This is a photograph of Frs. Dietz and Walsh upon their arrival at Wuchow [now Wuzhou]. With Fr. Heraud, MEP and American river gunboat sailors from the U.S.S. Pampanga in front of the old French chapel. Born in New York, Fr. Dietz came to Maryknoll in 1915 and was ordained to the priesthood on September 11, 1916. He took his Perpetual Oath to the Society in 1930. He was assigned to Kongmoon in 1920 and in 1930 he became the Society Superior of the mission. He was a delegate to the first General Chapter of the Society in 1929. In 1932 he was named to the Synodal Commission in Peking. In 1937 he became Procurator General in Rome. He was active in teaching until his death. -- 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.
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.