Latest news with #Jesuit
Tokyo Weekender
13 hours ago
- General
- Tokyo Weekender
Samurai of Christ: How a Japanese Warlord May Soon Become a Catholic Saint
Christianity in Japan got off to such a promising start. After the first Jesuit missionaries arrived in the country in the mid-16th century, they quickly converted many Japanese people by securing the favor and protection of powerful warlords. Oda ' Demon King ' Nobunaga was — somewhat ironically given his nickname — on very good terms with the Christians. Tohoku warrior Date ' One-Eyed Dragon ' Masamune even sent a samurai to meet the pope . But through a mix of paranoia, language barriers and plain old politics, the religion was banned in Japan in the early 17th century following decades of expulsions, persecution and martyrdoms. The Vatican currently recognizes hundreds of Japanese martyrs and 42 saints. Soon, that figure may rise to 43 if the church decides to canonize one Justo Takayama Ukon, a genuine Catholic samurai warlord. List of Contents: Just One Samurai Candidate for Sainthood Killing and Preaching Justo Climbs Up on the Cross Justo Takayama Ukon Ascends Related Posts Just One Samurai Candidate for Sainthood Takayama Ukon was born in 1552 or 1553 in either modern-day Nara or Osaka to Takayama Tomoteru, one of the earliest Christian converts in Japan. The Takayama family held a lot of power, and the church considered them an important ally in spreading their religion in the country. Through influence from Portuguese missionaries, Tomoteru had his son and 150 members of the clan baptized in 1564, bestowing on Ukon the name Justo (Latin: Iustus), the 'Just One.' But you know how kids are, always rebelling against their parents, rejecting Christianity in favor of Zen Buddhism and the culture of the samurai until they get into a duel at age 18 or 19, kill their opponent, but become seriously wounded and spend months recuperating, all while learning to embrace Catholicism. Just typical childhood stuff. Happens every day. Killing and Preaching After his recovery, Justo got to work expanding the Takayama family's power base and set out on numerous 'campaigns' (for lack of a better word) or 'slaughters' (for presence of a correct word). He served Nobunaga during part of the Ishiyama Honganji War (1570–1580) against Buddhist zealots led by a warrior monk who could've been shogun . Then, after Nobunaga's death, he followed Toyotomi Hideyoshi all the way to the Siege of Kagoshima (1587) during the conquest of Kyushu. He did not, as far as we know, report seeing the flying dog that supposedly terrorized Hideyoshi. In between his fighting, he was preaching Christianity and conducting mass conversions, because why bother with piecemeal proselytization when you can do things in bulk? By 1581, 70% of people around Takatsuki Castle in Osaka, one of his family's bases of operation, were Christians. He also oversaw and encouraged the construction of seminaries, orphanages, chapels and churches throughout central Japan. However, while this apparently wasn't his wish, the construction mania resulted in a few Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples being destroyed for timber, which made Justo more than a few enemies. Justo Climbs Up on the Cross In 1587, Hideyoshi Toyotomi issued an anti-Christianity edict pretty much out of nowhere, outlawing the religion and expelling missionaries. There had been some tensions between Christians and the Japanese government before, but the proclamation took many by surprise. Although it wasn't widely enforced, many Japanese saw the writing on the wall and publicly renounced Christianity. Some continued in their faith in secret as kakure kirishitan — Japan's ' hidden Christians .' Justo Takayama Ukon chose option C: He refused to apostatize and lost his lands, status and wealth, telling his tea ceremony teacher Sen no Rikyu (the most important figure in the history of chanoyu ) that denouncing Christ went against his samurai spirit. Justo then went into exile, first in Shodoshima and then in Kanazawa, for his own safety. Many other Japanese Christians weren't so lucky. In 1597, Hideyoshi had 26 Catholics (foreign and Japanese) crucified in Nagasaki. Tokugawa Ieyasu continued this policy, even ramping up the religious persecution, which erupted in 1622 during the Great Genna Martyrdom, when 55 Christians were burned alive or beheaded. Justo never lived to see it, though. After Ieyasu issued his own anti-Christianity edict back in 1614, the samurai warlord felt that he was no longer safe in Japan and set sail for the Philippines. He did not report seeing Oda Nobunaga anywhere there. Justo Takayama Ukon Ascends Justo was welcomed warmly in Manila by the Catholic Church, which wanted to use him as a rallying symbol for an invasion of Japan to forcefully convert the country. But Justo wanted nothing to do with it. He was tired from facing so much hatred because of his faith, and died a little over a month after arriving in the Philippines, seemingly from exhaustion, but Pope Francis officially classified it as suffering for his faith to make him a martyr in 2016. Calls for the Catholic Church to recognize Justo Takayama's contributions to Christianity started as early as 1630, but better late than never. On February 7, 2017, Justo Takayama Ukon was officially beatified in Osaka with an audience of 10,000 faithful. His feast day is February 3. Finally, in 2023, Thomas Aquino Manyo Maeda, the Archbishop of Osaka-Takamatsu, confirmed that the Vatican is looking into possible miracles connected to Justo, the final step before canonization. If everything goes right, soon Roman Catholics around the world will be able to pray to an honest-to-god samurai warlord saint who fought under the Demon King. If this is a ploy to get more people interested in Catholicism, then all we can say is 'well played.' Discover Tokyo, Every Week Get the city's best stories, under-the-radar spots and exclusive invites delivered straight to your inbox. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy . Related Posts Vatican Returns '26 Martyrs of Japan' Portraits to Japan After 94 Years The Story of Japan's Hidden Christians Uncover Nagasaki's Hidden History
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
CPI(M), Congress attempt to put BJP on the defensive over arrest of Keralite nuns in Chhattisgarh
The ruling front and the Opposition seem to have seized on the arrest of two Keralite nuns on 'questionable charges' of forced conversion and human trafficking in Chhattisgarh last week as part of their larger political gambit to blunt the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) efforts to woo the electorally significant Christian community in the State ahead of the local body polls and the Assembly elections. Seemingly stung by widespread criticism from civil society and Church leaders, and chary of losing the ground the party believed it had gained among Christians, the BJP in Kerala dispatched an express delegation headed by State general secretary, Anoop Antony, to Chhattisgarh to secure the early release of the nuns, Sisters Vandana Francis and Preeta Mary of the order of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI), and ensure an 'unbiased investigation' in the case. 'Fear-inducing' It also seemed not to help the BJP that Deepika, the mouthpiece of the Syro-Malabar Church, flagged an alleged dichotomy between the BJP's words and actions, chiefly in BJP-ruled States, wherein Christians allegedly faced severe persecution. Church leaders, including Mar Andrews Thazhath, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), termed the arrest 'unsettling, fear-inducing and unconstitutional'. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State fommittee accused the Chhattisgarh police of siding with Bajrang Dal activists, who falsely accused the nuns of 'smuggling' three women from the Durga railway station in Chhattisgarh to Agra for 'coerced conversion' after an extrajudicial public trial. Of Stan Swamy, Staines The CPI(M) reminded the public about the 'Sangh Parivar-backed custodial murder' of Jesuit priest Stan Swamy and, earlier, the 1989 murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and family allegedly at the hands of Bajrang Dal activists in Odisha. The Communist Party of India (CPI) State secretary Binoy Viswam said the overzealous arrest of nuns on 'trumped up' charges by the BJP government in Chhattisgarh revealed the actual fascist nature of the party. Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, who visited the ageing parents of Sister Preeta Mary at Angamaly, portrayed the BJP as a 'wolf in a sheep's clothing'. VHP justifies arrest Meanwhile, Vishwa Hindu Parishad State general secretary Anil Vilayil justified the arrests. He accused the CBCI of obfuscating the 'facts' of the 'human trafficking' case. He alleged that the women travelling with nuns included an underage tribal community woman.
L'Orient-Le Jour
a day ago
- Entertainment
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Ziad Rahbani, the shattered dream of a lucid Lebanon
This is not merely the death of a man, but the loss of a lens through which an entire generation learned to laugh at absurdity, cry over injustice and listen more Rahbani passed away as he lived: in a silence that speaks volumes, far from the media clamor, leaving behind a rich body of work, a trail of intransigence and a void that echoes in the streets of Beirut as well as in the wings of every theater he Rahbani was born on Jan. 1, 1956, in Antelias to a family already renowned for its artistic glory. Prodigal son of Fairuz and composer Assi Rahbani, he was raised in an environment rich in music, poetry and political a very young age, he demonstrated a precocious talent for writing, satire and composition. He attended the prestigious Notre-Dame de Jamhour college. In this French-speaking Jesuit...
Herald Malaysia
2 days ago
- Health
- Herald Malaysia
‘Miracle woman' inspires Native youth through faith and survival story
For Yup'ik woman Danielle Beaver, 33, sharing her Catholic faith is not just a mission but the reason why she's alive today. Jul 28, 2025 The Diocese of Fairbanks' Ukveryaramta Tungiinun team members Danielle Beaver and Jesuit Father Gregg Wood in Chefornak. | Credit: Danielle Beaver By Kristina Millare For Yup'ik woman Danielle Beaver, 33, sharing her Catholic faith is not just a mission but the reason why she's alive today. After joining the Native American ministry of the Diocese of Fairbanks, Alaska, in January, Beaver told CNA in an interview that it is her hope to bring younger generations to the Church that saved her life more than once. The birth of her first child in 2010 was an awakening for Beaver — a descendent of Nora Guinn, the first woman and first Alaskan Native to be a district court judge — who, at that time, was in an abusive relationship with a man and trying to navigate her first year of college studies. 'A week after my son was born I had decided this little boy needed me,' she said. 'He needed me to live and I needed to be there for him.' 'So I left that relationship and I believe God had given me him so that I can live,' she continued. 'If I continued with that relationship, I don't think I would be here.' Beaver said 'it took a village' to raise her son. Her grandparents, mother, brothers, the local Catholic community, including members of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, were the family who supported her in those challenging years of her early adulthood. While grateful for the love and fervent prayers of the community of Immaculate Conception Parish in Bethel, Alaska, particularly of its parish administrator Susan Murphy — who is also her grandmother — Beaver said going to church was not a priority until 2015. That year, the young mother suffered a brain aneurysm and was diagnosed with Moyamoya disease, a rare blood vessel condition, while 26 weeks pregnant with her second child. 'My head was 80% filled with blood,' she told CNA. 'Both she and I had a 20% chance of making it.' She was transported to Seattle for lifesaving surgery but doctors were not convinced she or her daughter would return home to Bethel alive. With the odds against their survival, family members turned to the Blessed Virgin Mary and trusted in the power of prayer to save them. 'My grandma was praying the rosary every night, every morning, every day,' she shared with CNA. 'I had so many people praying for me around the world.' '[Grandma] told me there'd be people in Europe praying for me, there'd be people down in South America praying for me, there'd be people around the U.S. praying for me,' she said. As the blood in her brain began to dissolve, Beaver no longer needed to have an emergency cesarean section and managed to carry her unborn daughter to full term. After giving birth to her baby girl, she then underwent a successful double craniotomy and STA-MCA bypass surgery to help improve blood flow to her brain. Some doctors who cared for her during her monthslong hospital stay began to call Beaver the 'miracle woman with the baby,' telling her that they never met a 'survivor of an aneurysm' before. Looking back on her life so far, the mother of two said she believes sharing one's personal story and faith journey is a simple but effective way of helping people discover their need for God and the Church in their own lives. 'I don't know how many people I do reach when I tell them about my life story or what I've been through because I never realize that I am ministering to them,' she told CNA. 'I just feel as though I am connecting to people in some way or feel as if it is something they want or need to hear,' she said. Boardwalk encounters According to the young lay evangelist, Bethel's tundra conditions are not a hindrance for her work with Native Americans in the the geographically largest Catholic diocese of the U.S., spanning approximately 410,000 square miles. Traveling to villages and cities by boat or snow machine, Beaver makes an effort to walk the boardwalks or streets of the new places she visits and to meet people in spaces beyond the parish walls. She told CNA most people stop to greet and welcome the 'new face' in town and speak to her in their own native languages. 'Conversation starts from there,' she said. 'Just in Chefornak alone, I was able to connect with an individual and we talked for a good 45 minutes, and I told her I'll be at the church the next day.' 'On Sunday, after church, we talked again for another 30 minutes,' she said. Still new to her role with the Fairbanks Diocese, Beaver said she has spent the last few months getting to know her colleagues better, learning, and reading books on evangelization. 'The most rewarding part of working with the Native American communities and families is knowing that I am helping my people,' she told CNA. 'I have been told by several individuals how happy or proud they are to see me, someone young, working in this position, helping with the Church,' she said. 'It makes me happy.' Connecting with the younger generations of Alaska Natives For many Catholics living in the Diocese of Fairbanks' Yukon-Kuskokwim Region, the opportunity to see a priest or attend Mass may be once every one to three months. As a member of the diocese's Ukveryaramta Tungiunun team, led by Sister Kathy Radich, OSF, Beaver said her team is doing a lot of good in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Region by assisting permanent deacons and providing formation programs, including retreats and workshops, for people. 'Deacons do speak the languages [spoken] in the villages, which helps a lot especially with the elders,' she said. 'I think the main thing that is a problem though is that we don't have a lot of young adults that attend church.' 'What I'm hoping to do with my job is to bring in the younger generations to church or back to the Church,' she shared. Relying more on prayer than her own efforts to bring people closer to God, Beaver said she has been encouraged by some young people who have told her of their desire to go back to church. 'All I tell them is, I'll pray for you,' she told CNA. 'I don't say 'you should' because I don't want to tell them what to do, I just say I'll pray for you.'--CNA
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
First time in 82 yrs, girls walk into Campion School
Mumbai : The Campion all-boys school, which welcomed little girls into its hallowed halls for the first time after adopting the co-education (co-ed) format of schooling, saw children enter dressed as their favourite animals on their first day of school, on Monday. Little boys and girls sat together on tiny desks and chairs for the first time in the school's 82-year history. They sat twiddling and fidgeting on their new desks and chairs as the class teacher tried to get them to sing along to a song. The school conducted a ceremonial walk with the kindergarten children walking hand in hand with Prashant Narnaware, secretary to the Governor of Maharashtra, and Deputy Commissioner of Police Ragasudha R. The school has newly built a wing that will cater to the newly gender-mixed classes for nursery and junior kindergarten grades, even as the senior kindergarten continues to be a boys-only class. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai The change has been years in the making, and this old and famous institution of the city is taking things slowly. Principal Sarah Thomas said, 'As the current batch of nursery and junior kg moves to higher classes, those will be upgraded to the co-ed format.' The nursery and junior kindergarten classes will also have a new board affiliation and curriculum, with the school adopting the Cambridge Early Years Curriculum. TOI had earlier reported about the institution's intention to move to co-education classes. 'We believe that starting co-education from the early years fosters empathy, collaboration, and mutual respect — values that are essential in today's world,' said the principal on the shift. 'It has been three years of consultations and deliberations with our board, teachers, alumni network, and the Jesuit community before we reached this day. ' When asked why the school decided to take in girls now after so many years, she said, 'It really required concentrated and cohesive effort.' Shah Rukh Contractor, former chairman of the school's governing council, said, 'When we were deciding to start co-education, we had a choice between the Cambridge Board and the International Board. We decided to join the Cambridge board as we wanted to serve a larger section of society with more value-for-money education.' As Campion School embraces co-education, it decides to change with the times, blending tradition with inclusivity, preparing students to thrive in a diverse and evolving world.
