Ten Years Later in Japan — A Year Guided by God

Posted on August 13, 2026 by editor

Bro Dominic Savio Dao An Phuoc, OMI – My name is Dominic Savio Dao An Phuoc. I am a Vietnamese seminarian of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. My journey with Japan began ten years ago, when I first came here as a technical intern trainee. Ten years later, God gave me the opportunity to return to Japan, this time as a seminarian.

During this one year in Japan, I had many opportunities to study Japanese, live with the Oblate community, meet many people, and learn from different experiences. Looking back on this year, I can see many ways in which God has guided and blessed me. In this article, I would like to share some of my experiences and memories from this special year in Japan.

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Nagasaki, 81 Years Later: A Wound That Calls Us to Peace

Posted on August 9, 2026 by editor

Remembering the People

Jerome Novotny , OMI –Today, as we remember Nagasaki, I do not want simply to speak about an event in history. I want us to remember people – fathers and mothers, children and grandparents, students and workers, priests and religious sisters – whose lives were suddenly destroyed on August 9, 1945.

As a Catholic priest who has lived and served in Japan for 61 years, I have come to understand that Nagasaki is not simply a place on a map. Nagasaki is a sacred place of memory. It is a place where the history of Japan, the history of the Catholic Church, and the tragedy of war come together.

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It’s That Time of the Year in Japan

Posted on July 31, 2026 by editor

Brad Rozairo, OMI

As the month of August begins, I am reminded of the “Ten Days for Peace”. In February 1981, the late Pope Saint John Paul II delivered his ‘Appeal for Peace’ at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, stating: ‘War is the work of human hands. War is the destruction of human life. War is death.’ This appeal was an invitation to all people throughout the world to work towards the abolition of nuclear weapons and to strive for peace.

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Discovering Japan Together: An Orientation to Life and Mission

Posted on July 28, 2026 by editor

Tatel, Howard , OMI –  For a new missionary arriving in Japan, orientation to the country is not learned only through explanations, schedules, or information about culture. Japan is gradually understood by walking through its streets, entering its sacred spaces, listening to its sounds, observing its people, and sharing life with others.

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IVF: Are We Playing God with Human Embryos

Posted on July 25, 2026 by editor

Jerome Novotny , OMI –  Imagine a young married couple. They have dreamed of having children since the day they were married. Month after month they hope, pray, and wait—but nothing happens. Eventually, their doctor suggests in vitro fertilization (IVF). Friends encourage them to try it. Social media is full of happy stories about babies born through IVF. It seems like the obvious answer.

In recent decades, in vitro fertilization (IVF) has become one of the most widely accepted ways for couples struggling with infertility to have children. Millions celebrate IVF as a scientific miracle that fulfills the dream of parenthood. The pain of infertility is real, and every couple who longs for a child deserves compassion, understanding, and support. However, compassion should never prevent us from asking an important moral question: Does every technological possibility respect the dignity of human life?

From a Catholic perspective, the answer is not simply whether IVF works, but whether it respects God’s plan for human life and the dignity of every child. Two serious concerns arise. First, IVF attempts to replace God’s design for the beginning of human life. Second, it risks treating unborn babies as products that can be created, selected, bought, sold, or discarded according to human preferences.

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Tightrope Walking

Posted on July 4, 2026 by editor

Bro. Nobuhiko Yagi, OMI – Back when I was a student, I had a summer job at a circus – not as a performer, but as a lighting technician. Behind the big main tent where everyone watched the show, there were animal cages, small tents for the troupe members to stay in, and a medium-sized tent that served as their dining hall. We part-timers would enjoy lunch there together with the troupe members, sharing a friendly, communal atmosphere.

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Excursion to Kyoto

Posted on July 4, 2026 by editor

Bro. Prasanna Perera, OMI –  These days, I am reading a book called “A Concise History of Japan” by Milton W. Meyer. From the title of the book, you may already have understood its content. Yes, it is an introduction to the history of Japan, starting from traditional Japan up until the present day.

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Season of Creation 2026: Living Waters

Posted on July 4, 2026 by editor

Bishop Michael Pfeifer, OMI – The World Council of Churches calls Christians worldwide to observe the Season of Creation from Sept 1 – October 4, 2026. The Season of Creation is an ecumenical initiative that takes place annually from September 1, the World Day of Prayer for Creation, to October 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Creation. This year’s theme, “Living Waters”, comes from Ezekiel 47:9 and 12 – a biblical vision of hope and ecological restoration. During the Season of Creation, we join together as sisters and brothers of a universal family celebrating in prayer and action how to renew our appreciation, our commitment, conversion and our care and activities to protect and bring new life to Mother Earth, our Common Home. For this presentation, I found much information from the Season of Creation website (seasonofcreation.org).

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AI, Faith, and the Future: Becoming the Person God Created You to Be in a Digital World

Posted on June 27, 2026 by editor

Jerome Novotny , OMI –  If I could sit down with a group of university students and young adults today, there is one conversation I would want us to have. It would not begin with computers or robots. It would begin with a much more important question: What kind of person do you want to become?

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A Mini Treason

Posted on May 26, 2026 by editor

Ron Rolheiser, OMI – Thomas Merton once said that what he feared in his own life was not so much a massive betrayal of his vocation, but a series of mini treasons that lead to a different kind of death. And that’s the peril that I fear too, for myself and for our culture.

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The Sacred Silence – Deepening Spirituality in Nagasaki’s Peace.

Posted on May 19, 2026 by editor

Bro. Prasanna Perera, OMI –  Nagasaki, a city of unforgettable joy and pain, carries both discovered and hidden history. I first learned about this city while I was in Sri Lanka, when I participated in the Holy Mass on February 6, the feast day commemorating Saint Paul Miki and his companions, who gave their lives for Christ in this city in 1597.

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Human Life is Sacred from Conception

Posted on May 4, 2026 by editor

Bishop Michael Pfeifer, OMI – Pastoral Statement: Human Life is Sacred from Conception

1. The Bible clearly teaches that human life is sacred and precious from conception, and that murder is wrong (Genesis 9:6). This sacredness flows from the sacrament of marriage in which a married couple cooperates with God in bringing new human life into our world. Uniquely among all creatures created by God, only man, the human person; the human being, which includes each and every species of homo sapiens at all stages of life, has the capacity for a loving relationship with God. Only man has a soul and is the only one made in God’s image and likeness (Genesis 1:26). It follows then the human soul must be present from conception. Body and soul cannot be separate until death as determined by God.

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