This is a photograph of Frs. O'Melia and Rauschenbach on an American gunboat enroute Hong Kong after their escape from bandits. Sailors and the captain stand on the deck of the ship with the two priests. Rev. O'Melia was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England. His family moved to the U.S. in 1903 and he became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1912. He entered Maryknoll in 1914 and was ordained in 1923. He was assigned to Kongmoon. In 1934 he was assigned to direct the Maryknoll language school in Hong Kong, and returned to Kongmoon in 1942. He went to Shanghai in 1945 to work with UNRRA until 1947. After some years in the U.S. he returned to Hong Kong from 1959-1967, returning to the U.S. in 1968. -- Born in Missouri, Fr. Rauschenbach entered Maryknoll in 1918 and was ordained to the priesthood on June 15, 1924. He was assigned to South China, where he spent the next twenty-one years in Maryknoll's Kongmoon Vicariate. Fr. Otto used dispensaries and radio broadcasts to interest people in Christ's message. He was also responsible for many buildings, including the compound at Nanfau and hospital at Toishan. During World War II, while the entire Kongmoon Territory was encircled by the Japanese, Fr. Otto remained with his people during their time of need. On May 14, 1945, he was killed by bandits while ministering to the Christians in the area.
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