Our apostolic work in Japan is in line with a long Dominican tradition, inherited from the Apostles who
were asked by the Lord to go and evangelize all nations. Saint Dominic dreamed of announcing the Good
News to the peoples of Northern Europe. But what he could not achieve himself, his sons and daughters
did, first in the Middle Ages, then later in the 17th century, by sending missionaries not only
throughout Europe, but also to America and Asia, including Japan. Our Canadian province has been active
in Japan since 1927, where the brothers are mainly involved in university teaching and working with
Christian communities. The brothers' only convent is in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, with three houses
in Kyoto, Shinjuku and Sendai.
Following the reopening of Japan to foreign countries, friars from the Dominican province of the
Philippines landed on the island of Shikoku in 1904 to work on proclaiming the Gospel. In turn, the
young Dominican province of Canada (independent from the province of France since 1911), was looking for
an opportunity to extend its apostolate beyond the country. This opportunity came in 1925, when a
conflagration in Hakodate (Hokkaido Island) devastated homes, schools and churches. The Fathers of the
Missions Etrangères de Paris, who had been working in this diocese for over forty years, were
overwhelmed by these painful events and asked Rome for permission to withdraw from the diocese as soon
as another community could take over the apostolic work undertaken in the parishes. At the same time,
Father Emile-Alphonse Langlais, provincial of the Canadian province, asked Rome for a mission territory.
Here is an overview of the eighty years of this mission in Japan, from diocesan administration to the
formation of an autonomous vicariate, to collaboration with other provinces of the Order.
We can identify three periods: the first, from 1927 to 1948, when the Canadian province took charge of
the diocese of Hakodate-Sendai. Almost all activities were centered on the 17 parishes and 5 ministries
left vacant by the Missions Etrangères de Paris. During this period, the superior of the Canadian
Dominicans in Japan acted like a bishop. And when, a few years later, the bishop administered the
diocese, the Dominicans worked under his jurisdiction as diocesan clergy.
The second period covers the years 1949-1977. Freed from the burden of administering the diocese alone,
the Dominicans considered organizing themselves into an autonomous vicariate. It was a slow process.
Among the events that contributed to the formation of a more autonomous group, we should first note the
surplus of missionaries and the formation of a Dominican house in Sendai, the appointment of a Japanese
bishop to head the diocese, the desire of certain Dominicans to undertake extra-parochial works, and
then, especially after the war, the arrival in the diocese of the Fathers of the Missions Etrangères de
Québec and the Missions Etrangères de Suisse, with whom we had to share the signing of a thirty-year
convention. All over Japan (Sendai, Tokyo, Kyoto, Fukuoka, to name but a few), houses and works of all
kinds sprang up, giving the Dominicans of our vicariate greater freedom of apostolic expression, in
accordance with the charism of the Order, without minimizing the parish apostolate.
The third period, from 1978 to the present day, saw the arrival of new missionaries from the provinces
of the Holy Rosary (Spain) and Poland. This consolidated our presence on Japanese soil, where the
brothers' ministry is concentrated mainly in university teaching, hospital pastoral care and parish
ministry. Some fifteen friars are involved in this mission.
Traditionally, the understanding of faith and dialogue with the contemporary world have always been at
the heart of the Dominican friars' ministry, particularly through the ministries of preaching, teaching,
reconciliation and spiritual accompaniment. Today, this ministry also extends to parish and university
ministry, commitment to justice, peace and ecology, as well as migrants, publishing, mass media, the
Internet and the arts. Our mission as Friar Preachers knows no borders. That's why Dominican friars, all
over the world, are engaged in all these areas, because of the need to proclaim the Good News of Jesus
Christ.
God has given us certain means to know His will, which consists above all in knowing and loving Him.
From there, we can begin to discern our particular vocation through honest self-examination. If you feel
that God is calling you to build his Kingdom alongside other brothers, in shared lives and dreams,
within a fraternity of brothers committed to love, freedom and the desire for a better world; if you
believe that Saint Dominic's proposal can be your place, where God calls you and where he dreams of you,
we're here to help you.
For more information, please contact us:
assistant_provincial@dominicains.ca
