Pentecost in Shibata Parish.

On this day of Pentecost, I made a pastoral visit to the Sacred Heart Parish in Shibata city in Niigata prefecture. It is an hour drive from Niigata to Shibata. The Catholic church in Shibata is famous among architects and builders in Japan for its unique chapel. The chapel, the photo above, was designed by late Mr.Antonin Raymond who was a disciple of late Mr.Frank Lloyd Wright, the great architect of the 20th century.

The chapel was built in 1965 by the Shibata Construction Company, a local company headed by a catholic, under the strict supervision of Mr.Raymond himself. At that time, the parish priest of Shibata, late Fr. Nocon, an German SVD missionary, had completed his 3-year term as the regional superior of SVD in Japan and returned to Shibata from Nagoya in 1963. While he was in Nagoya, he got acquainted with Mr.Raymond who was working on the buildings of Nanzan University's new campus in Nagoya. Of course, Nanzan is run by SVD and superior of SVD is quite involved in the administration of the school. So Fr. Nocon invited Mr.Raymond to build a chapel for his parish in Shibata which turned to be a master piece of Mr.Raymond's buildings in Japan. Still today, Shibata church enjoys receiving many visitors from all over Japan.

When I entered the sacristy this morning, I was surprised but happy to see many kids ready to serve as alter boys and girls. Also faces from other countries among today's congregation was a positive sign that the community has been trying to build a multinational and multi- cultural community.

After the Mass, we had a celebration to inaugurate a new parish hall which had been completed already in last December but waited till today since winter time is not a good season for celebration in this snow affected area. Neighbours of the parish have been invited. According to some of them, it is their first time to attend Mass and take a close look at the chapel. Since the city road in front of the parish had been widened this year, many citizens of Shibata are now "discovering" this magnificent chapel for the first time.

Pilgrimage to Akita

All together, 19 people joined the pilgrimage to Akita on Thursday and Friday from Niigata. Fr.Kotaro Sakamoto, our newly ordained also joined the group and celebrated his first Mass in Seitai-hoshi-kai on Friday morning.

Though the weather forecast was pessimistic all over Japan, we were lucky to be under beautiful clear sky in Akita. We thank God for this gift of weather since the way of cross is prepared outside in the garden. As you can see from the photo above, the chapel of the Seitai-hoshi-kai is purely Japanese style which resembles Buddhist temple. The chapel houses the statue of Holy Mother Mary which shed tears 101 times in 1970's. This miraculous event which was recognised by my predecessor, Bp.Ito in 1984 still attracts many pilgrims from all over the world. We still holds the same stand as Bp.Ito's pastoral letter in 1984. The house provides wonderful atmosphere for prayer and reflection. Also the vast garden provides beautiful way of cross and a space to wonder around in prayer. I also encourage you to visit the house for your private meditation and prayer. The Seitai-hoshi-kai provides lodging for groups only for week-ends.

Going to Akita for 2 days

For 2 days from tomorrow, I will be in Akita. I am going for annual pilgrimage with "Getsuyo-kai" members to visit Seitai-hoshi-kai house in Akita. "Getsuyo-kai" means literally "Monday group" which meets once a month, mostly on Mondays, in our Cathedral for Mass celebrated by bishop and the Rosary prayer. The group was established by late Bishop Ito, the first ordinary of the diocese, to pray Rosary, listen to the lecture of the bishop and attend the Eucharist by Bishop. The second ordinary of the diocese, late Bishop Sato inherited the practice and so did I, the third ordinary of the diocese. (The photo above is the Japanese style chpel of the Seitai-hoshi-kai in Akita.)

What makes Catholic Schools Catholic?

What makes Catholic Schools Catholic? As part of answering this question, I visited Seishin Girls High School, one and only Catholic School in Niigata prefecture, to celebrate Eucharist with some of the staff members this evening in their Chapel.

Besides Seishin Girls High, there is only one Catholic High School in my diocese. In fact, there are only 4 Catholic Schools in the diocese, 2 junior colleges and one girls high school in Akita and the Seishin in Niigata. All of them are struggling to keep their Catholic identities in their schools. Why? Because there are not enough Catholics either in teaching staff, in administration nor among students.

What is worse for Seishin Girls High in Niigata is that the Sister's Congregation which established the school in 1964 decided to hand over the administration of the school to the newly established local school corporation headed by the chairman of the local Toyota dealer who was not a Catholic. Why? Because Sisters do not have any young members to continue the apostolate. No vocation for many years.

Even though the new administration had promised to maintain Catholic identity of the school and they had asked me to join the new administrative board, it was obvious that maintaining Catholic identity of the school without a Catholic head teacher and, more over, without Sisters who used to teach religion and who used to be a head teacher was quite a challenge for everyone involved from the very beginning.

At least, the new administration hired former SVD brother as a full time religion teacher and there are 5 other Catholic members in the staff. It seems there is no Catholic student this year. With these people cooperating with me, we have decided to try to find our own way to maintain Catholic identity in the school. As the beginning of this effort, we celebrated Mass in the school chapel this afternoon which was attended not only by these Catholic staff but also the head teacher, administrator and several other staff members who are not Catholics.

I do not want to loose Catholic schools from my diocese since schools are one of effective means for evangelization. ( Photo above is not from Seishin but from other Catholic High.)

Tragedy in Kathmandu on Saturday morning

On my way back to Niigata from Wakayama yesterday afternoon, I took a bus from Shin-Osaka train station to the Osaka airport. Nothing to do in the bus, so I picked up my cell phone to check my e-mails. Hiding among piles of junk mails, there was one important, though sad and frightening, information from one of my Caritas friends in Nepal.

As it has been on the news, a bomb exploded in a Catholic Church in Kathmandu, Nepal on Saturday morning killing 2 people and injured number of members who were attending morning Mass. The e-mail was from the one who were among the congregation on that morning as a member of church choir with his wife.

Just to understand the situation better, let me quote from another e-mail which I received this afternoon from Fr.Silas Bogati with his permission, the director of Caritas Nepal, who was presiding over the very Eucharist which was attacked. Let us remember in our prayer our brothers and sisters who are going through this difficult situation. Also kindly remember 2 people who lost their lives while attending the Eucharist. (Fr.Bogati is at extreme right in the photo above.)

Dear Friends, I am writing to you regarding a sad incident that occurred in our Church.I was celebrating Mass on 23rd of May at the Assumption Church at 9:00 am 15 minutes after the Mass there was a loud explosion. A lady had planted a bomb, which exploded and killed two people and injured dozen of people some are still in critical condition. We could never imagine that some one could carry out such a cowardly act and kill and injure so many people.

We have received so far good cooperation and help from the government. The new Prime Minister, Mr. Madhav Kumar Nepal who was not even sworn -in came on Sunday morning to see the damaged Church and visited the injured at the hospitals. Some political party and their leaders have expressed solidarity and support. Human Rights people have also condemned this attack on minority worship place and they ill continue to take up our case wherever needed.

Other Church communities are also supporting us actively we are also planning annual religious group rally on coming Sunday. We had a prayer meeting yesterday on Sunday all different Churches and Religions were represented. In Nepal we been having good religious harmony and some extremist group is trying to disturb this existing harmony. This incident is owned up by a Hindu group. The same group killed a Salesian Priest last year. Their goal is to change Nepal back to a Hindu State as in past.

Been to Wakayama

Summer has already arrived in Wakayama, it seems. I've just been to Wakayama over the weekend to give a talk on the activities of Caritas Japan. At 2 pm on quite a hot Saturday, more than 40 people made effort to attended the study session in Yagatamachi Parish in Wakayama city. Since I 've been helping Caritas Japan for more than 14 years, beginning with 1995 experience as a coordinator in Rwanda refugee camp in Zaire, I have quite a lot of accumulation of ideas and information which I want to share with others on the Caritas activities. So it was a difficult task for me to put all these ideas together into 90 minutes talk. As it is said now a days that without PowerPoint, there would be no power nor point in the talk, so I did prepare the PowerPoint presentation for the talk. I hope it helped people to understand my talk a bit.

Then today, the Ascension Sunday in Japan, I celebrated Mass in Yamagatamachi Parish with Fr.Ohta, a member of the Blessed Charles de Foucauld's community, the Little brothers. They also asked me to bless the statue of Holy Mother which was brought from other station recently.

Fr.Ohta and other brothers of the community of the Little brothers are living in a typical Japanese style apartment which is quite old and without bath facility. They are hiring 3 rooms, one of them are converted into a quiet and beautiful chapel. After the lunch with them together with Mr.Tadokoro, the director of Caritas Japan, Fr.Ohta took us around to see their activities to help homeless people in the city. Caritas Japan is also assisting their programme. Fr.Ohta's group hire several rooms in different apartments to encourage these homeless people to have, at least, their place to survive and also, more important to receive government support, their own address. The photo above is empty aluminium cans which these people go around the city to collect to make money out of them. 1 kg of empty aluminium cans could be worth 50 yen. Depressing but this is one of the realities of present Japan.

Fortunately, the parishioners of Yagatamachi are very eager to help these activities.

From Russia with love

We have guests from Far East Russia for past few days for whom our youth members organised dinner party this evening in Niigata Cathedral parish hall.

Last year, I organised 2 groups from Niigata to visit Khabarovsk. We visited the Catholic community there and celebrated Mass together, though I could say Mass only in English with a Japanese translator for my homily. As you know well, Russian Orthodox Church is very strong and having good relationship with the present government. If you enter the city of Khabarovsk, you may immediately notice several new Orthodox Churches built in vantage points of the city. Catholic community is very tiny minority in Russia and especially in Far East. In spite of the difficult situation,still number of people gather for Sunday Mass and there exists a Catholic Parish in Khabarovsk. The Parish Priest is a young Argentinian, Fr.Marcelo who speaks in addition to his native Spanish, Russian, Italian, English and Latin. Yes, he used to be a Latin teacher. So he communicates with me in English, Fr.Otaki in Italian, Fr.Raul in Spanish and Fr.Machida in Latin, especially when Fr.Machida got enough beer.

Thanks to the effort made by the former parish priest, an American Maryknoll Father Fr.McCabe, the Catholic community has quite a good relationship with Orthodox hierarchy in Khabarovsk. Because of that, late Cardinal Hamao was a special guest of the Orthodox Archbishop of Khabarovsk when the cardinal brought a relics of St.Chrysostom from Rome to the Orthodox seminary in Khabarovsk and I also was able to meet with the Archbishop last year. In addition to this relationship, 10 years of tireless activities of Japanese sisters, the Presentation Sisters from Kamakura, Japan, really made good impression among many citizens in the city. Unfortunately, Sisters decided to return to Japan at the end of last year.

As it takes only 2 hours to fly from Khabarovsk to Niigata, and as it takes more than 4 hours to fly from Khabarovsk to Irkutsk where the Catholic bishop has his see, I decided to visit the Catholic community to show solidarity as their brothers and sisters in the same faith and as a bishop of neighbouring community. I hope to encourage more people from Niigata to make regular visit to Khabarovsk so that we may establish good relationship between 2 Catholic communities over the Japanese Sea.

So this evening, 20th May, our youth in Niigata welcomed Mr.Valentine, 17 years old, with typical Japanese food, curry with rice. He spoke in Russian which was translated into Spanish by Fr.Marcelo and again translated into Japanese by Fr. Raul.

Since there are 2 flights a week between Niigata and Khabarovsk, on Mondays and Fridays, they will return home on coming Friday.