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SCMP Reporter

MORE than 40 years after they were thrown out by the Communists, Spanish missionaries face the prospect of returning to a more open China.

  Spain's Dominican priests have already tried to re-establish links with Fujian province, where they ran schools, parishes and social welfare centres before 1949.

  Father Francisco De Las Heras said: ''We are in a waiting situation. [Like] a number of religious groups in Hong Kong, we are hopeful that China will open sooner or later.

  ''We want to go back to the places where our people had been working for a few hundred years.

  ''We are trying to make contacts but it isn't easy - it has been almost 40 years. Since our last missionaries left, there has been a breakdown in contacts.''   Father Francisco, who is the supervisor of Rosaryhill School in Hong Kong, said the prospect of renewed links was challenging and exciting.

  The Dominican order, established by St Dominica in 1216, has been in the Far East for more than 400 years.

  It began working in the Philippines in 1587, spreading into China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan and, more recently, Korea.

  Hong Kong has been a centre of the Dominicans' activities since the end of the last century.

  The order opened a monastery near the site of the school in Stubbs Road in 1935 for people from around the region who wanted to become priests.

  The school was established in 1959 when the centre of studies moved to the Philippines.

  Rosaryhill School is now housed in a purpose-built structure erected in 1964. A block of flats stands on the original monastery site.

  From modest beginnings, the school now has about 5,400 pupils, 200 teachers and 70 general staff.

  The school has a kindergarten, primary, secondary and a business studies section, taking pupils from the ages of three to 20.

  Although only 10 per cent of the pupils are Catholic, all receive two lessons a week on the Catholic religion throughout their schooling.

  There are eight priests at the school, seven of them from Spain.

  Father Francisco said although conversion to the Catholic faith was the aim in the long run, providing a good education was the priority.

  ''[As a religious group] our aim has been mainly missionary work, spreading the gospel and Christian ideology and morality,'' he said.

  Chinese families were keen to send their children to the school because of the reputation of Catholic educators.

  ''Catholic education is still very highly regarded in Hong Kong,'' said Father Francisco.

  ''It has been very influential in Hong Kong from the very beginning.

  ''Although they may not be Catholic, the Chinese families appreciate the education and also the morality and the principles that they receive in the Catholic school.''   Father Francisco, who is from Burgos in northern Spain, came to Hong Kong in 1971 after completing his studies to become a priest.

  ''From the beginning, I have liked working in schools and it is the main reason why I came here,'' he said.

  Given a choice of working in the Philippines, Japan or Hong Kong, he had chosen to come to the territory.

  ''I can't give any specific reason why it was Hong Kong. It was just a feeling,'' he said.



Missionaries target China