Hamamatsu - Japan, 12 November 2022 -- Every year, the Solemnity of All Saints is celebrated on the first of November. It was instituted to honour all of the saints, both known and unknown. This year, for pastoral reasons, the Brazilian community in Hamamatsu celebrated it on November 5, Saturday night 7:30pm Mass. The Mass was celebrated by Father Higa who is on his short vacation from Brazil, and Father Ambrósio Lucas Da Silva, SDB concelebrant. In his homily, Father Evaristo Higa,SDB stressed joy as the way to holiness, then developed it to the Salesian way of holiness with the story of Don Bosco and Saint Dominic Savio, and quoted pope Francis on the beatitudes as the ‘Christian identity card’.
This tradition probably began in Father Higa's time, and slowly attracted the young people, and even the parents much earlier. This year it involved 13 special young “living saints”. The living “saints”,, were involved in the liturgical celebration as commentator, readers of the first and second readings, the prayer of the faithful and bringing the offerings. Among the 13 living saints, like Don Bosco, St Francis of Assisi, St John Paul II, St Therese of Calcutta, there was the most attractive one with his moustache, the newest Salesian Saint in the church, Saint Artemides Zatti. The kid’s version of Zatti was represented by seven-year-old Miguel. Prepared by his mother and the catechists, he was well equipped with stethoscope, Zatti rosary, Salesian Constitutions and bicycle. He was nucknamed “little Zatti” from Hamamatsu. Last year he was little saint John Paul II. After the Mass, the saints gathered outside the church for a “saint show” with the specific icon that belongs to them, like a palm, cross, violin, rosary and Zatti's bicycle. The community takes this celebration seriously as an opportunity to introduce the saints to the community and especially to the young people instead of Halloween, which unfortunately attracts the attention of many more young people every year. All Saints’ Day is not just a recalling of the goodness of others, but also a call and an invitation to us to strive to be like them.
Still in reference to Zatti, on November 12 the monthly “oratorio dos jovens” at 9pm in Hamamatsu Catholic Pastoral Center focuses on the life and canonization celebration of Zatti. For sure there will be the youth version of Zatti. Hamamatsu is a Salesian parish with three priests (Italian, Vietnamese and Timorese) and five different communities (Japan, Brazil, Philippines, Peru and Vietnam).
All saints in heaven, pray for us!
NB: The majority of Catholics in Japan are migrants from many different continents, the greater number of them being Brazilians. Our Salesian parish of Hamamatsu (Yokohama diocese) has, over the years, become an inspiring model for a multi-cultural Catholic community where all different languages and cultures can feel at home and contribute to community building and mission.
