Journal March~ April 2017

 3 March – Father Franco and Father Rocco visited the Ueki (Kumamoto) headquarters of Omoto, to make arrangements for the next meeting of the Kumamoto Interreligious Group.

27 March – Father Franco and Father Rocco attended the meeting of the Buddhist-Christian Interreligious Group in Fukuoka.

3 April – The Kumamoto Interreligious Group led by Father Franco attended the memorial service organized by the National Association of Young Buddhist to remember the victims of the earthquake that affected the area of Kumamoto last one year ago and in support of those who survived. The service was held in Mashiki, the earthquake’s epicentre.

3 April – After working at Shinmeizan for one year, Father Rocco moved to the Xaverian Missionaries’ Regional House of the Izumisano (Osaka), entrusted with the task of starting new activities in the field of interreligious dialogue in one of the most densely populated areas of Japan.

5 April – Father Pietro Sonoda Yoshiaki returned to live permanently at Shinmeizan. Father Pietro lived at Shinmeizan in the years 1999-2000 and then was engaged simultaneously both in the activities of Shinmeizan and the duties entrusted him by his religious order (OFMConv) in Nigawa (Hyogo) and Yufuin (Oita).

8 April – Every year the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue sends a message to Japanese Buddhist on the occasion of the Budda's birthday. On this occasion Shinmeizan forwards this message to all our Buddhist dialogue partners along with a personal letter of greeting. The message was also sent to all parish priests of the Fukuoka diocese with the suggestion that they forward it to local Buddhist temple and associations.

25 April – Father Franco attended the meeting of Kakehashi, the association of the religious orders that are present in Japan and cooperate in the field of interreligious dialogue.

26 April – A large number of elderly people from the village of Heboura came Shinmeizan for the yearly visit, which is an opportunity to live out the dialogue of everyday life.