Brad Rozairo, OMI
Waiting is part of life, and it is always for something or someone. Have you ever considered the act of waiting within your daily life? Where in your life lies your Advent—that period of waiting? For instance, waiting for someone important, waiting for your child to return home after school, waiting for a husband returning from a long-distance posting, looking forward to a long journey to meet relatives – all these are your personal Advent.
Continue readingJude Peirispulle, OMI – Various activities are taking place in and out of our church daily.
Continue readingKenichi Furukawa, OMI – My main job is accounting. However, due to a shortage of staff in Japan, I also serve as kindergarten principal and parish administrator. I’ve always asked for a reduction in my responsibilities, but it’s still being postponed.
Continue readingPart １ – Perpetual Vows Ceremony
Bro. Nobuhiko Yagi, OMI – It was late at night on August 3, 1991. With the Perpetual Vows Ceremony scheduled for the next day, I couldn’t fall asleep. The thought that my life as a formal Brother would finally begin tomorrow made me realize, no matter how I looked at it, that my weaknesses and flaws made it impossible for me to walk as a Brother. I had prepared for the next day right up until that moment, yet the day before, my confidence began to crumble.
Continue readingSavarimuthu, Stephen, OMI – I am Fr. Steve OMI from India, serving in Japan. As the pastor of Naruto & Anan Catholic Churches, I am daily surrounded by the smiles of children and feel hope through Montessori education in the kindergarten. In my spare time, I prepare cooking videos featuring South Indian dishes, using my hometown cousins in Japanese for YouTube.
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Jerome Novotny , OMI – Dear Friends for Life: Have you ever had a pervasive feeling of being alone, empty inside, or cut off from others? For many older adults, loneliness is a painful and distressing experience caused by a gap between their desired and their actual levels of social connection. Unlike simple social isolation, which is an objective lack of contact, loneliness is the subjective emotional pain of feeling alone, even when surrounded by others. The loss of loved ones, declining health, and a loss of purpose can intensify feelings of loneliness. The painful experience can result in a higher risk of depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, and even premature death.
Continue readingBishop Michael Pfeifer, OMI – The theme for this year’s Season of Creation is “Peace with Creation.” 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. The Biblical base for the theme, “Peace with Creation”, comes from Isaiah 32:14-18. 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. The Season is in the spirit of truth, a time to do a heart-filled assessment of the situation of Mother Earth, which is suffering many abuses and misuses by us humans. The Season of Creation is a source of strength and communion, encouraging us to truly hope and act justly with all of creation. To begin in a deep spirit of heartfelt gratitude, we thank our loving God for the beautiful gift of all creation.
Continue readingTo all who want peace, especially young people:
Introduction
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. In this milestone year, we once again pray for those who lost their lives, for those whose dignity was violated in various ways, and for the natural environment that suffered so much damage. After as many years as a human lifetime, how shall we accept the idea of valuing human dignity and the desire to realize peace, and how shall we pass that idea and desire on to the next generation?
In this Holy Year, which is celebrated once every 25 years in the Catholic Church, we hope to move forward with you, especially you young people, in the hope of creating a peaceful world.
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Jerome Novotny , OMI – Many people today, especially here in Japan and Asia, possess nuclear anxiety and fear that a nuclear war will occur. In the past, many have argued that the concept of nuclear deterrence would not only prevent the use of nuclear weapons but even prevent wars. They claimed that the balance of terror would preserve peace. Yet facts show that nuclear deterrence is not aiding but obstructing peace.
Continue readingBrad Rozairo, OMI – Holy Week on the liturgical calendar is a hectic time for priests. Spending these important days with small pockets of people in the countryside has made me reflect on my vocation and missionary life. On Maundy Thursday (April 17, 2025), as I spent some quiet time in a rural area, I recalled my thoughts, feelings and experiences, and decided to put them into words.
Continue readingJerome Novotny , OMI – Poet Warsan Shire hit a nerve when she composed this stanza in her poem “Home”.
“No one leaves home unless / home is the mouth of a shark.
You only run for the border / when you see the whole city / running as well.” and
“no one puts their children in a boat / unless the water is safer than the land.”
Today, we are facing a global refugee crisis. In mid-2024, the refugee population reached 43.7 million. In addition to this number, there are 72.1 million internally displaced people and 8 million asylum seekers, leaving a total estimate of 122.6 million people around the world who have been forced to flee their homes.
Brad Rozairo, OMI – Pope Francis’ message for this year’s Lent titled “Let us journey together in hope” highlights three key dimensions of the Lenten journey, namely: Journeying in Conversion, Journeying Together and Journeying in Hope.
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(St. Eugene de Mazenod, Founder)
I went to administer the sacrament of confirmation to a young person who was dying in the house for juvenile prisoners. There are already 45 children in this house between the ages of 10 and 18. It is painful to see this early degradation; we expect much from the painstaking care that Igive these poor youth through Fr. Fissiaux and Fr. Margaillan, his assistant. Already some of these children are showing the good effects of the religious instruction they receive.
