Japan Catholic News
October 2010
THE MISSIONARIES OF CHARITY,
SOUP-RUN AND SUPPORT FOR UNMARRIED MOTHERS
Nagoya Diocese News, October 2010
Nagoya Diocese Catholic Committee, Missionaries of Charity and other organizations have promoted “a rice ball action project"
The Missionaries of Charity were established in 1950 by Mother Teresa of Calcutta. After she came to Japan in 1980, she opened four houses across Japan including a monastery.
One of the houses is in Ama City, Aichi prefecture. Sisters from India, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea and Japan undertake community service, wearing the same kind of sari with white and blue stripes which mother Teresa wore.
Sisters run soup kitchens for homeless people three times a week at parks. Before the kitchens start, people pray together. The tables which sisters prepare become the places where people exchange information and catch up with each other.
When Mother Teresa came to Japan, she was shocked and worried that the rate of abortion in Japan was high while not so many people died of hunger. She said that a country which had a high abortion rate was not a truly rich country. That's why sisters of the Missionaries of Charity focus on support service for unmarried women, such as providing shelters in convents. Sisters pray every day for unborn babies especially those who are in danger of being aborted. One of the sisters has a replica of ten-month old baby's finger on her rosary. Its size is less than 1 centimeter. At any moment, it could be that a little life is being buried. Looking at the replica of a baby's little finger, I wondered what kind of life these babies would have had if they had been born.
Mother Teresa said, "it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving". Her followers, sisters of the Missionaries of Charity, continue to put her words into actions every day. Their ways of lives made me renew my pledge to follow in Mother Teresa's footsteps.
July 2010
SPREAD THE CIRCLE OF PRAYER
Oita Diocese News, July 2010
My close friend lost sixty cows and two goats to foot-and-mouth disease at the end of May. He was taking care of them like his own family. He said dispiritedly, "Four days prior to execution of all my cows, a calf was born. A halter was buckled around the calf that could scarcely stand, and officers in heavy protective clothing drew him to an abattoir. We were always looking forward to meeting a new life, wishing safe delivery at the same time. The calf took about ten months to be born the same as human babies. We usually say to new born, "Welcome! Thank you for coming to this life". However, I thought this time it might be better for him not to be born. He was trying to stand and live with his full strength. Watching the poor calf being dragged away, I felt to the ground could do nothing but crying".
I felt tears swelling up listening to his story. Some livestock farmers who were affected by the foot-and-mouth disease, committed suicide. Prayers are certainly needed and they can be a big help. Please pray so that no more people will mourn and precious lives won't be lost any more.
Tadashi Kinoshita (Catholic Takanabe Church, Miyazaki)
June 2010
GARASHIA HOSPITAL HOSPICE IS NOW 5 YEARS OLD
Osaka Archdiocese News "Jiho"June,2010
 As of February 2010, there are 195 authorized "palliative care units (hospices)" with 3839 beds around Japan. The average number of beds per facility is 20. It is a quite small number even including in-home care, considering the current situation in which cancer causes about one third of the death, according to Fr. Nobuyoshi Matsumoto, director of Garashia Hospital.
In Osaka Archdiocese, there are 8 hospices in Osaka-fu, 9 in Hyogo-ken and 2 in Wakayama-ken with 371 beds in total. Among them, St. Mary Hospital in Himeji-shi and Garashia Hospital in Minoo-shi are only two Catholic hospitals with 45 beds. A hospice in Garashia Hospital, "Domus gratiae", was opened in April 2005. In commemoration of the hospital's 5th anniversary, a lecture was held on April 24, 2010 and 410 people gathered. Let's take this opportunity and think about a hospice and the situation which cancer patients are in now.
Why are there not so many hospices in Japan? Aren't they needed? Yes, they are needed.
The primary role of hospitals is to treat patients. So, when patients get cancer, hospitals certainly give treatments. However, there are definitely cases and phases which no treatment is available to cure cancer. In those cases, hospitals have a choice either to continue treatments, even though they have little effect, or to ask patients to move to other places. It is very hard for patients to find a place that accepts those who are terminally ill. Especially people who don't have homes or places to go are in a tougher situation than those who do have.
A hospice, accepts cancer patients under favorable conditions. Hospice is cognate with hotel and host, two expressions that derive from the same word meaning to give someone a hearty welcome. In a certain sense, a hospice is a hotel with specialists, such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, nutritionists and physiotherapists, and it aims to provide a place where patients can spend the last days of their lives in peace with family members.
 There are 23 rooms for all private use with 23 beds, and 4 doctors and 20 nurses work in the hospital at the moment. An average of 21 patients a day used rooms last year, that is, bed occupancy rate was 90%. It isn't easy to find a place like Garashia Hospital where not only medical staffs but also volunteers, and professionals who are specialized in the field of mind and spirit are stationed. Besides, fees are not that expensive compared to a regular hotel because health insurance can cover the cost.
While a hospital primarily aims to cure, a hospice aims first to provide a place for daily life. Therefore, anything patients hope for will be granted as much as possible and as long as their conditions are okay. For example, they are allowed to go home, go to movies, eat out, or sing songs and have cups of tea together at a tea room, or have drinks and spend time with pets at their own rooms.
One of the most important characteristics of Garashia Hospital is the "care of heart and sprit", called pastoral care, which the hospital puts emphasis on. Therefore, medical staffs try to be attentive to patients and their families from the first day in the hospice. People who lost loved ones are welcomed anytime to a monthly meeting, "Yurinokai", which are held in the hospice.
If you have any questions about hospice, please call 072-729-2345, "Medical Counseling Room" at Garashia Hospital.
HAITI AID PROJECT LAUNCHED BY OSAKA DIOCESE
Osaka Archdiocese launched an aid project for Catholic radio station, "Voice of Catholics – Radio Soliel", in Port-au-Prince Diocese in Haiti on May 12, 2010. Since the literacy rate is 50% in Haiti, radio broadcasting is a valuable instrument to transmit information.
Mr. Junichi Hino, the head of the community radio station "FM WAIWAI" in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, and a member of Catholic Takatori Church visited Haiti in April. He is also the head of AMARC Japan (World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters Japan). He said, "We experienced a big earthquake in Hanshin area. Though I have been to many disaster-stricken areas, somehow this site of Haiti reminded me the most of the "Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake."
Mr. Hino shared the experience of the earthquake with the people in Haiti. According to him, there are three types of radio stations in Haiti, such as, commercial, community and public. Since twelve community radio stations out of fifty were damaged, people couldn't get the enough correct information. As a result, they are left in the situation where they have difficulties to receive the necessary support.
He visited mainly the Capital city Port-au-Prince and a village of Fondwa, sixty kilometers south from Port-au-Prince. Since Haiti's infrastructure had been very poor even before the earthquake occurred, the disastrous situation was far beyond comparison with other countries from the perspective of reconstruction. Therefore, it is nearly impossible to rebuild the villages and cities without the help from other countries.
In Fondwa, a community center that included a school, hospital, orphanage, community radio station, was totally destroyed. The community radio station "The Voice of Farmers" was used to broadcast various programs, such as news, health, education and entertainment, for seven hours a day. Because of the shortage of equipment and electricity, it can broadcast only for one hour and a half daily. It doesn't work enough as a community radio station. Thus "FM WAIWAI" decided to support "The Voice of Farmers".
In Port-au-Prince, there was a radio station in the property of the cathedral for thirty two years. It called "Radio Soliel" launched by the Bishops' Conference of Haiti and run by the diocese of Port-au-Prince. It had aired 24 hours a day for Catholics who account for 60% of the population. The programs covered the areas of evangelization, education, information and entertainment. Its studio was totally destroyed and major equipment was stolen though they escaped the damage from the earthquake. Despite this hard situation, Fr. Dejino Gene, a director of "Radio Soliel", started to broadcast in a broken car with equipment that survived and could still be used.
Osaka Archdiocese will help the total cost of broadcasting for "Radio Soliel" until the studio will be rebuilt with the aid of Caritas International. Fr. Hiroshi Kanda, a Director of Osaka Archdiocese, said "We, Osaka Archdiocese, had decided to help the broadcasting because we learnt from Hanshin Awaji Earthquake in1995 the importance of a radio station which provides useful information and encouragement for those who are in distress situation.
If you'd like to help, please contact; Catholic Osaka Archdiocese, "Haiti Aid Project".
May 2010
ONE STEP FORWARD TO A DREAM COMES TRUE
Elderly Gathering "Yuraiai" authorized as NPO
Kagoshima Diocese News in May, 2010
Elderly Gathering "Yuraiai", was authorized by the governor of Kagoshima, effective on March 18,2010, as "Home of the blessed, Yuraiai". Elderly meet on every other Saturdays from 11:30 to 14:30 at a dormitory for female students, "House of Mary", run by Mission Sisters of the Holy Redeemer.
"Yuraiai" have its roots in "Response and Support Team for Elderly", launched by the Catholic Association of Nurses and Catholic volunteers in April 2003. Its aim was to "establish a home where elderly and disabled people can live in peace by sharing their own faith". It has continued the work to eliminate anxieties of elderly, such as carrying out questionnaire surveys.
"Elderly Gatherings" have been held twice a month since June 2005 at the House of Mary, in order to develop close relationships with God and each other by listening to the Word of God, receiving the Eucharist and sharing their own faith. In addition to conducting this gathering, the authorized "Yuraiai" plans six new projects, in course of strengthening its system. The projects are the following:
- Run a nursing home ("Yuraiai" is planning to start a nursing home from April 2011 and is soliciting supporting members and volunteers at the moment)
- Provide services for minimizing care needs
- Provide livelihood support
- Provide child-raising support
- Provide home-visit nursing care based on the Long-Term Care Insurance Act
- Provide outpatient Day Long-Term Care based on the Long-Term Care Insurance Act
Fr. Koji Izumi, the pastor of Catholic Kaseda Church, has assumed the post of chairman, and four executive board members and two auditors have served the organization as well.
If you'd like to help "Yuraiai", please contact Sr. Yaeko Sawa at the phone number 099-253-6658, and Tatsuo Oshikawa at 099-247-7593.
April 2010
ARCHBISHOP MITSUAKI TAKAMI OF NAGASAKI WILL VISIT U.N.
April 26, 2010
Archbishop Mitsuaki Takami, chairman of the Episcopal Commission for Social Issues, will visit the United States from April 30 to May 6. The main purpose of this trip is to present a petition to the U.N. to strive for the abolition of nuclear weapons. The archbishop was born in the only nation to have been subjected to nuclear attack. He is planning to meet U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and discuss the abolition of nuclear weapons. Please pray for the success of the trip.
His schedule in US is as follows.
Schedule
April 30 (Fri.)
Arrive at N.Y. from Spain.
May 2 (Sun.)
Concelbrate mass at St. Patricks Cathedral with the Most Rev. Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York.
Meet with the Japanese Catholic Association.
May 3 (Mon.)
Meet with the U.N. Secretary-General, the Hon. Ban Ki-moon.
May 4 (Tue.)
Floral tribute to the statue of St. Agnes at the U.N. Headquarters.
Attend the seminar held by Franciscan International.
May 5 (Wed.)
Luncheon party with the Most Rev. Migliore, the Vatican ambassador to the U.N.
March 2010
DOCTORS FIND QUALITY OF LIFE OF RETIRED PRIESTS AND SISTERS TO BE POOR
Catholic Weekly, February 14, 2010
 A group of Osaka Catholics concerned with the quality of life of retired priests and Religious have found that their present living conditions do not meet the expected standard.
In June 2009, Doctor Shigeki Hitomi, vice president of the Japan Catholic Medical Association (JCMA) and director of the JCMA's Osaka Branch, a 73-year-old parishioner of the Takatsuki Church in Osaka, set up a fact-finding team to look into the problems of post-retirement years of priests and sisters. They organized a support group called "Minori" (bounty), composed of Catholic doctors, nurses and social workers to help improve the well being of elderly Church workers.
The team had three study meetings, including a visit to Nibuno Villa in Himeji, Hyogo prefecture, where they met 11 retired priests and looked at their daily life.
The villa was built eight years ago by the Osaka archdiocese and eight women's congregations to provide retired priests and sisters with a safe and peaceful home. Later, the Kyoto diocese joined in the project.
Presently all the residents are priests. Everyone is covered by long-term care insurance. Nurses of Himeji St. Mary's Hospital run by the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis provide them with care services.
Dr. Hitomi explained the situation, saying, "The Nibuno Villa is neither a medical nor a nursing facility. Legally, it is an ordinary residential house. Therefore, care there is regarded as in-home nursing care, for which insurance coverage is limited. To provide the necessary care we must expand the menu, which understandably requires extra money. Even if we could manage the extra service financially, a question remains: Who would actually provide physical help?"
The doctor continued that there were options for priests and sisters to go to special nursing homes for the aged or to for-pay nursing homes. But, the former have quite long waiting lists, sometime amounting to several hundreds, while the latter is very expensive.
The economics of post-retirement life were also examined. Osaka diocesan priests in active service are paid about ¥130,000 per month. Those in Nibuno Villa receive ¥80,000 plus an employee pension of about ¥50,000, making the total almost the same as before.
The cost of medical care, however, is up to ¥400,000 in the case of the most severely disabled residents. A low-level disability costs ¥200,000. In either case a priest resident spends all his income on the care service. Even then, the shortfall is large.
At present, the number of priests and sisters of the two dioceses and eight convents who are older than 65 years are 166 priests (55.7%) and 240 sisters (81.3%). Those aged 70 to 74 form the major part. Those aged 40 to 60 who are expected to help them are far fewer.
Doctor Hitomi added, "In five years we shall see an explosive increase of aged priests and sisters. What is worse, the facilities designed to accommodate sisters are not yet developed. Sisters of retirement age, currently staying in their convents, are cared for by their colleagues, which is in fact an 'old caring for the old' situation. It will worsen year by year."
It was five years ago that the JCMA held a general meeting in Osaka. On of the agenda was "the relationship between eating habits and aging problems of elderly priests." Osaka members took seriously the adverse effects of the diet of priests living alone. Thereafter the Osaka archdiocese implemented a financial support system to provide people to prepare priests' meals at parish churches.
Dr. Hitomi said, "I am afraid that when parents hear their son say, 'I want to be a priest,' they tend to become upset if priests' retirement years look uncertain and unhealthy. Thinking about the future of priests and implementing necessary measures to make their last years happier will help increase priestly vocations."
The JCMA Osaka Branch is investigating possibility of designating members as parish doctors or health advisers.
To make the Nibuno Villa better known to parishioners, to raise funds for financial assistance and to recruit helpers, the Minori group is going to strengthen its promotional activities. Minori members are eager to improve retired priests' quality of life.
MOTHER TERESA FILM FESTIVAL DRAWS THOUSANDS
Catholic Weekly, February 28, 2010
 Beginning in mid-January and continuing for about a month, a film festival commemorating the centenary of the birth of Mother Teresa showcased seven movies in the Cinema Hall of the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography.
"A Birth Centennial Celebration: The Mother Teresa Film Festival" attracted more than 15,000 viewers to the 190-seat theater. Because of the high level of interest, an encore event will take place on March 29.
"When I read a book about her, her energy really surprised me! I was hooked. [By watching these films,] I realized that she's still sending us a message, even after her death," said Haruko Tsukihana, 40.
Tsukihana'sown interest in Mother Teresa was first kindled when she heard about her in a lecture. "Religion has a high barrier to entry. Christianity, too, seemed to me like an upper-class religion; but her life was completely different."
Ayami Muramatsu, a 32-year old who has some volunteer experience herself, found time to attend despite a busy schedule that often makes such outings impossible. "I know what it's like to be called a hypocrite, but Mother Teresa just stuck to it no matter what they called her. It's wonderful."
MuneakiTsuda, 28, who also expressed an interest in Buddhism and especially the Dalai Lama, said, "I'd heard about her history and achievements, but wanted to know more."
Fifty-year old Sachiyo Hattori who was invited by a friend said, "I broke out in tears.... I think that love means not just talking, but actually doing what you think necessary."
Yuko Kataoka (46), who invited Hattori, has had a long relationship with Mother Teresa. "I'm always reminded that activity can be a kind of prayer: making judgments in difficult situations, and acting accordingly. Mother Teresa had the power of execution, and it shows the depth of her conviction. I hope to follow her advice in my life, and to live joyfully."
Hiroyuki Miyake (31), who attended a Catholic school, found answers to some questions about Mother Teresa. "I was struck by how, through her actions, she was able to turn her ideology into reality. It's wonderful to have been born in the same era. I had been considering baptism, and seeing this film may become a turning point for me."
Catholics viewers were also present. Ken Kimura (36) and his wife Katsuko (29) came when they saw a poster in Ebisu station. "It really cemented our faith. Even though we believe, it's normal for us to wobble sometimes. Her? Never, not at all--that's the impression we got from every movie we saw."
Before the final screening of the day, Shigeki Chiba, who directed three of the seven films shown at the festival, greeted the audience. He announced that some had come from as far as Shizuoka to see the films, while others attended seven days to see them all.
"The habit of love is essential," he said. "I'm sure you'll all agree that Mother Teresa is here with us in the Hall today. She's living on in all of you. I want you all to bring something from this back to your homes, your workplaces, your schools. Maybe it's just a kind word or a smile. I hope to make that happen."
The film festival is now being repeated in Nagoya and Osaka. Thereafter, it will be held in other locations, including Kawasaki, Yokohama, Okayama, and Gunma Prefectures. For further details, call 03-5155-4362.
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