Rev. Francis Vernon “Frank” Douglas was born in Johnsonville, New Zealand, in 1910. According to Wikiwand, “Douglas trained for the Catholic priesthood at Holy Cross Seminary, Mosgiell. Within a few months of his ordination, at the end of 1934, he applied to join the Missionary Society of St. Columban. He was curate at New Plymouth when he left to join the society at the start of 1937. He was appointed to the Philippines in July 1939.” Father Douglas was never interned, but recently, The New Zealand Catholic (NZCatholic) published The disappearance that should not be forgotten.
Father Francis V. Douglas, S.S.C.M.E., before the War.
In July 1943, Father Douglas was arrested by the Japanese in Pililla, on the edge of Laguna de Bay, and taken to be interrogated in nearby Paete. The NZCatholic article describes the various attempts to find out what ultimately became of him.
He is one of the over 100 priests, nuns, missionaries and church workers who died in the Philippines during the War. The complete list will be published in an upcoming post on this website.
Links to more information about Father Douglas:
Link to the article at NZCatholic
With No Regrets: The Story of Francis Vernon Douglas, 1998, by Patricia Brookes
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