GLT Accompaniment: Japan

After Vietnam, I continued my travels to Japan. It took about six hours to fly from Ho Chi Minh City to Nagoya. I arrived in Nagoya on Saturday morning (15 November) and went straight to the MSC community in Johokubashi. My main purpose in Japan was to facilitate a community retreat (17–21 November). The retreat was held in Susono, a peaceful place with the stunning backdrop of Mount Fuji. After the retreat, I had the chance to spend a few days visiting several locations where our confreres are working (Fukui, Ono, Tsuruga, Obama, Sabae, Ogaki, Kakamigahara, and Konan).

Men with a Mission and Saint Peter To Rot
The theme of this year’s retreat was Men with a Mission. Through various sessions of personal reflection, group sharing, and communal prayer, we revisited our identity as religious men sent to proclaim God’s compassion in the context of Japan. This deepening of the theme helped each confrere reflect anew on his personal calling and missionary commitment.

One of the primary sources of reflection was the figure of Saint Peter To Rot, a lay catechist from Papua New Guinea who was steadfast in his faith and courageous in witnessing to it until the end of his life. His simplicity, courage in the face of oppression, and commitment to family and community became a mirror for all of us.
Although the Japanese context is very different from Peter To Rot’s, his spirit of perseverance and courage in the face of difficulties provided deep inspiration. We realised that the mission is not primarily about visible success, but about faithfulness to the task entrusted by God.

Strengthening Community Brotherhood
Amid the dynamics of the Church in Japan as a minority, the spirit of fraternity becomes a primary source of strength. This retreat was not only a space for prayer, but also a place to share stories, struggles, dreams, and hopes. I witnessed how each confrere carried the spirit of a “Heart full of compassion” in the way they lived their community life.

The confreres shared challenging experiences of ministry, while others offered encouragement through stories of small successes that are often overlooked. In that warm atmosphere, we felt once again like brothers in community, not merely pastoral co-workers.

Beyond the formal sessions, simple moments such as recreation together, afternoon walks around the retreat area, or enjoying the view of Mount Fuji became opportunities to strengthen fraternity. The retreat reaffirmed that the mission is never carried out alone. Everyone was reminded anew of the meaning of mission: being sent as a community, mutually supporting and strengthening one another.

A Renewed Spirit for the Mission in Japan
The retreat was not merely a time to pause, but a moment of renewal. The beauty of nature, the deepening of the theme Men with a Mission, the example of Saint Peter To Rot, and the strengthened fraternity all came together as a precious spiritual experience.

When the retreat ended and everyone returned to their respective places of ministry, we carried with us a renewed spirit to be faithful and creative witnesses of God’s love in the midst of Japanese society. This retreat reminded us that the mission continues, and that we are called to live it with hearts full of compassion, courage, and togetherness. The focus of a missionary’s service is not on harvesting the results, but on the process of sowing the seeds. This is the commitment to always bear witness to God’s love, anytime and anywhere: to be on earth the heart of God.

At the end of this sharing, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the MSC confreres in Japan. Thank you for the cooperation and kindness that I experienced during two very meaningful weeks in Japan. Arigatō gozaimasu.

Bram Tulusan, MSC (Indonesian Province)