https://seibomariamission.com/about daily 0.75 2020-03-08 https://seibomariamission.com/mmanecdotes daily 0.75 2021-02-28 https://seibomariamission.com/home daily 1.0 2024-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1596665792506-UTUZ7D88JE7Z6W36CIZ4/Kolbe.jpg Home - Our Apostolate With St. Maximilian Kolbe as our model, Seibo Maria Mission distributes Catholic resources to every region in Japan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1615341159409-NAPA5APY3P8KHL4MMSN4/Japan+People.png Home - Why We Feel Called For the salvation of souls as only 1% of the Japanese population considers themselves Christian. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1583694752899-JJ0D4QQTQD4LC0MO0OLV/StFrancisXavier.jpg Home - History of Catholicism in Japan Christianity, and Catholicism in particular, has experienced tremendous periods of persecution and exclusion within Japan. View our documentary to learn more why the faith became so important to those who received the Gospel message to the point of being martyred and carrying it underground for over 250 years. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1616562351632-2NAXV2ITMGXWNKEU99LP/OLJapanPic.jpg Home - Our Lady has played an active role in Japan From the day Christianity was brought to Japan by the great missionary St. Francis Xavier on the Feast of The Assumption, August 15, 1549, the Blessed Virgin Mary has been a central theme throughout its history. Learn of Her various titles, miracles and how She has been a most loving spiritual mother to Japanese Catholics. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/96e8a434-0339-48ca-a56b-cc60da357515/MM+Video+FrAndre.png https://seibomariamission.com/apostolate daily 0.75 2025-09-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1616347753415-7RHEQIE5DL1GPUN2BNFT/Mission1.jpg Our Apostolate Inspired by the witness of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Seibo Maria Mission of Japan seeks to evangelize in Japan! Following the zealous example of our co-patrons, St. Maximilian Kolbe and St. Francis Xavier, who brought the Catholic Faith to Japan, Seibo Maria Mission of Japan is a non-profit organization whose members seek to evangelize the Japanese people by first introducing them to Our Lady, the first missionary of Christ and the Mediatrix of All Graces through her Miraculous Medal, which was instrumental in the conversion of the agnostic Jew, Alphonse Ratisbonne. This story touched St. Maximilian so much that he began his mission of distributing the Miraculous Medal to everyone he met. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1616276738498-UZUSM7XWIZTDH7KHB5Z0/IMG_20190405_125243823.jpg Our Apostolate Distributing Miraculous Medals Here Father Elias Mary Mills FI, while leading a Catholic pilgrimage in 2019, is explaining in Japanese to the ladies working at the Unzen Orange Gelato Shop in Nagasaki, Japan, what the Miraculous Medal is that he had just given them. The many medals that were distributed on this pilgrimage were graciously accepted, thus the inspiration came to strike a medal in Japanese script for the Japanese people, along with printing accompanying material explaining the medal and graces available to those who accept it and pray with faith and confidence to Our Lady. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1616292824567-02DYQRLSBOXK3IC9Q5CA/MariaKannon_JustMedals.png Our Apostolate 20,000 Japanese Miraculous Medals were produced to be distributed! A young American Catholic lay woman designed a Japanese Medal. A Catholic Priest in Japan translated the inscription. A generous donor paid for a die to be cut in Italy and 20,000 medals were produced. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/91326b6c-0005-4e31-bf86-f60756880a8c/Pamphlets1.jpg Our Apostolate Following in the footsteps of Kolbe, a translated Japanese pamphlet! With the help of a Franciscan Friar, a Japanese Catholic lay woman and a Catholic Priest of Japanese descent all living in the U.S., a pamphlet was translated to go along with the medal. Our pamphlet also includes a fold with links to the Baltimore Catechism, the History of Catholicism in Japan, the Vatican Website, where to find the closest Catholic Church, the Miraculous Medal Website and St. Maximilian Kolbe’s Monastery in Nagasaki. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1616459433430-SP2YJ4CZWEY22C51XYL7/StFranXavJapan.jpg Our Apostolate Taking to heart the great missionary St. Francis Xavier’s words… “At times I have failed to place an image of Our Savior’s Mother beside His cross. At such times, I have always found the people rebellious to the gospel.” — St. Francis Xavier https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1616280103215-0FPPHSPJQ8KUDT5IXMKK/unsplash-image-N4DbvTUDikw.jpg Our Apostolate Our goal is to introduce as many souls as possible to Jesus and Mary Immaculate by distributing Our Lady’s Miraculous Medals throughout Japan! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/f037c227-82f1-4578-bc3d-d22f0e8627a9/20230419_160325.jpg Our Apostolate Off to a great start - so far 13,000 have been distributed! Multiple pilgrimages to the Catholic Shrines in Japan since 2019 have given us an opportunity to travel and distribute medals to the Japanese public. Those who have received medals have been so gracious and appreciative of this gift to them from Heaven. Here Brother Didacus Gottsacker fbp, and Father Elias Mary Mills FI, are conversing with store owners in Nagasaki after giving them and those around them medals. We now pray for them all for Our Lady to lead them to Jesus Christ! https://seibomariamission.com/mmhistory daily 0.75 2021-03-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1615340614592-X9VO9B488UCBDJACZYAA/catherine+laboure.png St. Catherine Laboure - The Miraculous Medal and the Plague While in 1832 the first Miraculous Medals were being produced, Paris was hit by a terrible cholera epidemic and claimed more than 20,000 lives. In June, the Daughters of Charity started to distribute the first 2,000 medals, especially to infected people who filled the hospitals. This terrible epidemic, a disease without cure, struck thousands and beleaguered many more. And yet, an exceptional phenomenon was noticed. Those who devoutly wore a certain small medal around their neck were spared or relieved from the epidemic. The healing continued to increase, and the population of Paris began to call the medal “miraculous!” https://seibomariamission.com/take-action daily 0.75 2022-10-15 https://seibomariamission.com/contact daily 0.75 2024-09-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1615305086155-K236HPYZ24WP0ADM5VZM/40048714_2317150524968387_636640030168711168_o.jpg Contact Center https://seibomariamission.com/benefactors daily 0.75 2024-09-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/6cf71a54-0c78-4e68-a596-8e1954072b3b/Website_PrayerCard_Photo.png Benefactors https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1612927327523-M5597IO4NHYCHWSVYGA6/FBP+Logo.png Benefactors https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1612927269532-9BCTZHZ4DN5YXBTPTSIU/FI-Logo-New.png Benefactors https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1612927401041-GTILSYRSOJFZMS3RMBDW/Pro-Ecclesia+Sancta.jpg Benefactors https://seibomariamission.com/japanchurch daily 0.75 2022-03-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1615346105673-NBWAZZFJ9BKRY72DGMQM/Miraculous+Medal.jpg The Catholic Church in Japan - The People of Japan Need The Message of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Just as with the United States and the rest of the world, the Japanese people suffer from a great spiritual poverty, the greatest of all forms of poverty. While the Word of God suffers in developed countries in the West, it has virtually been stamped out in Japan, despite being a land that was once fertile and receptive to becoming overwhelmingly Catholic. With the decline of religions like Shintoism and Buddhism in Japan, people are searching for answers to the meaning of their lives, but all they are offered is work and materialism. Both of these areas can be vessels of God’s goodness, but they are unsustainable as eternal pursuits for finding joy. Only the Truth revealed to us by Jesus can inspire people to lead better lives. Our Lady assures us that only the graces she distributes on behalf her Son, Jesus, is the path to attaining salvation. Our suffering has redemptive value, and it takes faith in Jesus who suffered on the Cross and his Mother, Mary, who suffered the sight of her son’s death for us to follow along that same path with a joyful heart. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1615346131981-2ERGGL74TTYMHDS3V58T/Spiritual+Poverty+Pic.jpg The Catholic Church in Japan - COVID and Spiritual Poverty One of the most prevalent issues in Japanese society is the rate of suicide. For much of its history, it was the leading country in suicide rates, despite being one of the most developed and having the greatest health and longevity of anyone in the world. Suicide is considered the point of ultimate despair and an irreversible path of visible spiritual poverty. Although Japan is known for its ものづくり (Monozukuri) — devoted work ethic to growing in perfection — many of them struggle to maintain that identity without high spirits. With so many who live such long lives, how is it that still so many have decided to take their own? The Catechism explains that “Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life. It is gravely contrary to the just love of self. It likewise offends love of neighbor because it unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation, and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations. Suicide is contrary to love for the living God” (CCC 2281). Already bereft of opportunities for marriage and starting families, many Japanese men and women especially experience despair. Coupled with a stringent education and work culture, stress accumulates without any home or family to return to other than one’s own individual dwelling. This increases feelings of anxiety, depression, and a host of other spiritual afflictions. Sadly, as a result of the ongoing isolation and fear surrounding the spread of COVID, suicide rates have increased exponentially, particularly among females. Since the virus has exacerbated these spiritual problems to a greater degree, it is all the more vital that they receive the love, hope, and truth that only Christ Himself can offer, and the Blessed Mother is the surest way to bringing others into that tender, manifold spiritual affirmation each of their children deserves. https://www.cbcj.catholic.jp/english/japan/history Monozukuri – Japanese Work Ethics | AllAboutLean.com Covid and suicide: Japan's rise a warning to the world? - BBC News Catechism of the Catholic Church - The fifth commandment (vatican.va) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1615346151339-PNRVS5FIPDSF76SEA41T/Catholic+Statistics+Chart.png The Catholic Church in Japan - A Look at the Catholic Church in Japan Religious beliefs in Japan are a mixed bag. A majority may identify as Shinto-Buddhist or non-Religious. Dr. Eric Cunningham, a Professor of History at Gonzaga University and a specialist in modern Japanese intellectual history, claims that the ‘Religion’ of the Japanese people is ‘being Japanese.’ The Japanese that are practicing Catholics tend to take their faith very seriously as it is extremely countercultural (CWR). Collectively, there are 260 Catholic Churches in Japan (FCC). Overall, there are at least 509,000 Catholics of the 128 million people living in Japan (NCR). As late as 2014, Japanese Catholics represent .035 percent of the population. There is currently a national population crisis, as less than one million babies were born in Japan within the last decade (CWR). As far back as 2012, 38.9% of Men and 59.4% of Women in the minority percentile are considered Lay Catholic. Of these men and women, 76% marry non-Catholics (CBCJ) . The remaining 1.7% have responded to a Religious Vocation. Seibo Maria Mission desires to increase the faith, hope, and love of the Japanese people after they have suffered many tremendous trials in their faith and culture. By spreading the Gospel message of truth and life, we believe that our work will inspire others to adopt the Christian message in a land overtaken by cultural and religious despair. Statistics | カトリック中央協議会 (catholic.jp) Japanese bishops: Vatican mindset doesn't fit Asian church | National Catholic Reporter (ncronline.org) Attending Mass in Japanese | Franciscan Chapel Center (franciscanchapelcentertokyo.org) Catholicism in the Land of the Rising Sun (and declining population) – Catholic World Report https://seibomariamission.com/maximiliankolbe daily 0.75 2023-11-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1616291013006-K7UIR9WOZSK6JDLI8WH4/tempFileForShare_20210320-203836.jpg The Life of Maximilian Kolbe - Whatever kind of man will you grow up to be? St. Maximilian Kolbe was born in 1894 to a family of five. His parents, Julius and Maria were both devout Catholics and had a devotion to the Blessed Mother. Known to be troublesome, one day his mother asked him whatever would become of him. Taking this to heart, he entered the sanctuary before the Virgin Mary. As he rushed to the Blessed Mother who appeared to him in a vision, she asked Kolbe if he would like to accept one of two crowns — a red crown or a white crown. He responded that he would like them both. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1615347137347-LSXCDBEQGVNH3Z2URBZZ/Maximilian+Kolbe+Office.jpg The Life of Maximilian Kolbe - Gaining Souls for Christ In 1917, war abounded throughout Europe and the entire world. Maximilian Kolbe founded the Militia of the Immaculata (MI), which produced a publication called Knights of the Immaculata of nearly 1,000,000 copies a year. Seeking to evangelize using whatever means possible, Kolbe utilized radio, pamphlets and books to spread the Gospel more rapidly and build a Heavenly city on earth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1615347269778-RO94EOEZ15BY41EGY06E/Maximilian+Kolbe+Japan+3.jpg The Life of Maximilian Kolbe - Kolbe Arrives in the Orient In 1930, Maximilian Kolbe carried his mission abroad to Japan. He was greatly dismayed by the lack of faith of the people and so produced the Knights of the Immaculata in the Japanese language. By some of the locals, he was advised to build his friary on the opposite side of the mountain in Nagasaki, according to Shinto-Buddhist tradition. It was considered to be bad luck where he had it established. He argued that the Blessed Mother told him to build it there. Eventually, the whole city was reduced to rubble by the damage of the atomic bomb, but his friary remained unscathed as the mountain shielded the blast. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1614184078890-C0SFMD9WEUJ5KO6LFRAY/College+Students.png The Life of Maximilian Kolbe MAXIMILIAN KOLBE’S UNIVERSITY CLASS Upon Request by the Bishop, he taught Theology at the Seminary with joy and enthusiasm https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1616379034065-574M2APS0DBYP66ME1UR/Max%2BKolbe1.jpg The Life of Maximilian Kolbe A STATUE OF MAXIMILLIAN KOLBE OUTSIDE HONGUCHI CHURCH https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1614184168699-C5QAHS61S186DWO2VX9W/Friars.png The Life of Maximilian Kolbe MAXIMILIAN KOLBE’S FRIARS RESIDING IN NAGASAKI, JAPAN They all labored to construct the church (now Honguchi Church) on the Nagasaki mountain top https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1615346497979-JBD23VIHJD1IAVL99MD0/Max+Kolbe+Japan.png The Life of Maximilian Kolbe MAXIMILIAN KOLBE IN JAPAN https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1615346864982-VCJO1TFWWZ57H1MJ42CX/Maximilian+Kolbe+Japan.jpeg The Life of Maximilian Kolbe MAXIMILIAN KOLBE AT THE GROTTO IN JAPAN https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1615346882767-GGAI9RQEQN46F6KQMMVY/Maximilian+Kolbe+Japan.jpg The Life of Maximilian Kolbe MAXIMILIAN KOLBE SURROUNDED BY JAPANESE https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1616374139251-7GV4UPX52E37PDU9BPKC/Takashi%2BNagai.jpg The Life of Maximilian Kolbe - Acquaintances Abroad While living in Japan, Maximilian Kolbe became acquainted with Dr. Takashi Nagai in the 1930’s. Nagai, who is now known for his contributions to X-Ray technology, became a convert to Catholicism and even offered an X-Ray to Maximilian Kolbe while he suffered from tuberculosis. Nagai was present during the atomic bomb attack on Nagasaki, losing his wife, and even helped bring about the conversion of the nation. A SONG FOR NAGASAKI | The Way of the Soul's Desire (wordpress.com) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1614185923236-5H4HGXHLJZ27LAY83IT0/Take+Me+Instead.png The Life of Maximilian Kolbe - Maximilian Kolbe is Sentenced to Death In 1936, Maximilian Kolbe was called back to his native Poland where he desired to receive treatment for his Tuberculosis. Just a few years later, the Nazis occupied Poland and took him to Auschwitz, where he exchanged his life for that of Franciszek Gajowniczek. He was executed by lethal injection and thus received both of the crowns promised to him by the Blessed Virgin. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1616291904222-PTSNE4POJZ1FD0F3NFCX/tempFileForShare_20210320-205522.jpg The Life of Maximilian Kolbe “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee, and for all who do not have recourse to thee, especially the enemies of the Holy Church and those recommended to thee. Amen.” —ST. MAXIMILIAN KOLBE, ADAPTING ST. CATHERINE LABOURE’S MIRACULOUS MEDAL PRAYER https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/eaafdc98-924a-4d31-aa31-adfb55213f11/Screenshot_20231111_224436_YouTube.jpg The Life of Maximilian Kolbe - The Life of St. Maximilian Kolbe in Video Please watch this excellent life-story video of St. Maximilian Kolbe which includes his time spent evangelizing in Japan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1615347921696-AWX7I2ZDAUF4DVKMS071/Max+Kolbe+Quote3.jpg The Life of Maximilian Kolbe https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1616374502337-OAIMDU0XO76HC58G25I1/Max%2BKolbe.jpg The Life of Maximilian Kolbe https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1616374563679-UAZ30OD6UW3J7AS1QE70/Max%2BKolbe%2BQuote2.jpg The Life of Maximilian Kolbe https://seibomariamission.com/stories-of-conversion daily 0.75 2024-03-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1616281527384-6L4NQPG6B9AWBXZ1GQG4/Alphonse%25252BRatisbonne.jpg Stories of Conversion - Alphonse Ratisbonne In 1827, a proudly professed anti-Catholic Jew, Alphonse Ratisbonne was set to marry a young, Jewish woman at 27 years of age after his parents became greatly distressed that Alphonse’s older brother — Theodore Ratisbonne — had followed the path to priesthood. Thus, Alphonse set his sights on taking over the family banking business, but not before one trip to Rome, Italy. There, he was convinced that if he had become anything, it would be a Protestant, not a Catholic. After some meetings with priests, he decidedly remained a staunch anti-Catholic. That is, until he wandered into the sanctuary of Sant’Andrea delle Fratte on January 20, 1842. It was there that he encountered the Blessed Mother who appeared to him in the following vision: “I had only been in the church a short while when, all of a sudden, I felt totally uneasy for no apparent reason. I raised my eyes and saw that the whole building had disappeared. Only one side chapel had, so to say, gathered all the light. In the midst of this splendor, the Virgin Mary appeared standing on the altar. She was grandiose, brilliant, full of majesty and sweetness, just as she is in the Miraculous Medal. An irresistible force attracted me to her. The Virgin made a gesture with her hand indicating I was to kneel and as if saying, ‘Very Good!’ Although she did not say anything, I understood everything.” The news of Alphonse’s conversion became widespread throughout Europe. After an investigation initiated by Pope Gregory XVI, it was deemed a truly authentic miracle that Alphonse had come to embrace the Catholic faith. Not only that, he accepted the call to become a Jesuit and joined his brother in founding the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion, serving until both of them passed away in 1884. It is thanks to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal that Alphonse’s heart not only softened, but that he came to understand his lifelong mission serving in the Church. Not only that, but he would continue to inspire millions through his adoption of the medal, including a young Maximilian Kolbe! The Conversion of Alphonse Ratisbonne - The American TFP https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/634ab567-dbf9-48ee-9fc1-29ae050cc8de/Lindbergh.png Stories of Conversion - Charles Lindbergh It was May 21, 1927 when 25-year old Charles Lindbergh made his famous nonstop transatlantic flight from New York to Paris in 33 hours and 32 minutes. Throughout his duration of venturing alone, he maintained himself in steadfast prayer. On such a long flight, Charles became sleep deprived and began to wander off. As his plane plummeted towards the ocean surface, the tapping of his suspended Miraculous Medal awakened him, which helped him regain control of the plane. The medal was given to him by Fr. Hussman, who after being promised that the medal would be returned to him, preferred that it remain blessed in the hands of the Lone Eagle. Upon his arrival to Paris, the New York Times wrote this about Charles: "The more one thinks of the behavior of Lindbergh in Paris, so much the more one arrives at the conclusion that God had a great part in the success of the aviator." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1614541107391-6UWRQNKAOVLDDYKV84TE/Fr.+J.++Hardon.jpg Stories of Conversion - Servant of God Father John Hardon, S.J. Fr. Hardon, S.J. was one who struggled to accept the miraculous intercession of the Blessed Mother through the Miraculous Medal, despite the overwhelming accounts. Being hammered with the Medal as a priest, he never got one for himself, though he advocated it for others. In 1948, he encountered an instance that would change his views forever. When a young, ten-year-old boy fell into a coma after a sledding accident, he offered the Medal to him to see if it would do anything. With the assistance of a Sister at the hospital, they hung it around his neck. The boy was diagnosed with inoperable permanent brain damage, and Fr. Hardon initiated him into the Confraternity of the Miraculous Medal after reading the pamphlet. Once the prayer was complete, the boy immediately opened his eyes and asked his mother for ice cream — the first time he had spoken in nearly two weeks! X-Rays revealed that the brain damage was completely gone and the boy was subsequently released after three days. Thus, Fr. Hardon, too, converted into believing that he should have a Miraculous Medal around his neck! https://seibomariamission.com/ourlady-japan daily 0.75 2023-11-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1616544217673-P31WERU83E8F0J8Q613H/mariakannon.png Our Lady in Japan - Maria Kannon During the Great Persecution, Kakure Kirishitan (hidden Christians), mostly in the Nagasaki area, also created statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary with child, disguised as the Buddhist deity Kannon (Goddess of Mercy). These images called “Maria Kannon” were made or altered to look like Kannon, but they were not worshiped as Kannon. Instead, the Kakure Kirishitans venerated these Buddhist statues by silently praying to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Many statues, moreover, had a Christian icon hidden inside the body or camouflaged in the artwork. During the dark years of the persecution, these secretive methods fooled government agents and helped the Christians to keep their faith hidden and alive. Our Lady was with them the whole time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1615345493450-PPE2KCMR7M60IHUJR2F4/Yasutaro+and+Blessed+Mother.jpg Our Lady in Japan - The Virgin of Tsuwano The Hidden Christians who suffered during the Great Persecution are remembered with great respect. Our Lady appeared to some Kakure Kirishitan while they were being tortured in 1867. Young Yasutaro's story is one of them. Locked in a small cage, instead of renouncing his faith, he died smiling, comforted by the Blessed Virgin Mary. JAPAN Japan celebrates the Virgin of Tsuwano, who brought comfort to martyrs (asianews.it) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1616545886327-M5YD18IALC0HHWOI1QIE/Screenshot_20200324-110045.jpg Our Lady in Japan - Our Lady of Miyako Father Leo Robin, a French Priest, had heard about the Japanese martyrs and deeply admired them. He started a devotional group that prayed for the conversion of the Japanese people and to end the Great Christian Persecution. He commissioned six statues to be made of the Blessed Virgin Mary and had them blessed by Pope Pius IX. One of these statues was brought to Japan. A boy was instructed to carry it up a mountain and bury it facing the city of Miyako (present day Kyoto). With the help of the prayers and Our Lady, the edict forbidding Christianity in Japan was abolished. Today the statue is encased for veneration in the basement Chapel of the Kawaramachi Catholic Church in Kyoto. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1616463684169-TJ6H4NAHBJAQK75L5Y6H/tempFileForShare_20210322-203650.jpg Our Lady in Japan - Seibo Maria (Holy Mother) of the Discovery of the Hidden Christians Under the Great Persecution in Japan, Christianity had survived underground for over 250 years. On March 17, 1865, a small group of Kakure Kirishitans (hidden Christians) entered the newly constructed and consecrated Oura Church (now Oura Cathedral) in Nagasaki. They asked the French priest, Father Petitjean, who was praying his noon prayers at the time, to see the statue of Santa Maria. This same statue shown to them of Seibo Maria (Holy Mother) remains in Oura Cathedral commemorating this great day. The Kakure Kirishitans had held onto their beliefs in Our Lady throughout the centuries and She maternally protected them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1616546140186-8AMZ5TRRLMHAU6SKC3XK/Screenshot_20200329-145233.jpg Our Lady in Japan - The Virgin Mary of Japan The Virgin Mary of Japan stands outside the Oura Cathedral in Nagasaki. This white marble statue, which commemorates the Shimabara Rebellion, was imported from France. The Shimabara Rebellion took place in 1638. 37,000 Catholic Christians, mostly women and children, were murdered during a Catholic Christian uprising against their oppressive Feudal Lord at Hara Castle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1616550255184-Q0EFGIX38HWQBMJCJTKH/Screenshot_20210323-204109_Chrome.jpg Our Lady in Japan - Hibaku no Maria (Atomic-Bombed Mary) A wooden statue of Our Lady was badly burned during the bombing of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. The epicenter of the bomb was right over the Urakami Cathedral, which was home to the statue. When the bomb exploded, 3 priests were hearing confessions and 30 Catholics were inside praying the rosary. The Cathedral was the only partial standing structure in the area after the bombing. The statue miraculously did not burn completely - Our Lady’s head remained, found under the rubble. This portion of the statue is now placed in a side chapel at the Urakami Cathedral in remembrance of the tragedy that happened on that day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/1616547975176-NPXDGMWP58O4795NC2V0/Screenshot_20200329-143946.png Our Lady in Japan - Our Lady of Akita This approved Marian apparition of the Catholic Church took place in Akita, Japan, in a Catholic Convent named Seitai Hoshikai. Between 1973 and 1981, Sister Agnes Sasagawa received messages from Our Lady. The messages warned of impending doom to mankind because of unrepentant sinners and Our Lady asked everyone to pray the rosary. Unusual and miraculous phenomena also happened during this time. Sister Agnes was healed miraculously and the statue of Our Lady bled and shed tears. Watch a short video to learn more. Sister Agnes tells her story first hand. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/37a52136-a0fc-4bff-aa55-7619e17343da/20231013_135530.jpg Our Lady in Japan - Holy Mary Kannon of Hara Castle Unveiled in March 2023, Holy Mary Kannon of Hara Castle is the largest wooden statue of Our Lady in the world. She stands almost 33 feet high. Situated on the foothills of Mount Unzen, overlooking the Hara Castle Ruins, Holy Mary Kannon was sculpted to console the 37,000 victims who died there during the Shimabara Rebellion. Christian men, women, young and old who were led by boy-saint Amakusa Shiro to rebel against their oppresive government, were in turn brutely murdered. Scupture artist, Eiji Oyamatsu, was inspired by Saint Pope John Paul II’s visit to Japan in 1981. Oyamatsu made a smaller prototype statue, sent it to the Pope with his plans for a larger one. Saint Pope John Paul II blessed his work efforts. 40 years later the beautiful sculpture was completed and now is a place of pilgrimage and veneration. https://seibomariamission.com/mission-pilgrimage daily 0.75 2025-08-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e652677afa49a260c2747e0/fcdf4666-290c-4560-b6a0-e71e1b2216b6/April2026_Japan_Pilgrimage_Image.jpg