Japan Catholic News
June 2008
LUTHERAN MISSIONARY USES HARP TO PALLIATE PATIENTS' AGONY
Catholic Weekly, June 15, 2008
 Carol Sack, 57, a missionary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
the United States, began her "Pastoral Harp" mission in Japan
in 2002 to palliate patients' physical, spiritual, and interior sufferings
with harp and voice at their bedside. Hospices, elderly homes, and
private homes are her workplace. Her service tells the suffering, "You
are the beloved of God."
On this mission Sack visits the Home of Hope hospice once a week. The
hospice was opened by Masaki Yamamoto and his wife Mie, both lay Catholics,
in October 2002.
Pastoral Harp works on a one-to-one basis. At first, Sack measures
the patient's respiratory rate, feels pulses and obtains data from
medical staff about rhythms of sleep or pain. She also finds out about
inclinations either to fear or grief. She then plays the harp, synchronizes
the rhythm with the patient's breath and condition to make the music
permeate the patient
Sack said, "I have nearly 20 repertoires, mainly the psalms of
Taize, an international ecumenical community founded by Frere Roger,
Gregorian chants, and country lullabies. What to play or sing is inspired
when we met up. Normally I choose five or so numbers, and repeat them
in about five or six minutes' turnaround. Occasionally I repeat the
same tune."
When she has played as long as half an hour, the patient often falls
asleep, breathing eases and pain is alleviated.
One man who had been difficult to deal with, irritable and short-tempered,
changed, saying, "I have never sensed a feeling like this, so
pure and so serene. I will get angry no more!"
What made Sack turn to the harp was the mental illness of her 7-year-old
daughter. Sack said that when she was overwhelmed by that tragedy the
prayers of her friends saved her from the depth of sorrow.
The experience of the power of prayer brought her a wish to share hope
with patients. She began to pray together at their bedside. Then, she
realized that harp sounds might make a better tool to convey the meaning
of hope to the suffering.
She took the two-year course of the School of Music-Thanatology affiliated
with St. Patrick Hospital in Montana, USA, where she studied harp,
theology, musicology, medicine and spirituality.
Music-thanatology was founded by a lay Catholic, Therese Schroeder-Sheker,
in 1990, based upon the Benedictine Cluniac tradition of the eleventh
century. Monks cared for a dying fellow monk by singing Gregorian chants
incessantly at his deathbed. It is different from music therapeutics,
a sub-specialty of medicine. Now there are about 50 music thanatologists
in the world. Sack is the only one in Japan.
Sack's Pastoral Harp is an offspring of music-thanatology. It focuses
on pastoral prayer. She is currently director of Lyra Precaria (Lyre
Prayer), an 18-month training program that teaches volunteers to use
harp and voice in prayerful presence at the bedside. The Japan Evangelical
Lutheran Association (JELA) now runs the second class of the program
in Tokyo.
Kumiko Minato, 43, a graduate of the first class, explained, "Pastoral
Harp is not a means of self-expression. We try to capture the feelings
of the patient, and turn them into harp sounds. It is, therefore, the
music of the patient."
"We are nothing but an instrument of God's grace and love," said
Sack. "It is God himself who touches the patient. Our joy is the
joy of the patient who, moved by the God's love, is able to appreciate
and value an hour of Pastoral Harp."
BISHOPS GATHER FOR ANNUAL PLENARY MEETING
Catholic Weekly, June 15, 2008
 The 2008 Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan (CBCJ) plenary meeting
convened from June 2 to 10 in Tokyo's Catholic Center. The assembly
included 17 bishops from the 16 dioceses of Japan, Oita diocesan administrator
Fr. Takashi Taguchi, representatives of religious communities and CBCJ
staff.
The following is a summary of the meeting's main decisions.
With the beatification ceremony for Peter Kibe and 187 other martyrs
to be held on Nov. 24, the bishops decided on the prayers and the readings
for the ceremony, preparing them to be submitted to the Vatican Congregation
for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the
Sacraments for final approval. The bishops also formulated a prayer
to be used after the beatification, asking for the intercession of
the martyrs.
There was a discussion about the contents of a declaration to mark
the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with
the working title, "Toward Peace Based on Respect for Human Rights." The
bishops' committee for social affairs is charged with reflecting upon
the discussions of the meeting and preparing a final version of the
declaration for December's Human Rights Week.
Though it was supposed to be finished in time for the Aug. 6-15 10
Days of Peace, as the declaration is still being drafted, a speech
from the president of the bishops' conference will be given as a substitute.
The bishops also confirmed amendments to the order of the Mass prepared
by the Committee on Rites. They further discussed revision of the Japanese
versions of various prayers and the celebration of the sacrament of
reconciliation. The bishops' decisions were then prepared for submission
to the Vatican for approval.
Naha's Bishop Toshio Oshikawa, who would attend the June 18 Centennial
Anniversary of Nikkei Immigration in Brazil as a representative of
the bishops' conference, spoke about the preparations and presented
his planned address for vetting by the CBCJ.
The conference confirmed the scheduled Sept. 1 name change of the Japan
Catholic Buraku Issues Committee to the Japan Catholic Buraku Discrimination
and Human Rights Commitee.
With the merger of the Fukuoka and Tokyo seminaries expected to be
completed next April, the bishops confirmed the plans for the new institute.
The bishops also approved the formula for calculating an individual
diocese's expected yearly contribution to the bishops' conference with
the levy for the 2009 fiscal year to remain at \100 per each Catholic
enrolled in the diocese.
Fulfilling the request of last year's general meeting, there was a
report on a survey sent out to dioceses, convents, monasteries, and
missions concerning the National Initiative for Catholic
Evangelization (NICE).
The findings of the summary, entitled "Twenty years after NICE-1:
Approaching the Pauline Year and Beatification Ceremony" were
announced by the organizing bishops, Takeo Okada, Jun Ikenaga, and
Mitsuaki Takami.
The findings suggest that NICE had a "significant effect" on
everyone from bishops to priests to parishioners to Religious throughout
the country, and the exchange of opinions made it a "generation-defining
effort," but "we must be very aware that if this enthusiasm
doesn't continue, the effort could stall, and stop short of our goals."
At the first open forum for Catholic concerns in 1987 and the second
in 1993, although many important issues were brought forth, the Catholic
Church in Japan was not ready for real change, according to the report.
The number of issues introduced made it difficult to address any one
issue in particular, and the heart of the problem was a lack of relevance
and cohesiveness of the campaign, the report concluded.
Beyond understanding the limitations of the NICE strategy, the report
approved and encouraged progress regarding recommendations set out
in "Living Together with Joy" and "Sharing" published
by the bishops' conference. These include working toward better relations
between native Japanese parishioners and the massive foreign community
of the Catholic Church as vital.
June 28 marks the start of the 12-month Pauline Year, so on the last
day of the meeting, the bishops joined around 500 attendees at a pair
of public lectures entitled, "Learning from St. Paul to Evangelize
Modern Japan" sponsored by the CBCJ at the Kojimachi Church. This
replaced the usual private study session of the bishops.
HOME FOR ELDERLY, YOUTH AIMS TO BE SELF-SUPPORTING
COMMUNITY
Catholic Weekly, June 8, 2008
 May 19 marked the opening of a self-help home for the elderly
as well as youth with psychological problems and a water-bottling
plant that will help support it.
The Ajimu Healing Home, a non-profit organization headed by Fumiyo
Nakamura, a 69-year-old Catholic, stands on the grounds of a Trappistine
nuns' monastery on a hill in Usa city. Initially it plans to
house about 10 persons.
The new ventures are located in an attractive spot where a hot spring
had gushed out. More importantly the monastery church is available
within a few minutes' walk. The home will soon begin to accept applications.
Former Oita bishop Ryoji Miyahara blessed the home and the factory
at a ceremony attended by nuns, people from neighboring areas, donors
of materials, machines, and money, and city officials. The bishop had
been installed as bishop of Fukuoka just the day before, but he had
been involved in the preparations for the opening.
In his talk, he said, "Respect for individuals is the base of
true happiness, which one would discover on a visit here."
The concept of a self-help community was explained by Nakamura.
"Medical services by themselves never made people happy," she
said. "Rather, that the healthy and the sick, the aged and the
young, all live together deep in nature should be the goal we must
look at. There, all are free from the bed-ridden life. All can be active
through to the end. This is the idea I have been embracing for 40 years."
Nakamura's self-help concept led to the plan for a home that allows
people of various ages to live together and is independent of government
subsidies. She learned this from her own experiences in caring for
young students and helping elderly persons. As time went by, her idea
gained supporters, including several Religious communities.
Water played an important role in this project. The late Marianist
Fr. Tokuichi Tomonaga discovered an underground water vein that proved
excellent either for drinking or cooking. Word of it soon spread from
mouth to mouth.
"The heart of cooking is water," said Kihachi Kumagaya, a
well-known French-style chef. He came to know the Ajimu water, met
Nakamura, learned of her plans, and became a good friend. Kumagaya
attended the celebration, and donated a statute of Our Lady of Lourdes
for a grotto prepared above the water' spring.
Hiroshi Ishii, a former professional baseball player, is another co-worker.
As a co-director for the organization he is responsible for the water
business. He plans to name the water "Bishin-Sui" (Water
of Beautiful Heart).
Endorsing Nakamura' concept, he said, "The Ajimu Healing
Home will be a model for all of Japan, nay for all of the world, in
its quest for self-sustainability by combining economics and welfare."
Japan Credit Union (JCU), a Catholic-based financial service, was also
involved. Masao Mitsuyoshi, managing director, explained the reason.
"The Home and JCU share a common objective, which is to help those
in need," he said.
Nakamura said she wonders how to show her gratitude for the assistance
given by all these people. She prays for the grace for the home to
grow into a community of mutual aid, active and fresh, like the early
Christian community, as an answer to their goodwill.
FOREIGN WORKERS IN KYUSHU LOOK FOR MORE SUPPORT
FROM LOCAL CHURCH
Catholic Weekly, June 8, 2008
Brazilians and Chinese, migrant workers and foreign nationals, 17 participants
from all over Kyushu gathered May 25 under the theme "Let's Come
Together and Talk!"at the Kyushu Solidarity Network with Foreign
Migrant Workers 10th general meeting in Fukuoka's Minoshima Pastoral
Center.
A group of seven members began the meeting with a talk entitled, "Facing
the Age of Settlement."
A Chinese woman representing a group of six agricultural trainees discussed
her escape from a hard life of manual labor, making less than minimum
wage, coerced into working countless hours of overtime. After labor
union attempts at negotiation proved useless, in April, she sued for
damages in Kumamoto district court. (In light of her situation, her
name was not used in the original Catholic Weekly article.)
A former researcher and overseer from the Philippines (whose name was
also withheld in the original article) described how the harsh reality
of the foreign labor system is a far cry from the legal requirements,
referring to the Japanese cultural contrast between outward expression
and the sentiment.
The second part of the meeting was group discussion, where participating
organizations addressed the overarching problems of service workers
and vocational trainees. A number of participants expressed shock upon
hearing the agricultural trainees' tragic story.
Kyushu Solidarity Network executive officer Mitsuhiro Iwamoto, a parishioner
of Fukuoka's Mizumaki Church, said that the population of foreign laborers
in northern Kyushu continues to increase, but the Church is only just
now beginning to actively support foreign workers.
Citing examples of Japanese who believe that there are no foreign Catholics
in their parishes and foreign priests who act as if they came to Japan
only to minister to native Japanese, he said that there is not enough
support from churches, and that foreign priests are not keeping up.
In May, the Nagasaki Commission for Migrants, Refugees, and People
on the Move decided to hold a seminar in September for foreign Catholics,
at the same time seeking support from local Japanese. There are also
plans to hold an informational session for Japanese Catholics in November,
in partnership with the national Solidarity Network with Migrants Japan,
in order to educate locals regarding support for foreign Catholics
in the area. Iwamoto hopes this will improve the lives of foreign residents
and link them with priests in the area.
The Kyushu Solidarity Network with Foreign Migrant Workers is an NGO
cooperating with the Fukuoka diocesan Council for Justice and Peace.
2,000 ATTEND NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON LIFE AND DEATH
Catholic Weekly, June 1, 2008
 Nearly 2,000 people attended lectures and discussions focusing on how
to live better lives under the theme "Working together for life" at
the National Life and Death Issues Conference national meeting May
17-19 in Yokohama's Kanagawa Public Hall.
The participants, including a delegation of the founders of the Korean
Life and Death Issues Conference, heard five lectures over two days.
Actress Akiko Koyama, St. Luke's International Hospital chairman Shigeaki
Hinohara, folklorist Sumio Morijiri and Jesuit Fr. Alfons Deeken, honorary
president of the national conference, joined the organization's president,
Sr. Yoshiko Takagi to give presentations. The Yamato Life and Death
Issues Conference prepared the gathering and later in the program gave
a reading of a play.
The meeting began with a death preparedness education session lead
by Fr. Deeken, who explained that there are now 53 organizations throughout
Japan that have activities directed toward death preparedness education.
They can be divided into three main groups: those promoting education,
improving final medical treatment (including hospice) and supporting
the bereaved.
During his lecture, Fr. Deeken explained that when we lose a loved
one, finding the bright side is important. The loss is a chance for
us to grow personally.
Koyama discussed how, for two years, she nursed her husband, director
Nagisa Oshima, in their home. After constantly feeling the pressure
to be a calm and restrained caregiver while dealing with feelings of
loss, she fell into depression. But, in the midst of her despair she
began to read Fr. Deeken's book Live Well, Laugh Well, Meet Death
Well, and her life changed.
"I couldn't go on living, fussing about status and prestige," she
said. "When I understood in my heart how to let go, living became
a joy."
Sr. Takagi is also president of Hyogo Life and Death Issues Conference,
and was in charge of initially consoling victims of the 1995 Kobe Earthquake,
as well as those affected by the 2005 Amagasaki rail crash.
Basing her lecture on her ongoing experience of working with the victims,
she emphasized the importance of using all five senses to listen to
those who have suffered, to treat them with sincerity, and to bring
everyone closer together.
Ninety-six-year-old Hinohara, who recently published To 10-Year-Old
You from 95-Year-Old Me, stressed the urgent need for "life education" in
school and society at large.
Morijiri gave a presentation entitled "The Currents of the Japanese
Heart."
On the second day, the discussion "Final Care; Concerns for Life" brought
together three speakers: Japan Hospice and Final Care Association chairman
Akio Yamazaki, Fukuoka Ninosaka Clinic president Yasuki Ninosaka and
critic Satoshi Yonezawa.
They identified the legal and medical restrictions placed on those
under final care, with Yamazaki saying, "When a a patient receiving
final care from a hospital is introduced to the community, it is necessary
to prepare the local environment for home treatment and the like. I
would like to see smaller groups set up to address local issues the
way that the Life and Death Issues Committee does."
CONFERENCE ON CONSTITUTION'S PEACE ARTICLE DRAWS
20,000
Catholic Weekly, May 18, 2008
 An international conference to look at the war-renouncing Article
9 of the Japanese Constitution drew over 20,000 people to Makuhari Messe
in Chiba prefecture May 4-6
The Global Article 9 Conference to Abolish War featured more than
150 people from 31 different countries. The number of guests greatly exceeded
the number expected. On the first day about 3,000 could not get in and
so the sponsors hurriedly arranged to have the talks given at an outside
location near the building. In addition to the conference in Chiba, other
conferences were held on May 5 in Hiroshima and May 6 in Sendai and Osaka.
The theme of the General Assembly on the first day was Thinking About
Article 9.
The keynote speech was given by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mairead Corrigan
Maguire, who shouldered the task of finding a peaceful solution to the
problems in Northern Ireland. She said that the real battle was "finding
a solution through means of dialogue only. Seeking forgiveness and giving
forgiveness became the key to peace." She emphasized that it was Article
9 that enabled them to realize such a solution.
The next speech was given by Cora Weiss, president of the Hague Appeal
for Peace, who has continued to engage others in an international effort
towards abolishing war. She spoke about Iraq, America and Japan, and also
about a diplomat who as an American colonel had resigned in opposition
to the war in Iraq and of the soldiers who had returned home from Iraq.
She also spoke of an Iraqi who offered humanitarian support in Iraq who
said, "Continuing military action will only result in continued destruction."
In addition, an event held before the conference, the Article 9 Peace
Walk, was introduced. Members of the group who had departed from Hiroshima
in February and walked to Tokyo came up on the stage and appealed for peace.
The representative of the conference, Yoshioka Tatsuya of Peace Boat
said at a press conference that there are those who call for the abolition
of Article 9 and for Japan to offer humanitarian assistance in the war
zone but "the people in the war zone are seeking peaceful assistance.
This is what I want to communicate to you at this conference."
On the last day it was announced in a joint conference with both
the sponsors and the participants from overseas that they had produced
four documents among which was The Global Article 9 Conference Proclamation
to Abolish War.
Bishop Matsuura Goro, auxiliary bishop of Osaka and head of the Japan
Catholic Council for Justice and Peace, participated in the conference
as one of the conveners.
According to the bishop, at the time when the proposal to amend the
Constitution first appeared, the efforts to preserve Article 9 were like
a movement to preserve the Constitution. However, in the course of preparing
for the conference, the consciousness of the citizens changed to "we
must preserve Article 9 for the sake of the world."
"This is the most important meaning of the Global Article 9 Conference
to Abolish War," he said.
The bishop said he sees great value in his own self-awareness that,
as a leader in the Church, it is necessary for the Church to be deeply
involved in the preservation of Article 9.
He spoke of his view of the changes taking place, saying, "In recent
years the Council for Justice and Peace has engaged in communicating
the meaning of Article 9 to Asia and America. Now, through involvement
in this conference, we have begun to work together with groups of
citizens seeking to preserve Article 9. The Council for Justice and Peace
is now able to exercise its role even within citizens' groups. Looking
toward the future I see us moving more and more in this direction."
J-CARM CONDUCTS ON-SITE TRAINING ON HOMELESSNESS
IN OSAKA'S KAMAGASAKI SLUM
Catholic Weekly, May 25, 2008
The Catholic commission of Japan for Migrants, Refugees, and People
on the Move (J-CaRM) headed by Saitama Bishop Daji Tani carried out
its second on-site training in the Kamagasaki slum in Osaka May 9 and
10. The first such program was conducted two years ago.
The training was part of the "Apostleship of the Road" commission
of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant
People that deals with circus and carnival wokers, but J-CaRM expanded
it to the homeless.
Franciscan Fr. Tetsuro Honda organized the group of 10 trainees from
parishes and the CBCJ offices. The small number was due to its action-based
program.
Bishop Tani encouraged them, "Take every possible opportunity
try and spread what you learn here."
On the first night of the program, participants walked through the
area for about 90 minutes. Early the next morning they went to the
Nishinari Labor Welfare Center, a placement office, before its doors
were opened. They observed how labor sharks snatched day laborers.
One thing they missed was the planned participation to the Saturday
meal service at Mitsumi Park, the so-called Sankaku Koen (triangle
park), due to rainy weather.
Afterwards, they moved to a Franciscan care house, Furusato no Ie,
where Minoru Yamada, director of the corporate non-profit organization
Kamagasaki Shien Kiko, an organization to support the homeless, briefed
them on the slum's history and its current situation with emphasis
on the struggles and endeavors of supporters.
Yamada talked about a complex picture of human relationships in the
slum featuring discrimination by the discriminated-against. Agents
tend to treat laborers unjustly, spoiling their human dignity, while
those same labor sharks who happen to be Korean residents in Japan
face discrimination by Japanese. He also referred to the change in
ways to approach the problem, a shift from censure-centered rallies
to collaborative initiatives. A night shelter with over 1,000 beds
built by the local government in 2004 was an achievement of such realistic
and steadfast efforts.
Fr. Honda reported on the First International Pastoral Meeting for
the Homeless in Rome Nov. 26-27, 2007, held by the pontifical council.
He said he valued highly several practical programs presented there,
of which the most important one was a change of the welcoming community
itself.
He gave several pieces of practical advice for working in Kamagasaki.
It is not enough to give alms, he said. Consideration to the dignity
of recipients and developing their self-reliance should be the priority
for action programs. Since the homeless want to get out of their situation,
it is not enough to aim at "co-existence." Neither should
outsiders assume that they can successfully place themselves on the
same standpoint as the homeless or think that they have reached a mutual
understanding based upon difference, as such thoughts are a temptation
to think that the task has already been completed.
BEATIFICATION PREPARATIONS MOVE AHEAD IN NAGASAKI
Catholic Weekly, June1, 2008
 Nagasaki Archbishop Mitsuaki Takami, chairman of the executive committee
in charge of the Nov. 24 beatification ceremony for Peter Kibe and
187 other martyrs, convened the extended committee's second meeting
at his residence on May 23.
The participants, numbering about 50, included local committee members,
supporters and regional heads, delegates from all the dioceses in
Japan, and the chairman of the Catholic Bishop's Conference
of Japan (CBCJ) Special Committee for Canonization and Beatification,
Bishop Osamu Mizobe of Takamatsu, in addition to other relevant personnel
from the CBCJ.
This meeting came just after the late-April deadline for the first
round of applications for participation in the beatification ceremony,
which was offered to the 15 dioceses excluding Nagasaki. It was reported
that about 11,000 applications were received in this round.
On June 15, the second application round, which will include local
members of the Nagasaki archdiocese, is scheduled to begin. When
discussions touched the construction of the ceremony's location,
for which a draft plan has already been completed, some suggested
that it would be better to impose a limit on the number of participants
allowed from each diocese, but in the end the decision was swayed
in favor of Archbishop Takami's suggestion that they "consider
it a top priority to enable all hopeful participants to attend."
The committee and diocesan representatives also confirmed details
pertaining to logistics of the ceremony, such as parking applications
and the distribution of event badges to attendees.
Within the executive committee, teams have been formed to spearhead
various aspects of the event, including facility setup, the ceremony
itself, youth, publicity, the vigil ceremony, first-aid, and so forth.
Final plans for the conduct of the actual ceremony, whose outline
was confirmed with the Special Committee for Canonization and Beatification
and the CBCJ liturgical committee, were progressing gradually. A
number of proposals related to the preceding night's vigil, during
which pilgrims will be able to deepen their devotion in prayer, were
also refined.
One of the group's arrangements, a "candle relay" for
young people involving every diocese in Japan, has already begun;
four dioceses have already completed their turns, and the plan calls
for almost all youth centers in each diocese to participate. A walking
procession to be begun the night before the ceremony, tree-planting,
T-shirts and pins to be distributed: all these and more were under
consideration in the various subcommittees.
As these efforts have progressed over the past three years, it feels
as though the priests' organizations and, indeed, all of Japan has
swelled in excitement, observed Bishop Mizobe.
Before taking an early leave, he added, "If I could make one
request: I would like to have all of you, as members of the executive
committee, take a moment to reflect on the true meaning of this beatification.
I will be happy if you'll focus on drumming up support also for the
month of prayer before the ceremony. Then, with the vigil, once more,
I want to emphasize the idea of 'Nagasaki and a time for prayer.'"
After the meeting, the participants went to the Nagasaki Prefectural
Baseball Stadium, which will be the site of the event, and, actually
going down onto the field, they resolved matters such as the construction
of the altar for the event's ceremony.
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