Swiss missionary Father Gottfried Vonwyl of the Bethlehem Mission Society passed away Sunday at Taitung St. Mary’s Hospital at the age of 90 after nearly six decades of service in Taiwan.
In 1953, the Swiss-based Bethlehem Mission Society launched missionary and humanitarian work in Taitung in southeastern Taiwan.
Father Vonwyl made the long journey by boat from Switzerland to Taiwan in 1963 and began missionary duty in Taitung where he built friendly relations with local residents based on mutual trust.
Vonwyl said in a previous media interview that when he first arrived in Taitung, he was already mentally ready to settle down there.
At the beginning, he made a great effort to learn and practice speaking Mandarin and Hokkien, Vonwyl said during the interview, adding that he was able to speak the Indigenous Amis language even better than many Amis people.
Born on June 26, 1931 in Switzerland, Father Vonwyl joined the Bethlehem Mission Society in 1956. After he came to Taiwan in 1963, he served as a parish priest in Taitung’s Fugang and Dulan townships in charge of various congregations in the local parish community.
He devoted his life to providing education and relief for the poor.
Under his guidance, a kindergarten was established in 1973 on a plot of land donated by the Bethlehem Mission Society, while a credit union was established in 1987 to provide loans for church related construction or renovations.
In 2008, Vonwyl returned to Malan St. Joseph Church in Taitung where he served as a pastor.
He was awarded “honorary citizenship of Taitung” in 2003 and granted Republic of China (Taiwan) citizenship in 2017. He also exercised the right to vote in Taitung.
The elderly missionary became wheelchair bound several years ago and since that time has needed personal care.
A funeral Mass for Father Vonwyl will be held on Feb. 19, according to the Bethlehem Mission Society.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel