Pilgrimage to Akita and Tsuruoka

A large, lively group of 46, led by Fr. Ross de la Cruz, our Filipino priest at the Tsukuba Catholic Church in Ibaraki Prefecture, left for a pilgrimage to Akita and Yamagata Prefectures last weekend, July 27 and 28.

With the group were 42 Filipinos, one with her Japanese husband and child, a few others with their children. There were also 2 researchers from India and another from Nigeria who joined the group.

The trip would not have been possible without the very kind and generous support and assistance of our Japanese Parish Priest, Fr. Peter Kusunoki. He shared his precious time and help to arrange for the group’s lodging, bus, including meals for the whole trip!  A regular Sunday churchgoer, Titay, and her kind Japanese husband, Mr. Ohkubo, also helped us find a very reasonably priced and very comfortable bus for the trip, with 2 very kind, patient drivers.

Of course, from the very start, the pilgrimage was made possible with the abundant grace and protection of God and the wonderful intercession of our Mama Mary!!!

Arriving some 7 hours after our 9:30 a.m. departure, the group excitedly took in the beautiful mountain scenery of Akita’s Yuzawadai, the location of the chapel and community of the contemplative sisters, the Handmaids of the Holy Eucharist.

From 1973 to 1981, some of the sisters of this contemplative community witnessed the shedding of tears (or lacrimations) from the wooden statue of Mama Mary. The crying Mama Mary was caught by a television crew and the rare event broadcasted and witnessed by Japanese viewers. Cotton swabs used to wipe the tears were sent to the forensic laboratories of Akita University and Gifu University and “were certified to be comprised of human body fluid.”

Sr. Agnes, one of the Japanese contemplatives who suddenly lost her hearing in 1982, experienced hearing the voice of and talking with Mama Mary. She also experienced stigmata in the palm of her hands. Other sisters also witnessed the wound on the palm of the statue of Mama Mary.

Now past 80 years old, Sr. Agnes no longer stays at the simple community at the Yuzawadai mountain, but the sisters kindly informed us that they told her about our visit and that Sr. Agnes would include us all in her prayers.

It was the first time for most of our group to see the crying Mama Mary of Akita. The small old chapel where the mysterious events happened had since given way to a bigger wooden chapel to accommodate a continuing stream of pilgrims from various parts of the world. Even the Philippines’ former President Cory Aquino came to visit the crying Mama Mary of Akita, whose statue remains in the very spot where tears and wounds appeared more than a hundred times to various witnesses through several years. 

A separate structure has also been expanded to allow pilgrims from distant places to stay overnight in simple but comfortable rooms (mostly tatami rooms) with showers an meals prepared by the sisters (if prior reservations and arrangements are made).

The Holy Mass celebrated by Fr. Ross, the songs heartily rendered by the group, the prayers and the happy encounter with the very happy and peaceful- looking sisters certainly made the visit to the crying Mama Mary of Akita one unforgettable experience of a lifetime.

 The next visit to the Black Madonna in Tsuruoka, Yamagata, was shorter but was another meaningful spiritual experience for the Tsukuba group. Fr. Misao “Louie” Kawamata, the Japanese Parish Priest of Tsuruoka Catholic Church kindly explained that the Black Madonna statue was brought by Trappist Monks from Normandy, France about 109 years ago. He also mentioned some explanations for the Black Madonna ranging from the nature or the aging of the wood used for the statue, to a biblical reference about a black Mama Mary, or one that showed Mama Mary caring for many sick in Europe in the past. The Romanesque-inspired church has also been declared one of the cultural sites of Tsuruoka. Inside the Tsuruoka Church are relics and a statue of St. Therese of the Child Jesus and a rare statue and relics of St. Francis Xavier.

The pilgrimage was not only a precious spiritual journey for the happy, lively group of 46 (plus 2 Japanese drivers). The trip afforded a much-needed respite for the migrants and special bonding moments for the parishioners. Already, plans are being discussed for the next pilgrimage: destination - Nagasaki with the goal of joining the celebration for San Lorenzo Ruiz next January.

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