Subject: 'austraLasia' #354
(Note - been silent this week past; 'out of station' on the remote andbeautiful islan d of Ovalau making a retreat. Back in business in crazy Suva as of today and will give you an update on things here and in the Solomons, from a Salesian perspective, since you can generally get other news from other sources. But first, some good news which we've been hanging on to for nearly a month, forbidden to tell!! Julian)
JAPANESE SALESIAN BISHOP ANNOUNCED.
TOKYO:16th June -- (ANS) - Fr. Francis Xavier Osamu Mizobe, ex-provincial of Japan and presently in the community of Aino, placed at the service of the diocese of Nagasaki, has been made Bishop of Sendai by Pope John Paul II.
The nomination has been made public by the Osservatore Romano in its 12-13 June issue. Sendai is a city of around 1.3 million people in the North East of Honshu, Japan's main island. Sendai is known for, amongst other things, an important shrine to Christian martyrs.
Fr Mizobe was born at Shingishu (North Korea), on 5th March 1935, but before long the family moved to Japan establishing itself at Beppu, where there was a salesian community. He followed the salesian vocation and made his noviciate in 1954-55 a Chofu, Tokyo. It is there he completed his philosophy, practical training and made his perpetual Vows on 29th March 1959.
On being sent to Italy for theology at the International Salesian Institute of Theology, Turin (Crocetta), he obtained a Licentiate in theology and was ordained as priest on 9th February 1964. Thereafter he also completed a Licentiate in Church History at the Gregorian Pontifical University (1964-1967) in Rome.
After returning to Japan he taught in the Studentate of Chofu (1968-1973) and from 1973 to 1979 he worked as the diocesan delegate for youth ministry and also as secretary of the Bishop of Oita. In 1979 he was made Rector, a responsibility which he carried out in the community of Nakatsu "Boys Town", Oita (1979-1984) and in the studentate of theology of Chofu (1984-1990).
>From 1990 to 1996 he was the Provincial of Japan and took part in the GC24. In addition to the ecclesiastical degrees, Fr. Mizobe holds also civil degrees in History and Social Communication; Other than Japanese, he knows Italian, English and Spanish.
