austraLasia #2052

The Chofu novices preparing for first profession

TOKYO: 6th February 2008 --  While most liturgical calendars for 2008 simply indicate 'St Agatha' for 5th February some, and certainly in Japan, indicate that it is the day on which the memory of the Japanese martyrs of 1597 is celebrated liturgically.  The 6th being Ash Wednesday, the customary memorial for Paul Miki and Companions is not being celebrated this year.  It all seems like the right time for a little Salesian news from Japan - and in particular concerning the novitiate.
    The novitiate is at Chofu, in Tokyo, and there are two novices this year, due to complete their novitiate in March. They have already made their request for first profession and are awaiting the hopefully successful outcome of that.  Both, as it happens, are Vietnamese born, and have spent some years now in Japan under an arrangement with the Vietnamese Province and in particular the House at K'Long, which some years ago offered the possibility of some aspirants coming to Japan after their initial discernment and continuing their initial formation as part of the Japanese province.  The director of Novices is Fr Achille Loro Piana.  It is interesting to note that Chofu is a House of Formation which includes all stages from Pre-novitiate to Theology - and is the final resting place of Ven. Vincent Cimatti.
    In addition to their request for first profession, the two novices have already applied for entry to Tokyo's famed Sophia University, in the news of late with the fact that the new Jesuit Superior General, Fr Nicolás, lectured there until recently.  The fact that the two novices have made this application, hopefully successfully, is an indication of their intellectual prowess.
    Four pre-novitiate candidates have lined up for entry to the novitiate for this coming year.  Their request has already been accepted.  Three of them come from a similar situation as the two just completing their novitiate - Vietnamese born, but have spent some years already in Japan.  The fourth is Japanese, and the fruit of one of the two aspirantates in the Province, Yokkaichi.
    This rather different set of circumstances in the Japanese province highlights one of the special features of the Japanese Church: with fewer than a million adherents, but still the largest Christian denomination in Japan (Christians make up around 1% of the population), there are more migrant Catholics than local ones - since in the 1980's large numbers of immigrants came to Japan from Asia and then came a reverse-migration trend from South America.  Salesian ministry in Japan reflects this fact with important parish and chaplaincy presence to migrant Catholics - many, especially from Brazil, with Japanese background.
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Title: australasia 2052
Subject and key words: EAO Provinces GIA vocations
Date (year): 2008
ID: 2000-2099|2052