October Japan Pilgrimage with Fr. Elias Mills, F.I.

Our pilgrimage begins as we board our flight to Tokyo (not included). 

Upon arrival in Tokyo, we will gather as a group for Mass at Kanda Church, the second church built in Tokyo. The church is dedicated to the great missionary to Japan St. Francis Xavier and contains his relic. The remainder of the afternoon will be spent at our leisure.

Overnight in Tokyo

We will start our first day of touring with Mass at Takanawa Catholic Church, which commemorates the Great Martyrdom of Tokyo. Then, we will set out for the breathtaking Mount Fuji where we will explore the beautiful mountain area and have devotions with Fr. Elias at Catholic Fuji Church in Fujisawa. We will return to Tokyo for the evening.

Overnight in Tokyo

After breakfast, we will check out of our hotel and fly to Nagasaki, sometimes called the “Little Rome of Japan.” We will begin with Mass at St. Philip’s Church. Then, we will walk a short way to the Twenty-Six Martyrs Museum and Monument where we will learn the incredible story of Catholicism in Japan over the centuries, giving us a foretaste of the sites that we will visit during the pilgrimage. The museum will also highlight the twenty-six martyrs of Japan, including that of St. Paul Miki, who preached forgiveness while hanging on his cross. We will also be privileged to see original letters written by St. Francis Xavier. Check into the hotel. Welcome Dinner. 

Overnight  Nagasaki

We will begin our day with Mass and a Holy Hour at St. Maximilian Kolbe’s Seibo no Kishi Hongouchi Church, where afterwards we will visit the St. Kolbe Memorial Museum, pray at the Lourdes Grotto built by St. Maximilian in the 1930s, and pray the rosary along the Rosary Walk. This afternoon, we will have the chance to visit St. Maximilian’s first friary in Nagasaki as well as the Oura Cathedral and Museum, the site where the Hidden Christians were first discovered. All these visits are included and can be visited at our own pace, which also provides the chance to shop in the nearby commercial area.

Overnight in Nagasaki

We will begin the day at Shimabara Catholic Church for Mass. Being Divine Mercy Sunday, Father Elias will make himself available to hear confessions before Mass. Afterwards, we will visit the Unzen Hot Springs martyrdom site, which commemorates the tremendous sacrifice of the many Christians who stood strong against persecution here, preferring torture in the boiling ‘hells’ of the hot springs rather than to give up their faith. Nearby, we will visit the site of the Shimabara Rebellion and Hara Castle where, in 1637, local Christian farmers were fed up with the persecution they were experiencing and gathered in revolt fighting bravely against the Shogunate army. In response, the army murdered 37,000 Catholics. Today we will also get to see Holy Maria Kannon of Hara Castle, the largest wooden statue of Our Lady in the world, standing at 32.5 feet tall, carved in memory of all those who died in the rebellion.

Overnight in Nagasaki

Following breakfast, we will drive to Hirado to visit St. Francis Xavier Memorial Church and Tabira Church, parts of which were built by seashells, crushed and turned into stone by the very hands of their parishioners. We will have Mass at Tabira Church and will learn how, in 1873, the ban on Christianity was lifted and Christians, who had been in hiding for over two centuries, came out of hiding with great faith and built many churches. In Hirado we will also visit the monument of St. Camillus Costanzo, an Italian Jesuit missionary who was burned at the stake. On the way back to the hotel, we will stop at the Mt. Inasa overlook of Nagasaki which allows us 360-degree views of the thriving port city and the Sea of Japan. 

Overnight in Nagasaki

This morning Fr. Elias will celebrate Mass at the Urakami Cathedral in the Chapel of the Hibaku Maria (Atomic Bomb Maria). We will then tour the Nagasaki Hypocenter Park and Atomic Bomb Museum, before heading to Nyoko-do and visiting the Servant of God Dr. Takashi Nagai Memorial Museum. Dr. Nagai was a Catholic radiologist, author, and survivor of the Nagasaki atomic bombing. His subsequent life of prayer, service, and courage in the face of adversity earned him the affectionate title “Saint of Urakami.” We will then make our way to Cross Hill, where crosses are erected in thanksgiving for the end of persecution of Christians but also to atone for those who apostatized the faith and afterwards repented during this very difficult time.

Overnight in Nagasaki

We will begin our last day in Nagasaki with Mass at Kaminoshima Church (Our Lady of the Cape), after which we will view the statue of Our Lady of the Cape. We will spend a moment here along the beautiful seacoast. We will take the Bullet Train to Hiroshima, where we will visit Hiroshima Castle which now serves as a museum of local history before World War II. 

Overnight in Hiroshima

We will start our day with Mass at the Assumption of Mary Cathedral, also called the Memorial Cathedral of World Peace, the location of the miraculous atomic bomb survival of the Jesuits of Hiroshima. From there we will visit Peace Memorial Park where the direct and indirect victims of the atomic bomb are commemorated. We will spend time at the A-Bomb Museum and the A-Bomb Dome, a building exactly below the detonation site of the bomb. Remarkably, the building was not entirely destroyed and stands today as a visual reminder of the events. Tonight, we will take the Bullet Train to Kyoto.

Overnight in Kyoto

Following breakfast, we will go to the Kawaramachi Church, which commemorates the 52 Kyoto Martyrs, and have Mass in the Our Lady of Miyako Chapel. Our last stop is a UNESCO World Heritage Site built in the early 17th century and still in remarkable condition today: Nijo Castle. We then will have the afternoon and evening to explore Kyoto’s many shopping and cultural sites at our leisure. 

Overnight in Kyoto

This morning we will return to Kawaramachi Church for Mass before heading to the airport for our flight to Akita where we will land and explore the city area.

Overnight in Akita

Today we will gather for Sunday Mass at the Chapel of Our Lady of Akita Seitai Hoshikai, a convent with a chapel that is home to the miraculous statue of Our Lady of Akita, modeled after the statue of Our Lady of All Nations, which from 1973 until the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows in 1981, one could find miraculously shedding tears – sometimes for days at a time and other times at various intervals. Following Mass, we will have a ceremony of consecration and enrollment in the Miraculous Medal. After we break for lunch, we will gather back at the convent grounds to pray the Outdoor Stations of the Cross and have a Holy Hour with Exposition and Benediction.

Overnight in Akita

This morning we will return to the convent for Mass and have some time for prayer. Seitai Hoshikai is home to one of the few Catholic gift shops in Japan, so we will have some time to shop there today. This afternoon, we will spend time exploring Kakunodate, the Samurai District, and the Aoyagi Samurai Manor. Tonight we will enjoy a Farewell Dinner together.

Overnight in Akita

Early this morning, we will have a final Mass of thanksgiving at Catholic Tsuchizaki Church. Filled with an invigorated love of our Catholic faith and memories to last a lifetime, we transfer to the Akita airport for our flight to Tokyo. From there, you can choose to spend more time in Japan or make your way home.