More than 150 Catholics from across Akita Prefecture and neighboring Yamagata filled Akita Church on September 28 for the fourth Akita District International Mass.
Sep 30, 2025
Catholics from Akita and neighboring Yamagata gather for the fourth Akita District International Mass on September 28, 2025. Photo credit: Diocese of Niigata
The International Mass is a liturgy that blends cultures, languages, and traditions in a single act of worship. Parishioners from the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Benin, France, Italy, Korea, Egypt, Brazil, and Japan joined the celebration.
The Mass was marked by participation in many languages: readings, prayers of the faithful, and hymns were offered in Vietnamese, English, Japanese, and other tongues.
Bishop Daisuke Narui, S.V.D., presided and delivered the homily in Japanese and English, while a Vietnamese translation of the homily was printed in the program.
Parts of the Eucharistic Prayer were read in Portuguese and Filipino, and the Lord’s Prayer was recited in both Japanese and Vietnamese.
Bishop Narui said that rather than creating confusion, the use of many languages “was marked by unity—surely because everyone shared the same desire to be one in prayer.”
During the Mass, participants learned how to say “hello” in various languages before exchanging greetings with one another.
Fellowship across cultures
After the liturgy, parishioners and guests gathered under tents for a fellowship meal, where Japanese, Filipino, and Vietnamese food was shared.
The highlight of the gathering was a dance performed by the Sisters of the Sacred Heart Missionary Congregation, which drew children into the celebration.
International Masses often see greater participation from foreign-born Catholics, with fewer Japanese in attendance. But this year was different. “This year, many Japanese parishioners joined, creating a rich sense of fellowship,” Bishop Narui said.
Gospel challenge: for whom do we live?
In his homily, Bishop Narui reflected on the day’s Gospel of the rich man and poor Lazarus, underscoring that the parable reveals “what God desires.”
“The important issue is not whether one has wealth or not. The real question is: For whom do we live?” he said. “Human beings are not made to live only for themselves or for their own kind.”
He warned against a way of life that “stops the flow of life” by taking without sharing.
“They exploit nature, produce and consume excessively, and waste without concern. They buy what they want without caring if others—nearby or in other countries—are suffering,” he said.
Migrants as ‘missionaries of hope’
The International Mass also coincided with the Church’s observance of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. Quoting the papal message for the occasion, Bishop Narui said:
“Catholic migrants and refugees can become missionaries of hope in the countries that receive them. By their spiritual zeal and vitality, they can help rejuvenate communities of the Church that have become rigid or inactive. Therefore, the presence of Catholic migrants and refugees must be recognized and valued as a true blessing of God.”
The prelate said the Diocese of Niigata “is truly blessed, with so many migrants among us,” adding that when when people meet and “enter into each other’s cultures, each of us becomes a blessing.”
“Together, we form a blessed community,” he said.
Bishop Narui reminded the faithful that Jesus is the model for Christian communion. “He crossed not just national boundaries but the boundary between God and humanity to dwell with us, to give us life.”
“May we walk as a community that follows Jesus—sharing what we have not only for ourselves but especially for those like Lazarus,” he said.–LiCAS.news
AloJapan.com