FIELD TRIP TO MARYKNOLL HOUSE, STANLEY BY THE HONG KONG ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY DEC. 8, 1984
Notes on the Visit by Fr. M. McKiernan M.M.
I wish to extend a warm welcome to all the members of the Royal Asiatic Society gathered here today. First of all, I should like to mention that I have been a member of this society since 1959, and have enjoyed many happy field trips organized by the society.
Now to get on with the subject of today's field trip, Maryknoll House, Stanley. I should like to tell you something about the house which one sees on this knoll when one comes down the mountain side from Repulse Bay into Stanley. With its red brick walls, green tile roof and a touch of Chinese architecture the house looks a bit mysterious. So, first I should like to tell you the 'why' of the house, then the 'when', and 'how', and finally its present status.
The house was built for three reasons. First of all, it was to be the headquarters of the Maryknoll Fathers in South China. Perhaps I should mention here that Maryknoll is the popular name of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America. This is an organization of priests and brothers founded under the auspices of the American Bishops to bring the good news of the gospel to those who have not yet had the opportunity to enjoy it. Maryknoll was founded in 1911. The first priests came out to China in 1918 to a district west of Macao called Kong Moon. Several years later another area was taken in Northern Kwangtung Province around the city of Kaying. The language there was Hakka. About 1928 another area in Kwangsi around the city of Wuchow was taken. Then about 1938 another area was taken around the city of Kweilin in Northern Kwangsi. The language there was Mandarin. So there were priests working in three different language areas. The second reason for building the house was to be a language school for the new priests coming out to China. They would spend the first year here studying