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Handout #253 |
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The discovery of Old Japanese Christians at Nagasaki in 1865 |
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The establishment of a chapel at Nagasaki in
1865 allowed Christians who had lived a clandestine existence since the
seventeenth century to come into the open. For them the criteria of
Catholicity were the Virgin Mary, the Sovereign Pontiff and the celibacy of
priests. A missionary, M. Petijean, takes up the story.
On Friday 17 March around 12:30pm about fifteen people were standing at the door of the church ... Three women said to me, hands crossed in front of them and in a low voice: 'Our hearts, the hearts of all of us who are here, are no different from yours. 'The "man asked.- 'Where is the image of St. Mary?' The sight of the statue of Our Lady with the child Jesus reminded them of Christmas, which they told me they celebrated in the eleventh month, Only a very small number of people know the words of baptism. They kept Sunday and feast days holy. Now they are fasting. Peter the Baptizer gave us the most important information. First of all let me say that his baptism formula would seem valid... He also told me about the rosary, which Christians are accustomed to recite as we do ... Finally he asked us about the Great Head of the Kingdom of Rome, whose name he wanted to know. When we told him that the august vicar of Jesus Christ, the holy pontiff Pius IX, would be very happy to learn the comforting news that he and his Christian compatriots had just given us, Peter exploded with joy Nevertheless, before leaving us he wanted to reassure himself further that we really were the successors of their old missionaries. 'You don't have any children?' He asked us timidly. 'You and your Christian and pagan brothers in Japan are the children that the good God has given us. We cannot have other children. Like your first missionaries, the priest must observe celibacy all his life. On hearing this, Peter and his companion prostrated themselves on the ground and exclaimed, 'They are virgins, thank God, thank God 'Almost all the Christians had an identical organization. There are two main leaders in most villages: the first is called the prayer leader and the second the baptizer ... J In F. Mamas, La Religion de Jesus resuscite au Japon 1, 1896. |
