Japan Catholic News
November 2008
TENS OF THOUSANDS JOIN BEATIFICATION RITES
FOR 188 JAPANESE MARTYRS
Catholic Weekly, November 30, 2008
More than 30,000 pilgrims took part in
the Nov. 24 beatification of Peter Kibe and 187 other Japanese martyred
between 1603 and 1639.
Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation for the
Causes of Saints, represented Pope Benedict XVI at the ceremony in
Nagasaki's Big N Stadium baseball park.
Other Church dignitaries at the ceremony included Cardinal Ivan
Dias, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples,
and other bishops representing the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences
or national hierarchies in Asia. Protestant representatives also
attended, as did delegates from other religions. Japan's ambassador
to the Vatican, Kagefumi Ueno, represented the government.
The day began with sometimes-heavy rain, but when Cardinal Seiichi
Shirayanagi, retired archbishop of Tokyo and principal celebrant
of the Mass, began his homily the sun broke through the clouds.
Noriko Kawahara, a 65-year-old parishioner of the Hatsukaichi Church
in Hiroshima prefecture, described her arrival in Nagasaki with a
busload of pilgrims who had visited various martyrdom sites in Kyushu.
"Just as we approached Nagasaki, the rain stopped and we could
see the city clearly. Some of us were moved to tears," she said.
In addition to the bus pilgrims, a group of 80 youths who walked
overnight 58 kilometers from Unzen, the site of many of the martyrdoms,
arrived at 10:00 am.
At noon, the Mass, concelebrated by some 500 priests, opened with
the placing on the altar of a reliquary containing the vertebra of
a Japanese martyr, a candle that had been carried from place throughout
the country for Masses with young people and soil from each of the
places where the newly-blessed had been born, lived or been martyred.
Following the Penitential Rite of the Mass, the Beatification Rite
began with a formal request by the president of the Catholic Bishops'
Conference of Japan, Tokyo Archbishop Takeo Okada, for the beatification.
Then Fr. Fernando Rojo, who coordinated the beatification process
in Rome, introduced the martyrs as a group. Following that, the nine
bishops in whose dioceses the martyrdoms took place introduced the
individual martyrs. Finally, Cardinal Saraiva Martins read the pope's
letter declaring that July 1 would be the memorial of Blessed Peter
Kibe and 187 other martyrs.
A picture representing the blessed martyrs was then unveiled and
188 doves were released. Abp. Okada expressed his thanks to the cardinal
and the Mass continued with the singing of the Gloria.
In his homily, Cardinal Shirayanagi pointed out that the martyrs
were chosen to represent the various sections of Japan and Japanese
society. He stressed that the strong bonds among families that were
martyred present an important message today.
"[The martyrs] are calling us who live in Japan where more
than 30,000 kill themselves every year. They are inviting us to seriously
reflect on the fundamental questions about life: what is life, what
is death, for what do we live, what is the purpose of life, what
is the meaning of suffering. … They are calling us to work
for a more just and humane world where every human being is respected,
cared for and enjoys life. Dear brothers and sisters, let us journey
together unafraid. The martyrs are telling us not to be afraid. God
is telling us not to be afraid."
Participants in the ceremony came from all over Japan.
Sixty-year-old Takako Kamiyama said, "I'll bet I'm the participant
from the farthest south." Her parish, the Ishigaki Church in
Okinawa prefecture, is Japan's southernmost parish.
Fumio Nakata came from the far north, the Kushiro Church in Hokkaido.
The 75-year-old said that he and 25 companions decided last year
to participate in the ceremony after hearing a talk about the martyrs
by Bishop Osamu Mizobe of Takamatsu, chair of the bishops' committee
for the beatification.
Though he is from the Oso Church on Kami Goto island in Nagasaki
prefecture and his ancestors were Christians, Kiyokazu Ikuta, 50,
said that taking part in the ceremony gave him an opportunity to
understand the history of the Church in Nagasaki.
"Though we've been Christians for generations and I live in
the area, there was a lot I didn't know. This is a chance to take
a new look at history," he said.
Yusuke Inakuma said he came because his mother telephoned him suggesting
that he do so.
The 20-year-old said, "I didn't know anything about the
martyrs, but now I'm really struck at what great models they
are."
In addition to pilgrims from all over Japan, others came from abroad.
Vu Hong An, a 34-year-old Vietnamese, said he decided just two weeks
earlier to come to Japan because, "It's the sort of ceremony
you almost never get to take part in."
He also joined the youth pilgrimage, walking for two hours in the
morning rain.
There were about 230 pilgrims from Korea. One of them, Choi Hui
Chel, 64, from Taegu archdiocese said, "At my age, I'm grateful
for the chance to take part. That's why I came."
Bishop Thomas Dabre of Vasai, India, represented the Federation
of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC). He said, "[The Japanese
blessed] show that the Church is not just a Western one, but belongs
to the whole world."
Adding that in his own country Christians are being persecuted,
the bishop said, "We can draw strength and hope from the example
of the Japanese martyrs."
Among the more than 200 police and 3,000 volunteers at the ceremony
were more than 400 members of the Nagasaki Archdiocesan Women's Organization
who served as ushers and receptionists.
There were many volunteers who were not Christians. Etsuko Ikeda,
19, was among about 300 student volunteers from the Nagasaki Junshin
College, a Catholic school. She was in charge of escorting foreign
visitors. "There's so much to learn from the martyrs that I
wanted to have something to do with this," she said.
US BISHOP ADDRESSES MEETING ON ARTICLE 9,
WORLD PEACE
Catholic Weekly, November 11, 2008
The Japan Catholic Council for Justice and Peace (J&P), an arm
of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan (CBCJ) and Pax Christi,
a USA-based Catholic peace movement has developed a close relationship
in recent years.
Bishop Goro Matsuura, auxiliary of Osaka, participated in the 2006
Pax Christi general meeting, followed by Nagasaki Archbishop Mitsuaki
Takami in 2007. David Robinson, executive director of Pax Christi,
took part of the 2008 Osaka meeting of J&P.
Bishop Gabino Zavala, auxiliary of the Los Angeles archdiocese and
president of Pax Christi USA, was invited to attend the Nov. 29-Dec.1
Asia Inter-Religious Conference on Article 9 and Peace in Asia at the
Infant Jesus Sisters Nicolas Barré Convent in Tokyo.
In his remarks, the bishop said, "When the revolutions of 1989
collapsed the Soviet-style communist states. people thought that world
peace would finally come true. But the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 betrayed
the hope. What occurred was nothing but a change from a counter-communism
war to a counter-terrorism war. US political leaders' insistence on
using military power and intervention in other countries remained unchanged."
"The strong military-industrial complex survives, and the financial
crisis weakens US leadership. The administration is tempted to resort
to more bellicose policies. Dangers grow imminent," he added.
"We expected a debate in the recent presidential election campaign
that would lead to an understanding of the truth that what violence
leaves behind is more violence," the bishop said. "However,
the debates went around warfare. John McCain said, 'Last year's military
build-up helped a down-turn of the suicide bomb attacks in Iraq,' while
Barack Obama declared that the Iraq war was a blunder, but an intensified
fight against the Taliban and its al-Qaida allies in Afghanistan must
be maintained."
"The Iraq war sacrificed a million citizens and inflicted serious
war aftermath on several hundred thousands of American soldiers. True
courage is to admit mistakes and learn a lesson to correct them. War
leaves behind only anger and hatred, as Pope John Paul II said. A true
enduring peace can only be achieved through peace-seeking dialogues,
never through violent retaliation."
"The widened gap of poverty and wealth and discrimination against
immigrants and foreigners have become a serious problem in America,
which is named 'inside wars.'"
"We learned from the Japan Catholic Council for Justice and Peace
about the recent realignment of the US military strategies for the
Asian-Pacific region. In this respect Article 9 of Japan's Constitution
is a hope. The supremacy of dialogue must be built into the nation's
mental and moral foundation, so that spirit should be reflected in
its foreign policy. A war-free government will then be possible, the
possibility of another world replacing hostility with love in international
politics."
(Note: Though Bishop Zavala spoke in English, his comments in this
account are translated from the Japanese newspaper account of his talk
and may differ somewhat in vocabulary.)
"Nippon Notes" by William
Grimm
THEY WOULD NOT GIVE IN
UCA News
TOKYO (UCAN) -- On Nov. 24, around 30,000 pilgrims including bishops
and groups from other Asian nations gathered in a baseball stadium
in Nagasaki for a celebration marking the beatification of 188 Japanese
martyrs who died between 1603 and 1639.
The newly beatified were chosen to represent perhaps as many as 50,000
Japanese Catholics who died in persecution that began in 1597 (though
Christianity was outlawed 10 years earlier) and did not end until 1873,
when Western nations pressured the Japanese government to recognize
freedom of religion.
In order to be representative, the chosen are mostly lay men and women
from various parts of the country as well as four priests and a Religious
brother. They range in age from two 1-year-old babies to an 80-year-old
samurai and his wife. Among them are members of the aristocracy and
poor folk, families and individuals.
The martyrs were executed in various ways -- beheaded, drowned, crucified,
burned at the stake, boiled alive, starved in prisons and hung upside-down
in a pit of sewage. That last torture was especially used on priests.
The Japanese persecution may have been the worst in the history of
the Church. The Roman persecution, which lasted about the same number
of years, probably took 15,000 or so lives. The Romans focused mainly
on the Church's leaders, which is why so many of the martyrs from that
time were bishops and deacons. The authorities assumed that if they
destroyed the heads, the members would give in and abandon their faith.
But they would not give in.
The Japanese persecution did not focus on any particular group. Any
and every Catholic was a potential victim. For nearly 280 years, they
hid, they gathered in secret, they prayed, they passed on their faith
to the generations that followed, and when they were discovered, they
suffered and died. But they would not give in.
Such persecution, whether it be in Rome or Japan in the past, or India
or Iraq today, can be easily ended. All it requires is that Christians
be willing to abandon Christ who lived and died for them. Burn incense
to the divine emperor, trample on an icon and register at a Buddhist
temple, undergo a Hindu conversion ritual or declare that Muhammad
is God's prophet, and the danger will pass. In other words, Christians
in every age have held the means to end persecution. But they would
not give in.
The word "martyr" comes from a Greek word that means a witness.
In English, "witness" has two meanings. The first is a spectator,
one who sees something happening. In that sense, the officials who
oversaw the execution of Catholics were witnesses. However, the Greek
word refers to the second English meaning, one who gives testimony.
Today in Japan we no longer face death for following Christ, but we
are still called to bear witness to him, to testify that faithfulness
to him is more important than life itself. We are called to a kind
of martyrdom that does not entail physical suffering and death, though
it may entail strange looks and derogatory comments from those around
us.
The Japanese martyrs force us to face some difficult questions. Have
I ever said at work, at school, among friends, at home or even in the
Church: "No, I cannot do that. I will not do that (because I am
a Christian)"? In this time of economic uncertainty, have I ever
said to myself or my family, "We will have to change our plans,
because money is tight and we must not cut back on the time and money
we have budgeted to help others"? When work, school or neighborhood
events are scheduled for Sunday morning (a common occurrence in Japan),
do I ever say, "I will be late or absent because there is nothing
more important than gathering with my fellow Catholics to hear the
word of God and share the Eucharist"?
In other words, in a world that does not understand or make allowances for my
faith, do I testify to that faith? Am I a fitting member of this Church of martyrs?
When the time comes for me, for us, to meet the Lord and the martyrs face to
face, will they say of us, "They would not give in"?
Maryknoll Father William Grimm is
the editor-in-chief of Katorikku Shimbun, Japan's Catholic weekly.
Opinions expressed in this column are those of the writer and do
not represent the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan.
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NEW PARISH IN JOSO IS ERECTING BUILDING,
BUILDING COMMUNITY
Catholic Weekly, November 2, 2008
The city of Joso, in southwest Ibaraki prefecture, was created in Jan.
2006 from a union of the Mizukaido and Ishigemachi districts, is home
to many Brazilian immigrants who have come to work in the several industrial
parks in the area.
The presence of the Brazilians has fostered the growth of the new Joso
Church, one of six new churches planned in the Saitama diocese under
Bishop Daiji Tani. Sacred Hearts Father Andrew Healey is pastor of
the new church, while also being responsible for the Tsukuba Church.
The consecration ceremony of the church building on land acquired by
the diocese on Mt. Kono is set for February of next year.
Born in Japan with a Brazilian-style upbringing, Carmelite Sr. Mitsue
Shirohama has been working with the local priests since 2000. In that
time, four Brazilian priests from Tokyo and other areas have ministered
to the parish needs, offering Mass at Ishigemachi Community Center
on the first Sunday of each month. Since April of last year, Mass has
also been offered on the third Sundays at the Mizukaidou City Community
Center.
Since his arrival in Japan less than a year ago, Sacred Hearts Father
Nelson Soverino de Souza has lived at Ibaraki's Mito Church, studying
Japanese and ministering to the people of Joso parish.
He said, "For them, separated from their homeland, living in a
tough situation, the Church takes a spiritual power; it becomes a place
of healing for the body and soul, I think. But, they eventually return
to churches in Brazil, and we just have to ask that their faith might
increase. A new church is an important place as a foundation of community,
and that's what we're yearning for."
Looking back, Sr. Shirohama said, "We've been doing pretty well
so far. The number of people coming to Mass at Ishige was in decline
at one time and community was weak, but we got over that hump and I'm
happy to say that now 40 or 50 people come every month."
She added that the new Mizukaido community has started off lively. "I
feel like they've been able to make consistent progress as a community."
Ishigemachi and Mizukaido are separated by approximately 10 kilometers,
with Joso Church in the Ishigemachi district.
Sr. Shirohama said, "We've had to deal with a lot, but the two
groups have managed to cooperate. Fostering a single collective spirit
is the goal from here. Once we create a place for ourselves, we'll
get more done."
Deacon Shoryu Nagazawa, a Japanese who is leading the building fund
operations with the support of the new parishioners, worries about
the Brazilians' integration into mainstream Japanese society.
"They were asking if this Easter they could take a holiday from
work and come to church, but (their workplaces) didn't look on it very
kindly," he said. "Japanese and foreigners are (supposed
to be) the same, though I know there are times when foreigners have
stricter working conditions than the Japanese."
On the other hand, Sr. Shirohama worries that if Brazilian priests
just arriving in Japan try to impose a Brazilian style on their new
community, they're asking for long years of struggle for the foreign
Catholics.
"I have been the same: we don't know what life immigrants should
be asked to live," she said.
Deacon Nagazawa, who in his dealings with the Brazilians witnesses
their struggles up close, said, "With salaries 60 percent lower
than Japanese salaries, we can say it's a disparate society. It's disparate
from the moment they arrive. These people are buried in and surrounded
by it; it's the norm."
But surviving that pressure makes them tough and dedicated, he added,
so when they want to support the growth of the Church in Japan, they
raise funds and get things done. He said he wanted to express his thanks
to those people providing financial contributions to Joso Church.
"Next, as we think about the interior, we're hoping for everyone's
support," he concluded.
SAPPORO LAY ASSEMBLY LEARNS ABOUT MARTYRS, WYD
Catholic Weekly, October 26, 2008
The Sapporo dicoesan council for evangelization and pastoral care sponsored
an Oct. 5 lay apostolate assembly at Fuji Gakuen school with the theme
Celebrating the 188 Martyrs' Beatification: Praying, Witnessing and
Evangelizing Together.
An opening Mass celebrated by Bishop Toshio Jinushi was followed by
a lecture by Jesuit Father Shinzo Kawamura and reports from a two-day
Mass servers' training camp and participants in the 2008 Sydney World
Youth Day (WYD). During the session, drawings by Sunday school boys
and girls were exhibited.
The diocese is so large that it took participants from remote parishes
more than two-hours to drive to the gathering. Nevertheless, 900 people
attended and about 30 children took part in the camp.
One of four young participants at WYD reported, "It turned out
to be a bigger event than the Sydney Olympics," and added, "The
sight of Pope Benedict XVI coming up to the altar was truly impressive."
Another added, "The power of the Holy Spirit really moved me.
I learned the importance of the Sacrament of Penance as it bind us
to the Lord and one another."
Fr. Kawamura, associate professor of Sophia University, spoke of "The
significance of the 188 martyrs today and our mission for the evangelization
of Japan." He introduced the fact that in the era of Christian
persecution organizations of parishioners were formed at each church,
the prototype of which was the parish-based Christian communities of
16th century Europe. He explained that sacraments had worked as the
bond of parishioners and even when the banishment of priests was decreed
and churches suffered from the drastic decrease of sacramental opportunities,
parishioners unite themselves more strongly along with a fervent observance
of the sacraments.
Fr. Kawamura took questions from the audience about the background
of the persecution, why a Buddhist county like Japan allowed an explosive
increase of new Christians, how farmers without education could understand
Christian doctrines, barriers to the evangelization of today's Japan
and the prospects for the Church's future.
PILGRIMS VISIT SITE OF NAGASAKI CHRISTIANS' EXILE
Catholic Weekly, October 26, 2008
During this year's annual Tsurushima Pilgrimage, which was held overnight
from Oct.12-13, participants walked a distance of about 40 km, from
Okayama Church (the sponsor of the event, located in Okayama City)
to Hinase Port, and went on to visit Tsurushima Island the following
morning.
In 1867, as the Meiji Era was beginning, there also began a suppression
of Christians in Nagasaki, which is known as the Urakami Yon-ban Kuzure,
or Urakami's Fourth Collapse. During seven years of persecution, many
Christians were exiled to Tsurushima, located in the Seto Inland Sea
south of the city of Bizen, to prevent their escape and to work the
land there.
The Tsurushima Pilgrimage was begun later by those hoping their journey
along the Old Sanyo Road would be a way to remember the Urakami believers,
as well as to follow one leg of the 800km path 26 Japanese saints walked
through the area on their way to Nagasaki in the 16th Century.
This year, the 17 pilgrims who set out on the evening of the 12th,
praying as they walked throughout the night, arrived at Hinase Port
without mishap. After a short nap, they joined up with other Christians — in
total, about 130 people, including seven priests and 10 elementary-
and middle school students — and crossed over to Tsurushima on
a chartered boat.
Pilgrims prayed the rosary at the graves of 17 martyrs, and an outdoor
Mass was held before a stone monument.
In his homily, Fr. Yuzuru Sofuku of Okayama Church spoke of the mind
set of the martyrs, who lived in awe of "the fact that they could
call the Creator their Father and that they were called to live as
children of God" and who would subsequently give up their lives.
He spoke too of the "world of life" that Christ wished to
give.
After Mass, the participants split up and spent time individually visiting
gravestones, small shrines, and other sites before departing.
The Tsurushima Pilgrimage is a yearly custom, but Naoki Hamaguchi,
parish council president of the Okayama Church, explained that this
year it was also "aimed at building excitement for the beatification
of Peter Kibe and the 187 martyrs."
Later, Shunji Mitsumata, honorary professor at Seibo Gakuin Junior
College, gave a talk entitled "The Urakami Christians of the Okayama
Exile" at Hinase City's Industry and Commerce Convention Center.
Mitsumata, after describing the lifestyles of those in exile during
that period, remarked upon certain "converts" who had renounced
their faith during the persecution, but later rejoined the Church after
their return to Urakami. In Okayama, not only these people, but even
their descendants have sometimes suffered unrelenting criticism, but
Mitsumata questioned whether antagonism toward these people arose from
a Christian way of thinking.
Further, he indicated that even those who renounced their faith and
died in exile may have experienced a final conversion of heart, and
warned of the difficulty of categorizing people as "martyrs and
apostates."
In the end, the pilgrimage was brought to a close by a parting blessing
from the priests.
This year, pilgrims came from as far away as Shiga and Yamaguchi Prefectures,
and next year Urakami Church's own pilgrim group in Nagasaki, which
this year was to make a pilgrimage to Yamaguchi instead, is also expected
to participate.
FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR BEATIFICATION INCLUDE ORGANIZING FIRST AID TEAMS
Catholic Weekly, November 9, 2008
Preparations to guarantee efficient medical care for 30,000 people
expected to attend the Nov. 24 beatification of Peter Kibe and 187
martyrs entered the final stage on Nov. 2. Since many elderly Christians
expected to come and spend hours in the early winter cold the Nagasaki
Planning Committee has made special arrangements involving several
other organizations.
According to Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Nagasaki
Sr. Kumiko Ohyama, who is in charge of the medical relief, teams
consisting of one doctor, two nurses, and four volunteers will be
available. At the ceremony, there will be 19 teams on the ground,
14 in the stands and five more at the first-aid station, with a total
of 300 people.
"I started by trying at the Catholic Nurses Association's Nagasaki
branch, and I also asked around at the Nagasaki branch of the Catholic
Doctors Association," Sr. Ohyama said. "Four teams are
coming from St. Mary's Hospital in Kurume, as well as two ambulances.
They are the same people that offered relief after the Sumatran tsunami.
People involved in Catholic medicine in Korea are also coming."
The medical station will be primarily located on the first-base side
of the indoor stadium where the events will take place, with a second
support station in the stands facing the second floor entrance. The
phone number for the station will be 095-845-6222.
"For emergency patients, transportation and related considerations
have been arranged at Nagasaki University Hospital," Sr. Ohyama
said.
The medical staff is advising individual attendees to be aware of
their own health and have enough water on hand, to take note after
entering the stadium of where the medical stations are, to seek medical
attention as soon as they feel bad, to bring their medical insurance
cards, or copies of the cards, and have easily accessible a list
of primary medical providers and current medications (including insulin
and the like).
"And I shouldn't forget to say that if you don't feel well,
it's better not to participate. Be aware of the toilet situation,
and don't eat or drink too much. The medical staff will all be in
green jackets, the doctors will have armbands and stethoscopes, and
the nurses will be wearing yellow scarves, so be looking for them," Sr.
Ohyama said.
The medical staff will be available on the beatification day from
9 AM to 5 PM. The staff will practice at the stadium twice in order
to be ready for the crowds.
Nov. 23, the day before the beatification, four Nagasaki City churches,
Urakami, Shiroyama, Oura, and 26 Martyrs, will hold prayer rallies.
At Urakami Cathedral, Takamatsu's Bishop Osamu Mizobe, head of the
Canonization and Beatification Special Committee, will lead the main
ceremony, "A Prayer on the Eve." Shiroyama Church will
host a "Mass of Thanks for the Beatification" organized
by the Augustinians.
At the 26 Martyrs Memorial Altar, young Catholics are planning to
meditate while reading Raise Your Sail in the Wind of Grace,
and account of the martyrs. Then, for 20 minutes after 5 PM, they
will pray along with the pope's representative to the beatification,
Cardinal José Saraiva.
The four churches will offer the sacrament of reconciliation, and
are looking for more priests to participate. the individual churches
are not accepting requests from pilgrims for facilities to celebrate
Masses on the eve of the beatification ceremony. Those seeking a
location where they can celebrate Mass are encouraged to call the
Nakamachi Church at 095-823-2484 which is coordinating such requests.
The beatification ceremony public relations committee has also issued
a warning about participants, other than the press, taking photographs.
It will not be permitted for audience members to take photos from
the stands so that everyone will be able to see while remaining seated.
No one will be allowed to get up from their seats to take pictures.
HECTIC PREPARATIONS IN NAGASAKI FOR NOV.
24 BEATIFICATION
Catholic Weekly, November 2, 2008
The Nov. 24 beatification of Peter Kibe and 187 other martyrs will
involve some 2,500 volunteers. To organize them and the other elements
of the ceremony, the executive committee based in Nagasaki has organized
about 20 sub-committees including registration desks, liturgy administrators,
first aid, choirs, language help and traffic control.
Nagasaki diocesan chancellor Fr. Isao Hashimoto is overseeing the work
of the committees. He said the biggest issues he faces are the over
200 buses that are expected to come and go, securing medical and nursing
staff for emergency cases and protection of the artificial turf in
the Nagasaki Stadium.
A survey at the end of August showed that over 200 large- and middle-sized
buses are coming. Where and when to park them and release passengers
are a big question. Fr. Hashimoto talked to the police to arrange for
a temporary bus lane on the roads to the venue.
Since many elderly persons are expected to come to the ceremony, Fr.
Hashimoto has arranged for 40 doctors, nurses, and over 100 other volunteers
who will especially focus on care for the aged.
Part of the baseball stadium hired for the event is covered by artificial
turf. If hairpins or needles happen to drop and remain, they might
later hurt players. Fr. Hashimoto decided to place masking mats over
the turf, an extra expense.
The number of expected participants has far exceeded original expectations,
reaching almost 30,000. This has added to the cost of the ceremony
and increased Fr. Hashimoto's concern to keep a balanced budget. However,
he said, safety must come first no matter how much it costs.
"We're trying hard to avoid chaos," Fr. Hashimoto said. "We
hope that everyone can sing alleluia, a hymn to God, and not a requiem,
a dirge for the dead."
Fr. Hashimoto continued, "A martyr is not someone to be pitied.
The martyrs followed Jesus to become perfect by sacrificing themselves.
Their acts were praise not only to God, but also to humanity. I think
they present a powerful message to the contemporary world."
Fr. Hashimoto added. "I wonder what will remain in everyone's
heart? The beatification should not end up as an overnight fever. We
should make this event another push for change from the inward-looking
mentality ingrained during the long period of persecution to a Church
with doors wide open to the outer world."
CHILDREN GATHER TO LEARN ABOUT MARTYRS
Catholic Weekly, October 26, 2008
Approximately 750 people from 40 parishes participated in an Oct.
12 Children's Mass at the Sekiguchi Church sponsored by the Tokyo
archdiocesan Church and School Committee. Since last year, the Tokorozawa
Church in the Saitama diocese has also participated in the regularly-scheduled
event.
"Coming to a different church and entering the Mass together
is motivating for the children, as are having lunch and sleeping
all together," said Tsumugi Sasabuchi, a college student shepherding
more than 40 children from Tokyo's Kichijoji Church.
This year's theme was "Abba, Father" (Mark 14:36)--Praying
Together with the Martyrs. Before Mass, Archbishop Takeo Okada exhibited
drawings of the suffering endured by Tokyo native Mondo Hara on his
path toward martyrdom.
In his sermon, Archbp. Okada talked about how, in the Old Testament
Book of Hosea, God was angry with the people for their betrayal,
but to the extent that God can show anger, God also shows mercy.
The bishop went on to discuss the sufferings of Christ and how knowing
our weakness and experiencing our sadness, he bore the weigh of our
sins on the cross.
"Jesus cried 'Abba, Father' and through reliance on the Father,
he entrusted his life to the Father. Knowing the life of Jesus, inheriting
Jesus' Holy Spirit, the martyrs were able to offer up their lives.
We too have various difficulties, but imitating the faith of Mondo
Hara, believing in the love of a forgiving God, we can prove (ourselves)."
Each parish prepared spiritual bouquets, letters to the martyrs,
or lanterns lit before entering the church and presented them during
the Mass. Tokyo's Fr. Keizo Inagawa explained that Archbp. Okada
will take the children's prayer offerings to the Nov. 24 beatification
ceremony in Nagasaki, since most children from Tokyo diocese might
not have the chance to attend the ceremony in person.
The children studied the martyrs before writing letters to them.
Hiroko Ohta, a religious education leader at Tokyo's Kojimachi Church,
said, "They wrote after reading Raise Your Sail in the Wind
of Grace. The younger kids drew pictures. We read about the Uchibori
brothers, and how even the child Ignatio was martyred. We have one
kid who wrote 'Thank you God. I will treasure my family.'"
After Mass, everyone gathered in front of the sanctuary to hear an
introduction of each parish, and all the children danced and sang
together.
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