Toward the 90th Anniversary of the Arrival of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame in Japan (Part 3)
From “The Narrow Road to Japan: In the Footsteps of Marguerite Bourgeois” by Rose Cauchon, CND.
Arrival in Fukushima
At 9:30 a.m. on October 20, eighteen days after leaving Montreal, I boarded a train bound for Fukushima, where I was headed. On the train, the group witnessed various scenes different from those in their home country. Some people took off their shoes and sat in narrow seats, some smokers were on the train, some people bought ekiben and ate them with chopsticks, some mothers carried their babies on their backs and a box of remains of soldiers who died in China was placed on the incense-burning platform with fruit and candles offered in front of it. I was able to see Japanese customs for the first time.
Arriving in Fukushima at 3:00 p.m., we were met at the home of the church’s pastor, Rev. Rafael Yaroku Ebi, accompanied by three children who were holding bouquets of flowers in their hands. The car took us to the Nobuyama Church that was located at the top of a long flight of stone steps. The unaccustomed slippers we had put on at the entrance fell off with each step, confounding the sisters. Bishop A. Dumas and Father Ebi greeted everyone in French, and after a short prayer, they took a short break in the adjacent rectory. The bishop said, “Come, let us go to your homes,” and we were once again in the car, but the town was filled with curious eyes toward this group of foreigners.
The house where the sisters lived was an American-style building, quite spacious with fan-shaped vines and roses that extended to the second floor as if to welcome the group with open arms. When they opened the front door, they saw the words “Our Lady of the Rising Sun” (Notre-Dame-du-Levant) written in large letters.
After the bishop blessed the house, we returned to the rectory for dinner. After the Eucharistic Adoration, we were invited to a welcome party by the faithful at the parish hall where we were treated to generous hospitality with Japanese dance and folk songs.