Taipei, Dec. 20 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou on Monday will confer the Order of Brilliant Star with Violet Grand Cordon on 12 distinguished foreign priests, nuns, pastors and missionaries to honor their lifelong dedication to Taiwan.
The 12 foreign citizens, from the Netherlands, Canada, Spain, Italy, France and other countries, will be decorated at a ceremony at the Presidential Office.
Each of them have dedicated their lives in Taiwan for over 40 years, often serving disadvantaged groups in rural areas, according to the Presidential Office.
Among them is 102-year-old Canadian priest Etienne Georges Beauregard, who has served in Taiwan for 68 years. He has established a hospital and nursery in Nanao Township in northeastern Taiwan’s Yilan County to take care of the sick and orphaned.
Dutch priest Antoine Pierrot, 92, meanwhile, co-founded the St. Joseph’s Hospital in Yunlin County’s Huwei Township in the 1950s, when medical resources were scarce in Taiwan. His hospital provided medical and special education services to the local people for the past four decades.
The president hopes that the selflessness and dedication of the awardees will inspire the Taiwan public to pass on their love to others, according to the Presidential Office.
(By Liu Li-jung and Christie Chen)
focustaiwan.tw
2015/12/20
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