Passionist China Art and Artifacts Exhibited

This April marks the 90th anniversary of the deaths of three Passionist Catholic priests at the hands of bandits in China. The priests had come as missionaries to Hunan province, and their murders shocked American Catholics, U.S. diplomats and the Holy See.

A new exhibit in the Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library at The University of Scranton, titled “Life, Death, and Memory: Art and Artifacts from the Passionist China Collection,” honors the martyred men as well as the service of the many other Passionist priests and Sisters of Charity who worked in the region from 1921 to 1955, when the last missionary was expelled from Communist China. They served through famine, flood and war, and witnessed both incredible suffering and hope. Ultimately, they left a legacy that continues to the present day, inspiring a new generation of Chinese Passionist priests.

The exhibit will be on display through April 24 and can be seen, free of charge, during library hours.

On Monday, April 8, in collaboration with the Schemel Forum, The Helen Gallagher McHugh Special Collections at the Weinberg Memorial Library and the Friends of the Library, there will be a reception and lecture by Father Rob Carbonneau, C.P., Ph.D,, Passionist historian and adjunct professor of history at Scranton. Father Carbonneau will present “American Passionist Priest Martyrs in China, 90th Anniversary 1929-2019: Remembering the Chinese Catholic Witness of Faith.” The lecture will focus on remembering the witness of faith of the martyred priests, and the larger story of the Chinese Catholic witness of faith.

Reservations are required for the free event, which will take place at 6 p.m. in the Heritage Room, with a book signing and reception to follow. To register, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.

For further information about the exhibit, contact Special Collections Librarian Michael Knies at 570-941-6341.