Persecution on Our Lady of Akita

Although today was the day of a miracle by Our Lady of Fatima, but it was also very special for Our Lady of Akita because Sr. Sasagawa recived the message from her on the coming punishments from Heaven if people would not repent their sins.

The Our Lady of Akita is now well known in the Catholic countries around the world but many of those who know Her would not imagine that there is a series of suppression on Her and people around.

I myself have visited Akita three times in my life. I visited there for the first time in 1987 or so when I was still an elementary school pupil. At that time, the chapel was somewhat a ordinary house around everywhere in countryside. Although I was not yet baptized, we prayed rosary before the statue of Our Lady there for hours. Honestly speaking, I was tired when we finished our prayer.

Second time, I visited to the convent for the first time in 16 years with my parents and younger sister to join in a group of pilgrimage in May, 2007. The chapel was beautifully built in the Japanese traditional style. We prayed rosaries together before the statue of Our Lady inside the chapel and went around the Japanese style garden.

It seems that there is no problem at all however, there was a great changes. when I tried to bought a book on Our Lady of Akita, there was absolutely no book written by Fr. Thomas Yasuda, S.V.D. but the one that tells the whole story of the convent; Our Lady of Akita is only a part of the contents.

The other thing very strange for me was that there was no name of the nun who witnessed the miracles by Our Lady of Akita i.e. Sr. Sasagawa. In the book, her name was only mentioned as Sr. S. What was the reason for this?

It was not only the chapel but the people there that changed very much. Although Our Lady of Akita is officially recognized by the local bishop now, but there was a series of suppressions on her. the former bishop Francis Sato of Nigata Diocese at first supported the miracles by Our Lady of Akita, but he changed his attitude toward them and even tried to dispose the cottons which wiped the tears and bloods flew from the Statue. In the convent, a group of liberal sisters took the power there and Sr. Sasagawa and Fr. Thomas Yasuda had to leave there. They lives far away from Akita now.

On the third time of my visit in May, 2008, when I prayed before the statue set left side of the chapel, I heard folk songs by DARC, a group for rehabilitation of drug addicts. It was very difficult to pray rosaries there.

Now I have no chance to visit there, but I hope the miracles and messages by Our Lady of Akita will be recognized everywhere and the convent again become a suitable place for prayers.