June 2023

The rainy season (tsuyu) notwithstanding, guests have been coming to Shinmeizan also during this month of June. Among them we wish to remember the `Paradise` group of nine people from Yokohama and Tokyo, who came for a three days retreat on June 6-8, On this occasion we also solemnly celebrated Fr. Franco's 88th birthday (June 7^th) 

and Mrs. Miyamoto, from Yamaga, who, on June 24, came with a sight impaired friend to whom she wanted to give a chance to `breath the air of Shinmeizan`.

Among the various activities of interreligious dialog, we recall:

the participation, on June 18, of Fr. Claudio and Sr. Maria De Giorgi in the annual commemoration, held at the Seimeizan-Schweitzer temple of Tamana, of the unjust execution of Nishi Takeo, in whose defense Ven. Furukawa Tairyu undertook several.nationwide campaigns.

the participation in the interreligious gathering of representatives from Buddhism, Islam and Christianity united in prayer for peace, held on June 20, organized by the local Kumamoto branch of the Kyushu Association of “Ambassadors for peace”, and hosted by Shinmeizan;

various activities online, among which the participation by Sr. Maria, on June 13, in the `Women networking` program organized by the Vatican`s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialog, and, on June 24, in the international conference sponsored by the `Romano Guardini Study Center` in connection with six Universities (Italy, Germany, USA) on the topic of `The arts within the walls of prisons”.    Sr. Maria gave a report on the artistic activity of the above-mentioned Nishi Takeo, who, while in prison, drew very delicate designs inspired by his Buddhist faith (Pure Land Buddhism) and composed delicate and heart-rending poems (haiku).