Don Bosco and Nagasaki Martyrs

By Fr. Tadeusz Sobon, SDB

Nagasaki, Japan, 10 September 2016 -- When the Salesian Family celebrated last year 200 years of Don Bosco Birthday, the Catholic Church of Japan remembered 150 years of discovery of the Underground Christians who survived 250 years of persecution. Just few weeks after the consecration of first Catholic Church in Nagasaki – Oura, one French missionary Fr. Bernard Petijean, MEP met a small group of women who whispered "We are the same heart as you!" In this way emerged the first group of underground ‘Kiristan’ who survived for many the generations the long lasting persecution started 400 years ago.

One of the underground communities of Catholics survived also in coastal district of Nagasaki - Sotome. Now we find there also three large communities of 80 Caritas Sisters of Jesus, looking for a hospital, pharmacy, retreat house, house for aged people and also for elderly and sick Sisters. Thanks to the Salesian Family relationship there is already for few decades one resident Salesian Priest – Chaplain. Fr Tadeusz Sobon is serving joyfully the Sisters and their destinataries for past six years.

Also in another suburb of Nagasaki – Aino, the Salesian are present for past 40 years in a small parish and kindergarten. In a typical Japan missionary dynamics, the education of non-Christian children in the kindergarten is the best bridge to the local society. Although on Sunday Mass is present only a handful of Catholics, there are already three generations and hundreds of Catholic Kindergarten Past Pupils who got in touch with the Catholic Church – Caritas Sisters and Salesian Priests. Yes, without a solid missionary spirituality you can be easily discouraged in Japan. But the faith and patience brings fruits and the blood of the Martyrs is a guarantee of the process!

To be present in Nagasaki is important also for vocation promotion. Although the number of Catholics in Nagasaki archdiocese dropped in past 15 year to 60.000, this is still the highest Catholic concentration in Japan (4%). Today the Universal Liturgical Calendar of the Catholic Church remembers the 205 Blessed Martyrs of Japan. In communion of those who witnessed to Jesus in Nagasaki 400 years ago we can surely go forward also today in their homeland!

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