May 2022

With the coming of spring, the blossoming of so many flowers at Shinmeizan delights the sight of visitors and guests. For May 31, the feast of the “Visitation of the B. V. Mary”, the hedges along the stairway leading up to the top of the hill, in full bloom, paid homage to the group of statues representing the apparition of Our Blessed Lady to the three young shepherds of Fatima.

On May the community of Shinmeizan was involved in two important events of interreligious dialog.
On Saturday May 21, we paid a visit to the Buddhist Temple of Ven. Ide, Sainenji, at Imari (Saga Pref.), on the occasion of the annual celebration of the birthday of Shinran, the founder of the `True Religion of Pure Land` Buddhism.

On Sunday May 22, we led the Group of Interreligious Dialog of Kumamoto in a visit to the Buddhist Temple Choenji, in Kumamoto, where we were welcomed by Ven. Hara Onin, head of the Temple (Nichiren Buddhism), who spoke to us about his experience of interreligious dialog in cooperation with Shinmeizan.

On May 7, Maria De Giorgi, held the closing talk at the meeting on `The contemplative dimension in human life.  Meditation in Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism`, held in Rome at the Centro Congressi Aurelia, by the Office for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialog of the National Bishops` Conference of Italy.