Rev. John B. Kaipung Fu (1903-2002)

Father John B. Kaipung Fu, a Catholic priest, was born on February 11, 1903 in Shantung Province, China. He entered seminary at age 12, and was ordained priest on March 16, 1930. He was the first Chinese priest to join the Society of Divine Word, a then predominantly German religious order.

Rev. John Fu

Thomas Cardinal Tien, the first Chinese cardinal, also joined the order after Father Fu. After ordination, Father Fu earned a doctorate in canon law from Gregorian University in Rome. He returned to China in 1934 and soon began working at Fu Jen Catholic University in Peking. He was professor of logic and ethics as well as dean of students for the next 13 years. Before long the war between China and Japan broke out, and the Japanese army invaded large part of China. Father Fu was arrested and imprisoned by the Japanese occupation force for assisting students and faculty in the university. He was tortured so severely by his captors that he suffered permanent spinal damage. In 1948, when communists were about to overrun mainland China, Father Fu left China on orders from his superiors and landed in Chicago, where he was to spend the rest of his life. Father Fu studied sociology and served at Our Lady of Grace Church in Chicago. In the early 60's, with the help from friends, Father Fu purchased a 3-story building located at 856 West Fullerton Avenue in the Lincoln Park neighborhood in Chicago, and founded the Chinese Friendship House. For the next 30-plus years, the Chinese Friendship House served as a home away from home for hundreds of expatriate Chinese, mostly students. Father Fu worked tirelessly to administer to their spiritual and social needs, many former residents owe their success in later life to Father Fu. In the late 90's, due to failing health, Father Fu moved to Divine Word Residence in Techny north of Chicago, and the once bustling Chinese Friendship House closed its doors. Father Fu spent his last few years in Divine Word Residence. In the early morning of February 11, 2002, his 99th birthday, Father Fu passed away peacefully in his sleep. (Peter S. Wang of Norridge, Illinois).