Live in the present with hope for the future
Sr. Masako Miyake SNDdeN (Japan Province)
Since its founding, the Japanese Province has been committed to Catholic education at all levels from kindergarten to university.
As educators, Sisters view all of creation, including humans, from the lens of faith and therefore, educate with a strong belief that the whole world is one. Consequently, the principles of education are explicitly part of the curriculum as are the teachings of St. Julie.
The Catholic population in Japan is very small, but there are many people in Japanese society who have been educated in Catholic schools. Very few Catholics study at Catholic schools, and almost none of the students are baptized while they are there, but the graduates who enter society live by Catholic ideals, and some even get baptized in their later years. The Japanese Province is proud to convey Christian values to many people through education.
Calling
Like many developed countries in the northern hemisphere, religious vocations in Japan have declined sharply. The number of Catholics is small (0.34% of the total population), and with the recent decline in birth rates and the diversity of faiths, the Catholic population is likely to decline further. In addition, the younger generation generally dislikes making commitments, including marriage. In this atmosphere, the number of Sisters is small and people have little opportunity to learn about the value and appeal of sisters engaged in the educational apostolate. Most female religious orders in Japan, including SNDdeN, are facing an aging membership and a decline in vocations. At the same time, there is a reduced number of lay persons to whom the Japanese Province can entrust the apostolate.
In recent years, the number of sisters has decreased, monasteries have been closed, and apostolic offices have also decreased. Currently, there are four communities in the Japanese Province, and sisters serve at a graduate school, a university, two junior and senior high schools, an elementary school, and two kindergartens, but the number of sisters in these apostolic offices is very small. In the near future the Province we may be forced to restructure the apostolic offices.
Facing tomorrow with hope for the church
As in many parts of the world, the number of faithful who practice their faith is decreasing in Japan. Young people are not seen in many churches. Instead, there are more and more young Catholics and children of foreign nationality among refugees and migrant workers. Half of the Catholics in Japan are foreigners. We are making efforts to invite such people to Notre Dame, as seen in the example of Higashihiroshima Church. Today, the Japanese bishops’ conference is proactive in line with the synodality advocated by Pope Francis, and is trying to realize the aims of the recent papal bulls “Laudato Si” and “Fratelli Tutti.”
A changing society
We teach young people the value of “belonging” in an increasingly diverse society and invite them to become part of the Notre Dame family. We need sisters from other provinces to join us in our mission in Japan. On August 19 and 20, 2023, the Bishop of Hiroshima invited 400 young Vietnamese Catholics, sisters, priests and teachers to Seishin Junior and Senior High School in Kurashiki. Vice Principal Mori, Sister Nakamura and Sister Azuma, who are Catholics and graduates of Notre Dame Seishin Junior and Senior High School in Hiroshima, also attended the gathering and witnessed the enthusiasm and hopefulness of the young Vietnamese Catholics.
Photo In July 2023 in Karuizawa, Bishop Paulo Daisuke Narii of the Niigata Diocese held a training session on “Intercultural Cooperation in Religious Orders” for 25 formation staff members. Sister Kumiko Higashi from the Notre Dame Sisters participated.
Some bishops encourage foreign workers in Japan and, like Bishop Daisuke Narii, help promote vocations to women’s religious orders.
This is very encouraging for Notre Dame in Japan. We also hope that sisters from other provinces will come to Japan and join us in our mission.
Photo Bishop Alexio Shirahama Mitsuru of the Hiroshima Diocese held a retreat for 400 young Vietnamese Catholics at Notre Dame Seishin Junior and Senior High School in Kurashiki and Hiroshima! Sisters Kumiko Higashi and Ayako Nakamura also participated in the retreat.
We hope that our associate sisters will evangelize the young families who come to St. Julie Church in Higashi-Hiroshima. To do this, we need to make full use of modern communication devices. By turning to the new generation, new growth and hope will be born. Even as we grow older and our numbers grow smaller, the Notre Dame sisters in Japan will continue to serve in a small but powerful way. We will do our best to support the sisters who share our mission with us, with hearts as wide as the world. We pray with gratitude for those who have always shown us warm friendship over the past 100 years! Many of them were not Christians. As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of our mission in Japan, we are preparing to welcome new members, remembering the call of the Gospel, the Church, and the Order.
Just like the six sisters who first laid the foundations of Notre Dame in Japan 100 years ago, and the sisters who walked with us behind them, we are here now to hold up the light of mission and proclaim the goodness of our good God!
Saint Julie Billiart Founded
The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
To make God's mercy known
Especially to the impoverished and most abandoned people in the world.
Today, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur work with refugees in London, street children in Nairobi, migrant farmers in Florida, AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe, the homeless in Haiti... and always with the most vulnerable women and children.
We work to help people living in poverty, to change unfair structures so they can get what they deserve.
We believe that education in its various forms is the best way to achieve this goal.
Recognized as outstanding educators, thousands of Sisters of Notre Dame have taught children and adults on five continents over the years. Many continue to teach in schools, while others choose to work with the homeless, people with AIDS, the elderly and poor, and countless others in need. All of this work is directed toward one goal: to proclaim "God is good" in our day, just as St. Julie did in hers.
Reference:
Who We Are | Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (SNDdeN.org)
North America:
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur – US East-West Province (SNDdeNeastwest.org)
Congo:
Accueil Soeurs de Notre-Dame de Namur Congo/Kinshasa (SNDdeNcongokin.org)