ASIA/JAPAN - Children's letters and poems dedicated to Francis Xavier on show in Kagoshima to mark the 5th centenary of his birth: an opportunity to rediscover the Saint’s missionary charisma

Thursday, 28 September 2006

Kagoshima (Agenzia Fides) - “Dear Fr Francis thank you for looking after us” a little girl at a Catholic primary school in Kagoshima writes in a letter composed as part of thanksgiving celebrations to commemorate the great missionary to Asia, Francis Xavier on the occasion of the 5th centenary of his birth in Spain on April 7, 1506.
In April this year the diocese of Kagoshima invited children to compose a letter or a poem to the saint who first brought Christianity to Japan. The 23 best entries were exhibited at St Francis Xavier church in August to commemorate his landing in Kagoshima in 1549. The parish community was asked to choose the two best entries, one letter and one verse. The following letter composed by Sakuako Ogata a pupil at Taniyama church school won first prise.
“Dear Fr Francis Xavier thank you for looking after us. You had a hard time in Japan didn’t you? Even when you were hungry you had fun with an apple. Me too, even when I am hungry I have fun with my friends”.
Anniversary celebrations have included special prayers, conferences and other initiatives and will conclude with solemn Mass on the Saint’s feast day December 3rd.
The missionary experience of St Francis Xavier (1506-1552), a member of the Society of Jesus was an initiative of Pope Paul III and Ignatius of Loyola. In 1542 Francis landed in Goa, capital of the Portuguese empire of the east Indies, and from there moved on to the far east. In 1548 he sailed to Japan where he evangelised tenaciously building solid Christian communities. In 1552 he attempted to enter China but fell ill and died on 3 December 1552 on the Island of Shang chuan, Guang Dong province on the southern coast of China. He was beatified in 1619, canonised in 1622, and proclaimed universal patron of the missions in 1904 by Pope Pius X. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 28/9/2006 righe: 26 parole: 273)


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