A NATIVE of Belgium, Father Eleutherius entered the monastery of St. André in Belgium in 1927. “When I went there I was just 17 years old,” said Father Eleutherius, “and when I went into the novitiate I was just 18. I made my profession on January 15, 1929, my solemn profession three years later in 1932.” When in 1925 Rome consecrated the first Chinese Catholic bishop, Abbot Theodore Neve of St André promised to help the fledgling church with missionaries. “In 1927,” Father Eleutherius said, “when I went to the monastery, he [the abbot] sent two priests to China. They went to China and started a monastery in 1929 in Szechuan near the city called Nanchong.”

“In 1933, Father Abbot called me [and told me],’My dear son, I send you to China.’ I said, ‘Yes.’ On the fourth of September 1936, I left Belgium for Russia on my way to China.”

The monks in China followed the routine of Benedictine monastic life. “We had the whole office every day,” said Father, “chanted in Latin.” Besides this monastic work, the priest-monks were commissioned to start a seminary for the Diocese of Nanchong in 1937. Besides working in the seminary, Father Eleutherius said he used to help the Chinese parish priests. “Twice a year, for three weeks, I would go from family to family, walking twenty miles, ten miles, thirty miles, blessing marriages, giving First Communion to the children. It was sometimes very difficult for the people to go to Mass in the city, because of the walk; therefore, twice a year the priests were visiting the families. It was a diocese as big as Belgium! And there were only 25 priests. For me, it was absolutely exciting!”

But were there converts?” In the school,” says Father, “I converted at least three students and baptized two. One of them went to Louvain and became a great teacher [there].” Father Eleutherius relates that interest in the Catholic Church was growing in China. “You know, when we left China, it was going up. We said, ‘I don’t understand the Providence of God. So many converts, and so many at the time of the persecution!’ But that is only a question. I think we must say that God knows what He is doing.”

WOVEN into the inexplicable design of Divine Providence was the escalation of long-standing hostilities between Japan and China in July 1937. From 1937 to 1944, China was cut off from the rest of the world, her larger cities devastated by aerial bombing. The hostilities were one reason why the monks were forced in 1947 to relocate their monastery from the relatively remote provincial community of Si’ Shan to urban Chengdu.

However, peace did not come to China with the end of World War II. Nationalist forces under Chiang Kai-shek and communist forces under Mao Tse-tung raced to occupy the major cities of China. Soon civil war broke out. In 1949, the Communists were victorious and the Nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek moved their government to Taipei, on the island of Taiwan.

“Communist forces occupied Chengdu, a major city of Szechuan,” said Father Eleutherius, “on the night of Christmas, at three o’clock in the morning, in 1949. They took over Beijing in January of 1949. I was in China under the communists for two years and two months.”

“The communists,” continued Father, “attracted the young by what I call stoicism. Virtue, virtue! It is interesting, the doctrine was spiritual, but the metaphysics was materialist. Communism could tempt Christians,” said Father, “because it would appear to be the love of Jesus Christ, the love of the poor. Finally you discover that the communists don’t like the people, they love the system.”

“The Chinese Catholics,” relates Father Eleutherius, “were courageous in the face of imprisonment and death.” One of his students, Brother Peter, spent 27 years in prison. Since 1984 he has resided with his community in Valyermo. Father tells of a young man who voluntarily went to the police. “I was preaching maybe twice or three times a week at the chapel belonging to the Redemptorists. I said Mass there twice for the housekeeper and for a young man of twenty-three. This young man, during confession, told me, ‘I have been called to go to the police station.’ And he went. Later I saw the Bishop, who told me that this man who went to the police station was in jail for one year. Afterwards he came back with injuries.”

IN 1952, the communists wanted to expel all foreigners. The remaining foreign religious were expelled as enemies of the people.

THE MILITARY COMMISSION OF THE MUNICIPALITY DECREES THEIR EXPULSION FROM THE COUNTRY

     The following residents of the Municipality of Chengtu, all of them spiritual directors of the international counter-revolutionary organization, “The Legion of Mary,”  all of them hiding in the Catholic Church under the pretext of preaching religion, have given themselves over to reactionary activities of a nature to cause the invasion of China and the destruction of our People’s Revolution; moreover, they have openly violated the orders of the Military Commission by concealing their identity and refusing to admit their membership. The names of these imperialists are: the Frenchmen, GABRIAC  and SPARFELD; the. Italian, VINCIARELLI;  the Belgian, WINANCE; the German, KEISER; end five other criminals.

     These men were arrested and interrogated by the Military Commission’s Security Police. In spite of a defense made up of tricks of every possible kind, the criminals were confronted with evidence of their guilt and found it impossible to defend themselves. Their counter-arguments and resistance being exhausted, they finally had to admit their guilt publicly.

     In view of the facts herein described, the Military Commission of the Municipality, in the decree numbered 065 issued yesterday, the fifth, has decided the expulsion from the Country of GABRIAC, SPARFELD, VINCIARELLI, WINANCE AND KEISER.

This decree enjoins on the Security Police of the Military Commission of the Municipality the obligation of sending men this morning to put the decree into execution.

The decree in its entirety follows:

Sentence of the administrative commission of military affairs of the People’s Army of Liberation in the Municipality of Chengtu.

IN THE LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT the spiritual directors of the international counter‑revolutionary “Legion of Mary,”  residing in this municipality of Chengdu – the Imperialists of French nationality GABRIAC and SPARFELD, the imperialist of Italian nationality, VINCIARELLI the imperialist of Belgian nationality, WINANCE, the imperialist of German (old German nationality KEISER, having concealed themselves in the Catholic Church under the pretext of preaching religion, having given themselves over to reactionary activities of a nature to cause the invasion of China and the destruction of our People’s Revolution:

IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT

GABRIAC, the spiritual director f the reactionary organization of the Legion of Mary, going under the name of “Group of the Queen of Peace;”

Has, before and after the Liberation, shamelessly spread false rumors; has projected the perfidious plot to overthrow the People’s Revolution; has stated^- “After the arrival of the Army of Liberation the Catholic Church will disappear.”

has stated “The-devil is in the Army of’ Liberation: let everyone intensify his prayer asking that the Army of the Virgin conquer the Army of  Liberation;”

has stated “After the reading of Communist books one can  longer recognize either the young or the old;

has stated; “Soldiers of the Army of Liberation, having no wives of their own will take our women as ‘heir wives;”

has stated “To participate  in the Reform Movement was to ‘apostatize,’ to ‘deliver oneself over to damnation,’ thus terrifying Catholics and exposing the Reform Movement to destruction;

that he has moreover concealed a bandit chief in the church of …

that despite his Commission’s suppression,  in November 1951,  of the reactionary organization of the Legion of Mary and its command that all its officers present themselves at the office of the Security ‘Police, he has dared condemn the Government’s decree and even to stir up trouble and try to disorganize this office

IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT

SPARFELD, spiritual director of the reactionary group of the legion of Mary, set up under^, the name “Group of the West Section of the Prefecture of Chiong-lai

Has commanded a Chinese national, Li … to tear up signs posted by the Reform Movement;

has disorganized the Reform Movement by claiming that “The Reform is apostasy and schism;”

has, despite the November, 1951 order of the Commission suppressing the reactionary organization and obliging its officers to come to the office of the Security Police, hidden his identity and refused to confess his membership

IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT

VINCIARELLI, spiritual director of the; reactionary group of the Legion of Mary set up under the none of “Group of the Mother of God,” even before the liberation has been in close contact with Mr. McWilliams_* the director of the American Information Service at Chungking and head of the espionage service of American Imperialism;

has, in collaboration with the latter, planned the invasion of China; has, after the Liberation, hidden a radio transmitter and receiver, as well as a considerable quantity of equipment that had belonged to the American army;

bas, moreover, concealed objects of considerable value belonging to civil servants and landowners;

has spread false rumors, saying: “The Communists resemble the wolves of-the Gospel in sheeps’ clothing;”

has dared to propagate the Hsio si tsan kao as well as the Shen Kung Chiao Huei and other reactionary brochures;

has forbidden _:Catholics to read progressive books;

has, despite the November, 1951 decree- of this Commission suppressing the reactionary organization of the “Legion of Mary” and obliging its officers to present themselves and make their confession at the Office of the Security Police, publicly dared to go to the Office, to cause trouble there and to try to disorganize it, refusing to admit his guilt.

IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT

WINANCE, interim spiritual director of the international reactionary organization of the “Legion of Marry” set up ` Under the name of “Group of the Mother of God,”

has by all sorts of means invented and spread false rumors;

has insulted our People’s Government and Russia, a country friendly to us;

has spread a wild and shameless propaganda in favor of American Imperialism;

has said, for example: “The political policy of the Communist Government is a policy of terror,” thus perniciously injuring the People’s Government;

has stirred up reactionary Catholics to oppose the Government;

has forbidden Catholics to take part in progressive patriotic movements and to read progressive reviews and books;

has disorganized the Reform Movement in the Catholic Church;

has concealed his identity and refused to admit his guilt at the time of the Commission’s order of November, 1951 decreeing the suppression of the reactionary organization of the “Legion of Mary” and commanding its officers to come to sign at the Office of the Security Police.

IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT

KEISER, spiritual director of the reactionary organization of the “Legion of Mary,” set up under the name of “Our Lady of Good Counsel,”

has, at the time of the American imperialistic invasion of Korea, invented false rumors saying: “The Korean war was provoked by Russia,” and in so doing calumniating the nations that seek nothing but peace and spreading abroad a mad and shameless propaganda;

has refused to admit his guilt at the time of the November, 1951 decree of the Commission suppressing the international reactionary organization of the “Legion of Mary,’ obliging all its officers to present themselves at the Office of the Security Police.

IN THE LIGHT OF

these different crimes committed by GABRIAC and these agents of Imperialism;

IN THE LIGHT OF

the accusations of all sorts made against  by the entire People;

IN THE LIGHT OF

the investigation made by the Office of the Security Police concerning all these facts;

IT IS DECREED

that these imperialistic enemies of the People of our Country my no longer under any circumstances be allowed to remain on our Country’s territory but that they will be forever banished from the territory of the People’s Republic of China;

that the Security Police of the Commission dispatch officers to conduct these criminals out of the country under escort.

President:  Li Ching-chuen

Vice-President: Chow Sze

February 5, 1952

Tr. Emerick Lawrence

After spending one day in jail, Father Eleutherius was expelled from Szechuan with six priests and five sisters. For 17 days, guarded by six policemen, they traveled to Hong Kong. On the train they were subjected to ridicule. “There were many children on the train,” Father remembers. “The police said to the children that the sisters were bad women. I remember I was angry, and I shouted ‘No!’ The sisters were accused of carrying weapons under their habits. You know, if it was true, they would have been shot. Nobody believed it.” Arriving in Hong Kong, Father Eleutherius wrote a letter to his mother: “I come from hell,” he told her.

Since 1952, Father Eleutherius has not remained stationary. Three months after his return from China, the Abbot of St. André in Belgium sent him to the college of Sant’ Anselmo in Rome to teach philosophy; he spent four years there. In 1956, Father Eleutherius was sent to teach philosophy at St. John’s Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota for five years.

Meanwhile Prior Raphael and other monks who had been in China obtained permission for canonical transfer of the monastery from China to Valyermo, California. Father Eleutherius came to Valyermo in 1961 where he served as novice master until 1965· He taught at Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles, Saint John’s Seminary College, and for the Sisters of Social Service. In 1963 he was asked by the Claremont Graduate School to teach philosophy for one year; today thirty-five years later, he still teaches there every Tuesday. In 1974 Father went to Bangalore, India to teach and preach retreats to the monks and seminarians. In 1980, and again in 1984., he went to Zaire to teach philosophy at St. Paul’s Pontifical Seminary.

Today, at the age of 89, Father Eleutherius remains active. Besides teaching, he goes every Saturday to the Challenger Juvenile Camp in Antelope Valley. “I hear many confessions,” he says, “and perform many baptisms.” For the past two years, Father has gone, as well, on Wednesdays to the State Prison in Lancaster to “hear confessions, say Mass, and preach.” “Meanwhile,” says Father Eleutherius, “my job is to preach. I preach sometimes five times a week.” Those who attend the 10 a.m. Sunday Mass in the St. Andrew’s Abbey chapel speak of the doctrinal content of Father’s homilies. Father himself spoke of it. As I left his cell, he pulled out a book from his bookshelf, saying, “before I prepare sermons, I read this.” It was the Denzinger Enchiridion Symbolorum, Definitionum et Declarationum, an exhaustive compendium of the creeds and doctrinal teachings of the Catholic Church. Father Eleutherius continues to inspire many people with the witness of his faithfulness to Christ and His teachings.

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