May 2024

During the month of May, the tsutsuji in full bloom of the stairway that leads from the bottom to the top of the hill of Shinmeizan, welcomed many guests, among them:

• On May 3-5, Mr. and Ms. Hamada, who for several years have been coming regularly to Shinmeizan at the beginning of May for some days of retreat;
• On May 3-5, also Michelle and other two members of the Women Focolare Movement, from Nagasaki. 

• On May 26-28, Fr. Alex, S.J., with two friends from Haghi (Pref. of Yamaguchi);

• And, on May 11, the family of Mr. Hamatake, with his family, his brothers and their families, who have wished to celebrate at Shinmeizan the rite of ’farewell’ from their deceased father, before enshrining the ashes in the family tomb.

•  We would like to remember and thank the 12 friends of the volunteer group of the Kumamoto Vicariate Churches who, on 9 May, cleaned and beautified the Shinmeizan with their work, thus making a good contribution to the typical ‘first welcome’ that the natural environment of the Shinmeizan offers visitors.  

Also in the field of interreligious dialogue Shinmeizan was quite active during this past month of May:

• on May 5th, we led the ”Kumamoto Group for interreligious dialogue” in a visit to the Buddhist Temple of Saifukuji (Pure Land Buddhism) in the city of Kumamoto;

• On May 18th we participated in the annual celebration of the anniversary of the birth of Shinran at the Sainenji Temple (Pure Land Buddhism) in Imari (Saga Prefecture);
• Sister Maria De Giorgi, on May 6, at the Cathedral church of Fukuoka, gave a conference on “Interreligious dialogue and the life of consecrated persons” for the Religious women of the whole Diocese, to which also the Bishop, Mons. Josep Abella, attended;
• From May 8 to May 16 she was in Mongolia, upon invitation of His Eminence Cardinal George Marengo, to hold a series of lectures on “Interreligious dialogue in a Buddhist context”, as part of a weeklong study sessions organized for missionaries working in that Country;

• On May 28^th, Sr. Maria took part (via zoom) in the periodic meeting of the international group ”Women network” of the Vatican Dicastery for interreligious dialogue.