1939 A GREAT YEAR FOR THE MISSIONS

By Father Herbert liceldany
The death of " the Pope of the Missions " was mourned by several million more Catholics than that of any of his 246 predecessors. Thanks to the radio which carried the news to jungle and swamp and coral isle, millions of newly-baptised Christians scattered all over the earth were able to give him the suffrage of their prayers.
In Africa the totals had doubled in 10 years from 31, to 7 million Catholics, and everywhere else in the missions a tremendous advance had been recorded: where there had been some 250 missionary bishops the number was almost doubled, the same applied to missionary priests, native priests, and native nuns.
But perhaps the most outstanding achievement was the little-known but immeasurably important planting of contemplative monasteries and convents all over the map of the missions. In the mind of Pius XI these oases of prayer set among the pagan millions were the most promising of recent developments. History will doubtless confirm this verdict.
ANOTHER MISSIONARY POPE
In his first public utterance the new Pope indicated that he would be not less keen for the welfare of the missions. " We likewise bless all those toiling in distant lands to promote the Kingdom of Jesus Christ." All nonCatholics were embraced by the next phrase: "Our mind turns to all those outside the fold of the Catholic Church, who, we trust, will be glad to know that, in this solemn hour we have in our prayers implored the help of the good God on their behalf."
In the midst of anxiety for the future of Europe the Holy Father has indicated tithe and again his solicitude not only for the New World but for the future of the younger churches. It was at his own suggestion that 12
bishops drawn from many lands were consecrated by him in St. Peter's on the feast of Christ the King. Among them were two Chinese, one Indian, and the first Africans to be consecrated in modern times.
More recently the abrogation of rules against Confucian rites in China gave a further confirmation of the vigorous policy which had been enunciated in the Pope's first encyclical.
"Anything in the national customs that is not indissolubly bound up with superstition and false doctrine is always carefully considered and if possible preserved intact." The wisdom of this course is obvious in the disordered state of the missions to-day
WAR-TORN CHINA
A heavy toll was taken by the second year of hostilities in China, which has been the scene of one of the greatest migrations in history. Quite apart from the actual destruction of life and property the fact that 50 million people have been uprooted by the war meant the all but complete dislocation of the normal life of the Church in China. Gradually, however, thanks to the heroic devotion of missionaries, order has come out of chaos in the war areas, and, partly as a result of the new contacts made in refugee camps, there are to-day three times as many catechumens waiting for instruction as usual!
With missions destroyed, some fifty missionaries killed and numbers of others prevented by the European situation from reaching China, it is not easy to see how this 1,500,000 is to be instructed in the near future.
One comforting feature has been the steady progress of Catholic educational establishments, where their normal course has been practicable. Thus the University for which the Divine Word Fathers are responsible in Pekin records an increase in attendances1,500 students; of which only one in ten are Catholics, but there are a gratifying number of converts each year.
PROGRESS IN INDIA
In India also the educational field has been specially fruitful in the past year. Yet the Archbishop of Bombay in his book From the Bridge set out the need there is for improvement. The Archbishop later took the lead in another important field—the development A convents of native nuns—with the help of the newly-arrived Religious from Sacred Heart convents in England.
The heightening of feeling between the communal factions, both before and after the outbreak of war in Europe, has not helped the progress of scattered missions. Indeed a new development, missionary Hinduism, has arisen of late to hinder the none too numerous missionaries. However, the growth of a bigger native clergy will gradually counteract this. There are at present some 1,500 priests from South India scattered among the 400 million Hindus of various castes.
An interesting conversion, that of Mar Theotokos, the fourth Jacobite Archbishop in Travancore to make his submission to the Holy See, has just come to hand. And the successful AllIndia Congress held at Mylapore in the last days of December indicated that Catholic life in India was not less vigorous in 1939.
AFRICA'S GREAT YEAR
Whatever else may have happened to Africa in 1939 the year will be remembered for many a day as that in which a native hierarchy was once more established. With the announcement made last spring that three territories: one in Uganda, one in Madagascar and one in Senegal, were to be placed under native bishops the whole continent, and not only Catholics, rejoiced. His Lordship Bishop Kiwanuka, who was consecrated in Rome, was told there that more appointments would follow the success of this initial stage.
Africa's hour of grace has struck most propitiously, since no fewer than 400 White Fathers alone were called up on the outbreak of war in Europe. even before the consecration. Fortunately, sufficient importance is attached by the Governments of France and Great Britain to the continuance of normal missionary work for arrangements to have been made for the resumption of it as is possible in the circumstances.
Missionary progress was also reported in the course of the year in South America. Extensive visitations were carried out in the South Seas and in
the Far North by means of the aeroplane, which is becoming the regular means of inspecting the missions in these wide open spaces. The FatherGeneral of the Mill Hill Fathers spent over six months in the East Indies, from which he brought back tales of scarcity of clergy.
NATIVE CLERGY
This leads to the question of the day. The outbreak of war has justified, if there were ever any need, the tremendous efforts that have been made of late years to train native clergy to serve the newly-converted mission-lands. The Society for Native Clergy, established by two Frenchwomen half a century earlier, and since taken over by Rome, reported that there were some 16,000 clerical students in the ninety odd native seminaries scattered all over the missions; nearly 200 of these are dependant on English benefactors. Among those ordained in the course of the year were the first Fijian priest, the first coloured South African, Koreans, Annamese, and the first fruits of a seminary in South China which had been erected only seven years ago by English benefactors.
A.P.F. CENTENARY
At home there was a notable renewal of interest in missionary matters as a result of the celebrations arranged in connection with the centenary of the Association for the Propagation of the Faith, which culminated in a successful exhibition held at Westminster towards the end of June.
It is to be hoped that this interest will not subside altogether in the face of our present anxieties. The mission field is at once the most delicate and the most urgent anxiety of the Church to-day. In spite of--or rather, just because of—the war we should give generously of our prayer and our alms to the " first work of the Church " in 1940.