Solemn opening of
Salesian Pastoral Centre Hamamatsu
HAMMAMATSU, JAPAN: 01-06-10 -- Sunday 30 May, in the presence of
the Bishop of Yokohama, Bishop Rafael Masahiro Uemura, saw the blessing
and opening of the new two-storey building intended for ministering to
the people of Hamamatsu.
Revisitng the history up to the present, we can say
that this Salesian presence began with the dream of one Salesian of
Japanese descent, in San Paulo Province Brazil, who asked to come to
Japan as a missionary to accompany Brazilians who had emigrated to
Japan in search of a better life. The missionarys' name is Fr Evaristo
Higa, who on arrival in Japan set up in an area where there were
already many Brazilians working in auto-part factories. Thus he began
his mission amongst his own gradually building up a Catholic Brazilian
community in Hamamatsu bringing together various communities which had
spring up in different cities in the Shizuoka area.
When the Japanese Province officially took up this
presence, Fr Evaristo had already been working there for ten years and
had built up a strong Christian community open to other groups from
Latin America and Asia, showing prophetic attention to homeless
Japanese, helping them especially through Brazilian and other Latin
American volunteers, and also some Japanese.
In 2006, the then Provincial, Fr Orlando Puppo, sent Fr
Angel Yamanouchi to Hamamatsu to study possible directions for opening
a Salesian Pastoral Centre. Amongst other things, the socio-economic
situation in Japan was in strong recession and the crisis was affecting
migrants especially. God in his Providence and Mary Help of Christians
through her protection led to the purchase of a property almost
adjacent to the parish. After much coming and going, especially
involving those responsible for administration in the diocese, and also
the architect and engineers, this large, modern Salesian Pastoral
centre was built in less than a year.
The Salesian Provincial today, Fr Aldo Ciprian,i
thanked the Bishop for his welcome and for the confidence he had shown
in the Salesians in his diocese, and then he thanked the people for the
affection and support they had shown, something which has grown
more and more over these years.
May Laura Vicuña and Brother Zatti, the protectors of this
Pastoral centre, fill us with joy and hope so that this Centre may be
an authentic Salesian Home, especially for poor children and youngsters
and others in need of acceptance, education and Christian formation.
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