Japan Catholic News
October 2008
RETIRED JAPANESE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL AND WIFE LIVE AMONG CAMBODIAN VILLAGERS
Catholic Weekly, October 19, 2008
Ryuichi Urushibara, the former principal of Yokohama Futaba Junior
High School, and his wife Kyoko moved to Cambodia three years ago,
starting a new life in Siem Reap province, 300 kilometers north of
Phnom Penh.
Their house is located near the World Heritage site Angkor Wat. Except
for the area where international tourist hotels are lined up along
the streets, the province poor, with shortages of drinking water and
electricity. The Urushibaras live in rented house and draw water from
a well with a pump while buying bottled water for drinking. The Siem
Reap parish church is located a 10-minute walk from their home.
For their first three months in Cambodia, they studied Khmer the national
language. Now they can manage the language well enough that villagers
ask them to teach Japanese for those seeking jobs as tour guides.
When Ryuichi retired from 40 years at Yokohama Futaba as teacher and,
for six years, principal, he wanted to once again work directly with
children. The idea of life in Cambodia as ordinary individuals, rather
than as a member of any lay missionary organization, just being a friend
to children, was thus formed. Kyoko gave him an immediate consent,
as she was also interested in childhood education.
Cambodia had been ruled by foreign countries for a long time and in
the latter part of the 20th century the country suffered under the
communist Khmer Rouge regime led by Pol Pot that killed most of the
nation's leaders and priests. One-third of the population was
lost and schools and churches utterly destroyed. Part of the aftermath
of that is a shortage of schools and teachers. Children have to earn
money to help their families, ans so are unable to go to school. Foreign
businesses monopolize the money of tourists with little left for domestic
workers' payrolls.
"A number of NGO's are doing a good job in Cambodia," Urushibara
said. "Depending on the type of project, an NGO can fit better
and is indispensable, but we understand there should be something that
can only be achieved by individuals. Walking side by side as friends
with villagers was our preference for our mission here."
The Siem Reap parish church has about 200 parishioners. As members
of the church the Urushibaras join such parish activities as helping
poor boat people on rivers and assisting in early childhood education
and care project conducted by the Sisters of the Infant Jesus of Chauffailles.
The Urushibaras also carry out similar care and education in another
village on their own.
What they consider most important is to mingle with local people with
a sense of kinship. Seeing foreigners live together with them and share
their difficulties and hardships helps local people feel that they
are not forsaken. In return, direct contact with village children helps
the Urushibaras renew their belief that God created humanity originally
good.
The Urushibaras are a magnet for Japanese visitors in Cambodia. A soccer
team from the Jesuit-run Sophia University in Tokyo came to the village
to run a training program for the children.
"To accomplish great things is not our aim," Urushibara said. "We
believe the small things we do can be appreciated by the people here.
We hope that our being here can enhance mutual awareness between Japan
and Cambodia, so that we can be better neighbors to each other."
BISHOP TALKS OF CHURCH RESPONSE TO DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE
Catholic Weekly, October 19, 2008
In recent years, recognition of domestic violence (DV) has changed
the way the Church approaches social problems. In dealing with the
problem, Caritas Japan, in cooperation with the welfare committees
in each diocese, has been hosting seminars to tackle DV. In an interview
with the Catholic Weekly, Tokyo auxiliary Bishop Kazuo Koda spoke about
how the Church is dealing with DV.
The Church in Japan began addressing DV beginning in 2004 at Tokyo's
Justice and Peace national convention. During the DV portion of the
meeting, a man started talking about his personal experience with abuse.
This man's father abused him relentlessly when he was a boy. In his
home, the violence lasted through the week until Sunday morning, when
the whole family went to Mass. For Bishop Koda, that was the first
time he experienced the serious urgency of the problem. Realizing that
he had heard that kind of story before, he said, "It really is
a problem everywhere."
"Wherever people live, violence exists. But I think, holding true
to what's good in terms of Catholic families and churches, even now
there's a strong sense that, 'DV and all kinds of violence are out
there in the world, but shouldn't be in the Church.' However, even
when violence occurs, no one talks about it in the Church. Is it not
the case that victims are made to feel that even if they say something
they still won't be believed?"
Bishop Koda said that one of the reasons DV is still not talked about
in the Church is the unwritten rule about not discussing things like
premarital sex, abortion, and divorce.
"The US Conference of Catholic Bishops' committee on society released
a document concerning DV and divorce. Their impressive message said,
that which destroys marriage is not the act of divorce, but rather
it is the violence that destroys marriage. In addition, they also wrote
that it is not the case that we should end all marriages where violence
predominates. I also think that's true."
With the title "Abuse, Violence, and the Gospel," Caritas
Japan is focusing this time on the pain and suffering endured when
Catholic women are sexually abused. These are women who experience
great suffering through premarital sex and pregnancy, and though they
are the victims, they find it hard to escape the feeling of being sinners.
The feeling of sin is worsened when, in confronting the problem, they
see themselves violating the unwritten laws of the Church.
Priests sometimes tell victims of DV to take it as a test of faith,
making the victims feel cornered.
Commenting on this, Bishop Koda said, "While there may be some
who have insufficient knowledge of DV and violence issues, there's
a problem: do they have the sense to see a human being, or doctrine
and laws?"
Along with that, the Church still seems unable to escape the impression
of being harsh on the victims, and easy on the aggressors, he added.
"We should certainly never simply make ethical demands on the
victims while offering a message of forgiveness to the aggressors.
Actually, it should be the opposite: telling the victims about the
love of God, and explaining the moral importance to the aggressors.
It's important to continue saying 'Violence (and threats) will not
be tolerated.'"
"Christianity is a religion not about judgment but a religion
about saving people," the bishop said. "The basis of Christianity
is that God loves everyone unconditionally. But a problem arises: how
is it OK to live, contenting oneself with the love of God and not putting
forth effort? Of course, Christianity also thoroughly questions how
we should live as people responding to God's love. Christian ethics
and Church law show how to live responding to God's love. The role
of the Church is not to judge, but should be to restore humanity's
relationship with God."
The bishop said that the only way to become a "Church of salvation" is
for everyone to make continual progress toward living like Christ.
"It's not that we should only follow rules; the important thing
is to be based on a 'love God, love people' way of life. We, the Church
in Japan, should not forget the history of Christians suffering as
oppressed, poor people. I think it's important to recognize that as
our history. When we can do that, won't we be able to become a Church
that knows the true meaning of walking with those who are suffering?"
LITURGY CONVENTION IN SRI LANKA SEEKS 'LITURGY
THAT EXPRESSES FAITH'
Catholic Weekly, October 12, 2008
On Sept. 16, the Pontifical Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline
of Sacraments (CDW) convoked the Liturgy Convention for Asia, a forum
bringing together the various bishops' conferences of Asia at
a hotel outside of Colombo, Sri Lanka. The purpose of the gathering,
which lasted until Sept. 21, was to advance the Catholic Liturgy of
Asia. Forty-eight participants from 19 countries were in attendance,
among them Toshimitsu Miyakoshi, secretary of the liturgical committee
of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan (CBCJ).
The CDW was represented by its prefect, Cardinal Francis Arinze and
three other members. Also present were various persons associated with
the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC).
First, Cardinal Arinze and his colleagues mentioned Pope Benedict XVI's
interest in the beauty and tradition of the liturgy, and posed the
question, "How can we show others 'the real visage of faith' through
the liturgy?"
Another highlight was the exchange of opinions concerning the national
conferences' cooperation with the CDW and with each other.
Delegates from each country gave reports. Speaking of the situation
in Japan, Miyakoshi indicated that completely literal translations
of liturgical texts are proving difficult. He remarked upon the difficulty
of, for example, translating of the standard Latin "et cum
spiritu tuo" ("and with your spirit"). However, he also noted
that this meeting had made it clear that conferences in Korea and elsewhere
were also struggling in the same way, and that the opportunity for
such common understanding was valuable.
Later, Cardinal Arinze addressed the attendees. Commenting upon the
fact that certain parts of South and Southeast Asia had adopted a custom
of dance during the entrance and offertory processions of the liturgy,
he admonished them, saying that the Mass is "not a mere performance," but
instead was intended to offer thanks and glory to God.
Other topics included the principles of inculturation and translation
of the liturgical texts, the leadership of the bishop in matters of
liturgy, the fact that within monasteries leaders have a responsibility
to conduct liturgical formation under the leadership of the bishop,
and the importance for seminaries to include Latin and Gregorian chant
in their liturgical curricula.
At the end of the forum, a summary document was compiled to be sent
from the CDW to all the bishops of Asia.
BISHOPS' MEETING LOOKS AT BEATIFICATION, LITURGY AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Catholic Weekly, October 12, 2008
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan (CBCJ) held an extraordinary
plenary session at the CBCJ headquarters in Tokyo on Oct. 3.
Participants included 17 bishops from the 16 dioceses of Japan, Oita
diocesan administrator Fr. Takashi Taguchi and representatives of male
and female religious and missionary organizations.
The session opened with a report on the Nov. 24 beatification ceremony
of Peter Kibe and 187 other martyrs and the question of setting a date
for the annual liturgical celebration of the martyrs.
The ecumenical movement for the Pauline Year and the use of Mass prayers
of the Solemnity of the Conversion of Saint Paul were also discussed.
The Vatican has given one-time permission to use that Mass on Jan.
25 though the solemnity occurs on a Sunday.
Afterwards, various agenda were discussed. Below is a summary of the
meeting's main decisions.
A CBCJ draft message to mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, "Toward Peace Based on Respect for
Human Rights," was discussed, modified, and approved for release
as an official CBCJ declaration for December's Human Rights Week.
In response to a question from the Vatican's Congregation for Divine
Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the advisability of moving
the sign of peace at Mass from its present location before Communion
to an earlier place in the liturgy was discussed. Agreeing with the
CBCJ's liturgy committee, the bishops concluded that no change was
necessary. The decision was approved for forwarding to the Vatican.
The bishops approved a recommendation that thanksgiving for the martyrs'
beatification be included in the Prayer of the Faithful in all Masses
of Nov. 30, the first Sunday after the beatification ceremony. The
prayers will be composed locally.
BISHOP AT ECUMENICAL CONFERENCE EXPLORES
FAITH OF MARTYRS
Catholic Weekly, October 12, 2008
The National Christian Council in Japan and the Catholic Interfaith
Assembly met Oct. 3 in Tokyo's Kojimachi Church to listen to speeches
regarding the Christian martyrs of Japan. from more than 10 members
of both groups. Representing the ecumenism division of the Catholic
Bishops' Conference of Japan, Takamatsu Bishop Osamu Misobe was among
some 10 speakers from both organizations. He spoke on the topic, "Questioning
the Way of Life of the Martyrs in the Christian Era."
Bp. Mizobe, who is also director of the Canonization and Beatification
Special Committee, answered criticisms concerning faith in the era
of Christian martyrs. His goal was to have attendees at the gathering
take another look at the lives and actions of the martyrs.
The bishop examined the restrictions placed on Christians in the 16th
and 17th centuries. "[The martyrs] simply couldn't survive in
that frame of time. It doesn't do any good to criticize them harshly
from outside that time frame. For them, striving to realize universal
good even in such a time is what makes them (true) martyrs."
Bp. Mizobe pointed out that Portuguese and Spanish missionaries coming
to Japan brought along with them the tensions of competition for the
Iberian Penninsula. They also carried Western notions of freedom of
religion.
"Japanese felt suspicious of the missionaries who wouldn't give
up the freedom-to-evangelize mentality," he said.
The battle for influence among the religious orders, excessive foreign
trade in order to fund religious missions, and racist undertones expressed
in the training of Japanese priests gradually soured relations with
the foreign missionaries.
The bishop asked, "And how did Japanese perceive this state of
affairs?"
He went on to cite a letter sent by a despairing Japanese priest, Fr.
Thomas Akira, and others to Rome, a letter critical of the situation.
The bishop then spoke about the response of others to the situation.
"Kibe and Julian Nakaura (two of the martyrs) didn't touch on
that internal division. Looking only at part of the dark shadow, would
they stumble and fall into loss of faith, or knowing (the risks) only
too well, would they accomplish their individual ways of life experiencing
the guidance of God in the middle of all this? We are always pressed
to make choices in the reality of situations. Knowing human weakness
and scandal, there are paths to keeping faith in God alive. We want
to revere people who follow such paths as martyrs."
Before Bp. Mizobe's speech, beatification committee secretary Fr. Fuyuki
Hirabayashi S.J. spoke about "The Theology of Martyrdom."
Both speakers emphasized the life of suffering endured by Peter Kibe,
who traveled to Rome to become a priest, and after multiple shipwrecks
finally returned to Japan only to be captured and martyred.
After the speeches, the speakers took questions from an interested
audience impressed by the descriptions of the martyrs: "In the
face of martyrdom, whose was the guiding hand of faith?" "How
were believers able to keep the faith even to death?"
ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY ESTABLISHES GRIEF
CARE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Catholic Weekly, September 28, 2008
St. Thomas University in Amagasaki, Hyogo prefecture, has set up an
institute to train grief counselors.
Fr. Takehiko Oda, president of the Osaka diocesan university, and Sr.
Yoshiko Takaki of the Society of Helpers of the Holy Souls, director
of the Hyogo Life and Death Care Center, announced the establishment
of Japan's first institute for grief care at a press conference Sept
11. The institute, a university affiliate, will open in April 2009.
Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara, chairman of the board of trustees of St. Luke's
International Hospital, assumed the office of honorary president. Sr.
Takaki was nominated president. Ten professionals in psychology and
medical sciences from the university and outside will staff the institute.
The background to the founding of the institute was the April 25, 2005,
derailing in Amagasaki of a JR-West train that killed 106 passengers
and injured 555 others.
Sr. Takaki immediately began to take care of the wounded and victim's
families.
Two years later, in June 2007, staff of JR-West responsible for relations
with the injured and the bereaved visited Sr. Takaki for advice how
best to help them.
Sr. Takaki suggested a new research institute on grief care and a series
of open seminars. Practically, JR-West would give a financial support
and St. Thomas University would provide research facilities and staff.
The open seminars were established at once under JR-West's sponsorship.
"The trend towards the nuclear family is increasingly conspicuous
in today's Japan." Sr. Takaki said. "As human relations on
social levels grow thinner, anyone suffering from grief will be isolated
even more. Awareness of the need of bringing in a third party's helping
hands becomes clear. We are in the age of huge and horrible tragic
accidents killing so many persons in an instant. People realizing the
shortage of individual effort begin to turn their attention to a systematic
approach. I feel we have to advance research on grief care that is
based upon the Japanese culture and mentality."
The institute's training course consists of a basic course, a volunteer
course and a professional course. Each course accepts 50 persons. The
classes run every Wednesday evening and alternate Saturdays for three
years. Graduates from the professional course are qualified for certification
by the Japan Society of Spiritual Care and are eligible for employment
in hospitals.
Applications for the institute's programs are accepted from November.
Details are available by telephoning 06-6491-5000.
"Nippon Notes" by William Grimm
THE OMISSION OF MISSION?
UCA News
TOKYO (UCAN) -- In a message for World Mission Day 2008, Pope Benedict
XVI says, "It is therefore an urgent duty for everyone to proclaim
Christ and his saving message."
How are we responding to that urgent duty here in Asia?
A friend in a distant place contacted me and asked how he could get
to know about Christianity. He was looking for direction in his life,
something to pass on to his children. His traditional religious background
was insufficient for him, and he thought the Church might offer something
to help his search.
I suggested that he get in touch with a priest I knew in his area.
The next time I heard from my friend, he said he had contacted the
priest, who told him not to bother changing his religion.
The priest I had recommended is a man of deep faith and prayer. His
selfless service is an inspiration to many people, including me. Still,
though he is a missioner, he did not feel it essential to his mission
to encourage another to come to belief in Christ and the Church, even
when that person came looking for what Christ and the Church might
have to offer.
If this were an isolated case, it would merely be sad. However, it
is not an isolated case. Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil of Guwahati
in India has commented that, "Christians in our times seem embarrassed
to speak enthusiastically about their faith."
Here in Japan, the bishops' conference or its committees issue statements
for various "Days" that the Church marks with prayers and
collections. As usual, however, this year's World Mission Day will
pass without any official notice from the Church leadership.
We seem to be infected with a missionary malaise.
When we read the letters of Saint Paul, the Acts of the Apostles and
the Gospels, it is very clear that the priority for the Church in the
first century was to proclaim Jesus as Lord and Savior.
The Church at that time was a minuscule community of several hundred,
perhaps a few thousand, believers among millions of people largely
ignorant of the Church's very existence. Those who were aware were
often hostile to it, sometimes bemused by it and occasionally interested
in what it had to say.
The Hellenistic world in which Christians proclaimed their faith was
home to ancient philosophic and religious traditions, and a multitude
of cultures coexisting within the globalized Greco-Roman social, economic
and political world order.
In other words, first-century Christians lived in a context that in
many ways was like that of Asia's Christians living in our twenty-first
century.
Even so, we seem to differ as to where we place our priority as Christians.
We carry on with our parishes and institutions directed toward the
maintenance of the Christian community. We continue making essential
contributions to serve the needs of the world outside the Church in
medical care, education, social and economic development, the empowerment
of women and minorities, and other activities that we define as "integral
human development."
However, in our dealings with the world outside the Church, we often
seem to leave out the most integral part of being human -- the relationship
with God in Jesus Christ that each person has through the Creation
and Incarnation.
Christians face persecution in India and other places, and being a
Christian is challenging in more places, but we are for the most part
comparatively free to live and proclaim our faith in Asia. The constraints
on that proclamation are generally not outside us, but within ourselves
and our communities.
I easily recommend books, movies, music, restaurants and websites to
others, but am I as forthright in recommending what Saint Paul calls
the "surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus?" If I truly
believe that the proclamation of Christ is the will of God and the
work of the Holy Spirit, I might be another Paul, who said, "I
am not ashamed of the Gospel."
The fact is that billions of our brothers and sisters on this year's
World Mission Day will not "know Christ and the power of his resurrection." They
will not know they are children of a loving God.
But they have the right to know this, and our timidity in proclaiming
the Gospel is an injustice against them and against God who commissioned
us in baptism to be heralds of the Gospel. Do I have the right to deprive
others of that knowledge through my sins of omission?
World Mission Day is an opportunity to renew my faith that knowing
Christ is indeed of "surpassing value" for me. Then, having
renewed it, I can commit myself to sharing it with all who deserve
to know it as well.
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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NAGASAKI PRIEST LECTURES ON THEOLOGY OF ATOM-BOMB SURVIVOR
Catholic Weekly, September 28, 2008
Dr. Takashi Nagai is famous as a Catholic doctor who came to the aid
of victims of the Nagasaki atomic bombing and as an author of his reflections
as he was dying of leukemia.
In anticipation of the 100th anniversary of Nagai's birth, Fr. Kiyomi
Yamauchi, a teacher at Nagasaki Junshin University, read Nagai's book
The Bells of Nagasaki and was inspired to lecture on the lessons of
the selfless doctor.
In August, Fr. Yamauchi began a lecture series titled "Talking
about the Ideology of Dr. Nagai."
"Many events were planned to commemorate the 100th anniversary
of Nagai's birth," the priest said, "but amid the celebration,
some confusion about Nagai remains to be clarified. I'm disappointed
that some people brand Nagai based on his statement, 'The bomb was
divine Providence.' Some people don't think about the theology; they
have no justification for their position."
Fr. Yamauchi prepared his lecture series in order to correct that thinking.
Up until now, author Hisashi Inoue and Nagasaki University's Shinji
Takasaki have had the final word regarding such criticism.
"I think it's natural to criticize," said Fr. Yamauchi, "since
Dr. Nagai didn't write about his theological background or support."
So, what did Nagai mean when he used the word "Providence"?
According to Fr. Yamauchi, "It's better to accept the reality
of the bombing as Providence, once it had happened."
He added, "He especially wanted to say that it wasn't divine punishment.
That is the most important historical background point. Persecution
(of Christians) had only just ended shortly before then; the church
(at Urakami) had recently been completed. Catholics were naturally
refusing calls by their neighbors to go to Suwa Shrine and make offerings.
And it was there at Urakami that the bomb fell. They were told, 'Look,
divine punishment has come.' Catholics were made to feel that way.
And so Nagai explained, 'It wasn't punishment, but Providence.'"
If it was Providence, a pessimistic outlook was out of the question.
"Deep, deep inside, there must be something to it. Providence
does not allow hopelessness or despair, but dependence on God. So his
Providence argument is exceedingly joy-filled," said the priest.
Trust in Providence is different from fatalism that whatever one does
the result will be the same, and so leads people to give up. Through
his Providence argument, Nagai calls for people to pull themselves
up by the grace of God.
Fr. Yamauchi described Nagai's attitude as, "Pursue the rebuilding
of Urakami, the rebuilding of the faithful. No matter how painful it
is, work together. So it's joyful, an optimistic vision of the future.
Through it all, Dr. Nagai lived his life in complete dependence on
God's Providence."
Fr. Yamauchi plans to continue the lectures in December and January.
The main theme of his second lecture will be Nagai's use of the term "sacrifice."
"Catholics calling for priests, confessing their sins, and receiving
the sacrament of penance, and especially in hearing the hymns sung
by the students at Junshin Girls Academy... in bearing the weight of
the evil of the war, Nagai truly experienced their suffering as sacrificial.
That's what he meant: a holy sacrifice."
According to Fr. Yamauchi, for Nagai the Sacrament of Reconciliation
was vital.
"August 15 is the feast of the Assumption, and that's why Catholics
were pouring into the confessional on the 9th. So, that's why Dr. Nagai
referred to dying in the midst of that as 'having been called back
to God after receiving forgiveness of their sins.' The doctor was saying
that their deaths were not pointless. He was saying to those who were
cursing God that cursing God was inappropriate. They taught others
the value of living the faith, and made up for their sins."
The third lecture will deal with the peace issue. Nagai did not directly
address who was responsible for the war. He emphasized the ugliness
and horror of war, that it should never be repeated, and explained
that love was the way of peace.
"Dr. Nagai tells us not to have a second war, to protect our peace
constitution. Without placing blame, he certainly continues to call
for peace," said Fr. Yamauchi.
POLISH SISTERS IN NEIGHBORHOOD MINISTRY TO ELDERLY
Catholic Weekly, September 21, 2008
 Thirty years ago the Sisters of the Divine Providence came
from Catholic Poland to largely non-Christian Japan, where
they have steadily continued their missionary activities
and devoted themselves to "treasuring
every individual person" they encounter. They decided that the
best application of that ideal in their new home was to focus in particular
on the care of the elderly.
For 20 years now, the Sisters have invited seniors in the area to the
Nakameguro Convent, the group's headquarters in Tokyo, to spend their
days engaged in pleasant conversation and handicrafts at "Daycare
Socials."
Every Monday and Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., a group of about
10 local women in their 70s, 80s and 90s gather at the sisters' Nakameguro
convent. In the morning, and again in the afternoon, they spend two
hours with felt, cloth and cotton work gloves making mascot dolls,
decorations and other small crafts, all the while enjoying lively chit-chat
about life. Since the convent sits atop a hill, volunteers assist with
transportation.
Kuniko Sawai, an 80-year-old who has participated in the Socials for
about 20 years, said, "This is great fun. Everyone speaks kindly,
without insults or grumbling. And on top of that, we can work with
our hands, talk and make friends. I missed it during the summer break,
when the convent takes time off. I would have been happy to come all
summer, for sure!"
The Divine Providence Sisters came to Japan at the invitation of the
Salesians in 1976. They set up their initial operations in Tokyo at
Mikawajima and Yotsuya, and in 1982 opened the convent at Nakameguro.
Their goal was to perform services needed by the area's residents,
so after seeking advice at the ward office and participating in local
assemblies, the Sisters, seeing the lack of organizations caring for
the aged, visited the Sakuramachi St. John's Home (a special-care facility
for the elderly) and, on the basis of what they learned there, made
plans for private "Daycare" that they could provide at
their own convent. This resulted in the first Social 20 years ago.
"Our goal is neither to make works of art nor to make rules. Rather,
we are pleased if old people living alone and other lonely people can
feel happy in an atmosphere just like being at home," explained
Sr. Jordana Skakuj, the 51-year-old superior of the convent.
At first, a dietician who was a Christian made meals for them, but
these days each person brings lunch. Fees that cover expenses like
the snacks provided at 3:00 each afternoon are ¥300 per day. In
the springtime, there are flower viewing trips and an Easter party.
In October, Social members participate in the convent's bazaar,
where they can bring their handmade crafts. Then, in December, they
have a Christmas party complete with an appearance by Santa Claus.
Sr. Roberta Skowron, 67, who coordinates the Social, said, "Last
year, we took an overnight trip to Hakodate with those who were interested.
There was one woman, aged 90, who was so happy, saying, 'This was the
first time in my life I've flown on a plane, the first time I've stayed
at a hotel!' She told me, 'I want to do this again.' She was delighted
another time, too, when we decorated a Christ-mas tree — again,
the first time in her life."
The members of the Daycare Social spent their adolescence in wartime
and lived busily as young wives in the ensuing peace. They all seem
to agree, "This is more fun."
The women who come are mostly non-Christians who live nearby. They
began to attend after learning of the Social by word of mouth or from
flyers at the ward office. About half of the original members have
already died, but at present members of the neighborhood church have
also joined their circle.
The Sisters of the Divine Providence were founded in 1857 by Mother
Antonina Mirska in Poland and began their work supporting the finances
and education of orphans and women faced with difficulties. These days,
they engage in a number of pastoral activities such as schooling and
childcare, as well as teaching children about morality.
Currently, they also have communities in Hyogo prefecture in Aioi and
Himeji cities. The 11 sisters in this country, one Japanese and the
rest Polish, all work at places like nursing homes, hospitals, and
kindergartens.
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