September 2026

Fall has begun in Shinmeizan with beautiful, clear days and . . . mild temperatures! Thanks in part to these conditions, numerous guests have come to Shinmeizan. Among them, we would like to give special mention to:

 • The Venerable Shaku Choei and the Venerable Hara Onin, both of the Nichiren Buddhist tradition, along with some of their friends, who visited us on September 9;

• Most Reverend Fr. Carlos Luis Suarez Codorniu, Superior General of the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart (Dehonians), accompanied by General Councilor Fr. Daniel, who were visiting Japan from Rome and visited Shinmeizan on September 11; 

• Rev. Pastor Homori, returning from a pilgrimage to Rome with the interfaith group from Kagoshima, who visited us, accompanied by Mr. Tokuri, on September 15;

• Ms. Aoki Reiko, a long-time friend and collaborator of the Xaverian Missionaries at the Regional House in Izumi Sano (Osaka), who came with her daughter Ishiguro Mariko and her family on the 22nd;

• Fr. Ferruccio Brambillasca, former Superior General of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions in Milan, and now a missionary-pastor in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto, the area recently hit by a strong earthquake;

• And… the group of 13 volunteers, “specializing” in gardening and the upkeep of churches in the Kumamoto area, who came to lend a hand in tidying up the various garden areas at Shinmeizan on September 26!

                    Among the various interreligious dialogue activities that have particularly engaged us this September, we note:

• Maria de Giorgi’s participation on September 2 in the meeting of the Committee for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue of the Japanese Bishops’ Conference, held in Tokyo;

• Fr. Claudio Codenotti’s participation in the interreligious meeting held on September 14 in Kumamoto;

• Maria De Giorgi’s participation, on September 29, in the online meeting of the “Women’s Network” group of the Vatican Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue;

• Maria De Giorgi’s contribution of an article on “Metanoia in Buddhism” for a forthcoming publication in Germany by the “Intercultural School of Silence” of the Romano Guardini Foundation.