayed fervently more than
ever. He felt more and more deep
within.
My heart is ready!
“ Little Children go begging for bread; no
one spares a scrap for them” These words
which he heard in the Liturgy of Good
Friday gave him no rest. He felt as though
he was hearing the cry of the pagan
children.
Joseph entertained thoughts about the
missions of bringing bread and grace
to far-away brothers, and of satisfying
their material and spiritual hunger.
However, the mentality at

that time, the mentality of
Vatican I, was the extra
ecclesiam nulla salus which
is today outmoded.
Salvation was possible only
in the one Catholic Church.
In his fare well sermon at
St. Martin parish before
he left for Steyl, Joseph
Said: “I realize the
overwhelming poverty of
our brothers on the other
side of the ocean, who
with tears in their eyes
stretch out their arms to
implore our help.”
In the summer of 1878
He 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 in China.
They are the first SVD
foreign missionaries.
After five weeks, Fr. Joseph and Fr.
Anzer arrived in Hongkong where they
prepared themselves for their mission
Fr. Joseph enculturated himself

with Chinese culture.
He was called Fu Shenfu which

means “Lucky Priest”
CHALLENGES
OF MISSION
 Height of European colonialism.
 Missionaries were associated with the colonial

powers who gave them protection.
 Hatred against the foreign colonial powers and

missionaries as “foreign European devils or
dogs”
 Being Christian was considered a betrayal of
their Chinese beliefs and traditions.
 Converts were hated because they enjoyed

certain privileges and protection.
CULTURAL
SHOCK
Cult of the dead offering food “The Chinese eat
rice and always more rice, even on their
deathbed” Chinese are incapable of higher
Temples as “houses of the devil” where sacrifices motives - materialistic. “China is truly an empire
are offered! Religious feasts – festivals of the of the devil. He came with the idea of preaching,
devil honored by fire- crackers and cannon. converting, baptizing crowds the whole day,
Smoke of roasted pigs to the gods; the meat for building churches…but only indifference.
the Chinese to eat.
NEW
ASSIGNMENT
In March 1882 Joseph started his work
in Shantung where there were about
nine million inhabitants but only 180
Christians. From the year on his letters
were full of praises for the Chinese: “
They are good at cooking, even the
men;”
He got to know the region
of South Shandong
especially the people. He
studied the Chinese, their
way of thought, their
customs and usages, their
character and disposition.
And this was the beginning
of his inner transformation.
“The greatest task of a missionary:
the inner transformation of
oneself” “Up to now what I saw,
heard and lived is a violent contrast
with the way I used to see and
think.” “The dialect is difficult but
the conversion of the Chinese is
more difficult”. “When you do not
know what to do in China, do the
contrary of what would you do in
Europe”.
MISSIONARY S
SPIRIT OF LOVE
People are converted only through the grace of God and ‑
may we add ‑ by our love. Only when our relationships are
based on genuine Christian love will we be effective
presence and witnesses where God has placed us. Just as
the buds open in the warmth of the sun and close again
when the darkness of night descends, in the same way
human hearts open or close up when someone gives them a
smile or a frown.
MISSIONARY SPIRIT OF LOVE
“Now that I have no difficulty
with the language and know
the people and their way of life
better, China has become not
only my homeland but also for
which I will give my life”
Becoming a Chinese to the
Chinese – “Transformation of
the inner self.”
TWO BLOODY AND
VIOLENT EVENTS
 November 1, 1897: Murder of two
SVD missionaries – Fr. Nies and Fr.
Henle
 Attacks and assaults against
missionaries.
 Boxers’ Uprising in 1900: evacuation
of foreign missionaries to Shanghai
and Qingdao. Joseph decided to stay.
 “Once the Boxers came to cut my

throat and I had to flee in the dead of
the night. All missionaries thought I Fr. Nies Fr. Henle
was doomed, the situation was so
hazardous.”
JOSEPH WAS A MAN OF
PRAYER AND
DEEPLY
SPIRITUAL PERSON
“Payer was his life element and
life’s joy, it was the source from
which he lived”
-Bishop Henninghaus,
SVD The success of the mission was

the triumph of grace, but possible
only with the good effort and hard
work of the missionaries
MISSIONARY
RESPONSE
Orphanage Carpentry
Family Community
FORMATION
OF CELL INITIATION
CONTACT
GROUPS OF
VISIT
FAITH/LIFE
MISSIONARY
APPROCH
PRAYER
MISSION
LIFE,
FOLLOW
LITURGICAL
FORMATION UP
LIFE
OF
CATECHIST
AND
LEADERS
MISSION
SCHOOL
“For the children not simply
to be taught but also to be
educated.” Also as “feeders
for seminary and for good
catechists.”
“
I love my Chinese. I take China, it
s people and its
language as my native country. I
would die for them a thousand
times over. I want to be buried with
them…I want to be still Chinese in
” 28 January 1908 – Died of Typhus
heaven.”
“May heaven reunite us for all
eternity.”
“ The only
language
understood by
people is the
language of love.”

St. Joseph Freinademetz

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BE A MISSIONARY

Elaborate more of St. Joseph

Mission as he went to China.

Discuss the challenges and lessons

St. Joseph was a missionary long

 In the elementary school he

Father – John Mathias Freinademetz –

“They lived poor and had to work hard. For

However, the mentality at

Fr. Joseph enculturated himself

He was called Fu Shenfu which

 Missionaries were associated with the colonial

 Hatred against the foreign colonial powers and

 Converts were hated because they enjoyed

 “Once the Boxers came to cut my

SVD The success of the mission was

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