Japan Catholic News
May 2007
JAPANESE CARDINAL BRINGS RELIC TO ORTHODOX CHURCH IN RUSSIA
Catholic Weekly, April 22, 2007
 Japanese Cardinal Fumio Hamao, who works at the Vatican, delivered
to the Orthodox Church in Khabarovsk in Russia's far east a relic of
St. John Chrysostom held in the Vatican. The relic, after touring 12
churches for about a month, will be kept in the Khabarovsk Seminary.
A welcoming ceremony for the relic took place at the Transfiguration
of Christ Cathedral in Khabarovsk April 11. Cardinal Hamao handed over
a small box containing the relic to Archbishop Mark, premier archbishop
of Khabarovsk Orthodox Churches and rector of the Khabarovsk Seminary.
Local media covered the event.
In his sermon Cardinal Hamao, asking the help of St. John Chrysostom,
preached that as Christians members of both Churches should work together
to further develop the Kingdom of God.
Fr. Kaname Yasuhisa, a Yokohama diocesan priest studying in Rome, accompanied
the cardinal on his April 11-15 visit.
 Cardinal Hamao explained that his trip to Khabarovsk had initially
been planned as a visit to Japanese Visitation Sisters there. The initial
arrangements for the cardinal's trip coincided with a request from
Maryknoll Father Joseph McCabe, pastor of the local Catholic community,
for the relic to be donated to the new Orthodox seminary. The cardinal
said he was pleased to add the task of carrying the relic to the planned
trip.
"We were received in a grand manner," said the cardinal. "Archbishop
Mark, looking young and good, was very pleased."
St. John Chrysostom, bishop of Constantinople ca 349 - 407, is known
for his many sermons and writings. Canonized before the schism of 1054
that divided the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, he attracts devotion
in both Churches.
Visitation Sister Kiyoko Suwa, who has worked nine years in Khabarovsk,
said, "Christians here are impressed that a Catholic cardinal
would bring the sacred relic from Rome and extended their feelings
to a grand ceremony supported by all the Orthodox Churches. I find
it a sort of festival of unity for Catholics and Orthodox. I am truly
grateful."
She further commented that distance between the two Churches was getting
narrower lately in Khabarovsk, thanks to the efforts of Fr. McCabe.
When the archbishop expressed a wish for the transfer of the relic,
Fr. McCabe responded and obtained permission from Rome.
Sister Suwa continued, "In other areas (of Russia) no such progress
has been achieved yet (between Orthodox and Catholic). It is a great
pleasure that we are able to actually organize a common ritual for
the first time in such a vast country. Moreover, it seems to us a miraculous
divine providence that the person who was assigned for this mission
was our cardinal."
KAGOSHIMA CHURCH BEING REBUILT IN FUKUOKA
Catholic Weekly, April 29, 2007
 On April 15, a rebuilding ceremony was celebrated at the
Passionist monastery in Munakata, Fukuoka prefecture, for Kagoshima's
St. Xavier Church which had been razed to make way for a new church
building in 1998. St. Fracis Xavier is said to have passed through
Munakata on his way from Kagoshima to Kyoto.
Over 160 people attended the ceremony, including Bishop Kenjiro Koriyama
and 50 others from Kagoshima. Construction is expected to be completed
in April 2011.
 Fr. Tadaichi Suzuki, 71, of the monastery said, "Contrary to our
expectations, this attracted interest from people both within and outside
of the Church. The local people of Munakata have especially responded
with a warm attitude. I thought this may be a new way of evangelization."
The structure being rebuilt in Munakata was originally constructed
in 1949 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of St. Francis Xavier's
arrival in Japan and to replace an earlier stone church that was destroyed
in a wartime air raid. The 1949 church was 13 meters wide, 32 meters
long and 2 meters high.
Mitsuyoshi Tsuchida, 69, a parishioner of the Fukuoka Chayama Church
and professor emeritus of Kagoshima University, founded the Research
Institute for Protection of Cultural Treasures which is overseeing
the reconstruction. He explained the value of this particular church.
"From an architectural point of view, the beams were set diagonally
to increase the height of the building. This was an extremely rare
method for that period, and we cannot find another built in this way."
He also mentioned that the entire surface was plastered and that pillars
of Kagoshima stone with beautiful curving were placed in the front
and on the sides.
Prof. Tsuchida and his group are seeking young volunteers, including
children, for training in the restoration process. Donations to assist
the reconstruction can be sent via postal transfer to postal code 1720-1-44311,
NPO Research Institute for Protection of Cultural Treasures. For further
information, call 09-4033-9004 on weekdays.
ADVICE FROM A HOSPICE: HOW TO PREPARE TO VISIT A HOSPITAL
A regular column in the Catholic Weekly by Naomi Numano, Rokko Hospital’s
Palliative Care Unit (Hospice) Chaplain Counselor
Catholic Weekly, May 13, 2007
First of all, let me continue what I said last time concerning how
to prepare for visiting the sick.
Women especially should refrain from wearing perfume when visiting
the hospital. When bringing flowers, avoid those with a strong fragrance.
Depending on the condition of the patient, a smell may be a cause of
considerable annoyance.
Second, people often bring books for the sick. In order to encourage
ill people, books recording believers' struggles with illness may be
chosen with considerate feelings, but ill people given such books may
have complex feelings. Healthy people's positive impressions of such
books about struggles with illness are not necessarily shared when
they are read during one's illness. Reading the books may be frightening,
and the deeply faithful people’s accounts may make them seem
too dazzling so as to give instead a painful feeling. Let's keep in
mind that care is necessary when, upon casually asking what feeling
was aroused by the book we offered, the person has a different sentiment
or an unexpected way of taking the contents.
Third, in the case of patients who share a room with others, remember
that these other patients overhear the visited person's conversation.
There may be patients who feel resistance to religious activity being
offered in the sick room or who feel perplexed or concerned about other
people’s feelings. Being friends in the faith, visitors from
church want to strengthen the sick person's faith and to pray together
or to offer praise together. Precisely at that time, please ask the
patient, "Is it OK to pray here?" If it is alright, remember
to pray also for the healing and happiness of the other patients in
the room as well. Prayers said out loud at the bedside reach the ears
of all the patients in the room. If the ill person hesitates to pray
in the sick room, let him or her know that you will pray privately
and refrain from praying at the bedside. The aim of all religious assistance
must be not to fulfill the needs of the visitor, but those of the patient.
Probably the knack for visiting the sick is not to prepare. When one
has gained information from the church concerning the ill person's
condition or appearance, it is important to ponder it in your heart
in order not to flinch. Yet let's not make preparations based on subjective
impressions or prior conclusions. Please before everything, encounter
the person and focus on attending to the feelings the patient has and
what is necessary for him or her.
FORMER HANSEN'S DISEASE PATIENT MEETS POPE
Catholic Weekly, March 4, 2007
Testuo Sakurai, 82, a parishioner of the Kusatsu Church in Gumma prefecture,
who lived for 65 years at the Kuryuyakusenen national sanitarium for
Hansen's disease patients in Kusatsu, received an audience with Pope
Benedict XVI at the Vatican Feb. 24. At the end of a public audience
in the Paul VI Hall, Pope Benedict took Sakurai's hand and imparted
a special blessing.
This special encounter took place because Sakurai had sent an English
translation of a collection of poems about his hometown to the late
Pope John Paul II.
"I thought the gentle pope would not be angry if I set him a collection
of poems," said Sakurai.
But Pope John Paul died two months after Sakurai sent the book. Then
last May, he received a letter of thanks from Pope Benedict XVI. Sakurai
said that he wished to go and meet the pope and this wish was granted
through the efforts of Bishop Daiji Tani of Saitama diocese.
"I was truly happy to meet the pope. I was very grateful," said
Sakurai, commenting on his meeting with the pontiff.
Sakurai entered Kuryuyakusenen at the age of 17. As he left his family
to live in the institution, his father told him, "Leprosy is a
vocation."
Sakurai said that his experience of the disease was "a life of
ascetic training." He lost his eyesight in his late 20s, and began
writing poetry after he turned 60. Poetry became a great salvation
for him.
One of his poems, Ojigiso (Thai butterfly) reads as follows:
The summer sky quivers
The humble mimosa bows
As the cicada sings on the trunk of the white birch
When I touch with a bandaged finger
The humble mimosa bows
I join the hand without fingers
To the hand whose fingers who have been taken by away
I bow like the humble mimosa
Because he lost all of his fingers to Hansen's disease, Sakurai is
unable to write out his poetry himself. The colorful images which arise
within he whispers with a gentle voice, and someone else writes the
words down for him.
People call him "Te-chan," a shortened version of his given
name. He talks much and laughs a lot. He likes happy occasions, and
is always positive and forward looking. He is respected as a "man
of faith" by other people in the sanitarium.
Sakurai, who was baptized after entering the sanatarium, said that
he likes the story of Jesus calling out in a loud voice after Lazarus
was enclosed in a tomb.
"The words, 'come forth,' which Jesus called out to Lazarus do
not mean just 'stand up,' but 'walk!' I too wish to walk on and deepen
my faith. Crying and laughing are originally the same. If we do not
have suffering we will not have true joy. I think life is happy. God
is living among us and so life is interesting, happy and something
to be grateful for," he said.
Sakurai added that for a long time he has wanted to write a poem about
the raising of Lazarus.
Summing up his philosophy, Sakurai said, "Do what you can! We
are alive, so we should spend our lives happily."
BRAZILIANS IN IBARAGI MOVE AHEAD ON BUILDING NEW PARISH
Catholic Weekly, April 15, 2007
 Brazilian Catholics have formed the core of a growing Church community
in Joso in southwest Ibaragi prefecture for the past six years. A decision
to start a parish was made in response to local demand because there
was no church forJapanese Catholics or the growing Brazilian population.
Catholics in the area are currently engaged in building a parish. A
series of articles in the Catholic Weekly has followed their efforts
from the start. This, the fourth report in the series, introduces the
work of the parish council.
Last June, approximately 750 tsubo (approximately 2,483 square meters)
of land was bought by the Saitama diocese and in October, Bishop Daiji
Tani blessed the land. The parish council is now raising funds for
construction of a church while building up the Brazilian community.
Francisco Conjiu, vice president of the parish council elected last
October, said, "Everyone did their best. We have money and people
coming in beyond our expectations. It is very encouraging."
According to Scalabrini Father Olmes Milani, the parish will celebrate
Mass at the former Mitsukaido public hall every third Sunday of each
month starting in April.
Yukimi Shiozawa, a non-Christian who attends Mass with his wife Christiane
and their children said, "We attend the Mass every time, and we
look forward to it. Everyone is working hard for the preparation. I
see that they really want the church."
There is a Mass on the first Sunday of the month at the former Ishigemachi
town hall. The parish council of five members and other cooperators
meets before the Mass. They expect to invite Japanese Catholics to
join them in the future, but as of now all the members are Brazilian.
An April 1 meeting of the council dealt with preparations for an "Immigrants'
Festival" scheduled to be held at the Moka Church in Tochigi prefecture
on June 17. The participants focused on the purpose of the festival
and what the Joso Catholics could do in connection with it.
The other topic of discussion was the construction of a church building
for the parish. Isao Koizumi, an architectural consultant and member
of the Soka Church, reported on his examination of the parish land.
Based on the desires of the Joso Catholics, he suggested that they
should look at the Isezaki Church in Gunma prefecture as a point of
reference for the sort of building they can erect. The parish council
decided to visit Isezaki.
The parishioners spoke of their expectations: "We want space for
Sunday school classes," "We must have a good kitchen if we
want to raise money," "Church entry with shoes is better."
Carmel Sisters of Charity Sister Mitsue Shirohama, who has accompanied
the Joso community, commented on the current situation of the people.
"The group is not large, however we try to raise money through
bazaars and have decided that at least the people living in Ishishita
would make monthly donations for the new church construction fund.," she
said.
She added that though there are many Brazilian Catholics in Mitsukaido,
they attend a Protestant church because there is no Catholic church.
"From this month on till the new church is complete, we are going
to have Mass over there. We must expand the scope of our activities."
FORUM FOR RELIGIOUS AND MISSIONARIES LOOKS AHEAD 10 YEARS
Catholic Weekly, April 1, 2007
More than 100 representatives of Religious congregations and societies
gathered March 23 in Kobe for a forum in which they could pray and
think together, and, irrespective of their different roles in the work
of evangelization, draw up plans for the future.
The theme of the gathering was "To live to the full the charism
of each Congregation and Society to ensure that each shall be functioning
10 years from now -- Yes? No?"
This was the third such gathering under the auspices of the Catholic
Conference of Major Superiors of Male and Female Religious. Attendance
has continued to grow since the first gathering two years ago.
Guest speakers were Bishop Junichi Nomura of Nagoya, Milan Foreign
Mission Fr. Celestino Cavagna, Sister Setsuko Shioji of the Society
of Helpers and Sister Taeko Ikeda of the Missioonary Sisters of St.
Joseph of Osaka.
Fr. Cavagna, chancellor of the Tokyo archdiocese, reviewed the work
of missionaries from the point of view of their cooperation with the
dioceses. Sr. Ikeda spoke about ways to live out one's charism
while working with the diocese. Sr. Shioji, who has worked for some
years in Kurosaki Church in Fukuoka, reported on efforts to transform
their church into "a participating community."
Taking up what the previous speakers had outlined, Bishop Nomura stressed
the importance of each congregation's spirituality and appealed
to them to use it for the good of the whole Church.
Following the lectures, participants broke into 10 groups and exchanged
reports on conditions in their various organizations.
The conference of major superiors is preparing a draft plan for evangelization
in Japan over the coming years for consideration by the Catholic Bishops'
Conference of Japan.
Speaking of this year's forum, Divine Word Fr. Hideaki Ichise said, "The
theme was down-to-earth and the attendance excellent. The forum was
open not only to superiors but to everyone who was interested. In that
way we got opinions from people who would not normally be heard. It
was my first time attending. The content was so important I wished
we could have had an extra day."
CURIA AND COLLEGE OF CARDINALS OVERLY EUROPEAN, SAYS CARDINAL HAMAO
UCA News, April 12, 2007
VATICAN CITY (UCAN) -- According to Japanese Cardinal Fumio Hamao,
Pope Benedict XVI should appoint more Asians and Africans to the Roman
Curia and the College of Cardinals, so as to further internationalize
both bodies.
The Tokyo-born cardinal, now 77, made this assertion to UCA News in
Rome on March 28, repeating what he had said a year earlier, soon after
retiring from the presidency of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral
Care of Migrants and Itinerants. He served in that capacity from June
15, 1998, until the pope accepted his resignation on March 11, 2006.
When he met privately with Pope Benedict last April 29, the pontiff
thanked the cardinal for his eight years of service to the universal
Church. He also asked him to complete his five-year mandate as a board
member of three Roman Curia offices: the Congregation for the Evangelization
of Peoples (CEP), the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints and
the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Cardinal Hamao's mandate
will end next year.
During their conversation, the cardinal reminded the pope that with
his resignation, there was no Asian heading any office of the Roman
Curia. He urged the pontiff to appoint Asians to Vatican positions
and the pope replied, "I am thinking about that." Three weeks
later, he named Cardinal Ivan Dias of India as prefect of the Congregation
for the Evangelization of Peoples.
Cardinal Hamao said he still believes more Asians and Africans should
join the Roman Curia. By reason of one of his papal mandates, he attends
monthly meetings of the CEP, during which recommendations are made
to the Holy Father on candidates for bishop in mission countries, mainly
in Asia and Africa. This experience, the cardinal said, has convinced
him that change is needed.
He noted that 21 of the 25 cardinals and bishops attending those meetings
now are from Europe and the Americas, but only two come from Africa
(Cardinal Francis Arinze and Archbishop Robert Sarah) and just two
from Asia (Cardinal Ivan Dias and himself). Moreover, Cardinal Hamao
continued, he has noticed that the European-American "mentality" is
very different from that of Asia.
For this reason, he said, he would like to meet again with Pope Benedict
and encourage him "to call more Asians and Africans to work in
the Roman Curia, not only cardinals but also bishops and priests."
"It would be better to have more people from these parts of the
world, so as to understand their mentality," he explained. "Most
people in the Roman Curia are European- and American-minded. They cannot
understand the mentality of East Asia and the Far East. Africa is nearer
to them because it was colonized, and the Middle East is all right,
it is Asia. Perhaps they can understand India, but the Far East is
completely different. They cannot understand it."
Vatican people, he also observed, "are very, very concerned about
Europe, the European Union and the Christian roots of European culture.
They want to expand this Christianity from Rome, from Europe, to Asia
and Africa."
Cardinal Hamao has concluded that "many people in the Vatican
think people of Asia and Africa are perhaps still too young and need
to be instructed better. I think they see us a little bit as second-
or third-class."
This inability to understand Asia and the Far East, he said, is somewhat
reflected in Sacramentum Caritatis (Sacrament of Love), the new apostolic
exhortation on the Eucharist. In that document, the pope speaks about
Latin and suggests that Catholics learn some Latin prayers and Gregorian
chants.
This is not a good idea, according to Cardinal Hamao, who taught Latin
to the Emperor of Japan when he was crown prince. "It is impossible
for Asians," he asserted. "Nobody knows Latin. Most priests
don't study it, and they don't know it. That is European-centered.
It is too much!"
The cardinal also noted that many people in the Roman Curia are from
the Holy See's diplomatic service, but "it is better to have more
people with pastoral experience from different countries, not just
diplomatic experience."
At the next consistory, which many in Rome expect to take place in
June, Cardinal Hamao hopes Pope Benedict will create more cardinals
from Asia and Africa. Particularly for Asia, he said, "I would
like to see him name cardinals, perhaps from Pakistan and from countries
that have never had a cardinal, such as Bangladesh, Malaysia and Myanmar."
He also would welcome more cardinals from Africa to make the mainly
European College of Cardinals more international. Today, 53 of the
108 cardinal-electors (younger than 80 with the right to elect a new
pope) are Europeans.
LAY MISSION GROUP CELEBRATES 25 YEARS
Catholic Weekly, April 22, 2007
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Japan Lay Mission Movement
(JLMM). At present, seven members work in Cambodia, East Timor and
Thailand. Their apostolates range from education in hygiene to working
to support the lives of minority ethnic groups.
A distinctive characteristic of JLMM that sets it apart from other
development organizations is the fact that JLMM requires that its overseas
missioners to ask themselves, "To what extent has my heart been
open to others? To what extent have I been able to enjoy change?"
"The interesting thing about our activities is that they lead
you to be able to say, 'I have changed in this way.' I think that persons
who are seeking to change will get a very rich experience here," said
Hiroshi Urushibara, head of the organization.
Rather than speaking of "proselytizing," the JLMM speaks
of "mission," which includes the sense of being "called."
"A group like ours can only seek to learn from others. In doing
mission we evangelize one another. The spirit of 'living together with
one another' is the most important element," said Urushibara..
In February, JLMM published a booklet, Looking
at the 25 years of JLMM,
that tells the history of JLMM and contains the stories of many of
its missioners. Urushibara said that as he edited the publication,
he began to realize how difficult it is to continue the work of mission
after returning from abroad. "It's a great challenge and for that
very reason it has great value."
Atsuko Oka, now a parishioner of the Fujigaoka Church in Kanagawa,
was sent to Nepal in 1999. After her return she married and is presently
a housewife. Even after completing her term of two and a half years
overseas (including six months of language training), she feels even
now that "each of us is still a missioner called to the land to
which we were sent."
Oka worked in a village that was a two-day bus ride from the capital,
Kathmandu. The last part of the trip consists of a four-hour hike up
a mountain road. On that road were persons whose work was to carry
baggage up that mountain. They had to do this work because members
of their caste were not allowed to own fields for farming.
"One of them suddenly picked up my baggage saying, 'This weight
will hardly make a difference to me.' When he did this, it struck me
that persons who show kindness to others in ways like this are close
to the love of Christ. Even now I have moments when I think, 'This
action is the love of God.'"
When someone asks Akiko Takahashi if she would like to do mission again
she feels unease at the question. "Whether at church or at work,
I feel that I have been sent."
She was sent to Khabarovsk in Russia's far east in 1999 and worked
in the parish there. At the time she was leaving to return to Japan
she felt that, "I was accepted there for who I was. I didn't
have any particular specialty and sometimes I even got angry, but I
was loved just as I was."
She commented that once when she was back in Japan for a short visit,
it struck her with surprise that, "I see only Japanese people
in Japan."
After returning to Japan she began to work for a Christian group where
she works together with members of many denominations.
At her parish, the Kaizuka Church in Kanagawa, Takahashi sees people
from many different countries. "I came to realize that I feel
called to associate not with homogenous groups but with groups that
have a variety of people. This suits me very well."
Takahashi teaches Sunday school at her parish, where, she said, "It
gives me hope when I see children from many different cultural backgrounds
studying together."
During its 25 years JLMM has sent 76 Japanese Catholics to 16 different
countries. This year, in order to deepen the bond between their supporters
throughout Japan and the staff, they are planning a gathering in November
of those who have previously been sent to mission and JLMM members
currently working abroad in order to share their experiences of mission.
The group is also searching for ways to get more people involved in
mission. One example is asking kindergartens that are closing to donate
articles for mission. This year, in addition to their present program
of study tours for middle- and senior-high school students, they are
planning to offer a one-month overseas volunteer experience.
Urushibara explained, "We want to increase the channels through
which people can participate."
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