Japan Catholic News
January 2007
JAPANESE PRIEST IN BOLIVIA FINDS POOR PEOPLE SPIRITUALLY RICH
Catholic Weekly, January 7, 2007
 Father Terunobu Kurahashi, 69, who has spent more than half of his
50 years as a Salesian working in Bolivia, finds that poor South American
country rich in many ways.
"Although materially and economically poor, Bolivia is spiritually a
very rich country," he told the Catholic Weekly.
Fr. Kurahashi and two American priests look after 65,000 Christians
in Santa Cruz parish and nine outstations in Santa Cruz prefecture.
In addition to their parish work, the three priests visit hospitals
and prisons train catechists.
Because Bolivia is a Catholic country, "It is normal on public
holidays that the priest be called to offer Mass for firefighters and
the police and in public schools," the priest said.
"We even bless jet planes. Everyone in town is a Catholic. There are
so many people I can call my friends, from the president all the way
to the homeless. I am very happy there."
Economic conditions in Bolivia are so severe that stores in the district
where Fr. Kurahashi lives do not stock liquor or tobacco because people
do not have money to buy them. Seventy percent of the population is
poor. One in three people has to work away from home for long periods
and this results very often in broken families. The prisons are so
full that many prisoners have to live outdoors in the prison compound.
According to the priest, 80 percent of prisoners are ordinary citizens
who have been caught ferrying narcotics.
Some children have to skip school and become shoeshine boys to support
their families and 60 percent of infants and small children suffer
from malnutrition and fall victim to tuberculosis. Many of them die
because they do not have the money needed for hospitalization.
"Happily, in my district, through help we receive from Japan, we are
able to distribute powdered milk. This has brought down the infant
mortality rate,"said the priest.
"Under the social conditions that prevail in Bolivia it is the spirit
of mutual help that enables the people to survive," he added.
"Every afternoon, for instance, the Don Bosco Academy makes its classrooms
available for state-run education. Even at grade schools, we see the
children taking home to their brothers and sisters half of the gruel
they got for their lunch. At Santa Cruz Church when we give the children
a lunch for small chores they do for us, they take it home to their
people. These are normal, everyday conditions. The poor share what
they have and are happy with the smallest things."
The same poor circumstances prevail in the church as well. So, the
three priests spare no effort to rally assistance to pay their staff
and keep a children's home in operation.
"It is impossible to keep a church running with the slender offerings
of impoverished parishioners," Fr. Kurahashi said. "The American
priests spend their summer holiday at home gathering funds. For my
part, due to the assistance I receive from Japanese churches and organizations
that work to support Japanese priests overseas, I am able to provide
rice for 500 people at our children's home and other institutes. I
have also been able to open a sanatorium for TB patients.”
"Every day we have people coming to the church for help," he added. "Many
of these have become ill from too much hard manual labor. How can we
turn them away?"
Fr. Kurahashi plans to be in Japan until the end of January and can
be contacted at the Mikawajima Church in Tokyo. Donations to aid his
work can be sent through the post office cash transfer system to Fr.
Kurahashi, Bolivia Youth Activity Support Society, account number 0022010116725.
STUDENTS FROM CATHOLIC NURSING SCHOOL DO FIELD WORK IN MADAGASCAR
Catholic Weekly, December 17, 2006
As part of their training in international nursing, six students from
the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary-run Seibo College in Tokyo spent
15 days in Madagascar.
During their Oct. 19 - Nov. 6 stay, the six students and one teacher
visited 10 medical institutions in three cities. In Antsirabe, a large
town in central Madagascar, they had some nursing practice at Ave Maria
Maternity Hospital run by the Franciscan Missionaries.
Masumi Sakami, 25, who had chosen nursing as a profession because of
her interest in international nursing, said, "The trip enabled
me to get back in touch with my first intentions."
"During the two weeks, I reviewed my life till now and thought of what
the future might hold. The people we saw in Madagascar have no time
to think of anything but life as it comes day by day. I felt how fortunate
we are to be able to think of the future, and I felt I must remember
that when I got back to Japan," she continued.
Eriko Moro, 23, said, "I'll have to put more energy into my work.
I'd like to go again when I have gained more experience. Thinking of
the practical aspects of international nursing, I began to realize
I must see and learn all I can in Japan now, and also broaden my vision."
Seibo College changed to a four-year program in 2004 and introduced
an elective course in international nursing. Students receive on-the-spot
training in medical institutes run by the Franciscan Missionaries in
six countries. Three of the Sisters now working in Madagascar were
sent there from Japan.
Keiko Nishihama, who was in charge of the group, commented that for
the first few days, the students compared conditions in Madagascar
with conditions in Japan.
But, she added, "As the days went by they came to realize that
the local people were suiting their ways to local conditions and their
limited resources. Our stay was also an exercise in community living."
After hearing reports by the returned students at a Nov. 28 gathering,
Mizuko Tokunaga, one of their teachers, commented, "Yes, there
is a vast difference between what you learn in theory and what you
learn by seeing and doing yourself."
At the same gathering, the college president, Sister Yoko Mizushima,
said, "Each and every one of the students seems to have grown
and matured during the trip."
To the students she said, "I hope you will remember what you have
learned by sharing the life of the local people in Madagascar."
FUKUI PARISHIONERS BUILD INTERNATIONAL PARISH WHERE CATHOLICS ARE RARE
Catholic Weekly, December 17, 2006
Fukui prefecture, a traditionally Buddhist stronghold, contains only
one Catholic institution, the Fukui Church. The three churches that
comprise the Fukui parish have about 350 members, divided almost equally
between Japanese and foreigners. Catholics are so rare that the story
is told that years ago when a Sister rode her bicycle through town
with her veil floating in the breeze people were amazed.
Fukui has a textile industry and factories where parts for electric
and electronic goods are turned out. They employ workers from overseas,
mostly from Brazil and the Philippines, and these have formed their
own communities. They attend Sunday Masses celebrated in English and
Portuguese.
Oct.19, the three local communities that make up the Fukui parish -- Fukui,
Sabae and Ohno -- gathered for Mass for the first time. The pastor,
Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Father Reynaldo Tibon, a Filipino,
led the celebration that included some 130 participants. In addition
to the Brazilians, Filipinos and Japanese who took part, Americans,
Australians and Poles also joined in the Mass and party after it.
"In other places there is nothing unusual in having resident foreigners
attend the same Mass as the local Japanese parishioners, but for us
it was a first," said Ayako Yamaguchi, 58. "We were very
anxious, wondering how it would turn out," she added.
After the Mass in which Japanese, Portuguese and English were used,
participants gathered to pound rice to make mochi rice cakes, enjoy
distinctive dishes of the several countries and join in music and games.
The president of the parish council, Sachio Yamaguchi,58, Ayako's husband,
said, "The parishioners of foreign nationality contribute generously
to the support of the church and take part in parish activities too,
so we thought it strange that everything should be organized with only
Japanese at the center. This joint community Mass is our first step
to integration. The next step will be to draw some foreign parishioners
into the parish council. If our church becomes a miniature map of the
nations we may be able to attract young people."
JAPANESE SISTER IN TANZANIA WORKS WITH VICTIMS OF ENVIRONMENTAL 'NIGHTMARE'
CATHOLIC WEEKLY December 24
Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake, is bounded by Tanzania, Kenya
and Uganda. The expansion there of fishing for Nile perch introduced
into the lake from abroad has been accompanied by an increase in
poverty, hunger, HIV/AIDS and street children.
The Nile perch is a large fish that was introduced to Lake Victoria
in the 1950s to increase commercial fish stocks. Europe is the
largest market for the fish, with Japan in second place, where
the white fried
flesh is used by restaurants and in school lunches.
The film Darwin's Nightmare shows how one group of people makes
large profits from this fish, while those unable to share in this
wealth
are faced with poverty and hunger. Poor women are forced to resort
to prostitution in order to make a living, and this has resulted
in a huge increase in AIDS. Children know as "AIDS orphans" roam
the streets, and turn to drugs trying to assuage their hunger.
Sister Masae Fujioka, 58, of the Hospital Sisters of the Third
Order Regular of St. Francis was sent to Tanzania four years ago
and works
at a clinic in the fishing village of Kemondo on the western shore
of Lake Victoria. She commented on the documentary, which showed
in Japan from Dec. 23 and portrays the reality of life around Lake
Victoria
today.
" That is what daily life is like in that area. There are a number of
fish processing plants around Kemondo also, with the company employees
going fishing on the Nile in motorboats, while ordinary fishermen
going out in row boats can only catch and sell small fish. As a result of
environmental destruction the fish caught on the Kenyan side are
getting smaller and smaller. The economic gap between those who are out of
work and without a cash income and the others is growing increasingly
larger."
According to the nun, it is children who suffer most from this.
In Kemondo there are many children without parents, or who have
hearing
and visual impediments from the high fevers of malaria, and children
who have difficulty in walking.
" We are trying to educate the children and make them self-reliant, but
there is endless work to do. All the sisters are disheartened when
they think of the future of children whose parents die from AIDS,
the problem of prostitution, and so on."
She added, though, that they are encouraged by letters from Japan
and news of the work of other missionaries. They were especially
encouraged
by a donation that enabled them to buy 20 hospital beds.
Hubert Sauper, 40, the director of the film, gave a press conference
in Tokyo Dec. 18 to promote the documentary.
Commenting upon response to his film, Sauper said, "A movement
to stop buying Nile perch has begun in Europe as a result of this film,
but people should stop this. The problem is not fish -- it is
human beings. It is not just the Nile perch; the same degree of environmental
destruction goes on behind many types of food. If people are going
to boycott Nile perch, they might as well boycott all kinds of food."
Explaining his opposition to a boycott, the director said that
even if there is a campaign not to buy things, environmental destruction
and poverty will still continue, and the structures of exploitation
will manifest themselves in a different form.
He added that according to information he acquired while making
the film the aircraft that carry the fish out to the markets arrive
loaded
with weapons.
"
I want people to try to understand the situation with their hearts
and their heads, and in each place think about a solution," emphasized
Sauper.
Commenting on the impact of the film, Sr. Fujioka said, "I would
like this to become a chance for people to think about the sanctity
of life."
The nun intends to continue her work on the ground, giving medial
care at clinics, taking meals to street children, helping 200 primary
and
middle school students find jobs, assisting women to rear their
children and become more self-reliant, supporting initiatives to
improve medical
care and walking two and three hours each way to visit sick people.
PARISHIONERS IN KANAGAWA FIND THAT HOMELESS ARE 'NOT JUST STONES ON THE ROADSIDE'
CATHOLIC WEEKLY December 24
A group of parishioners of the Chigasaki Church of the Yokohama diocese
has been distributing food to homeless people every day for over seven
years.
At present, around 20 people take turns at preparing food, and
five people distribute it. When asked if distributing food every
day was
demanding, Kinuko Sato, 51, a member of the team preparing the
food, said, "everyone eats every day, don't they?"
"Even
when it rains, they are waiting for us," said Hideaki
Takahashi, 71, who also gives advice to homeless people on medical
and other
matters.
"It all began with discussions about
building a new church," explained
Nobuko Kitagi, 73.
In 1997, when parishioners began talking about a new church building,
some said that, "before a new building, we should look at the
nature of the Church," and so a "thinking about community
group" was set up to study what makes a true community. From
that the group to help the homeless was formed and they began their
work
on Christmas Eve 1999.
At the start they surveyed the number of homeless. "We could only
find seven or eight people around the railway station at first, but
after a few days they increased to 30," according to Yoshitomo
Urata, 63.
"We gave out food for almost a year
at one time," said Takahashi.
But, "in the church there were people for and against it, and
so we were not able to continue." Negative reactions and prejudice
still continue in the church, he said.
Kuniko Sato became involved when asked to help make rice balls.
"My
views changed after starting," she said. Now her children also
help. "My son brought along some of his friends to help in
passing out the food."
The group also began negotiating with the local authorities for some
homeless people to receive welfare assistance. Mieko Furushio, 63,
is in charge of government affairs for the group. She became involved
through the influence of her husband, Eisuke.
"There
is welfare assistance for handicapped people, but nothing for the
homeless, so we felt we had to do something for them," she
said.
At the start she said that she "was afraid and tried to avoid
and run away from homeless people." But, "one time three
of them took a bath at my home, and I said, 'I will wash your clothes.'
I realized they were the same as us. It was an odd feeling."
One homeless person stopped thinking of death when Eisuke gave
them rice balls. "After that he became self-reliant, and helped
set up a home to care for others. Helping is not just one-way!"
According to Urata, "I worry about what happens to people
who live on the streets, how they are treated by those around them,
and
so on."
Urata added that people have given members of the group donations when
they are going around the city giving out food.
"Once
when we were out in the rain, a woman came running up to us and
gave us one thousand yen, saying, 'I was about to take a taxi,
but you showed me something good. I will walk home.' I hope people's
attitudes to the homeless will change."
Takahashi rented an apartment for a person who later disappeared,
and this was "disappointing" he said. But he has had
other experiences also.
"There was an old man
who got sick and was in hospital. I went to visit him and took
some ice cream. He was so happy that he shed
tears.
I thought he was grateful for the ice cream, but he said. 'you called
me by my name.' They are always called, 'hey, you!' They are not
just stones on the roadside. We are all the same human beings."
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