Description: The Founding of the Roman Catholic Church in Oceania,
1825-1850 is the first detailed and documentary history of the
seminal period of Roman Catholic missionary activity. Beginning
with the founding of the Prefecture Apostolic of the Sandwich
Islands in 1825 there was continued development in Australia, New
Zealand, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia for the next quarter
century. By 1850 this vast area of the South Seas could boast of
one archdiocese, eight dioceses, and eight vicariates apostolic.
This lively, dramatic narrative is told largely through the words
of the participants drawn from diaries, documents, and letters
found in the archives of the Vatican and several religious orders.
The comprehensive tale ranges from the politics of the Vatican to
sufferings on outpost islands. The focus of attention shifts from
Rome to Paris, Valparaiso, Sydney, Honiara, Auckland, and many
other places, in a study of men and institutions, faith and
emotion, rivalries and confusions, murder and annexation, God and
mammon. Originally published in 1979, this important historical
study had been out of print and virtually unavailable for many
years until this new edition was completed. Endorsements: ""This is
a book that many of us have been hoping for since the days when
mission history progressed from the level of apologetics and works
intended for the edification of adherents to that of objective
historiography."" H.E. Maude, Research School of Pacific Studies
""There is great value in this book, primarily because it shows the
way in which nineteenth-century Catholic leaders responded to and
took part in shaping an intercultural network that extended across
the largest geographical area on the planet."" William R. Burrows,
Research Professor of Missiology, New York Theological Seminary
""It is the brightest, best printed book of ecclesiastical
adventure I have ever seen."" Percy Cochrane Australian Society of
Authors ""The author is not satisfied with giving a string of facts
one after the other, but instead he searches out the reasons for
the development. He shows the motives and the negotiations that
took place, often with the words of the original texts. The whole
is truly a fascinating mission history."" Nouvelle Revue de Science
Missionarriare ""This impressive and profusely illustrated work
should find a place in every general and most specialized
church-historical libraries."" Religious Studies Review ""This book
confirms Wiltgen's reputation of being a master of a narrative
style of historical writing. It is based on meticulous examination
of the archives....When it comes to information about missionary
activities, we undoubtedly have here the definitive book on the
subject."" Charles W. Forman Missiology: An International Review
""It will remain a basic tool for all Pacific historians for a very
long time to come."" The Journal of the Polynesian Society About
the Contributor(s): RALPH M. WILTGEN, SVD, a Divine Word Missionary
and Catholic priest for over fifty-seven years, died in 2007 at the
age of 86. He devoted his life to research in the field of
missiology. He is the author of several books including The
Founding of the Roman Catholic Church in Melanesia and Micronesia
1850 - 1875, the companion to this volume.
General
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