“Even if they kill me” William Finnemann (+1942, Philippines)

William Finnemann was the first SVD auxiliary bishop of Manila and probably the first German to become a naturalized Filipino citizen. In 1936, Bishop Finnemann was appointed the first bishop of Mindoro.

In 1941, Japan invaded the Philippines. It was the start of World War II in the Pacific region. The war took Bishop Finnemann by surprise, but he continued attending to his ministry.

In spite of his German origin, he did not adulate Japan, who was Germany’s ally and victor in Asia. Neither did he render tribute, whether obligatory or diplomatic. The Bishop focused more on his works of charity during the war.

The Japanese were very much aware that Bishop Finnemann was an excellent orator and of his influence on the masses. They pressured him to ask the people to support Japan from the pulpit. But Bishop Finnemann vehemently refused, saying in all candidness, “I will preach to the Filipino people the way to respect and show reverence for people without resorting to crime and murder. I will preach them peace and order and admonish them against looting, fraud and stealing. Nothing else!”

Bishop Finnemann was advised by his confreres to leave for his safety, but he refused. He told them, “Never doubt it. I shall perform my duty as a Bishop, I shall fight for my parishioners and for Mindoro.” Then, in a faint and distressed voice, he added, “Even if they kill me.”

Bishop Finnemann meant his words. The war took its toll in Mindoro especially on women and children. Some Catholic schools and convents were being transformed into brothels for children. Women especially young girls were being abused, raped and turned into “comfort women." Bishop Finnemann strongly stood against these abuses and a number of times interceded and denounced the soldiers to free young girls who were forced to become sex slaves. Because of this, Bishop Finnemann became increasingly unpopular to the Japanese. They started harassing him when they learned that he was no longer a German citizen.

It came to a point when a distressed man ran to Bishop Finnemann. A married Japanese soldier fell for his daughter and wanted to have her at any cost. The daughter, a decent young lady educated in accordance with the Catholic principles, would not compromise. But the lady’s refusal will cost the life of the entire family. The Bishop gently advised the father that it would be wise for his daughter to flee to the mountains, to defy all physical dangers before facing moral challenges.

And so it happened. The Japanese soldier became furious and wanted to know the whereabouts of the girl. Soon, he learned that Bishop Finnemann was the one to blame for the disappearance of the girl. Because of the embarrassment his rejection caused and the ridicule he received from his comrades, he wanted to vent his fury on the Bishop.

One day, a Japanese commission led by the scorned suitor visited Bishop Finnemann, informing him of his desire to rent a house, a property of the Bishop, located beside the Church. Bishop Finnemann asked them why they wanted to rent the house. The Japanese told him that they intend to use the house as a venue for their lustful and vicious desires, they wanted to turn it into a brothel. This provoked the Bishop to anger. He angrily said, “This being the case, you cannot have the house. You may take it by force, but never with my consent. I will never compromise!”

The Bishop was arrested and taken to the torture chamber, where he was badly tortured and beaten. One of his tortures is to be exposed under the scorching sun. With a bleeding face and bruised limbs, he went back to his house without complaining about the tortures he suffered.

On the morning of October 6, 1942, Bishop Finnemann received a pleasant invitation from the Japanese government to leave for Manila. Bishop Finnemann was loaded on a military ship and was taken away. The Bishop was already aware of what will happen to him. Fr. Bernardo Pues followed Bishop Finnemann to the shore with a group of Christians. When he returned to his rectory, the bell which is supposed to announce the death of a member of the community mysteriously rang by itself.

News that Bishop Finnemann would be brought to Manila spread among the faithful in the city. It made such an impact that the Japanese created a news about the Bishop. They said that the Bishop, who was scared to answer for his actions before a simple investigation in Manila, decided to commit suicide by jumping off the ship. But this is a rejection of the courageous spirit of Bishop Finnemann.

Soon, it was announced that the bishop was already dead, without any information as to when, where and how. One account describes that he died, “Along the way in the waters between Verde Island and Batangas, the soldiers bound his hands and feet, tied his body on a huge rock and dropped him overboard into the depths of the sea.” With hands and feet tied and dragged down by a large rock, the bishop had no way of surviving.

The news of the Bishop’s death spread all over Manila, and no news spread as fast as Bishop Finnemann’s death during the war years, transmitted from one person to another. The tragic event was talked about all over the city with fear, sorrow, and admiration. Everyone was aware of what it meant to oppose Japan and their military forces.

Until today, the people of Mindoro honour Bishop Finneman’s martyrdom. Every year on October 26, they would sail out into the sea between Calapan and Batangas to offer prayers and flowers to their pastor who laid down his life upholding their dignity.

“Standing up to others for the social message of the Gospels” Carl Schmitz (+1988, Philippines)

Fr. Carl Schmitz, a Passionist priest from Chicago, was working in Japan when he felt called to work to the missions among the tribal Filipinos living in the mountains. The B’laans were abused people who had been displaced from the lowlands to the mountains where it was hard to find suitable land for their small gardens. Murder and burning of properties were rampant. Violence was constant.

Fr. Schmitz threw himself into this work with more vigor than ever. It was clear that Carl had never been happier nor more content. He considered everyone of the 80,000 B’laans his people. They were living in the mountains separated into hundreds of small communities, covering an area of thousands of square kilometers. He set out to visit every one of these scattered communities. In a short time, he was known and trusted by all because of his kindliness and his sincere concern for each one. Along with his spiritual message, he brought food when they were starving, medicines to combat the prevalence of sickness and disease; he built schools so that they could improve their economic and social condition. In his own personal life, he lived as the poorest, even using borrowed clothing. His Superiors had to order him to rest and to take care of his health. A new Christian culture was being born among the B’laans.

Father Schmitz lived the life of the B'laans in his center in the mountains. He taught them the faith. He felt the injustices they experienced in being driven from their homelands. He defended their rights to their lands and way of life. It is no wonder that there were those who wanted to see him silenced, removed, murdered.

Two serious issues faced the missionary. Paramilitary forces in the area often turned out to be bandits who used young Bila'ans as their agents in illegal logging and rustling water buffalo. When Fr.Carl discovered that going on, he would head up the mountains, find his people, persuade them to go to the coast with him and seek amnesty. The New Peoples Army (Communist) was another problem. Young Bila'ans often saw the NPA as a way to gain back their stolen lands. Fr. Carl tried to persuade his young men to leave the rebels and seek amnesty.

Photo Credit: Our Lady of Perpeutual Help Seminary Archives

His activities did not make him popular with the paramilitary. In Easter Week, 1988 Fr. Carl had brought six young B’laans to his out-mission at Bolul. He planned to take them from there to the authorities the next day. The paramilitary were probably uneasy, fearing some action could be taken against them. Determined to stop Fr. Carl, they got a young B’laan, Johnny Monday, half drunk. Handing him a Garand rifle they told him to kill Fr. Carl. Johnny was a former teacher in a Catholic school ran by Marist brothers, who worked together with the Passionist missionaries.

On the night of April 7, 1988, Johnny came to the hut where Fr. Schmitz lived. Fr. Schmitz, who was about to sleep, went outside to talk to Johnny, who was shouting at him. Earlier that day, Fr. Schmitz bought Johnny’s wife some medicine. Fr. Schmitz tried to calm Johnny down, but he wouldn’t. Johnny sprayed the priest with bullets and ran towards to house of the captain of the village. Fr. Schmitz’s mission was a missionary career crowned with martyrdom for justice. He loved the Bila'an people and would not allow them to be corrupted by the paramilitary, who were often bent on illegal logging and the rape of the virgin forests.

A Filipino priest who is campaigning for the canonization of Fr. Schmitz as a martyr said that Fr. Schmitz “was shot for not compromising on the social teachings that come from his faith and are based on the social justice principles of the Gospels.” Father Schmitz died not as a martyr for the Catholic faith, but as a man “standing up to others for the social message of the Gospels.”

“For putting their individual talents at the service of country and people” The Cassandra Martyrs (+1983, Philippines)

Shepherding has taken many forms in the history of the Good Shepherd Sisters. In the Philippines, on November 21, 1983, it was shepherding in a shipwreck. Four heroic nuns from the Religious of the Good Shepherd saved several lives during a shipwreck and died in the process.

The four nuns were collectively known as the Cassandra Martyrs after their heroic deeds during the MV Doña Cassandra ferry tragedy on November 20, 1983. The four boarded the ferry from a port in Nasipit, Agusan del Norte to attend their congregation’s meeting in Cebu along with two other nuns, a priest, and several church workers. Despite the stormy seas caused by a typhoon, the inter-island ferry, which was allegedly overloaded, still set sail for Cebu.

On the morning of November 21, the sisters saw the ship’s crew bailing water out of the hull. Despite the crew’s insistence that there was nothing wrong with the ferry, the sisters alerted passengers about what they saw. It was not long before the boat started to capsize.

The sisters wasted no time. They shepherded the passengers by giving out life jackets, though the four sisters did not have any safety gear for themselves. They also led many passengers to the safety of the life rafts.

The four sisters continued to help other passengers, especially the children, until the ferry completely sank. Survivors say that they last saw the four nuns holding small children before they drowned in the shark-infested waters off Northeastern Mindanao. Until the end, the four sisters showed selfless love and the desire to save lives.

The four nuns were known not only for laying down their lives for others during the shipwreck, but for their individual advocacies in fostering inter-faith dialogues, education, and justice for the victims of human rights abuses during the Marcos regime.

Sr. Mary Consuelo Chuidian

Sr. Mary Consuelo Chuidian, 46, was the superior of the St. Bridget’s community in Davao. She fearlessly documented human rights violations during the Marcos regime. She also led a movement against President Marcos, with the poor, oppressed and exploited Davaoeños supporting her. She chaired the Women’s Alliance for True Change, was coordinator of the Rural Missionaries for Southern Mindanao, and was active in the associations of women religious in Davao and Mindanao. Her leadership inspired her community to be open to victims of every kind, especially those of Martial Law.

Sr. Mary Concepcion Conti

Sr. Mary Concepcion Conti, 46, was a member of the Davao Community. She organized and headed the Community-Based Health Program in the Diocese of Tagum. She sought to train rural health workers, thus empowering them to attend to the basic health needs of the poor. She chose education as her way of helping people. She spearheaded literacy programs for the Banwaan Manobos of Agusan.

Sr. Mary Virginia Gonzaga

Despite coming from an affluent family, 42-year-old Sr. Mary Virginia Gonzaga chose to join the religious life. She fought for the rights of poor people and small workers in Cebu and supported interfaith dialogues between Christians and Muslims. She was the superior of the Sapad Community in Lanao del Norte. She had organized the Young Christian Workers in her home city and later, as a religious, worked among slum dwellers and migrant workers before she went to the Sapad mission among Christians and Muslims.

Sr. Mary Catherine Loreto

Sr. Mary Catherine Loreto, 39, was the youngest of the four nuns. She joined the campaign to protect the rights of political detainees and also helped the families of desaparecidos (victims of forced disappearances) during the Marcos regime. Hers was the most difficult challenge of standing up for those harassed by the military and their families, with the risk of herself falling under suspicion.

Different organizations recognized the sisters’ zeal and martyrdom, most notably by the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation founded by former Senate president Jovito Salonga. In inscribing their names on the “Wall of Remembrance” for heroes during the Martial Law era, the citation read:

“For contributing to the protest movement against the Marcos dictatorship and human rights abuses, as street parliamentarians and religious superiors heading and implementing education, health, rehabilitation and justice programs, both through legal and extra-legal means;

“For leaving the safety and comfort of home and convent to work as rural missionaries among poor farmers, indigenous peoples and Muslims in remote areas of Mindanao, thus becoming active witnesses to the Church’s mission to serve the poor, deprived and oppressed at the height of state repression of the Church;

“For putting their individual talents at the service of country and people.”

Sr. Marcia Caridad Mercado of the Religious of the Good Shepherd Sisters Philippines said that the Vatican has requested for documents related to the heroism of the Cassandra Martyrs to facilitate their possible beatification.

Fr. Thomas Byle: The Priest of the Titanic

On April 10, 1912, Father Thomas Byles made the journey from Essex, bound for Southampton. Arriving at Liverpool Street Station, he went to Waterloo Station, and there joined the Boat Train for Southampton. With second class ticket #244310 in hand, which had cost £13, Father Byles boarded the great ship.

He was able to make arrangements with Captain Smith to have the use of space on the ship in order to say Mass for the passengers of the Titanic since he had brought a portable altar stone and all accessories, borrowed from Monsignor Watson.

A few hours later, while the Titanic lay at anchor at Cherbourg, he wrote to his housekeeper Miss Field back at his parish in Ongar, Essex:

"Everything so far has gone very well, except that I have somehow managed to lose my umbrella. I first missed it getting out of the train at Southampton, but am inclined to think that I left it at Liverpool St. We arrived at Southampton in the boat train at 11.30 and started at 12 o'clock very punctually. At one we had lunch. We were then still in Southampton Water, but when we came out of lunch we were between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.

"Before coming out of supper we had stopped at Cherbourg, and the tender was just coming alongside with passengers. The tender is a good sized boat of 1260 tons, but by the side of the Titanic she looks as though with a good crane we could lift her out of the water and lay her on deck without feeling any inconvenience.

"When you look down at the water from the top deck, it is like looking from the roof of a very high building.

"At the time of writing 7.45 we are still stopping at Cherbourg. The English channel was decidedly rough to look at, but we felt it no more in the roughest part than when we were in Southampton Water. I do not much like the throbbing of the screws but that is the only motion we feel...I shall not be able to say mass to-morrow morning, as we shall be just arriving at Queenstown ... I will write as soon as I get to New York..."

He spent most of the day Saturday hearing the confessions of those who wished to avail themselves to this grace. On Sunday morning, April 14, Father Byles offered what would be his last Mass. It was Low Sunday; i.e., the Sunday after Easter. He said Mass first for the second class passengers in their lounge and then for the third class passengers. He preached in English and French on the need for men to have a lifebelt in the shape of prayer and the sacraments to save their souls when in danger of being lost in spiritual shipwreck in times of temptation, just as men require a lifebelt to save themselves when their lives are in danger of being lost in an actual shipwreck.

Of the very few passengers willing to brave the cold, Father Byles had been reciting the Breviarium Romanum, fully dressed in his priestly garb, while walking back and forth on the upper deck at the moment the Titanic struck the iceberg. He acted bravely in his capacity as a spiritual leader of men. Descending to the third class and calming the people, Father Byles gave them his priestly blessing and began to hear confessions; after which, he began the recitation of the Rosary. He then led the third class passengers up to the boat deck and helped load the lifeboats. He gave words of consolation and encouragement to the woman and children as they got into the boats. As the danger became even more apparent, he went about hearing more confessions and giving absolution. By all accounts, Father Byles was twice offered a seat in a lifeboat but refused. After the last lifeboat was gone, he went to the after end of the boat deck and led the recitation of the Rosary for a large group kneeling around him of those who were not able to find room in the boats. Father Byles also exhorted the people to prepare to meet God. As 2:20 a.m. approached, and the stern rose higher and higher out of the sea, Father Byles led the more than one hundred people kneeling before him in the Act of Contrition and gave them general absolution.

Witnesses gave testimony of Father Byles' bravery while the ship was sinking.

"When the crash came we were thrown from our berths ... Slightly dressed, we prepared to find out what had happened. We saw before us, coming down the passageway, with his hand uplifted, Father Byles. We knew him because he had visited us several times on board and celebrated mass for us that very morning. 'Be calm, my good people,' he said, and then he went about the steerage giving absolution and blessings.... A few around us became very excited and then it was that the priest again raised his hand and instantly they were calm once more. The passengers were immediately impressed by the absolute self-control of the priest. He began the recitation of the rosary. The prayers of all, regardless of creed, were mingled and all the responses, 'Holy Mary,' were loud and strong." -- Miss Helen Mary Mocklare, third class passenger.

"Continuing the prayers, he [Father Byles] led us to where the boats were being lowered. Helping the women and children in he whispered to them words of comfort and encouragement." -- Miss Bertha Moran, third class passenger.

"One sailor ... warned the priest of his danger and begged him to board a boat. Father Byles refused. The same seaman spoke to him again and he seemed anxious to help him, but he refused again. Father Byles could have been saved, but he would not leave while one was left and the sailor's entreaties were not heeded. After I got in the boat, which was the last one to leave, and we were slowly going further away from the ship, I could hear distinctly the voice of the priest and the responses to his prayers. Then they became fainter and fainter, until I could only hear the strains of 'Nearer My God, to Thee' and the screams of the people left behind." -- Miss Helen Mary Mocklare, third class passenger.

Another survivor spoke of how Father Byles was a leader in caring for those left behind. 

"I first saw Father Byles in the steerage. There were many Catholics there, and he eased their minds by praying for them, hearing confessions and giving them his blessing. I later saw him on the upper deck reading from his priest's book of hours. Survivors, especially a young English lad, told me later that he pocketed the book, gathered the men about him and, while they knelt, offered up prayer for their salvation." -- Miss Agnes McCoy, third class passenger.

Father Byles died in the sinking. His body was never recovered.

William and Katherine did not reschedule the planned wedding, but had another priest perform a very simple ceremony. Following the wedding the couple went home, changed into mourning clothes and returned to the church for a memorial Mass. This article appeared in the Evening World:

"Wedding bells, quickly followed by a funeral march, changed on Saturday, what was to have been the happiest day in the lives of Miss Isabel Katherine Russell and W. E. Byles. More than two thousand people were expected to be present. The ceremony was to have been performed in St. Augustine's Church and the Rev. Thomas R. D. Byles of Ongar, Essex County, England, brother of the groom, was to officiate. Miss Russell and Mr. Byles did not give up hope that Father Byles had been saved until every passenger had arrived from the Carpathia. They returned to the Russell residence, No. 119 Pacific Street, and, by telephone and telegram, recalled the numerous invitations. Believing in the superstition, however, that it is bad luck to postpone a wedding, the ceremony was performed Saturday by the Rev. Wm F. McGinnis, D. D., a life-long friend of the bride, in St. Paul's Church. Instead of the usual reception and wedding breakfast following, the bridal party hastened home, and, donning garments of mourning, returned to the church, where the Rev. Father W. Flannery, rector, performed a requiem mass for the late Father Byles."

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported the following: 

"There was a wedding this morning that was not all joy, at St. Paul's Church, Congress and Court streets. William E. Byles, of 124 Pacific street, was married to Isabelle C. Russell, of 119 Pacific street, by the Rev. Dr. William F. McGinnis. The wedding was to have been performed by the bridegroom's brother, the Rev. Thomas R. D. Byles, but the latter was one of the victims of the Titanic disaster, and from all accounts one of the heroes of the awful calamity. It is said that he administered the last rites to all that asked his services, and helped also to save many people from death.

"After the low nuptial mass today, a solemn high requiem mass was celebrated for the lost priest."

The following account of the Funeral Service held at Ongar Church appeared in the Essex Chronicle on May 2, 1912:

"Ever since the news of the disaster to the Titanic the congregation at St. Helen's Catholic Church, Ongar, have been concerned in paying fitting tributes to the memory of their much-loved pastor. As soon as it was beyond doubt that Father Byles was amongst those who had perished, the sorrowful tidings were announced by the tolling of the church bell, and since then Masses have been said almost continually for the repose of his soul. At the Mass on the Sunday following an address was given by Father Connor, of St. Andrew's Institute, Barnet, in which he spoke of the sterling qualities of character as shown forth in their rector's life. His career was a remarkable one, and God seemed to have marked him out in an extraordinary way for His own divine purposes. Finally, he had been the rescuer of innumerable souls on a storm tossed ocean...

"The Priest-in-charge of the Ongar Catholic Church attended the solemn requiem Mass at Westminster Cathedral in the name of the bereaved mission. Nevertheless, it seemed that the love and affectionate remembrance of the little flock for their shepherd could not be satisfied except by tokens, both public and private, at the very heart of the good Priest's activities - his own most dearly loved church. Accordingly on Sunday evening last a special service was arranged to fulfill these obligations. The Sisters of Charity and the boys under their charge at St. Charles' School, Brentwood, together with their chaplain, Mgr. Watson, journeyed to Ongar to assist at these devotions...

"On Monday morning a Requiem Mass was held at the church and there was a very large congregation... Mgr. Watson addressed the clergy and laity present. He referred to St. Paul, and the fact that though St. Paul suffered from physical ailments and was only small in stature, yet he was the great Apostle of the Gentiles. In like manner the late Father Byles, although of a humble exterior, was a man of great learning, great zeal, possessed a kindly love for the poor and a spirit of great humility." 

On a trip later that year, Katherine and William traveled to Rome where they had a private audience with Pope Saint Pius X, who said that Father Byles was a martyr for the Church.

The name "Titanic" will forever live in our hearts and memories as a symbol of tragedy because of the dramatic sinking of the great liner and the enormous loss of life, but remember there is another legacy, as reported in the survivors' descriptions of the final hours of the great ship. It is the legacy of the men and women who stayed behind.

It is the stuff of Greek tragedies, of the classical myths, of heroes and villains, scoundrels and good Samaritans.

The hero element of the classical myths is very important because it is through the hero that the audience learned how to behave heroically. Or, if the hero made a mistake, as Odysseus did when he angered Poseidon, then he still overcame the punishment in heroic fashion. All of these stories were meant to teach people what was important in life.

The Titanic is just such a story.

In the survivors' accountings there are examples of humanity at its basest form as well as examples of deeds that we, as Christians and good people, hold up as exemplary; actions which declare that we are above the beasts because we are capable of moral decisions; behavior which dignified not only the man, but that man's whole race. It provided evidence of the dignity and honor of which we are capable.

Father Byles was part of that legacy, a hero in a hopeless situation.