Missionaries Empower Missionaries

In 1967, the Franciscans of Japan decided to build a new building that would hold the Franciscan Chapel Center near the embassy area of Tokyo called Roppongi. This was a development that grew over the time after World War II to fulfill a need for a place for English-speaking people could gather for worship. The Chapel Center was staffed by friars who were missionaries to Japan from Holy Name Province. Fr. Bede Fitzpatrick, O.F.M. was the first Rector. (At the beginning, the Chapel Center was not a parish, that came later.)   When it began, there were about 1000 people who came to Mass every Sunday. This was a stretch for the friars who came to be missionaries. At first, they were a bit disappointed because they could have worked in an English-speaking parish back in the United States. Soon they realized that there was still plenty to do with the Japanese and that they had a strong affect on the people who came there: they actually picked up a true missionary spirit.

The Chapel Center is truly a multi-cultural experience: English-speaking people from the United States, Australia, Great Britain, the Philippines, India, South Africa and many others including English-speaking Japanese who are attracted to the place because of the spirit of the community. It is remarkable to see all of the things that people of the FCC community have taken on as Christians in a non-Christian country. Truly, the FCC has become a great support to the evangelization of Japan.

The Center has been a very strong witness to the consistent life ethic of the Church. Friars and parishioners are still involved in helping with adoption issues, ministry to those in prisons, immigration issues, feeding and serving the homeless in Tokyo, ecumenical outreach, programs to renew the Church and people’s lives. Cursillo was very popular for many years at the Center.   One friar, Fr. Donnon Murray, O.F.M., works full time with all of the options that are available from Fr. Calvo’s Marriage Encounter process (FIRES). The Alpha Programs that reach out to invite people to consider Christianity or return home to it are a regular part of the life of the Center.

The two most prominent things that the Center is known for now is the Rice Ministry and the Orphans Minsitry.   Fr. William DeBiase, O.F.M. (now in Philadelphia) began the Rice Ministry when he was walking and ran into hungry people on the streets that no one noticed. He started this great outreach and it has taken off. Every day members of the parish community and many others make about 500 rices cakes that are distributed to homeless people in Tokyo. The Center has attracted many people to these ministries. Once a week, a team of young Morman missionaries help to make the rice cakes and every morning about 6am teams of people get up and deliver them to people who have very little to eat. The teams do more than just feed people, they also help restore a little people of people’s humanity. Many of us have learned to make people in need invisible, this begins to rob people of their personhood. The rice ministry seems to restore a little bit of that.   Orphans in Japan live an often regimented and predictable life. People from the Center will regularly help them to know some nice surprises with special parties and other events.

In its 42 years of existence, there are about 1200 people who come each Sunday for Mass. The Chapel Center has had many challenges and has been able to rise master to every one of them. It has truly been a ministry that has included friars from almost all of the provinces in the United States, friars from Italy, the Philippines and Japan. At the beginning, the missionaries perhaps were tempted to think that they had frustrated their special vocation as missionaries. Instead they have discovered that they became better missionaries. Not only did they proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth in word and deed, they inspired and empowered others to take up the mission too in the work place, in schools and on the very streets of Tokyo. It is a very welcoming community. Many visit, many stay, many comeback. Everyone takes up the mission.

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