STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 14
The Cowboy Delegation with staff and faculty at University of Santo Tomas, used as an internment camp by the Japanese( 1942-45), where Sister Mary Scholastica( Mary Shafers) was held and Dean Schedler reported on liberation of the Philippines.
rial Cemetery in Manila. His grave lies under the shade of a historic tree, symbolic of the battlefields on which Americans fought in the Pacific. Planted when the cemetery was new, its branches now tower high overhead. The Cowboy Delegation was honored to spend time in contemplation there and to be a partner in sharing his story.
MARY SCHAFERS Catholic Nun
M ary Scholastica, formerly known as Mary Schafers, was born near Cushing, Oklahoma. She joined the Marynkoll Order and received her missionary assignment to China while living in New York. She traveled to Manchukuo, Manchuria in 1936, where the Japanese had invaded in 1931. Scholastica later transitioned from Shanghai to the Philippines, where she landed in 1941. She arrived in Manila two months before Japan invaded.
While Filipino and American soldiers fought the Japanese on the Bataan Peninsula, Scholastica visited some of the hospitalized men wounded during the invasion. She was at the hospital when she learned Manila would be surrendered to the Japanese. She bravely worked in the kitchen at St. John’ s Hospital and continued to visit with the patients while all waited for the Japanese to arrive; when they did, Scholastica became a prisoner of war, interned at Santo Tomas.
When Scholastica faced serious illness related to malnutrition in the camp, she and a few companions received permission to visit Baguio under guard. Located in the mountains, Baguio is one of the Philippines’ few temperate climate areas and had long served as a resort for health and recreation. A historic United States Embassy property there was held by the Japanese during the war. While residing on a small farm, Scholastica’ s health improved.
Her stay in Baguio ended after a proclamation from Japan demanded the re-imprisonment of Scholastica and her friends. She was sent to Camp Allen, and then to Los Banos Prison Camp, where she lost 40 pounds while patiently awaiting liberation. Scholastica survived and was freed when American forces – accompanied by Dean Schedler – raided the camp on Feb. 23, 1945.
Family and friends from Cushing, Stillwater and Oklahoma City hosted receptions for Scholastica upon her return to the United States.
Mary ' s stay in Baguio ended after a proclamation from Japan demanded the reimprisonment of Scholastica and her friends. She was sent to Camp Allen, and then to Los Banos Prison Camp, where she lost 40 pounds while patiently awaiting liberation. Scholastica survived and was freed when American forces – accompanied by Dean Schedler – raided the camp on Feb. 23, 1945.
She continued her ministry as a Maryknoll nun until the end of her life, passing in 1985. Her story is a testament to the long reach of World War II, which touched not only military personnel but civilians from many walks of life. Her quiet determination and dedicated service remain an inspiration.
STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 14