Hopevale Martyrs

Last updated

The Hopevale Martyrs were Christian martyrs who died during the World War II in the present day Hopevale, Aglinab, Tapaz, Capiz, Philippines. The martyrs were Jennie Clare Adams, Prof. James Howard Covell, Charma Moore Covell, Dorothy Antoinette Dowell, Signe Amelia Erikson, Dr. Frederick Willer Meyer, Ruth Violet (Schatch) Meyer, Dr. Francis Howard Rose, Gertrude Coombs Rose, Rev. Erle Frederich Rounds, Louise Cummings Rounds, and Erle Douglas. There were also three children, one name Erle Rounds Jr, were also bayoneted. [1] Despite the order that these Americans should go home because of the war, they refused to leave their mission and eventually offered their lives when they were caught by the enemies.

Contents

During the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, the eleven American Baptist missionaries refused to surrender to the Japanese troops. The martyrs took refuge in the mountains of Barrio Katipunan, Tapaz, Capiz. They hid in the forest they call "Hopevale" with the help of their Filipino friends.

On December 19, 1943, Hopevale fell into Japanese hands. The martyrs begged to free the Filipino captives and instead offered themselves as ransom. At the dawn of December 20, 1943, the missionaries asked to be allowed to pray and, an hour later, they told their Japanese captors they were ready to die. The adults were beheaded and the children were bayoneted. [2]

Memorial

Plaque to the Hopevale Martyrs located at Central Philippine University, Iloilo, the Philippines Hopevale Plaque at CPU.JPG
Plaque to the Hopevale Martyrs located at Central Philippine University, Iloilo, the Philippines

There is a cross marker on top of the common grave of these martyrs in Hopevale near the place where they were executed. A replica of this marker also stands at Central Philippine University. There is also a plaque on the campus of CPU as well.

Legacy

No Greater Love; Triumph and Sacrifice of American Baptist Missionaries During WW II Philippines, and the Martyrdom in Hopevale by Elmo D. Familiaran, Ann Qualls and Wilma Rugh Taylor was published in 2007.

The complete Hopevale story is chronicled in The Edge of Terror, by Baptist minister Scott Walker.

A two-act musical drama titled Hopevale: Memories of Missions and Martyrs was staged in honor of the martyrs during the centennial celebrations of the founding of Central Philippine University in 2005. The musical was written by Rodolfo Cabado, an alumnus of the university.

Jennie Clare Adams wrote a collection of poems about her experience, which later be published as The Hills Did Not Imprison Her by Woman's American Baptist Foreign Mission Society

Hopevale Church in Saginaw, Michigan takes its name from the Hopevale Martyrs.

Parchment Valley, the West Virginia Baptist Conference Center in Ripley, West Virginia hosts a replica of the Hopevale Chapel. It is built at the end of a trail with wind chimes honoring each of the Hopevale Martyrs.

Another replica of the Hopevale Chapel can be found on the grounds of Green Lake Conference Center in Green Lake, Wisconsin.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capiz</span> Province in Western Visayas, Philippines

Capiz, officially the Province of Capiz, is a province in the Philippines located in the central section of Western Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Roxas, which is the most populous. It is located at the northeastern portion of Panay Island, bordering Aklan to the north, Antique to the west, and Iloilo to the south. Capiz faces the Sibuyan Sea to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches</span> Christian denomination in the Philippines

The Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches (CPBC) is an association of Baptist Christian churches in the Philippines. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance and is headquartered in Jaro, Iloilo City. CPBC was founded in 1900 as the oldest and first organized union of Baptist churches in the Philippines. This occurred after the country opened to Protestant American missions in 1898, following Spain's transfer of the Philippine islands to the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalibo</span> Capital of Aklan, Philippines

Kalibo, officially the Municipality of Kalibo, is a first-class municipality and capital of the Province of Aklan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 89,127 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roxas City</span> Capital of Capiz, Philippines

Roxas, officially the City of Roxas, is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province of Capiz, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 179,292 people, making it the most populous city in Capiz and also the second-most populous city in Western Visayas, after Iloilo City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hudson Taylor</span> Protestant missionary in China

James Hudson Taylor was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China and founder of the China Inland Mission. Taylor spent 54 years in China. The society that he began was responsible for bringing over 800 missionaries to the country who started 125 schools and directly resulted in 20,000 Christian conversions, as well as the establishment of more than 300 stations of work with more than 499 local helpers in all 18 provinces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Philippine University</span> Private university in Iloilo, Philippines

Central Philippine University is a private research university located in Jaro, Iloilo City, Philippines. Established in 1905 through the benevolent grant of the American industrialist and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller as the Jaro Industrial School and Bible School under the supervision of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society, it is the first Baptist and second American and Protestant-founded university in the Philippines and in Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protestantism in the Philippines</span>

Protestant denominations arrived in the Philippines in 1898, after the United States took control of the Philippines from Spain, first with United States Army chaplains and then within months civilian missionaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaro, Iloilo City</span> District of Iloilo City, Philippines

Jaro is a district in Iloilo City, Philippines, located in Iloilo province, on Panay Island in the Western Visayas region. It is the largest district in terms of both geographical area and population, with 130,700 people according to the 2020 census. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro, which encompasses the provinces of Iloilo, Guimaras, Antique, and Negros Occidental, as well as the center of the Candelaria devotion in the Philippines.

The Aklanon people are the ethnolinguistic group who lived in the province of Aklan. They are part of the wider Bisaya ethnolinguistic group, who constitute the largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group.

International Ministries is an international Baptist Christian missionary society. It is a constituent board affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. The headquarters is in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Episcopal Church in the Philippines</span> Ecclesiastical province of the Anglican Communion

The Episcopal Church in the Philippines is a province of the Anglican Communion comprising the country of the Philippines. It was established by the Episcopal Church of the United States in 1901 by American missionaries led by Charles Henry Brent, who served as the first resident bishop, when the Philippines was opened to Protestant American missionaries. It became an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion on May 1, 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iloilo Mission Hospital</span> Private hospital in Iloilo City, Philippines

The Iloilo Mission Hospital, also known as CPU–Iloilo Mission Hospital, CPU–IMH, IMH, or Mission, is a private tertiary, academic, teaching hospital in Jaro, Iloilo City, Philippines, managed and operated as the university hospital of Central Philippine University. It was established in 1901 by American missionary doctor Joseph Andrew Hall as "the first Protestant and American-founded hospital in the Philippines".

The Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention (HPBC) is a group of churches affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention located in the U.S. state of Hawaii and other pacific regions. Headquartered in Honolulu, it is made up of 138 churches on 11 islands in 6 Baptist associations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Augustinian Recollect Province of Saint Ezequiél Moreno</span>

The Augustinian Recollect Province of Saint Ezequiél Moreno is a division of the Order of Augustinian Recollects that has jurisdiction over the Philippines, Taiwan and Sierra Leone. It officially separated from the Province of Saint Nicholas de Tolentine on 28 November 1998. Today, the Provincialate House is located at the San Nicolas De Tolentino Parish Church on Neptune Street, Congressional Subdivision, Project 6, Quezon City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaro Evangelical Church</span> Church in Iloilo, Philippines

The Jaro Evangelical Church (JEC) is a Baptist church in Jaro, Philippines, affiliated with the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches. Founded in 1900, it is the first Baptist Church in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Ana Church (Manila)</span> Roman Catholic church in Manila, Philippines

The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Abandoned, also known as Santa Ana Church, is a Spanish colonial period Roman Catholic church located in the district of Santa Ana in Manila, Philippines. It is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Manila. The parish was established by the Franciscan missionaries in 1578 under the patronage of Saint Anne. The present stone church was constructed by Vicente Inglés from 1720 to 1725 and was dedicated to its present patron, the Our Lady of the Abandoned. The revered image of its patron was made in Valencia, Spain in 1713 and arrived in the Philippines in 1717.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Sebastian Parish Church (Lumban)</span> Roman Catholic church in Laguna, Philippines

San Sebastian Parish Church, commonly known as Lumban Church, is a Roman Catholic church in Lumban, Laguna, Philippines. Its titular is St. Sebastian and its feast is celebrated every January 20. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of San Pablo. The first tabernacle outside Manila was inaugurated in Lumban including the first Eucharistic Procession outside of Manila. The Franciscans established the first School for Church Music in the country in this town under Juan de Santa Maria. Today, the church is under the pastoral care of the Clerical Congregation of the Missionaries of Faith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Philippine University – College of Theology</span> Theological seminary at Central Philippine University

The Central Philippine University College of Theology, also referred to as CPU COT, CPU College of Theology, or CPU Theology, is a private Protestant seminary of Central Philippine University, a private research university in Iloilo City, Philippines. Founded in 1905 as the Bible School for training Christian men, workers, and missionaries through a grant from American industrialist and Northern Baptist John D. Rockefeller, the CPU College of Theology is the oldest college and academic unit of Central Philippine University and "the first Baptist theological seminary in the Philippines".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Philippine University – College of Agriculture, Resources and Environmental Sciences</span> Agricultural school at Central Philippine University

The Central Philippine University College of Agriculture, Resources and Environmental Sciences, also referred to as CPU CARES or CPU Agriculture, is one of the academic units of Central Philippine University, a private university in Iloilo City, Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica Minore de San Pedro Bautista</span> Roman Catholic minor basilica in Quezon City, Philippines

The Basilica Minore de San Pedro Bautista, also known as the San Francisco del Monte Church and alternatively as Santuario de San Pedro Bautista, is a minor basilica and parish church in the San Francisco del Monte district of Quezon City, Philippines. It is one of the oldest churches in the country and the oldest in the city, having been founded in 1590. The church is dedicated to its founder Padre Pedro Bautista, a Spanish missionary from Ávila, Spain, one of the 26 Christians martyred in Japan in 1597.

References

  1. J., Newell, Marvin (2006). A martyr's grace : stories of those who gave all for Christ and His cause . Chicago: Moody Publishers. ISBN   9780802478290. OCLC   69734412.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. Labiste, Ma. Louisa (2005). "One Hundred Years of Lighting up the City and the World." Philippine Daily Inquirer.