Reverend Ildephonse (Henry) Rutherford

Henry Rutherford was my grandmother’s younger brother. He was born on May 31, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were Henry A. Rutherford and Josephine M. Kohler.

Henry would face struggles throughout his short life, but he persevered with grace, humor and courage in the face of some daunting odds. He led an inspirational life that awed me.

Henry felt a calling to become a Franciscan missionary priest, perhaps through the influence of the priests at St. Augustine’s Parish where he attended Mass. He was ordained a priest on June 24, 1927 and took the name Reverend Ildephonse Rutherford.

In September 1928, Reverend Ildephonse left for a Franciscan mission in Chowtsun, China, which was his field of labor until 1936. He and other missionaries cared for more than 1,500 converts and baptized 1,363 individuals. Reverend Ildephonse purchased the land where the Bishop’s residence and parish church of Chowtsun stood. This was also the headquarters of the mission. He loved his work and was very proud of the mission.

During 1936, Chinese bandits captured him and other missionaries. They were taken to the bandits’ camp. When Reverend Ildephonse learned that they were to be brought before a firing squad, he asked to speak to the leader. Speaking Chinese, he argued with the leader to spare the missionaries. In return, he said that the Bishop would pay for their release. He told the leader to send one of his trusted men to the Bishop and request the money. A messenger was sent to the Bishop, who paid the ransom. The bandits released the missionaries without harm.

Reverend Ildephonse returned home from China in 1936 to attend Washington University for additional studies. He brought a warning to his family members that news in China claimed the Japanese were preparing for war against the United States. No one believed that was possible. After his studies at Washington University, followed by a trip to Europe, he returned to China to continue his mission work.

During the war between Japan and China, Reverend Ildephonse was held under Japanese military arrest from December 8, 1941 to March 5, 1942. He was later brought to a Japanese military concentration camp at Weinsien, Shantung, China, and was held from March 1943 to October 1945. Many British and American civilians were held against their will in this camp. He was known to be a great storyteller with quite a sense of humor. He would entertain his fellow missionaries with interesting stories. Reverend Ildephonse was an unselfish and caring individual who did not pre-judge the people he met in life but accepted them as they were. He likely ministered to people held in the concentration camp along with other clergy in order to make their lives the best they could be under the circumstances. Upon release, he could not return to his beloved mission due to the advancement of the Communist army, so he returned to the United States.

However, he would not be kept from his mission work for long. In 1950 he stopped at the St. Francis Home in Dubuque, Iowa to see his mother, Josephine, before leaving for Tokyo, Japan. It was to be their last visit together. Reverend Ildephonse died during a brief stopover in the Philippines, apparently drowning after suffering a heart attack while swimming. This occurred on May 3, 1950. He was buried in a cemetery in Cebu, Philippines.