“Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo” (Ps. 89,2)

By Fr. Mario Yamanouchi, SDB

Tokyo, Japan, 16 November 2016 -- Fr. John Ishii was born in the city of Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture in 1938. He made his first profession at 20 years of age in 1958 and was ordained as Salesian priest in 1967 in Tokyo. He passed away in the early morning of 16th November 2016 in Tokyo due to the brain and lung cancer as the seventh Salesian of Don Bosco during this year.

During his 58 years of religious life he exercised his ministry in the school of Nyuga Gakuin (Miyazkitra, 1968-1975), in the Orphanage and Don Bosco School in Nakatsu (1975-1985), another 11 years as Parish priest and director of the Kindergarten in Kusu (1985-1996), director of Tokyo-Mikawashima Child Care Center (1996-2005) and since last 2005 was a parish priest and director of the kindergarten in Tokyo – Adachi.

Last May 2016 Fr. Ishii underwent an urgent brain cancer sugerí in the Itabashi university hospital ‘Teikyou’, but the disease already spread in his body and he suffered already a fast coming end of his life. He took this cross and offered his life for his dear Tokyo - Adachi Kindergarten staff and children, located in a low income area where he was closed to the poor people families. During this last period of his life he was accompanied with love and care by his Rector Fr. Domenico Matsunaga with his community of Mikawashima – Adachi – Akabane, by his parishioners of Adachi as well by the Kindergarten staff through the daily visits in the hospital.

And we Salesians are very grateful to doctor Hiraishi who welcomed Fr. John in the ‘Kosei’ hospital of Nishi Arai (Adachi) and accompanied him with his medical team in order to relieve his pain with specific medical care, but especially as a friend who is always close to the sick.

Fr. John had a dream for his Adachi mission. He knew that we miss in this poor Tokyo district some kind of Oratory, where the secondary school youth stressed much by the rigid school system would find a vital space of recreation. Since the majority of their parents are working the whole day until late hours, their parents asked to the municipality and to the parish priest a very specific help. The dream was about a family space as group home, after school activity space for play, prayer, self-study and club activity. For Fr. John this dream was like a reply to the preferential option for the poor young people as decided in our recent Provincial Chapter, June 2016. Fr. John knew that this sound like a dream (utopia) that could wake up the Salesian Family in Japan. He was convinced that this dream is a true call of God, since he spent last 11 year in this poor district of Tokyo.

We ask Fr. John to accompany us from heaven, together with Don Bosco, Don Cimatti and other Salesians who are part of the heavenly part of our universal Church.

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