History: Former Mission Stations
SSpS Mission
in the Harbour City Keelung
Our mission in Keelung began with the arrival of Sr. Isentraud Mock and Sr. Imanuele Purschke on August 12, 1964. They were joined by Sr. Sponsata Reiesselmann on September 2.
Fr. Andreas Tsien, parish priest in Hsinchu, had recommended our sisters to Fr. John Yao, parish priest of the Sacred Heart Parish in Keelung. Realizing, that this could be a suitable activity for our sisters, the superiors gave the permission.
The three sisters soon got busy in the vast parish. They visited the families, gathered the women, prayed with them and gave religious instruction. Soon there were also groups of catechumens whom the sisters prepared for baptism. The roads were long and in poor condition , made worse by frequents rainfalls, but God blessed the dedicated efforts of the sisters and the Church grew.
Sr. Sponsata, the nurse, began her service in one corner of the sacristy. After some weeks, the news had spread that the Catholic Church was treating the sick. The number of patients increased. They trusted the sister. The poor also came and experienced her love and generosity. Later, with the help of Miserior, a separate dispensary could be built.
After Sr. Sponsata, Sr. Marianeldis, Sr. Lawrence, Sr. Gracia Maria and Sr. Edmara worked as nurses in Keelung. For half a year, even another sister, Sr. Renata, was borrowed from the Philippines, so that the important work in the dispensary was not interrupted. Later, however, with the improvement of the health care in the country and the need to have a doctor present all the time, the dispensary lost its significance and was finally closed.
Attached to the Sacred Heart Parish was a kindergarten. In 1965 the elementary school was opened and some years later also a vocational school. Different sisters were missioned to Keelung at different times, serving in the parish, in administration, in teaching, guidance, youth work,
For almost forty years the sisters worked untiringly in this vast mission. But then, because of fewer sisters and more of them reaching retirement age the work could no longer be continued. The last sisters left Keelung in autumn 2001.
Fenchihu - Our Mission
in the Mountains
Almost thirty years after the arrival of the first SSpS in Taiwan, the Sisters ventured south and began their mission work in the little place of Fenchihu in the mountains of Chiayi County, joining Fr. Pott, SVD, who had started that mission many years ago .
Sr. Bernwardine Gottwald, one of the first two pioneers, writes about their arrival:
We arrived safely at 2:15 am in the Provincial House of the SVD (Chiayi), had a drink and rested until dinner, as Fr. Chu advised us. The Fathers all welcomed us to their mission in the south and with their blessing we left right after dinner.
When we arrived at the gate of the mission, Sr. Victoria Chang (the second pioneer) saw the firecrackers hanging. I blew the horn and a man ran to light the firecrackers and we drove into Fenchihu Mission. Miss Bernadette Shen and some people were there to welcome us Fr. Pott, who lives a little down, thought the firecrackers would tell him of our arrival. But he had his hearing aid turned off and a girl went down to call him. Our two little bedrooms still needed repair but were ready in the evening just with a bed, nothing else.
When I went down to the church the next morning at 5:45, I saw a pregnant mother sitting outside the clinic. Before Holy Mass, the baby was born.
This afternoon we went to the village and when we came back there were two patients in the clinic with wounds that had to be stitched and later there came the second mother, who gave birth to a baby girl.
In the evening Sr. Victoria is studying a book about maternity. If she has to do it all alone, she still hast to learn many things.
Just now, at 9:15 pm five men bring a drunken, wounded man. God seems to tell us that there is work enough to do.
After many years of service, the last sister, sr. Edmara left the station in 2016.