EAO Regional Conference on the State of Salesian Historiography
Day 2 | Tuesday | 5 Nov 2013
Presentation of the Magazine Article
'Entrusting the poor children and orphans to the Madonna ....
– the Life of the FMAs During the Period Before and After World War II' in 'Watashi no jikan'
This magazine is a bi-monthly magazine of spiritual formation for women and is divided into two parts:
the first and second part. The title of the magazine is 'Watashi no jikan (My Time)'. It is a magazine with a large
number of readers. There are many people who read this interesting and formative magazine.
The author of this article is named Kiryu Yasuko. She is not a Christian, but a good reporter. She is the
managing director and publisher of the magazine. One day, she came to our school 'Seibi Gakuen in Tokyo,
because she wanted to make the magazine known to readers in our school. On this occasion, she read the book,
'Nenrin'. Reading the life of Sr. Hirate Hana Monica and two sisters, and moved by coming to know the sisters’
way of life, she wanted it to be known to many Japanese readers. For this reason she wrote this article entitled,
‘Entrusting the poor children and orphans to the Madonna ....-the Life of the FMAs During the Period Before and
After World War II'.
In the first volume is the beginning of the FMA Institute in Japan, from 1929 until 1935. The second
volume presents the Foundation of the House 'Maria Ausiliatrice' in Tokyo, from 1939 until 1948. Especially,
during the world war, the sisters looked for a place for the poor and displaced children and orphans and worked
tirelessly for them. And finally, in gratitude to Our Lady for her protection during the war, a statue of Mary Help
of Christians was placed in the schoolyard 'Seibi Gakuen' in Tokyo. Many readers who have read this article,
were moved with the way of life of the FMAs.
