2022 marks the 90th Anniversary of the Congregation de Notre-Dame’s Arrival in Japan

Invitation to the Mission to Japan

How did the Congregation of Notre Dame proceed with its foreign missions and why was Japan the place of choice?

The first invitation to mission to Japan was given by Fr. E. A. Langlais, President of the Dominican Province of Canada. In September of 1930, he personally visited Montreal to invite the sisters of the Congregation Notre Dame to collaborate in the mission of the fledgling Dominican Order. In September 1930, he personally visited Montreal and asked for the dispatch of the sisters of the Congregation as collaborators in the mission of the fledgling Dominican Order. This request was accepted, and Fr. René Labelle, Superior General of the Congregation of Saint-Sulpice, who was asked for his opinion, expressed his heartfelt support.

At the same time, Pope Pius XI was urging the Vatican to "proclaim the Gospel in Asia.

The two-year correspondence between the Society and the invitees shows that Marguerite Bourgeois' apostolic zeal was alive in the hearts of her daughters, but she was also wise and prudent and did not make hasty decisions.

In 1932, the General Chapter was about to be held. Before the end of their term, the superiors pondered foreign missions in silence and prayer, and finally chose Japan.

It was at the entrance of the Dominican church that Marguerite Bourgeois received an interior illumination in front of the statue of Our Lady, and is it any wonder that on May 19, 1932, the General Council sent the first group to the mission field, also in response to the invitation of the Dominicans!