On March 21, 2023, Fr. Toshihisa Shimose, a Redemptorist of the Vice-Province of JAPAN, received his priestly ordination. The celebration was held at the Cathedral in the Archdiocese of TOKYO. Despite the limited number of participants, due to the Covid-19 rules, the ordination was attended by nearly 100 priests and almost 300 lay people.
Mgr Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Tokyo, presided over the joined celebration, during which six deacons from three religious congregations (Franciscans Conventual, Paulists, Redemptorists) were ordained priests. It was intended to serve as a sign of further cooperation between the Archdiocese and the religious.
Fr. Shimose was ordained on his fifty-fourth birthday. He was waiting for this day for many years, discerning his vocation and then preparing to become a priest. In his speech, he said: “I have been able to become a priest because of the support of many people. And I want to repay the kindness I received to the people I will meet in my ministry.”
On March 22, the new priest Fr. Shimose, celebrated his First Mass at Hatsudai Church in Tokyo. He shared his joy and hope for cooperation in Japan with confreres from other Units. He said, “Confreres from Indonesia and Korea are working with us in Japan. When I saw them, I felt that Redemptorists in Japan would become an international community.”
Fr. Shimose’s ordination occurred 12 years after the previous ordination in the Redemptorist Vice-Province of JAPAN, which is experiencing a lack of new vocations. However, it will continue the mission in Japan in cooperation with Redemptorists worldwide.
Thankful for Fr. Shimose’s vocation, we ask you to keep him in your prayers.
Hagihara Yoshiyuki C.Ss.R.
Video of Ordination Now Available (Language: Japanese):
https://www.youtube.com/live/qAPV6KU7kL0?feature=share
