Japan in the midst of a recession?

TOKYO – We’re in Shinjuku in the heart of Tokyo after the burial of the Mrs. Sachiko “Rosa Sienna” Kono, mother of my brother-in-law Yuki at the Narita Memorial Park last weekend. Call it luck or Divine Providence that my sister Adela A. Kono had a friend in Japan, a priest named Fr. Joseph “Jack” Serate (from Barangay Sambag I in Cebu City) who took an hour’s train ride from the Saitama Prefecture where he works at the Omiya Catholic Church to say the funeral Mass for Sachiko Kono.

Mrs. Kono came to live with his son Yuki and my sister Adela in Cebu City 10 years ago. Though she spoke very little English, she asked to be converted to Catholicism (Yuki is a very devout Catholic and a follower of Bo Sanchez) and took care of my sister, who was stricken with polio since she was three years old. Adela was recently given a presidential award for her selfless work for the disadvantage children and currently president of the Cebu Society for Crippled Children that my mother founded in the 60’s.

Without knowing it, Mrs. Kono made a reality out of that famous Biblical story of Ruth (Ruth 1:16-17) who took care of her mother-in-law Naomi when her husband Mahlon passed away. In this case, Mrs. Kono helped take care of my sister Adela and in so doing, she reminded me of what Ruth told Naomi, “Where you shall go, I shall go, where you will live, there I shall live; your people shall be my people; your God shall be my God too!”

While she lived in obscurity, her burial at the Narita Memorial Park made a little history as Fr. Jack Serate officiated the very first Holy Mass in that cemetery. Although their area has many Christians buried there, it was really the first Holy Mass said in their chapel as the park officials told us. They even attended the Mass and took pictures to use in their website.

Fr. Jack has been in Japan since eight years ago the Bishop of Saitama Prefecture invited him to work in his parish. Fr. Jack told me that the Saitama Diocese includes the Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma Prefectures and has some 15,000 Filipino Catholics, not to mention a host of Japanese Catholics. He said Holy Mass for Mrs. Kono in Japanese. I also learned from Fr. Jack that Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister Taro Aso is also a Catholic, perhaps he is the first Catholic Japanese Premier.

It was a surprise when Fr. Jack told me that he is a fan of mine as he always reads my columns from the Internet and even commented that finally The Philippine Star website had our photos with our articles. He also commented on my Sunday “column/homily” which I do every Sunday only for the Freeman Daily. This is my Lay interpretation of every Sunday’s Gospel reading, which Fr. Jack commented that he would often use.

While in Narita, I asked Fr. Jack a big favor… to say a special Holy Mass on the second death anniversary for our late Publisher Max Soliven. Mr. Arthur Lopez, one of Sir Max’s closest friends requested me to pray for the soul of Sir Max while I was in Narita as it was there that he left this earth for life eternal. Well, Sir Arthur, I got more that I could ever wish for, I did more than just pray for the soul of Sir Max, Fr. Serate promised me that he would say mass for Sir Max whom he used to read when he was still alive.

Meanwhile, I also read in the news from the Internet that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s (GMA) plane is on its way to the US and on to the APEC Summit in Peru had to make an emergency landing in Osaka, Japan because First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo had a medical emergency. Because this piece of news is not in the Japanese newspapers (perhaps it is in the Japanese language dailies) so as of my e-mailing this article, I have no idea what hospital he is in or whether it is true that he suffered a heart attack or not.

* * *

A special birthday greetings to Sir Miguel Belmonte tomorrow. Since we’re having a cellphone vacation in Japan, this will be the only way I can greet him. So many happy returns of the day Sir Migs and may God always bless you and your family and The Philippine Star family! God Bless!

* * *

For e-mail responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit Avila’s columns can also be accessed through www.philstar.com. He also hosts a weekly talkshow, “Straight from the Sky,” shown every Monday, 8 p.m., only in Metro Cebu on Channel 15 of SkyCable.