Padre Freinademetz da Oies: the spiritual character

The Blessed Padre Freinademetz is the most worshipped figure in Val Badia. His image is present in all the churches of the valley, as well as in the greatest part of the private houses, protecting this beautiful valley and its inhabitants.
During the World Missionary Day in 1975, Pope Paul II beatified Giuseppe Freinademetz, introducing him as a role model and patron to be worshipped or the whole Catholic Church.
On that same occasion the Pope emphasized the importance of China for the whole world and for the mission of the Catholic Church. It is impossible to talk about Giuseppe Freinademetz without connecting him to the Catholic Church and its history in China. Giuseppe Freinademetz left for China on April 1879, when he had just turned 27. His missionary service, which lasted almost 29 years - he died on January 1908 - was completely devoted to the Chinese people.

The life and activity of Giuseppe Freinademetz coincide with the "golden age" of European colonialism. China was compelled to 'open the doors' to the western world when the British troops won the opium war (1840-42). The emperor was obliged to sign an humiliating treaty allowing to the European merchants to sell opium throughout the whole country, and granting to the missionaries, from then on under the protection of the colonial force, the freedom to disseminate the Christian religion (faith). Whilst Portugal kept the colony of Macao, France assured for itself privilege positions in Shanghai and other ports. A little later Germany too was to play in that game of foreigner pressures. This ambiguous political and religious context, which was negative for the Church, was the background of the fourth attempt of the Roman Church to spread the Christian religion in China.
The first attempt took place during the 7th and 8th centuries, just before and during the evangelization of Germany thanks to Boniface and to the so-called Nestorian mission which lasted more or less 200 years. The second attempt was due to the Franciscans and Dominican friars in the 13th and 14th centuries. After 150 years the mission came to an end with no effects. The third attempt started in the 16th century with the arrival of Spanish and Portuguese galleon. This period was enlightened by the presence of such men as Matteo Ricci and Adam Schall. But this time also the Church was persecuted and reduced to silence for almost the whole of the 18th century and part of the 19th century.

At the time of Giuseppe Freinademetz the missionary activity was influenced by a colonialist vision. There was clear distinction between the European culture and the evangelic message. Missionaries left to go and teach the ignorant, enlighten the population still in the darkness and under the foot of the devil. The fundamental objective was to disseminate the Bible and baptize and save souls. They were also convinced to be messengers of civilization to people not so civilized. It could be deviating and anachronistic the interpretation of Giuseppe Freinademetz's life and activities as part of the process now called enculturation.
During his time there had been no missiology reflections on the contents of faith and the figure of the person who not even was taken into account the history and culture of the populations which were the object of the evangelization. This kind of reflections started later, with the decline of the colonial epoch and above all with the updating of the Vatican Council.
What happened in Giuseppe Freinademetz was a process of deep transformation exactly in the direction of those ideals expressly involved in the concept of enculturation. The young Giuseppe Freinademetz, the Tyrolian Freinademetz, gradually turned into a sincerely Chinese Giuseppe Freinademetz. But Giuseppe was not 'acted upon', he was the active subject of this process, always generous and ready to accept God' actions in his life, ready to follow the indications which people and situations offered him.

The settling-in in the new country and the comprehension of local people and traditions was more difficult than what he could possibly have expected. The letters he wrote during his first two years in China suggest that he considered negatively the Chinese people and their religious belief. He considers the pagoda as the temples of Satan and the religious beliefs nothing better than superstitions. "To us Europeans - he wrote - Chinese people have no attraction whatsoever and, should they be animated by other and stronger motivations, the missionaries would leave for Europe with the first ship". "The missionary remains always a foreigner. The Chinese is highly self -conscious, he's proud of his race and feels he's part of a great nation. He does not bow in front of a foreigner. To him Europeans are 'the long noses', the 'devils' coming from abroad. The Chinese adult laugh at us, children cry at us. Looks as if even the dogs enjoy particularly in chasing after us and barking at us. An old missionary told me: 'The missionary is hated by so many, beared/tolerated by few, loved by none". And notwithstanding these observation, already during his first years in China, Giuseppe reveals: "Be a missionary in China is an honour that I would not change with the golden crown of the Austrian emperor" (at the time Tyrol, his native land, was still part of the Austo Hungarian reign).
Man of his time, but also man who was able to overcome the prejudices of his time, he became a model for missionaries of any time. His interior transformation took place gradually, starting from the taking over in the concrete missionary work in Shantung, in 1881. Shantung was his first missionary destination. It was congregation of the Holy verb (noun), found six years before by the Beate Arnold Janssen in Steyl, border village between the Netherlands and Germany.

One of the main characteristics of Giuseppe was his infinite goodness. His bishop, Mons. Henninghaus, personal friend of Giuseppe for more than 20 years, wrote: "he was a man of endless goodness, that goodness which conquered the hearts, that endless patience and that charity that compelled him to forget himself. The Christians, especially the neophytes and the simplest people were fond of him, just like children are fond of their grannies. As soon as he got out of any religious meeting a group of Christians was immediately around him". This love for the people allowed him to change idea about the Chinese people. He used to maintain that in order to be a good missionary one had to deeply love people.
Already in 1884 he wrote in one of his letters: "Chinese are a clever people, even the simplest among the people are able to express their idea as if they were doctors… they exceed European in several things". A few years later he would wrote "I love China and its people and I'd die for them thousands of times… I want to remain Chinese even in Heaven". His missionary brothers knew that he could not stand negative opinions about the Chinese. The bishop stresses that: "he was so much a Chinese that he would not even listen to anything negative about the Chinese people, just like a mother can't stand hearing negative comments on her children".

His love for China did not diminish the deep love he felt for his Tyrolian home country. In his letters he remembers his mountains, his people, the traditions of his country. But Giuseppe understands that God asked him this sacrifice as promise of blessing for his missionary work. And he heroically offered his sacrifice. Giuseppe was the spiritual guide of the Shantung mission, he was the bishop vicar del vescovo when the bishop had to get back to Europe, was the organizer of several Christian communities throughout the territory, was superiore religioso of the Congregation for several years. During the long years spent in China he was several time on the verge of martyrdom. The hatred for the white devils, obvious and comprehensible consequence o the colonialist policy of European countries, was directed toward missionaries, also. His early death was caused by his devotion to his mission. Toward the end of 1907 the mission was infected by typh. While he was taking care of the ill people Giuseppe was infected. He died on January 28, his last word for the ill people of the mission, since - as he said - we are here to serve.

Giuseppe was born in Oies, San Leonardo/Pedraces, in 1852 from a family of peasants. He was ordered priest in 1875. His first documented miracle dates to 1939, but just in 1975 the Pope, Paul VI, declared him Blessed. The process of sanctification of Giuseppe Freinademetz is still on course and should come to an end in a few years. The church built to commemorate him and his birth house in Oies are the most suggestive places where the life and gestures of this great man of the Val Badia can be remembered.

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