Shinmeizan Journal - August 2016

1-12 August – Sister Maria accompanied a delegation from the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, from the Vatican, on a tour aimed at collecting materials for a documentary to be produced to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the publication of the Vatican II declaration Nostra Aetate. The group travelled to Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Shinmeizan, Nagasaki, Osaka and Tenri, and interviewed representatives of the Catholic Church as well as of Japan’s major religious traditions that engage in interreligious dialogue.

12 August – Ms Fukuse Kuniko, of the Byakko Shinko Kai religion, visited Shinmeizan.

13-17 August – Shinmeizan hosted the 13th course of Introduction to the Japanese Culture for missionaries who recently arrived in Japan.

21 August – Father Franco and Father Rocco accompanied the Kumamoto Interreligious Group on a visit to the Heidate Shinto shrine, in Yamato, Kumamoto Prefecture, where the Byakko Shinko Kai religious association held a celebration to pray for world peace.

21-24 August – Shinmeizan hosted for the second time for this summer, a course on religion, religions and interreligious dialogue for medical students of Kitakyushu University.

23-25 August – Father Rocco participated in the 50th annual meeting of Zen-Ki-Kondankai, which is the oldest association for interreligious dialogue in Japan. The meeting was held in Nagasaki.

26 August – Mr Hal Edmonson returned to the USA, after spending two months at Shinmeizan in order to further his knowledge and gain some experience in the field of interreligious dialogue.

27 August – The Shinmeizan community attended the anniversary celebration of the death of venerable Tairyu Furukawa. The service took place at the Seimeizan-Schweitzer temple of Tamana.

28-30 August – Mr Ikegami Riken, head of the Butsugan Pure Land Buddhism Temple (Wakayama Prefecture) and his son, spent three days at Shinmeizan.