A short sojourn in Japan
by Susan Daly, GSIC
The invitation to work in Japan came at a rare moment in our history. We had just left our Convent in Lungchuan, China, for the last time and were about to begin a journey by sampan – the first lap of our journey to Canada. The Communist army had taken charge of Lungchuan two years earlier and were anxious to see the foreigners on their way.
Then the mailman came up the walk, waving a letter. Our Mother General had written to tell us that the Scarboro Fathers had invited us to join them in their work in Japan. We could decide how to respond to that invitation.
On June 11, 1951, two Grey Sisters arrived in Tokyo. The Scarboro Fathers met us and told us of plans for a Health Care Centre and convent in their parish in Shimabara, Nagasaki. Other Sisters, on leaving China, joined us and soon we were doing our best to settle into a new culture.
In China, health care in all its forms, was a great need. In Japan, the government had well-organized health and education programs. We struggled to adapt to the culture and learn a new language as we attempted to make the Health Care Centre a means of contact with the people.
We learned very much from the Japanese people of how the Christian faith began in Japan. It was to the Nagasaki area that St. Francis Xavier came to evangelize. We learned of the time when Japan closed its doors to foreigners, allowing a few countries to trade but not to reside in Japan. We heard stories of the early Christians who had suffered persecution for their faith. In the city of Nagasaki stands the hill where twenty-six martyrs were crucified. All religious articles and books were destroyed and for two hundred years the faith was passed on orally, from one generation to the next as they waited for the promised return of the missionaries.
In 1865, Japan opened its doors again to foreign trade and priests were allowed to come to attend to the foreigners’ spiritual needs. A chapel was built in Nagasaki. The “old Christians,” as they were known, came to the church in search of the missionaries whom their ancestors had told them would one day return. There would be three “clues” to identify them: Did the leader of this church reside in Rome? Did the clergy marry? Did the priest believe in the Mother of God?
On hearing the response of the priest, they were convinced that this man belonged to the faith of their ancestors. Today, on this same hill, stands the Cathedral of Nagasaki, “Our Lady of the Discovery.” This Feast day of Mary is a holy day, celebrated on March 17.
We made many visits to the city of Nagasaki. The tragedy of the bombing was still very evident. Dr. Takashi Nagai’s last residence was of special interest to us. He was a very spiritual man who continued to convince people that the only road to peace was that of forgiveness. He tells the story in his book, The Bells of Nagasaki, a very worthwhile read.
Regretfully, our mission closed in November 1958.