Dishiqi jie lü Ou Tianzhujiao Huaren xuezhe yantaohui 第十七届旅欧天主教华人学者研讨会

17th Symposium for Chinese Catholic Young Scholars in Europe

“Shengjing, shenxue he wenhua” 圣经、神学和文化 (Bible, Theology, and Culture) 26–28 September 2024, Valencia, Spain



Zbigniew Wesołowski SVD (Wei Siqi 魏思齊):

Lecture “Shengyanhui chuanjiaoshi de xueshu shitugongzuo – Huayixuezhi yanjiusuo zouxiang 90 zhounian (2025)” 圣言会传教士的学术使徒工作——华裔学志研究所走向90 周年 [2025] (The Academic Apostolate of the Divine Word Missionaries – The Monumenta Serica Institute Approaching Its 90th Anniversary [2025])

Organizer: Li Madou Study Centre (Macerata, Italy)


Abstract

The year 2025 not only marks the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Society of the Divine Word (Societas Verbi Divini, S.V.D.), but also the ninetieth anniversary of the Sinological journal Monumenta Serica and the Monumenta Serica Institute (MSI). The Divine Word Missionaries were interested in the academic apostolate from the very beginning. At that time, the academic and intellectual apostolate included all forms of missionary-theological, biblical, pastoral and popular-scientific writings. With regard to China, the following book is a documentation of this apostolate (forthcoming, November 2024): Bibliotheca Sinica Christiana: Annotated Catalogue of the Divine Word Missionaries’ (S.V.D.) Publications in Shandong (1882–1950), compiled by Roman Malek S.V.D. This work is a comprehensive catalog of the publications produced and printed by the Divine Word Missionaries in Shandong Province, China, during the entire period of their missionary work there. As to the history of the MSI, it can be divided into four periods according to its different locations: 1) Chinese period (Beijing, 1935–1948), 2) Japanese period (Tokyo and Nagoya, 1949–1962), 3) American period (Los Angeles, 1962–1971) and 4) German period (Sankt Augustin; from 1972 to the present). To date, 21 missionaries of the Society of the Divine Word have participated directly or indirectly in the work and mission of MSI. Fr. Wesołowski S.V.D., the present director of MSI and editor-in-chief of Monumenta Serica, presented 15 of these SVD missionaries in chronological order, i.e., according to their dates of birth and considering the historical locations of the MSI. He began his lecture with the founder of Monumenta Serica – Franz Xaver Biallas S.V.D. (Chinese name: Bao Runsheng 鮑潤生, 1878–1936).