This is a photograph of [left to right] Father Tennien, Bishop James E. Walsh, Chiang Kai Shek, Father Smith and an unidentified man. Born in Maryland, Fr. Walsh graduated from Mt. St. Mary's College at age 19 and worked two years as a timekeeper in a steel mill. He entered the first class of Maryknoll in 1912 and in 1915 became the second priest ordained in the Society. Three years later. 1918, he was assigned to Kwong Tung (present Guangdong), China. Pope Pius XI named Fr. Walsh as the first Bishop of the Vicariate of Kongmoon. He was consecrated a Bishop in 1927 at Shepherd of the Church on Sancian Island the death place of St. Francis Xavier. In 1936, Bishop Walsh was elected second Superior General following the death of Bishop James A. Walsh, the founder of Maryknoll. In 1948 he as asked to return to China to head the Catholic Central Bureau in Shanghai. In 1951 the government closed the bureau. He was arrested in 1959 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. In 1970 he was released after spending nearly 12 years in prison. -- Born in Connecticut, Fr. Smith came to Maryknoll in 1931 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1935. He was assigned to Kongmoon, South China and spent a year in language studies. He was assistant pastor of the Yeung Kong parish in Kwangtung Province. He served as a teacher in the Kongmoon Junior seminary in Pak Kaai for four years, three of them under Japanese occupation. He was held under house arrest until he escaped to Chungking. He was appointed the Maryknoll Superior of the Kunming house and was chaplain for the U.S. Army there. -- Born in Vermont, Fr. Tennien came to Maryknoll in 1926 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1927. He was first assigned to Wuchow in 1928 and then again in 1935. In 1951 he was interned by the communists but released seven months later. In 1952 he went to Hong Kong as editor of the Chna Mission Bulletin. In 1957 he was assigned to Japan where he spent the rest of his missionary career.
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
