On February 4, 2025, a small yet significant joy illuminated the Tokyo community. Father Clement Lee Bernard (66) from the Malaysia-Singapore Vice Province officially declared his involvement with the international community in Japan. He signed the Memorandum of Agreement alongside Father Victorino Cueto, the Vice Provincial of the Malaysia-Singapore Vice Province, Father Takeshi Inoue, the Vice Provincial of Japan, and Father Yoshiyuki Hagiwara, who is serving as the Acting Vice Provincial.
Father Clement holds a profound affection for Japan and spent time in the Tokyo Community from last January to February 2024 to engage with the possibilities of new evangelization within the international community, showing a keen interest in learning the Japanese language. Based on this experience, he was assigned to live in Tokyo starting late November 2024, where he commenced his missionary journey in Japan and undertook various preparations to lay the groundwork for new evangelization efforts. He is currently dedicatedly studying Japanese in an introductory course.
Following is a concise profile penned by Father Clement himself, “I have lived and worked as a Redemptorist missioner for the past 37 years, in Singapore, East Malaysia (Sarawak), Australia, and England. After 2I years away, returned to Singapore in 2011 and was involved in the rebuilding of our new Novena Church, which was completed in 2018. Having served as Vicar and Prefect of the Church from 2012 to 2018, I now feel ready for new challenges and mission experience. When I read the 26th General Chapter’s Message, Decisions, Directives #17 – “An International Community in Japan as an effort at new Evangelization.” – I felt an inner stirring and a strong desire to offer myself to this invitation.”
We would also like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to Provincial Inno for kindly sending us such remarkable individuals. We join him in prayer that the joy of consecrated life, emerging from the blossoming international community in Japan, may resonate with hope and be shared across the globe. We sincerely hope that the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Perpetual Help, may always watch over Father Clement. We kindly ask everyone to pray for his health and peace.
Fr. Takeshi Inoue, C.Ss.R,
Vice-Provincial of Japan
