Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Chia Yi (Agenzia Fides) – The only Japanese priest in Taiwan, Fr Michael Shintate, thanked the Taiwanese for their support to earthquake-shaken Japanese during the Mass recently celebrated in the Cathedral of the Diocese of Chia Yi. According to information received by Fides, Fr Michael, a Divine Word Missionary (SVD), arrived in Taiwan six years ago and began his pastoral care mission of the Cathedral of Chia Yi, dedicated to St John. He recently lived with the native Taiwanese people displaced by the Morakot typhoon, which hit the area around the Diocese of Chia Yi hard in August 2009. The landslide caused by typhoon swept away a bridge and houses, but Fr Michael stayed for days on the mountain with his indigenous parishioners. Last month, when he was about to return to the Japanese community in accordance with orders by his superiors, the earthquake and tsunami hit that devastated Japan. During the Mass celebrated by Fr Norbert Pu, Rector of the Cathedral, Fr Michael expressed his gratitude to the Taiwanese, on behalf of his Japanese compatriots, thanking them for their moral and material generosity. He also said that his experience of two years ago among the people displaced by the typhoon, helped him a lot to understand that trust in the Lord is the only way out of a tragedy, and he intends to bring this conviction to his Country, together with the affection of the faithful in Taiwan. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 12/04/2011)
