The Founding of the Roman Catholic Church in Oceania, 1825 to 1850

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 CochraneAustralian 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. FormanMissiology: 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 SocietyAbout 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.