The tragedy of Thomas Megan – the Prefect Apostolic of North Henan: apostolic or political missionary
The tragedy of Thomas Megan – the Prefect Apostolic of North Henan: apostolic or political missionary

Summary/Abstract: China was the first mission of the Society of the Divine Word initiated by the Founder, Fr. Arnold Janssen with the sending of the two pioneer missionaries in 1879, one of whom, Fr. John Baptist Anzer, became the first bishop of the Society. The successful development of this mission was marked by the territorial expansion of the SVD mission. After South Shandong (1882), the Society took over the mission in Gansu (1922) and shortly after in South Henan (1923). Afterwards, the Divine Word Missionaries took over an independent mission entrusted to the American SVDs as Apostolic Prefect of Xinxiang in the North Henan (1936). The undisputed leader of this mission was its energetic pioneer Thomas Megan (1899-1951), appointed as the first Apostolic Prefect of Xinxiang. His activities and tragic fate are discussed in this study. In China’s complicated political situation, Megan became actively involved on the side of the National Government of Chiang Kai-Shek and of the American troops in the ongoing war against the Japanese invaders and Communist forces of Mao Zedong. Megan particularly distinguished himself in the fight against the Henan famine (1942-1943). After 22 years of uninterrupted work in China, Megan went on a well-deserved six-month leave of absence in his homeland USA (1948). His journey turned out to be without Return. The Holy See excluded his candidature for bishop post and forbade him to return to China because of his involvement in political activities. Devastated by this decision, Megan undertook a difficult mission among the African-American population and died two years later in 1951.

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