Is Hikikomori (Extreme Social Withdrawal) a Global Epidemic?

Posted on January 14, 2020 by editor

In the late 1990s, just as home computers and internet access were becoming ubiquitous, people in Japan began paying closer attention to a severe form of social withdrawal—marked by the desire to be alone in one’s bedroom—that was becoming commonplace among adolescent boys. They called this form of extreme social withdrawal hikikomori.

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…they have seen a great light

Posted on January 6, 2020 by editor

Fr. Bernard ONDAP OMI – Last December 26-27, 2019, the Japan Oblate Delegation, joined by four diocesan clergy from Takamatsu Diocese, came together for the annual Christmas at Nakajimacho Parish Rectory in Kochi, Japan. The simple yet very meaningful atmosphere started with the Eucharistic celebration presided by Bishop Suwa. In his homily, the Bishop empathized that we should recognize the light that God has given us in our day to day life. We face a lot of challenges as Missionaries and as a Church in Japan, but God never fails to give us that light which radiates hope.

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The Oblate Mission in Vietnam

Posted on January 2, 2020 by Bradly Rozairo

Bradly Rozairo, OMI – The Missionary Oblates were allowed by the Communist government to enter Vietnam in 2010 to perform limited missionary work; they had been there since 2001. The Oblates are one of just a handful of religious congregations given permission to work in the country. Much of their work is pastoral in nature, but they also have outreach programs including overseeing the Bung Orphanage.

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Childhood in Japan is certainly not getting any easier

Posted on December 29, 2019 by editor

The girl was 15, the teacher in his early 30s. He recognized her ability, encouraged her, befriended her, seduced her. He took her to a love hotel and said, “This is what grown-ups do.”

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Babies born in Japan to drop below 900,000 in 2019 for first time

Posted on December 25, 2019 by editor

The number of babies born in Japan fell an estimated 5.9 percent this year to fewer than 900,000, the first time since the government started compiling data in 1899, the welfare ministry said Tuesday.

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Journey From Advent to Christmas With Mary

Posted on December 24, 2019 by editor

When we imagine Mary making the journey to Bethlehem, we think of her as waiting for the Christ child. But she wasn’t waiting for Him. She was the only person who wasn’t waiting anymore. Yes, she was waiting for His birth, but she already knew Him. And not only did she know Him, but she knew Him in a way that only she could. With each of my daughters, I have enjoyed getting to know them before birth — getting to know their patterns of movement, what sounds they respond to, how often they sleep. Likewise, my daughters are getting to know me, nestled beneath my heart and listening to its beat.

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My Experience of Christmas

Posted on December 17, 2019 by Bradly Rozairo

(Bradly Rozairo, OMI) -Every year around this time the whole world gets ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus. We in Japan also remember Christmas when it enters the cold season and celebrate it as a festival.

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The Message of Advent is a Message of Justice for the Oppressed

Posted on December 13, 2019 by editor

The scripture readings for the season of advent tend towards the apocalyptic. I use the word in both senses here: in its original and etymological meaning of “revelation” (literally, unveiling) and in its more colloquial “end of the word” sense.  Prophets arise, calling people to repentance. Kingdoms are laid waste and despoiled, but a new kingdom is foretold. And judgment is coming.

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Thoughts on the Immaculate Conception

Posted on December 10, 2019 by editor

The immaculate conception refers to the dogma that Mary was conceived in the womb of her mother, Ann, without Original Sin. The Scriptural evidence for this dogma is, of course, the angel’s greeting: “Hail, full of grace” (Lk 1: 28). Mary is full of grace, both intensively and extensively, that is, at the moment of the greeting, and her fullness of grace extends back to the very moment of her conception – otherwise, she would not be truly “full of grace”.

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Japan’s crime rate hits postwar low, but report shows rise in child abuse, domestic violence and offenses by the elderly

Posted on November 30, 2019 by editor

The transition from Heisei to Reiwa came at a relatively peaceful time, with the nation’s crime rate falling to a postwar low in 2018, an annual white paper released Friday by the Justice Ministry has shown.

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What does it mean to be Japanese and Catholic? Pope Francis in Japan raises the question

Posted on November 25, 2019 by editor

For centuries, Japanese intellectuals, emperors, and missionaries have asked the same question: What does it mean to be both Japanese and Catholic?

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Schedule: Japanese OMI Traditional Christmas Gathering – Dec. 25-26-27, 2019

Posted on November 23, 2019 by editor

Dear Brothers,

The celebration of Christ’s Birth is only four weeks away. Why is this Christmas gathering so important for us as an Oblate Missionary Family? When we come together in Kochi for Christmas, we partake in a family tradition where everyone has a sense of belonging, sharing and focusing on Jesus’ birth. The Christmas tradition can be a powerful incentive for the Oblate family. For one thing, it brings us closer together. It allows us to spend time together making new memories while remembering the past and those who came before us. It allows us to stop our busy cycle of missionary activities long enough to reconnect and strengthen bonds, much like the traditional Japanese Bonenkai and Shinnenkai. In this spirit of OMI family tradition, the Christmas Organizing Team presents the following schedule for 2019.

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