The Tears and Message of Mary

AKITA
The Tears and
Message of Mary
Father
Teiji YASUDA*
Written by Father Teiji Yasuda, chaplain of the convent in
Akita, this book was first published in Japanese with the
Imprimatur o f the Bishop o f Niigata. On March 14th, 1989,
the M ost Rev. John S. Ito, retired Bishop o f N iigata who
knows English and who had personally read this English
translation approved it in the following words:
“I recom mend this book and testify that its contents are
true.”
t
Most Rev. John S. Ito, D.D.
C opy rig h t— 1989, by John M. Haffert
First printing: 10,000 copies, 1989
Second printing: 10,000 copies, 1990
Third printing: 10,000 copies, 1992
Fourth printing: 10,000 copies, 1994
* The 101 F oundation regrets that at the tim e o f the p u blication o f this
first E nglish edition, this w as the only photograph available o f Father
Yasuda. M ost o f the other photographs in this edition w ere taken when
the 1987 P eace F light to A sia visited A kita, Japan.
Akita
The Tears
and Message
of Mary
by
Teiji Yasuda, O.S.V.
English Version by John M. H affert, 1989
101 Foundation, Inc.
Asbury, New Jersey 08802-0151
U.S.A.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
C hapter #:
Preface
Prologue
Page #:
1.
2.
1.
V essel of Suffering
New Trial
The Hill of Hope
A Mysterious Light
Meditation
8.
9.
11.
12.
14.
2.
Angels in the Light
The Bishop's Guidance
Apparition of the Angel
16.
18.
19.
3.
A Wound in the Hand
Account of the Superioress
The Trial of D eafness, Source of Light
25.
27.
28.
4.
The First M essage of Mary
Testim onies Concerning July 6th
34.
40.
5.
The Following Days
Report to the Bishop
The Strange Phenom ena Increase
W itnesses
44.
45.
50.
55.
6.
The Second M essage of Mary
A ugust 3rd, 1973
The Attacks of the Devil
Light, Perspiration and Perfume
October 7th, the F east of the Holy R osaiy
The Guardian Angels
60.
61.
67.
71.
73.
74.
7.
The Third M essage of the Virgin
Perfume and Stench, October 15th
Feast of Saint Teresa
The Fourth of November
Love of the Neighbor
The 10th of March, 1974
77.
81.
8.
D ays of Hesitation
The Japanese Garden
A Garden C onsecrated to Mary
From Plan to Realization
82.
86.
92.
94.
95.
98.
101.
9.
The Healing Announced by the Angel
Eighteenth o f May, 1974
Thirteenth o f October, 1974
The M eaning o f the Miraculous Cure
108.
109.
111.
113.
10.
The Dream
An U nexpected Visit
Content of the Article
116.
121.
122.
11.
The Statue W eeps
Reaction to the Mystery
Words of the Angel
Reaction
125.
129.
129.
131.
12.
The Virgin and Saint Francis Xavier
The Martyrs o f Akita
The Second Evangelization of Jap a n
134.
135.
137.
13.
The R equested Sacrifice
Attach Great Importance To This Day
W itnesses
141.
147.
149.
14.
The Church and the Media
The Divine R esponse
Growing Trials
Thermal Cure
The Plans o f Providence
154.
155.
156.
162.
164.
15.
New Signs
The Memorable Days
Twenty-fifth o f March, 1979
Decisive Expertise
The Second Com m ission — Positive Ruling
The Last W eeping — Our Lady o f Sorrows
The Complete Cure
167.
171.
171.
174.
176.
178.
180.
16.
C onclusion
184.
D ocum ents
187.
Healing of a Brain Tumor in South Korea
187.
Pastoral Letter of the Bishop of Niigata on the
190.
Subject of the Statue of the Virgin of Akita
... J o h n Shojiro Ito, B ishop of Niigata
Lachrymations
2 01.
ttt
.
1
Akita—The Tears and Message o f M ary
by F r. T eiji Y asuda
Preface:
N ew s o f tears flow ing from a statue o f O ur L ady in a convent in
A kita, Japan, spread through the entire nation follow ing a series o f
articles in the publication C atholic Graph. O ver a considerable tim e
new spapers, magazines, radio and television have covered these events.
C hurch authorities considered it prudent to rem ain quiet. It was only
after tw elve years o f national publicity that Fr. T atsuya Shimura,
assistant rector o f the C athedral in Tokyo, decided courageously to
publish a little work entitled The Virgin M ary W eeps A t Akita. French
and G erm an translations o f this little work caused new s of the affair to
spread in the west.
O n E aster Sunday, 1 9 8 4 ,22nd o f April, the M ost Rev. John Ito, the
B ishop directly responsible, issued a pastoral letter declaring “ the
events o f A kita” to be supernatural. On N ovem ber 3rd o f the same year,
the B ishop him self cam e to pray a t the sanctuary o f Y uzawadai (Akita)
w ith a group o f pilgrim s. Since that time pilgrim s have com e in ever
g reater num bers from all parts o f Japan and from oth er nations.
F or thirteen years I was chaplain o f the com m unity o f the Handmaids
o f the E ucharist in A kita and I related the “events o f A kita” in our
m onthly bulletin during the last tw o years before w riting this book.
It seem ed to me opportune to gather the articles together in a
com plete w ork, which I hope w ill bring joy to those w ho have sustained
us by their fervent prayer. I pray that it will justly and faithfully clarify
the facts so that an ever greater num ber may progress in an understand­
ing o f the divine mysteries they reveal.
In the nam e o f the com m unity and all readers I thank Bishop Kei'ichi
Sato, successor o f Bishop Ito, w ho kindly approved the publication of
this book w ithout reserve. M ay it be for all, by the G race o f the Lord,
an instrum ent o f edification an d o f spiritual progress.
G iven on the Feast o f the A nnunciation, M arch 2 5 1 9 8 7 , on the hill
o f Y uzaw adai, Akita.
Signed,
F ather Teiji Yasuda.
2.
Prologue
As I write this, I have ju s t sp en t alm ost th irteen y ears in
Ihe convent at Yuzawadai on th e o u tsk irts of Akita w here
I have been a n eyewitness to th e events I am ab o u t to
describe.
A rem arkable series of coincidences brought m e to th is
holy place. The im m ediate occasion for my coming w as an
incident which took place because of sudden bad w eather.
At the time I w as stationed in Tokyo an d had b een invited
to a city in the n o rth to sp eak at a catechetical session. I
took advantage of th e occasion to go a little farth er to my
native village w hich I had not seen for sometime. It w as in
February of 1974. The w eather w as unstable an d a
snow storm of exceptional violence paralyzed all com m uni­
cations for two days. I was held u p at the village ch u rch
w ith nothing in p articu lar to do.
A m em ber of th e parish, seeing th a t I was free, asked if
I would like to go to say M ass at the convent of the sisters
of Yuzawadai. She explained th a t because of the heavy
snow storm s during these p ast days, no one had been able
to say Mass a t th e convent which w as up along the hill on
the outskirts of Akita.
Having no reaso n to refuse, I willingly agreed. Tow ards
two o'clock th a t afternoon I took advantage of the offer of a
neighbor who h ad a truck. The rough road which led to the
convent had disappeared u n d er a thick covering of snow.
We finally m ade it w ith the help of a bulldozer which cleared
the way. The little building, which I th e n saw for the first
time, was quite poor. I cite here the note which I published
in a parish bulletin a short time later:
“This w inter I h a d the occasion to meet a group truly
living the vow of poverty. About ten years ago a sm all group
of women gathered together in a h ouse on a hill outside
Akita to lead a life of prayer. Some of them later left, oth ers
rem ained. They did not have a p riest and lived on strict
necessities, having abandoned all th eir goods in o rder to
consecrate them selves to God.
“They seem ed to be the b u tt of co n stan t criticism an d
calum ny. They were reproached for not having anything
other to do, and if I listened to w hat w as being said, p erh ap s
3.
I m ight have been of th e sam e opinion. One m u st not forget
the tru th contained in th is paradox... th e one who is
despised becomes in reality the one who identifies m ost
with Christ. This exam ple suffices to teach u s which one
is m ore loved of God, th e one who throw s th e insults or the
one who receives them .
“These women told m e of an u n u su al experience. They
said: 'We were ardently begging the intercession o f the Holy
Virgin when there appeared on a hand o f Her little statue,
sculptured on a globe and leaning against a cross, a mark o f
red blood in theform o f a cross. From this mark bloodflowed.
It remained more than three weeks accompanied by other
phenomena expressing the sufferings o f Mary.'
“They then invited m e to come and see th e statue. I went
to th e chapel, said M ass there, and prayed to the Virgin
Mary. I rem ained a m om ent to contem plate the statu e of
which the hand appeared to have bled. I felt very intensely
that Mary had to suffer for the church of J a p a n , even to the
point of shedding blood. I left the hill carrying in my h eart
a profound conviction th a t in this place there w as an urgent
appeal for prayer.”
It w as in these dispositions that I retu rn e d to my parish
with a resolution to participate in som e m an n er in the
sufferings of Mary. A little later, I w as led to give up my
position as pastor and I at once rem em bered the Virgin who
had shed blood. I felt a n ardent desire to go there to pray.
S uch were the circum stances which led me to the Virgin
of Yuzawadai, and with the passage of time I cannot b u t
recognize the h an d of Divine Providence, watchful in
everything.
Since I have been ch aplain here in the Yuzawadai (Akita)
convent, the statu e of Mary h a s undergone several changes
of appearance. It h a s been th e subject of phenom ena which
n a tu ra l laws cannot explain. The m ost rem arkable of these
are th e te a rs which have flowed from both eyes, now known
th roughout J a p a n an d th e world.
I th a n k God for the grace for having been formed in
prayer in this place w here I hope to rem ain still a long time
in order to m ake spiritual progress. I also pray th a t the
n u m ero u s pilgrims who come in the fu tu re to pray to the
Virgin of Akita will find courage and peace in th is place of
special grace.
4.
On March 10th, 1 9 7 4 ,1took up my place at the convent
of Yuzawadai. The first work I undertook was th e exam i­
nation of the m essag es which S ister Agnes was said to have
received from Mary and to study th e m ysterious events
connected with th e statue. I had to prepare a com plete
docum entation.
I began by extracting passages from the intim ate jo u rn a l
of Sr. Agnes w hich treated the events in such a way a s to
reveal the underlying factors. I h ad my report read to the
religious of the com m unity and subm itted a copy to the
Bishop of the diocese, Bishop Ito.
A little later, a jo u rn alist from the review Catholic Graph
asked for an interview. I thought th a t would ofTer a good
occasion to m ake the events public. The articles p ublished
by the Catholic Graph brought forth num erous reactions.
Some were en th u siastic and some hostile, as one can easily
imagine. In the first years following the events, th ere were
violent protestations from certain p a rts and in p a rticu la r
from a part of the Catholic hierarchy which showed itself
openly reticent.
Now th a t the tem pest is over an d the events have been
recognized as su p ern atu ra l by the Ordinary of the diocese,
in my soul and in my conscience it ap p ears to me th e p roper
time to reveal these m anifest signs of Divine Providence.
T hat is the reason for th is book.
The reader m ay be surprised at th e long studies an d the
suffering which preceded the good news which took place
in the m onth of May, 1984, when the events relative to the
Virgin of Yuzawadai were finally recognized as s u p e rn a tu ­
ral by the Bishop in a pastoral letter addressed to all the
m em bers of the diocese. That declaration came only m any
years down a laborious road sowed with multiple com pli­
cations.
In his pastoral letter, following repeated visits to Rome
for consultation with the Sacred Congregation of th e Doc­
trine of the Faith concerning the events of Yuzawadai,
Bishop Ito, a s Bishop of th e Diocese, solemnly recognized
their su p ern atu ra l ch aracter after m atu re reflection and
detailed exam ination. He certified th a t the m essage given
by O ur Lady of Akita contains no element which m ight
5.
cau se harm to th e faith of the people of God. As we look
b a c k down th a t laborious road of trial an d exam ination, we
m arvel now at some of the fantastic objections which were
raised, and even m ore fantastic “explanations” which were
proposed to explain away the tears w hich flowed from the
w ooden statue, an d th e blood which flowed from its hand.
From the very beginning th e theory of “ectoplasm ” w as
in th e forefront. This theory spread far an d wide before the
tru e facts were know n an d cast such d o ubt upon the entire
m a tte r th a t there w as indifference to th e im portant m es­
sages pronounced by O ur Lady... m essag es which are the
whole reason for th ese events of w hich we speak in th is
book.
In order to overcome th is m o u n tain of prejudice, a great
deal of patience and confidence in Divine Providence w as
necessary. It w as only after ten years th a t the thesis of
ectoplasm was officially rejected by com petent ecclesiasti­
cal authority.
The theoiy, according to which th e phenom ena h ad a
diabolical origin, w as rejected by the facts themselves. As
the proverb says: “One recognizes th e tru th by its fru its,”
an d how m any graces have been obtained by persons who
cam e to honor the Virgin M aiy in th is place where She so
signally m anifested H er presence an d delivered a m essage
of m ajor im portance for the world! How m any found the
faith again, or were confirm ed in the faith, and how m any
were cured of an incurable malady! There are m any
exam ples.
In his pastoral letter, the Bishop cites th e special case of
T eresa Chun, a Korean woman who w as reduced to a
vegetable state as a resu lt of a brain tum or. She was cured
m iraculously during a n apparition of the Virgin of Akita.
A nother confirming cu re is th at of th e deafness of S ister
Agnes who had been declared incurable. O ur Lady H erself
h a d announced th is cure which took place in a single
in sta n t.
All the reasons above contributed to th e official declara­
tion by Bishop Ito w hich h a s opened th e way to authentic
veneration of the Virgin of Akita.
May the Lord be blessed for so m any benefits and m ay
o u r joy and gratitude ever increase!
6.
TRANSLATOR’S NOTE:
From F ather Y asuda's prologue, w e learn that this is a book written
by an eyew itness. E vents attributed to D ivine Providence b ro u g h t this
eyew itness, a sincere priest, to the Y uzaw adai convent in A kita. M ost
o f w hat you are about to read w as com piled from his “new s b u lletin s.”
W e also learn that an ecclesiastical com m ission found the events to
be supernatural despite a theory o f “ectoplasm ” w hich for som e years
w as the basis o f g reat opposition, even from m em bers o f the Japanese
hierarchy. By the tim e the B ishop o f N iigata issued his pastoral letter
o f approval in 1984, the all-im portant m essage was obscured by the
disputed signs w hich accom panied it... signs which had been given by
G od (as the pastoral stales) to confirm the message.
Distracting Events
Also at F atim a, there were m any extraordinary signs and a still
undisclosed secret w hich have tended to distract us from the m essage.
If we ask som eone, “Do you know about O ur Lady o f F atim a?” how
often the answ er is, “Oh, yes! Isn't there som e kind o f secret?” or,
“W asn’t there som e kind of m iracle?” Rarely do we m eet persons who
know the m essage to which O ur Lady o f Fatim a attached a prom ise to
avoid atom ic w ar and bring “an era o f peace to m ankind!”
Some o f the extraordinary signs Father Y asuda is about to describe
in the follow ing pages recall som e o f the “ signs” seen at Fatim a: A globe
o f light was seen com ing from the E ast and resting above the tree upon
w hich O ur Lady appeared to the children; the tree itself, on o ne o cc a­
sion, bent dow n under an unseen w eight; inexplicable so u n d s w ere
heard; w hat appeared to be flow er petals fell like snow o v er the area;
finally, at the lim e and place predicted by O ur L ady, a great fire appeared
in the sky like the sun w hirling on itself, then plunged tow ard the earth.
Suddenly the entire area, which had been soaked by a heavy rain, was
com pletely dry.
First Person Account
O ne o f the special aspects o f this book by Father Y asuda is that he
him self was a ctually involved. O ur L ady H erself was to reveal that She
had chosen Fr. Y asuda fo r this task. T his gives rem arkable credibility
to all that Fr. Y asuda says and fortunately he not only reports the events,
but he frequently interrupts to explain them .
7.
W hen Bishop Ito asked m e to translate this book, I was relu ctan t to
d o so. I asked the B ishop if I m ight not rather w rite a book based on Fr.
Y asuda's book and also on other works, such as that o f Father S him ura,
b u t the Bishop replied firm ly that before anything else, this book should
b e m ade available in its full, original form.
I soon came to realize the w isdom and im portance o f this m andate.
I recalled that in 1972, the centenary of the apparitions o f O ur L ady o f
P ontm ain, the R ector o f the Shrine o f P ontm ain gave me the p rivilege
o f translating the original account o f the apparitions written by a p riest
w ithin tw o days o f their happening. It w as the classic, m ost authentic
and detailed account o f the Pontm ain apparitions.
It is an even greater privilege to have been given a m andate from
B ishop Ito to translate Fr. Y asuda's book, w hich is not only the classic
and m ost authentic account o f w hat happened in Akita, but it will
probably be to A kita w hat the m em oirs o f S ister L ucia arc to Fatim a.
J. M.H.
ttt
Above: John HafTert, with hand on the shoulder of Sr. Agnes,
standing in front of their convent with the Akita Community.
X.
Chapter One
V essel o f Suffering
Horn prem aturely. Sister A gnes Katsuko Sasagaw a
(called S ister Agnes in the rest of o u r text) always h ad a
weak constitution, b u t th a n k s to the love with w hich she
was su rro u n d ed by h er family, h e r personality developed
under the b est conditions.
She suffered h er first great trial a t the age of 19 w hen she
was stru ck by a paralysis of th e central nervous system
following a m istak e during a n appendectom y. She becam e
Immobilized for 16 years, during which she was tran sferred
from hospital to hospital undergoing one operation after
the other.
In a clinic in Myoko she developed a friendship with a
nurse who w as a fervent Catholic. T hanks to the devoted
care of this n u rse, the state of th e sick girl improved and it
was here th a t she took h er first step s in the C hristian faith.
Her heart now awakened to th e love of God, sh e soon felt
within herself a n ardent desire to become devoted to the
service of God and of h er neighbor. She w anted to en ter a
religious com m unity b u t h er family feared becau se of h er
health. After overcoming the reticence of her family, she
was adm itted to the com m unity of the Sisters of J u n s h in in
Nagasaki. However four m o n th s later she had a relapse
and had to be taken back to th e clinic of Myoko.
This time she sp en t ten days in a coma and h er condition
became critical. She was given some Lourdes w ater to
drink which h ad been sen t by the sisters of Nagasaki.
Hardly h ad the w ater entered h e r m outh than she regained
consciousness and h er frozen lim bs regained th e ir m obil­
ity.
She decided to retu rn to th e convent of O ur Lady of
J u n sh in after a period of recovery, b u t the p asto r ofT akada
persuaded h e r to take care of a newly constructed ch u rch
in Myoko. Later, she heard ab o u t the In stitu te of the
H andm aids of the E ucharist, a com m unity in w hich one
could live a consecrated life while remaining in society.
Upon the invitation of Bishop Ito, founder of the Institu te,
9.
she joined the H andm aids, retaining care of the ch u rch of
Myoko which w as n e a r the hospital. In addition to caring
for the church sh e ta u g h t catechism .
Such, in brief, is th e road traveled by Sister Agnes u p to
the time of her first contact with the com m unity of the
H andm aids of th e E ucharist.
In the first p art of h er life, with its num erous trials, one
c a n already clearly discern the providential action of God.
B ut since we are concerned especially about th e life of
Sister Agnes after sh e entered th e com munity of the
H andm aids, we will not retu rn to th e past, except as it m ay
b e a r upon the im p o rtan t m atters we have to relate.
New Trial
After 16 years of physical suffering and repeated h o sp i­
talization, who w ould expect a new an d completely different
affliction? But tow ards the end of J a n u a ry of 1973, S ister
Agnes began to notice a dim inution of hearing in both ears,
b u t she was too ta k en up by the w ork of the church to pay
m uch attention to it. However, on Friday, the 16th of
M arch, when she w ent to answ er a telephone call from the
M otherhouse of th e H andm aids, she suddenly realized th a t
she had completely lost h er hearing. She heard the bell, b u t
w hen she took up th e telephone she found herself plunged
into total silence. The pastor found h er sitting in the
church stupefied by w hat had ju s t happened to her. He
took her at once to the hospital of Niigata.
Doctor Sawada, a n Ear, Nose an d T hroat Specialist, had
already cared for h e r in another hospital some years before
due to a lack of hearing in h er left ear. This time, a detailed
exam ination revealed complete d eafness of the right ear.
The diagnosis was one o f evolving and incurable deafness!
Sister Agnes a t th is time w as in a state of extrem e
fatigue. She w as immediately hospitalized to follow a
treatm ent and rest cure. Afterwards, she took an intensive
course in lip reading in order to regain social contact. She
continued with u n in terru p ted train in g during the succeed­
ing 43 days until she left th e hospital. In her intim ate
jo u rn al, she notes th e w arnings an d counsels of D octor
Sawada:
10.
“It is very difficult to live in a world w ithout sound. You
are fortunate to have faith. I th in k th a t will help you. Do
not become discouraged. We will take care of all the
neccessary formalities in o rder th a t upon leaving the
hospital you will be able to receive support for th e physi­
cally handicapped. We will do everything possible to
facilitate your social reintegration...”
She tells w ith gratitude of the attention and th e en co u r­
agem ent of nu m ero u s perso n s during her hospitalization.
She was su stain e d in h er efforts to learn lip reading by the
devoted personnel and also by the precious cooperation of
relatives an d close friends. R ath er th a n h asten in g to say
what they w anted to tell her, they took pains to articulate
slowly, th u s accelerating h e r progress. She w as visited by
some 300 friends who had know n her at the ch u rch of
Myoko. These visits buoyed h er up like rays of su n sh in e,
so necessary in the struggle against depression.
During h e r stay in the hospital she thought very m uch,
as is quite n atu ra l, about w h at she would do a s a deaf
person. If she could no longer teach catechism , h er family
would surely w ant her to com e back to them. B ut sh e had
chosen to becom e consecrated to God and desired above all
to live only in His service. Might it be perm itted to h er to
offer herself in a life of prayer an d penance in the Motherhouse of the H andm aids of th e E ucharist? This w as h er
m ost ardent desire.
And now, m ay I interrupt for a m om ent to m ake a
personal rem ark? It was on Friday, the 16th of March,
1973, w hen S ister Agnes w as suddenly and brusquely
plunged into a world of total silence, and th ere is a
coincidence in th is which is a sign of Divine Providence.
The 16th of March, which m arked the beginning of this
deafness (which would be m iraculously cured on May 30,
1982, following a promise of th e Virgin in Her first m es­
sage), is the vigil of the day w hen the Catholic C hurch of
Ja p a n com m em orates the discovery in 1865 of th e descen ­
dants of the “hidden C h ristian s” on the site of O 'ura in
Nagasaki. To th e French m issionary who arrived there
shortly after th e reopening of th e country, these “hidden
C hristians” m ade them selves know n by asking, “Where is
11.
the statue o f the Virgin?” This is a celebrated fact in the
an n als of the C h u rch in Ja p a n .
Thus the Lord began by subm erging His in stru m en t into
total silence w ith th e intention of com m unicating to the
world the m essage of which we shall soon be speaking.
Does not her silence recall th e silence of the Ja p a n e se
C hristians of th e feudal period? The hidden m ission of
Sister Agnes began th is day, and the cure o f her deafness
would become a sign o f the authenticity o f a heavenly
message fo r the Church o f Japan and fo r the world.
Does not the Bible offer u s analogous exam ples? The
m ission of S aint J o h n the B aptist, “a voice which cries in
the w ilderness,” w as prepared by the trial of h is father
Zachary who h a d to rem ain d eaf and dum b for a deter­
m ined time. It is sometimes by m ean s upsetting to m an
th a t the All Powerful deploys the force of His arm to reveal
His unfathom able designs.
The Hill o f Hope
Because of h e r handicap, S ister Agnes' family m ost
definitely w anted h er to retu rn home. She showed herself
so resolute, however, th a t h e r p a re n ts and h er b ro th er
finally gave in. She received a letter from the H andm aids
of the E ucharist who proposed th a t she come to dwell on
the Hill of Yuzawadai, on the o u tsk irts of Akita. This was
also the counsel given by Bishop Ito. Since this w as her
own most ard en t desire, she felt growing in her a new hope!
To her great astonishm ent, th e only one who continued
to oppose this decision was th e beloved nurse who had
become her G odm other and who h ad led to her conversion
to Catholicism. The nurse argued th a t she should retu rn
to the hospital for a complete recovery.
This attitude of a person so d ear saddened S ister Agnes.
But even the beloved n u rse finally gave in before the
argum ents of h e r elder b ro th er an d h er sister-in-law who
h ad shared h e r affection an d were able to convince her
diplomatically. Now the way w as finally free!
On May 12th, 1973, leaving h e r home. S ister Agnes
arrived at the convent in Yuzawadai accom panied by h er
sister and her sister-in-law . Welcomed like a m em ber of the
12.
family by the six religious of th e com m unity. S ister Agnes
thanked the Lord for the joy an d the consolation brought to
her by th e prospect of a new life... a life in total silence, b u t
a life in total prayer and dedication.
However, once she h ad left home, skepticism rose again
among h e r relatives who could not decide to send her
luggage, thinking, from one m om ent to the oth er th a t she
would p erh ap s return. S ister Agnes experienced a sim ilar
hesitation, asking her sp iritu al director if she m ight not be
overestim ating herself. The chaplain, who at th a t time had
been directing the little com m unity for five years, w as very
understanding. He assu re d h er th a t h er m ission was
indeed to rem ain on the Hill w ith the H andm aids.
Finally, h e r affairs had b een p u t in order. After ten days
of waiting she w as installed in h e r cell, and at th a t m om ent
she w as filled with a great peace. It was as though she had
lived there always.
U nfortunately the ch ap lain who had encouraged h er left
a short time after her arrival. S ister Agnes w as all the more
saddened by th is because daily M ass was no longer a s ­
sured.
A M ysterious Light
The first of the “extraordinary events of A kita” took place
on J u n e 12th, 1973, w hen S ister Agnes w as left to watch
the house while the other m em bers of the com m unity went
to Niigata to take part in a m eeting of catechists. The
superior h a d given her perm ission to open the door of the
tabernacle for a time of adoration.
On th is day, when she w as in the chapel, a n u n u su al
phenom enon occurred. A brilliant light suddenly appeared
as though coming from the tabernacle.
In h e r intim ate journal. S ister Agnes describes in detail
this astonishing experience a s w as requested of h er by
Bishop Ito: “W hen I approached to open th e door of the
tabernacle, a s the superiors indicated, a n overwhelming
unknow n light suddenly sh o n e forth. Seized w ith emotion
I prostrated myself im m ediately with my face to the floor.
“Evidently I no longer felt the audacity to open the
tabernacle. I rem ained p erh ap s an ho u r in th is position.
13.
Subjugated by a power which overwhelmed me, I rem ained
immobile, incapable of raising m y head, even after th e light
had disappeared. When I cam e back to myself an d I was
finally able to reflect on w hat h a d happened, I asked myself
if Jesu s, p resen t in the Host, h a d manifested Him self to
enlighten my soul in the state of sin or if I had been simply
a victim of hallucination.
“I had often opened the door of the tabernacle for
adoration during the time th a t I w as a catechist in the
church in Myoko, b u t never h ad any such thing happened
so it w as all the more disquieting for me. Had I p erh ap s
become crazy? I returned to pray in the chapel, b u t this
time nothing happened. W hatever the case, it w as an
experience so unexpected th a t I went to bed th a t night
w ithout breathin g a word ab o u t it to anyone.”
The following morning S ister Agnes took advantage of an
early aw akening to go to the chapel an ho u r before the
others. She w as anxious to know if the light of the previous
day had been nothing b u t an illusion of a m om ent. W hen
with joined h a n d s she approached the back of the altar
where the tabernacle was, sh e w as again stru ck by the
blinding light. She recoiled instinctively and p rostrated
herself in adoration. Truly, it w as neither an illusion nor a
dream. J e s u s , present in the Host, had truly m anifested
Himself. Now she was sure. After the light disappeared,
she rem ained prostrate. Soon th e other sisters arrived for
Lauds, b u t she w as still u n d er the effect of th is force which
overwhelmed h e r as she m echanically recited the com mon
prayers.
The following Thursday, th e 14th of Ju n e, while sh e was
praying before the Blessed S acram en t with h er com pan­
ions, Sister Agnes again saw th e light flash forth, b u t this
time it was surrounded by a red flame which seem ed to
envelop the rays shining from th e tabernacle. The extrem ­
ity of the flame w as golden. All th e tabernacle appeared in
flames. She w as overcome an d immediately p rostrated
herself.
In her jo u rn al, she describes the state of prostration
which increased in the course of these three extraordinary
days: “I could not think of anything b u t to adore an d to
render th a n k s before the Blessed Sacram ent. W hen I left
14.
the chapel and regained m y norm al state, I no longer felt
th a t interior sw eetness w hich 1 cannot find words to
explain. D oubts assailed me. Had I lost my h ead?
“After som e time, it occurred to me th a t if th is w as not
a m ental apparition, p erh ap s others had seen the sam e
thing. W ith a lively desire of knowing, I slipped in some
words ab o u t the unknow n light during breakfast. Indeed,
no one seem ed to be aw are of it and I quickly closed my lips
without saying more. The superior rem arked, ‘You are
w ithout doubt the only one concerned, so don’t sp eak of it.’
Taken up short, I simply acquiesced with a nod of the
head.”
This third experience, w hich took place betw een 8 and
9:30 in the morning, seem s to have left the strongest
im pression and the m ost indelible memory u p o n Sister
Agnes. Her step s led h er spontaneously tow ards th e chapel
and h er h e a rt overflowed w ith praises for J e s u s p resent in
the E ucharist. Memory of th e m ysterious phenom enon
revived in h er a sentim ent of inexpressible h appiness, a
plenitude ofjoy which inflam ed h er heart with love for God.
She herself explains in th ese simple words:
“At the m om ent when I write these lines, it is th e sam e
joy which seized me, a n ard e n t desire for the Lord which
invaded all my being.”
M editation
Again, I would like to in terru p t to rem ark th a t one can
say the vision of celestial light appeared like a n invitation
addressed to Sister Agnes in particu lar (as following events
will confirm). Saint Paul, on th e road to D am ascus, owed
his conversion and his m ission to the m eeting of a brilliant
light com ing from heaven. W hen he heard th e Voice say to
him, “Why persecuteth th o u m e?” he fell p ro strate with his
face against the ground while his com panions were s ta n d ­
ing about him . This w as becau se Paul m u st have been the
only one to see the influence of the celestial light.
The com panions of S ister Agnes, who sh ared th e sam e
roof and performed the sam e spiritual exercises, received
absolutely nothing. This w as the first invitation to a
particular m ission which began then and w hich w as ad-
15.
dressed specifically to her. At Fatim a, the three shepherds
were first of all stru ck with am azem ent at th e sight of a
brilliant light. It was the sign of th e approaching visit of the
Virgin. Likewise, the light w hich overwhelmed S ister Agnes
seems like a preparation for th e great m essage w hich was
about to be confided to h er by th e Mother of God.
The m ysterious light from the Blessed S acram ent re­
veals the very nature of J e s u s who says, “I am the Light o f
the world. ”
As we shall learn later, th e m iraculous cu re of the
deafness of S ister Agnes (promised by Our Lady a s a sign
of the authenticity of the events) took place during Benedic­
tion of the Blessed Sacram ent. T h u s the m eeting with the
light also tak es on, for S ister Agnes, a prophetic value.
TRA N SL A T O R 'S NOTE:
The light at F atim a which preceded the A pparition o f O u r Lady, so
distracted thechildren that they w ere still wondering about the brilliance
o f the light w hen they noted O ur L ady in its midst. She asked if they
would be w illing to accept w hatever G od would send them and offer it
up for the conversion of sinners and in reparation for sin. W hen the
children replied that they would, O ur L ady opened H er hands and rays
o f that intense light suddenly stream ed fro m Her heart causing the
children to feel “L ost in G od,” and to exclaim , “Oh, m ost H oly Trinity,
I adore T hee, M y God, My G od, I love T hee in the M ost B lessed Sac­
ram ent!"
W hen B ishop Ito was asked “W hat is the m essage o f O u r Lady O f
Akita,” he answ ered simply, “It is the m essage o f O ur Lady o f Fatim a.”
And there is a rem arkable sim ilarity betw een the light o f the Eucharist
seen at F atim a, shining from the Im m aculate Heart o f M ary and the light
from the tabernacle announcing to S ister Agnes (in a w ay she could not
yet fully understand) that as O ur L ady had revealed a m ost im portant
message at F atim a, so now that m essage was to be reaffirm ed at Akita
through this hum ble H andm aid o f the Eucharist.
+++
16.
Chapter Two
Angels In The Light
After those three days w hen an extraordinary light
shone forth from the tabernacle, an entire week passed
w ithout anything out of th e ordinary happening. On the
afternoon of J u n e 23rd, th e Bishop arrived a t th e convent.
The following day, Sunday, w as the Feast of C orpus Christi.
This feast would be m ost im portant to th e H andm aids of
the E u ch arist at any time. However, with th e arrival of the
Bishop, they rejoiced particularly th a t day because they
had been w ithout a ch ap lain since the 5th of J u n e , having
to go alm ost three weeks w ithout daily M ass, and also
w ithout new s of an o th er ch ap lain coming.
The Bishop celebrated th e Mass of the Blessed S acra­
m ent and, a s founder of th e com m unity, he gave them these
words of encouragem ent: “T his com munity, consecrated to
the Blessed Sacram ent, should practice in a special way
devotion to the Heart of C h rist present in th e E u ch arist.”
His Excellency rem ained a week on th e Hill giving
guidance and counsel.
D uring the three days following the F east of the Blessed
Sacram ent, adoration (from 8 until 9 in th e morning) was
made by four sisters. One w as Sister Agnes. After hym ns.
Rosary, an d common prayers, there followed silent m edita­
tion. The n u m b er of sisters present was so sm all that the
words of C hrist seemed to be for them: “W hen two or more
are gathered in my nam e, th ere am 1 in the m id st of them .”
The sisters were united in p raise. The heart of S ister Agnes
was absorbed in a special w ay in the E ucharistie adoration.
She w rites in her journal:
“D uring these three days of retreat, I felt m yself burning
with love for the Lord, filled w ith the desire to consecrate
myself entirely to Him.”
T h ursday was the eve of th e Feast of the Sacred Heart.
Since the change in the calendar, this F east no longer had
its previous solemnity b u t continued to have a special
honor for the H andm aids of th e Eucharist. D uring adora­
tion after the m orning M ass, th e program w as th e sam e as
17.
the preceding days. To b e tte r u n d erstan d w hat happened
shortly after th e beginning of th e silent m editation, we tu rn
again to S ister's jo u rn al (with the addition of clarifying
details w hich sh e furnished later):
“Suddenly, th e blinding light shone from th e Blessed
Sacram ent. As previously, som ething like fog or smoke
began to g ath er around th e a lta r and the rays of light. Then
there appeared a multitude o f beings similar to angels who
surrounded the altar in adoration before the Host. ’’
The word “angel” did not a t once occur to S ister Agnes.
As we will see later, she w as em barrassed w hen she tried
to explain to the Bishop w h at sh e had seen in th e light. She
said, “These were not h u m a n beings, b u t one could see very
clearly th a t they were an adoring crowd of sp iritu al beings.”
When the Bishop rem arked th a t they m u st have been
angels, th e n she began to u se th is word. F urtherm ore, she
used the word “m u ltitude” becau se it seem ed to h e r that
from the m om ent of their appearance, the space around
seemed to open up into a so rt of infinite depth. She
continues:
“Absorbed by this su rp risin g spectacle, I knelt down to
adore. Then I w as seized with th e thought th a t th ere could
be a fire outside. Turning aro u n d to look th ro u g h the bay
window in th e back, I saw th a t there was no fire outside. It
was indeed the altar which w as enveloped in th is m ysteri­
ous light. The brightness from the Host w as so brilliant that
I could not look at It directly. Closing my eyes, instinctively
I prostrated myself. W hen th e h o u r of adoration w as over
I rem ained in the same position without noticing th a t the
others had left.”
Then the superiors cam e a n d tapped h er on th e shoulder
to ask th a t she w atch th e h o u se during th eir absence. All
disappeared. Suddenly th e chapel looked a s it always had
before.
As she w as in care of the house, and since it w as not yet
time to prepare for lunch, sh e w ent u p stairs to th e sewing
room to continue her w ork b u t h er thoughts rem ained so
absorbed in w h at she h ad ju s t seen th a t she h a d difficulty
m anaging th e needle.
18.
The Bishop's Guidance
The Bishop w as rem aining there for th e entire week to
give th e sisters conferences an d say daily M ass for them .
About 3 o'clock in the afternoon of th a t sam e day S ister
Agnes carried tea to the Bishop. As she w ent to his room
she said to herself:
“Should I not confide th ese things to the Bishop in order
that he m ight counsel m e in tru th ? If I keep it to myself
might I n o t lose my m ind? May it not be even now th a t I am
suffering hallucinations? And if truly I have hallucinations
and fall sick, w hat trouble for my com panions! Now is the
time to be courageous an d to tell everything to the Bishop.
He will know indeed how to enlighten an d guide m e.”
Having taken this decision, and despite the difficulty she
had in doing so, she began h e r recital to him . The Bishop
listened with serious atten tio n which encouraged her so
m uch th a t she felt free to p o u r out h er soul to him frankly,
telling all th a t happened. W hen finally she h ad finished,
she felt consoled, as if som eone had lifted a great weight
from h e r shoulders.
The Bishop gave h er th e following counsel: “As it would
be im possible at the m om ent to know exactly th e n atu re of
the phenom ena you have seen, you should not speak to
anyone ab o u t them an d be careful not to th in k only of these
things. Above all, you m u s t be careful not to say to yourself
only I saw this because I am a special case' or to have
sim ilar proud thoughts. You m u st force yourself to prog­
ress In hum ility and continue to lead the norm al everyday
life with the others w ithout changing anything. W hat you
have told me does n o t seem to me to come from any
derangem ent of mind an d you have nothing to fear on th a t
score. S uch phenom ena c a n happen.
“You know th a t the Virgin also appeared to the sh ep ­
herds a t Fatim a... In y o u r case, we do not know exactly
w hat th is m ay be. So keep silent and continue your life
w ithout changing anything. Meditate an d pray before the
Blessed S acram ent.”
S ister Agnes left com forted and reassu red by th is wise
counsel.
19.
Apparition o f the Angel
The next day, Friday, J u n e 29th, w as th e F east of the
Sacred Heart. The B ishop preached on devotion to the
E ucharist. Of course S ister Agnes, unable to h ear any­
thing, h ad to follow the homily by reading the B ishop’s lips.
Nevertheless, h er h eart w as seized with love for th e Sacred
Heart of J e s u s and w as lost in fervent prayer throughout
the entire service.
Sister Agnes and th e superioress were assigned to the
H ourofA dorationfrom 9to 10 in the morning. S ister Agnes
went to the Chapel a half h o u r early to pray silently before
(he Blessed Sacram ent. Soon the superioress arrived and
Ihey knelt together before th e tabernacle. Reading on the
lips of h er com panion th a t sh e w as inviting h e r to begin the
Rosary, S ister Agnes took h e r beads and they began with
the u su al opening hym n in honor of the E ucharist. They
were about to begin th e Rosary when a m ysterious phe­
nom enon occurred.
“At the in sta n t w hen I took my Rosary to begin, a person
appeared very close to m e on my right,” S ister Agnes relates
in her jo u rn al. She wrote:
“Before I continue, I should explain som ething which
happened four years before. I w as a catechist in Myoko and
I had fainted because of a high fever cau sed by a virus
infection. I h ad to be tak en to the hospital an d it seem s that
I was four days in a com a, completely cu t off from the
exterior world. The therm om eter indicated a very high
tem perature. On the evening of the second day when a
priest gave me the S acram en t of the Sick, I very clearly
recited the O ur Father, the Hail Mary, the Gloria and the
Apostles Creed in Latin, w ithout knowing th a t I did it.
Immediately afterwards, I did not know how to answ er the
priest who asked me w here I h ad learned Latin. Indeed, I
had never learned it to the point of knowing th ese prayers
by heart any more th a n I w ould be able to say them now.
If there h ad not been w itnesses there, I w ould not have
believed it.
“My m other recounts th a t all the time I w as praying, my
face seem ed in a light an d m y h an d s were crossed on my
breast. As for me, I rem em ber th a t I saw a beautiful person
20.
In a place which seem ed like a pleasant field. This person
with a m ovem ent of the h an d , had invited m e to approach
her. B ut I was hindered from doing it by people as thin as
living skeletons who gripped a t me. Looking beyond, I saw
a crowd of persons who w ere fighting each o th er to reach a
level of pure water, b u t one after the other they fell into a
river of dirty water. Filled with com passion for these poor
people, I prayed also for them . I said especially the
m ysteries of the Rosary. T hen I suddenly saw on the right
side of m y bed a gracious person whom I did not know an d
who began to pray th e R osary with me. After the first
decade she added a p rayer I did not know. Surprised, I
repeated it after her. T hen she counseled m e to add th is
after each decade. The w ords are:
“‘Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from thefires
o f hell, lead all souls to heaven and especially those who are
most in need o f your mercy.’
“A friend who was w atching at my bedside at th a t very
m om ent was about to leave on the advice of my m other,
because it w as getting very late, b u t she rem ained a little
longer in order to h ear th is unknow n prayer to the end. As
for myself, the words of th e prayer rem ained engraved in my
memory and 1 never fail to add them after each decade.
“A sh o rt time afterw ards, a Salesian p riest asked me to
teach it to him and w anted to know where I h ad learned it.
Later, I received a letter from him saying th a t this prayer
had been taug h t by the Virgin to the children at Fatim a,
th a t there had not yet been a definitive tran slatio n into
Ja p a n e se , b u t it was indeed in this m a n n er th a t the prayer
should be said. It is th u s th a t I came to know the precious
origin of this prayer.”
(Let u s rem em ber th a t S ister Agnes w as kneeling with
the superioress in A doration on the F east of the Sacred
H eart an d in her jo u rn a l she was ab o u t to tell u s th a t
suddenly a person h ad appeared on h er right side as she
w as ab o u t to begin to say th e Rosary with h e r companion.
She interrupted to tell u s of the above, an d now she
continues:)
“My going back h a s been a little long, b u t I did so to
explain th a t the person w ho suddenly appeared on my right
in th e Chapel of the Convent on the F east of the Sacred
21.
Heart w as none other than the very person who appeared at
my side in the hospital. G athering my strength, I squeezed
the bead s of th e Rosary while slowly saying th e prayers as
the heavenly person did also. Believing m yself dream ing
although awake, I no longer paid attention to the sister
beside m e, even though I w as fully aware of her. After the
invocation, ‘O ur Lady of th e Most Holy Rosary pray for u s,’
the heavenly person disappeared.
“Following w as the time of silent prayer. Suddenly, I saw
the blinding light. I immediately pro strated myself in
adoration and w hen I lifted m y eyes, I saw a soft light which
enveloped the altar like a m ist or a dense sm oke in which
appeared a cohort of angels turned tow ards th e Blessed
Sacram ent whose pure an d clear voices proclaim ed ‘Holy,
Holy, Holy.’ W hen they finished I heard a voice on my right
praying:
“‘M ost Sacred Heart o f Jesus, (TRULY) pres­
ent in the Holy Eucharist, I consecrate my
body and soul to be entirely one with Your
Heart, being sacrificed at every instant on all
the altars o f the world and giving praise to
the Father, pleading f o r the coming o f His
Kingdom.
‘Please receive this humble offering o f
myself. Use me as You will f o r the glory
o f the Father and the salvation o f souls.
utMost Holy Mother o f God, never let me be
separated fro m Your Divine Son. Please
defend and protect me as Your special child.
Amen.’”
“
TR A N SL A T O R 'S NOTE:
N ot spoken here, the word T R U L Y was added later by O u r Lady and
this prayer is an im portant part o f the M essage o f A kita. It w as com posed
by B ishop Ito for his com m unity. T he prayer asks Jesu s to use us, body
and soul, as one with His Sacred H eart, in order that w e m ay be a part
o f H is S acrifice, part of His A doration, part o f H is L ove.
22.
F inally w e pray to O ur L ady that She m ay help us in this union w ith
the S acred H eart o f H er Son through the purity and light o f H er ow n
Im m aculate H eart so that w e w ill never be separated from Her D ivine
Son, and She will look upon us as “belonging” to H er as a very special
and real child.
T his prayer is essentially sim ilar to the M orning O ffering o f the
W orld A postolate o f Fatim a (The B lue Arm y).
S ister Agnes continues: “This w as the prayer of the
H andm aids of the E uch arist which I knew well and which
I recited aloud. D uring th is prayer, I heard the voice of the
sam e heavenly person who had come to my side in the
hospital in Myoko. It seem ed even more beautiful and pure
when she recited these prayers th a n w hen she had told me
in the hospital, ‘Add these words after each decade.’ The
sound of her voice resounded in my ears like a true echo of
heaven. With all my heart, I prayed with her w hen
suddenly, there appeared a sort of symbol on the back of
the Bishop who seem ed to be kneeling in front of me. Also,
I h ad a fleeting vision of seven or eight m em bers of our
Institute on both sides of the Bishop holding the red cord
of h is tunic.
“These visions disappeared w hen the prayer was over. I
do not rem em ber how long I rem ained still kneeling in
prayer w hen the superioress cam e to tap me on the
shoulder. Coming back to myself, I finished the adoration
singing the Ave of Lourdes with her.
“Now, since the Bishop had asked me to report to him
any extraordinary event, I went to tell him w hat I had ju s t
seen. “When I asked him if he had a symbol on his habit,
he answ ered th at he did not. When I spoke of the Chalice
and th e Host over an ‘M‘ he was su rp rised and exclaimed.
T h a t is my episcopal insignia!’
“W hen I told him ab o u t the seven or eight m em bers of the
In stitu te holding the red cord of h is tunic he seem ed
thoughtful.”
The superioress who had been praying beside S ister
Agnes on th a t m orning of the F east of th e Sacred H eart said
she w as surprised w hen they began th e Rosary and S ister
Agnes recited it so slowly. “When I asked h er why, she said
th a t she was following th e tempo of th e angel.”
23.
B ut only Sister Agnes saw the light which again leapt
forth from the Blessed Sacram ent, th is tim e with angels
coming forth from th e depth of the light.
W hat is th e m eaning of th is Vision?
W hen one speaks of angels in adoration, one’s im agina­
tion m ay conjure up vaporous scenes. Indeed, concerning
the angels there is very little th a t is know n from the
theological point of view. In the Bible it is not rare to find
accounts of spiritual beings around the th ro n e of God
singing w ithout ceasing “Holy, Holy, Holy,” an d also inci­
dents of m en com m unicating with angels. In the present
case, it appeared th a t th ese events were to prepare Sister
Agnes for the m essages of O ur Lady, about which we are
soon to hear.
S ister Agnes says th a t a very beautiful person appeared
to h er while she w as in th e hospital in Myoko. This person
recited th e Rosary with h er an d taught h er the prayer which
the Virgin Herself h ad given to the sh ep h erd s at Fatima.
And who would be capable of such a prodigy if not an angel?
As I said in the beginning, it was only shortly after this
that I arrived at the Convent through a set of unexpected
circum stances and I therefore was able to know Sister
Agnes an d to counsel her. And in the course of the nine
years th a t I have known her, this person appeared to her
m any tim es, guiding her, advising her, som etim es even
reprim anding. And she assu red me over an d over that this
person w as not ju s t an image, b u t a beautiful an d very real
being who appeared especially during prayer. And it is
clear th a t this person's teachings and counsels in no way
translated the subjective desires or w ishes of the Sister.
Sifting through my long experience as a priest, I believe that
these num erous interventions and th e advice received
could come only from a n angel.
As I said before. S ister Agnes did not use th is word in the
beginning. But after speaking to the Bishop who rem arked
th at it m u st have been a n angel she began to u se the term.
And finally, in the course of time, the angel, appearing to
Sister Agnes in theform o f a woman, identified herselfas her
guardian angel
If I dwell on this, it is b ecau se these first visits of the angel
are crucial to un d erstan d in g the profound m eaning of the
24.
events which follow, through which O u r Lady wished to
give the world a m ost im portant m essage.
We should not be su rp rised by the intervention of S ister
Agnes' guardian angel. Saint C atherine Laboure was led to
the chapel of the Rue du Bac during th e night of Ju ly 18,
1830. “Come to th e chapel,” the angel said. “The Holy
Virgin is waiting for y o u .”
At Akita, as at Fatim a, some p a rts of th e m essage were
conveyed by the angel. Yet in the case of Fatim a, some say
the approval of th e apparitions there w as som ewhat de­
layed because of the role of the angels, b u t now, in
retrospect, we see th a t th e apparitions of th e angels are a n
integral and m ost im portant aspect of th e Fatim a revela­
tions. It was the angels who spoke to th e children of the
True Presence of J e s u s in the E u ch arist “Body, Blood, Soul
and Divinity.”
It is helpful to follow th e chronological order of the events,
all of which, of course, help u s to u n d erstan d the great
m essage which God w ishes by th is m e an s to give to the
world a t this moment.
25.
Chapter Three
A Wound in the Hand
The day following the Feast of the Sacred Heart, which
is now the Feast of th e Im m aculate H eart of Mary, the
Bishop finished h is stay of one week an d was about to
re tu rn to Niigata. He called Sister Agnes to his room and
told h e r th at she could prepare to take h er vows. Not able
to believe her good fortune, she asked for confirmation. She
indeed received the sam e answ er she had read on the
B ishop's lips.
“I w as so happy to receive this authorization th at I would
have cried out with joy. F orm e, it w as a n unspeakable joy
to be able to consecrate m yself entirely to God in this officiai
way. My emotion w as su ch th at I could hardly find the
w ords to th an k him .”
B ut since T hursday evening, another m ysterious event
had occurred. While praying in the chapel. S ister Agnes felt
as though som ething pierced the palm of h er hand. She
w as concerned because sh e had never before experienced
such a pain. The following morning th is w as prolonged
during the Mass and redoubled in intensity during the
adoration.
W hen she left the chapel, she furtively spread her fingers
which she had held closed tight. There in the center of her
palm were two red scratch es in the form of a cross. “W hat
w as that?" she asked herself. She was deeply concerned,
thinking it was p erh ap s a sign of the m easure of h er
sinfulness.
The w ound was two centim eters wide and three centim e­
ters long and appeared very large in th e cen ter of her hand.
The p ain w as intense an d the aspect of the wound was very
different from w hat one is accustom ed to see. This does not
seem to have been cau sed with a blade. Even if she had
held a sm all cross in h er h an d there would have remained
a light cross pressed into th e skin. It w as a s though a cross
h ad been engraved in th e skin. Of a color bordering on
rose, it w as not repulsive a s other w ounds an d it seemed to
26.
give off even a certain beauty. Now, on S aturday (which
would be the F east of the Im m aculate Heart), the p ain
persisted, but it didn't seem to get worse. S ister Agnes bore
it in silence despite the pain she experienced. Since the way
she kept her h an d closed drew the atten tio n of the su p eri­
oress, Sister Agnes timidly showed h er h er hand.
“W hat in the world could th a t m ean ?”
“It is truly because of my sins!”
Exam ining it m ore closely, the superioress, am azed,
could not help exclaiming, “W hat a strang e color!” Then
she chided her, “Why did you not show it to the Bishop
before he left?” S ister Agnes could find no other response
th a n , “I was afraid.”
Indeed, why did sh e not show it to th e Bishop? S ister
A gnes w as asking herself the sam e question. “I w as afraid,”
is how she described h er instinctive reaction. And in h er
dialect, the word sh e used to express th is fear is a word
which m eans fear mixed with respect, ra th e r th a n ju s t plain
“fear” as we usually u n d erstan d the word. She was filled
w ith feelings of respect and fear which seem ed to impose
silence upon her, because she w as confronted with a
phenom enon which she could only attrib u te to a su p e r­
n a tu ra l force. F urther, it was so different from the preced­
ing events th a t she esteem ed it of secondary im portance
because she alone was concerned. The fact is th a t she
hesitated to m ake anything of it before others. F u rth e r­
m ore, she had suffered illnesses and trials from h er youth.
She w as accustom ed to bearing suffering without m aking
anything of it... and it seemed best, as she laterjustified, to
be silent.
On the following T hursday, the 5th of Ju ly , while S ister
A gnes was in adoration between 8:30 an d 10 o'clock, the
angel cam e again an d recited the R osary with her. With the
angel, the praise becam e more au th en tic, more fervent.
In the evening, tow ards the m iddle of the 6 o'clock
prayer, her left h an d suddenly w as pierced with a sh arp
pain. It was as though someone had th ru s t a pick into h er
palm . It was all she could do to keep herself from crying
out. B ut the prayer w as more im portant; with difficulty she
succeeded in continuing to the end.
27.
W hen she found herself alone again in th e chapel. Sister
A gnes w anted to look a t th e wound, b u t th e pain w as so
g reat th a t she could n o t open h er hand. Once she had left
the chapel, she finally succeeded in opening h er hand. At
the cen ter of the two b ran ch e s of the cross there was now
a hole from which blood flowed.
The evening meal w as ready, b u t she h a d no desire to eat.
However, not to draw th e attention of h e r com panions,
S ister Agnes forced h erself to take som e food. When the
m eal w as over she excused herself an d w ent to her room.
The w ound continued to h u rt. It seem ed a s though the
h a n d w as being to m an d the blood flowed through the hole.
E ach tim e as she looked, Sister Agnes thought of the
serio u sn ess of her sin s an d tried to b e a r th e pain, recalling
the sufferings of Christ on th e cross. In h e r effort to rem ain
calm , she tried to divert h er attention by taking up h er
work, a crocheted h an d b ag with little colored decorations.
Pressing the crochet needle between th e fingers of her left
h an d , stretched out with great pain, she began to work with
a n invocation at each m ovem ent of the needle. As a prayer
she could only repeat, "Lord, have pity, forgive my of­
fenses!"
How m uch time p assed in th is way? Suddenly, she
ju m p ed because the superioress tapped h e r on the shoul­
der. S ister Agnes w as surprised because she thought the
superioress had left w ith ano th er sister a n d was not going
to re tu rn to the convent until the next day.
Account o f the Superioress:*
“T h at evening we h ad been invited to eat at a house in
tow n an d we were to sp en d the night in one of our convents
there, b u t I was preoccupied by the condition of sister
Agnes, so I decided to re tu rn to the convent. I went directly
•Father Yasuda refers to this superioress a s Sister K., and
refers to any other sisters in the com m unity only by the first initial
o f their last name. Sister K. w as not alw ays the superioress
throughout these events, b ut we continue to refer to her by this
title a s a m eans of identification.
28.
to h er room where I found her seated on h er bed crocheting.
At my request sh e opened her h an d w ith great difficulty an d
said to me with te a rs in her eyes: ‘It h u rts me so th a t I took
o ut my work.’
“She seemed in agony. ‘If I have come to this, it is
perhaps th a t my s in s are grave?'
“As for myself, I felt th a t th is m u st have been sen t to h er
by the Lord. ‘It seem s to h u rt you very m u c h , b u t try to b e a r
it by thinking of th e sufferings of th e Lord. Excuse u s for
causing you to b e a r the consequences of the sins of u s all.’
“I tried to console h er as best I could and I w ent to look
for one of the o th er sisters. The two of u s treated the w ound
with gauze and bandaged the h a n d and asked h e r to
aw aken u s if th e p ain increased, th en we retired.”
The Trial o f Deafness, Source o f Light
How did S ister Agnes pass th a t long night? She tells us:
“W hen my two com panions h ad left my room w ishing me
goodnight, it w as ju s t 9 o'clock, the tim e w hen the com m u­
nity retires. Preparing myself as b est I could for the night,
I stretched out, b u t the pain w as su ch th a t I w as incapable
of closing my eyes. I knelt down resting upon m y heels.
Squeezing the R osary between my fingers, I begged the help
of the Blessed Virgin and prayed a s m uch as I could for the
pardon of my sin s. It came time to change the bandage
because the w ound w as bleeding ab u n d an tly and at certain
m om ents the p ain doubled in intensity.
“I noticed som ething curious: th e blood stopped some
m om ents w hen I w as drying it, which does not h ap p en with
ordinary w ounds.
“B ut each time I tried to stretch out to sleep a little, the
pain caused m e to ju m p and I w as obliged to rem ain seated
to pray. Several tim es I tried in vain to find sleep w hen,
softly, a thought took form w ithin m y h eart like a ray of light
piercing through th e darkness: What is the matter withyou
that you are so troubled?
“How could God send trials w ithout m eaning? I h ad
learned in the co u rse of the circum stances of m y life th a t
it is exactly at th e tim e th a t one th in k s one is doing well.
29.
filled with graces w hich come to be tak en for granted, th a t
a change comes like a cold shower to take u s by surprise.
The ta sk s which proceed well and m ake u s proud, esp e­
cially those which begin to preoccupy us, are taken away
one day or the other...
“Likewise, w hen my ears suddenly becam e deaf in the
ch u rch of Myoko, w as not everything going splendidly?
W as I not fulfilled by m y new activities? And if it w as not
the height of success, w as I not satisfied by the thought of
a fu tu re which seem ed brilliant?
“Certainly, w hen I h ad taken up my position as guardian
at the church, I w as disturbed by w hat awaited me. I h ad
ju s t left the hospital w ithout any experience of society n o r
any particular prep aratio n for being a catechist. Happily,
the cooperation of those around me m ade my ta sk easy.
After having had my m other a t my side for two weeks (she
h ad hastened to th e side of h er d au g h ter who didn’t even
know how to cook rice because she h ad been hospitalized
a good p art of h er life), some attentive women of the parish
brought me three m eals each day for a m onth. The hospital
w as only three m in u tes away on foot, an d I went each day
to take my b ath s and I w as received like a m ember of the
family. Sick persons called me to their bedside one after the
other to hear ab o u t th e good God and had themselves
baptized to the joy of th e doctors an d th e nurses.
“Even when I w as alone at the ch u rch I had nothing
difficult to do. My purpose w as to pray and be a hum ble
servant of Mary an d to live in the service of God and of the
neighbor. One day w hen I was praying th u s in the church
som eone knocked at the door: ‘I would like to h ear you
sp eak of God.’
“S truck with joy a t the sight of my first aspirant, I
h asten ed to have h er come in. And th e word spread from
person to person, m o u th to m outh, and soon I found m yself
regularly with seven or eight persons during my h o u rs of
catechetical instruction.
“Only by the action of the Holy Spirit was I able to
respond and attend to these persons seeking God while I
h ad no theological know ledge, guiding m yself simply by the
aid of a precise Catholic doctrine. I told them, ‘It is
not theory th at co u n ts, it is thejoy o f believing th at I would
30.
like to com m unicate to you. If I would be able, I would open
wide the doors of m y heart so th a t one would u n d e rsta n d
with an overwhelming joy far su rp assin g the sen ten ces of
a book.’ Was prayer for my breth ren stronger th a n p e rs u a ­
sion? In any event, seventy persons received baptism from
the time I had arrived at th is church.
“Although I w as well aware th a t I w as not the cau se of
I hese graces, a feeling of satisfaction h ad taken hold of me.
I felt myself more an d more attached to my work. W as it not
exactly because of th a t th a t the sh o ck of deafness stru c k
me?
“W hen I found m yself suddenly plunged into the void of
silence, lost in a stu p o r in the middle of th e church with the
Rosary squeezed in my fingers, I felt forming w ithin m e the
words of Jo b crying from the depths of h is misery: T h e Lord
h as given, the Lord h a s taken away, blessed be th e nam e
of the Lord!’ And w as not th is my case? ... Asham ed of my
failing faith and my lack of confidence, I began to shed
warm tears. And after having wept a considerable tim e, an
interior calm cam e over me a s though my fate had finally
touched bottom. Since such w as His Will, w hat did it
m atter if I understood or did not u n d erstan d ? Should I not
offer in praise all th a t He asked of m e?.. .Enlightened by th is
powerful reflection, I felt an en th u siasm which cau sed me
lo understand, if I dare say so, w hat a m artyr m ight
experience. From th a t m om ent nothing more would be able
to trouble me. If my neighbors would pity me in tears, I was
at least able to keep my serenity.
“I can never forget th e day when I h a d to say goodbye to
the church in Myoko. After the last visits of friends an d
acquaintances, I w ent back for a la st time, not w ithout
emotion, to look at th e church which I would not see again.
Large flakes of snow fell in silence an d after a m om ent, soon
wiped out the traces of my footsteps. Truly, my ta s k at
Myoko was over! Certainly I would be able to pray for the
people I had know n, b u t I m u st n o t look back on any
success as my own. I was quite aw are th a t even the trace
o f my footsteps must disappear.
“And now it w as th e same. I h ad becom e accustom ed to
the life in the convent on the hill an d I h ad begun to hold
my place in this little com munity. The Lord sent me a new
31.
trial. It was not so m u ch the work th a t He willed from me.
It seem ed rath er th a t He invited me to contem plate Him in
order to progress into a more intim ate union.
“I knew very well th a t it all depends on His Will. I h ad
felt th e effects of His grace which had perm itted me to b ear
sufferings thro u g h o u t my entire life. Therefore, why
should I perm it m yself to be troubled?
“These thoughts which followed silently into my soul
soon overcame my anguish. As a despairing person who
h a s finally found a pillar to which to cling, it became m uch
easier to b ear the intense pain th a t continued to afflict my
h a n d .”
As we can see from th e above reflections of Sister Agnes,
it is clear th a t th is event h a s a profound m eaning in h er
spiritual development. At the sam e time, it is a part of th a t
long development for the m om ent chosen by Mary to
com m unicate im portant m essages to th e world.
The long struggle with suffering, th e apparition of a n
angel in the form of a woman, th e su d d en loss of hearing,
the m ysterious light, the vision of the cohort of angels, the
renew ed apparition of the sam e heavenly person four years
la ter who seem s to be h er g u ardian angel... all these
surprising events have a coherent sequence and a p ro ­
found meaning.
As everyone knows, the history of m ystics in the Catholic
C hurch offers n u m ero u s exam ples of sain ts who have
received the stigm ata which are painful w ounds of the
passion of Christ. Francis of Assisi an d Catherine of Siena
are among the m ore fam ous examples.
Sometimes, it also happens th a t persons who do not
especially m erit to be called saints receive the w ounds of
th e Cross. The C hurch looks upon su ch phenom ena with
prudence and g u ard s against hasty veneration of signs too
rapidly attributed to Divine Grace.
In our time, su ch signs are considered more often as
sym ptom s of m ental disorders, su ch a s hysteria. They are
usually looked upon with doubt, if not with disdain.
Nevertheless we m u st discern, and one of the criteria of
discernm ent of hysterical persons m arked by this kind of
w ound is that they take a p articular delight in showing it.
32.
It is as if they h ad received a special distinction from C hrist
in Person and they would like all the world to know it.
The attitude of S ister Agnes is a t all points opposed to
w hat we have j u s t said. From th e m om ent she h a d th is
m ysterious w ound engraved in h e r h an d , she thought only
o f her own sins an d sh e applied herself, hum ble an d co n ­
fused, to hide the w ound from those around her.
I dared to a sk h e r later if she had not thought of th e word
“stigm ata.” Her response was simple, “Never in the world!
I indeed had h eard of stigm ata, b u t are not su c h holy
w ounds reserved for th e great sa in ts like Saint F ran cis of
Assisi who received them in a state of ecstasy d uring an
apparition of C hrist? How could I ever have th o u g h t for a
second of so great a favor?”
For her part, the sister who found her in th e room
intuitively felt th a t the wound had been sent by th e Lord.
She felt impelled to console and to comfort S ister Agnes
who was ceaselessly lamenting her state o f sinfulness.
In the case of hysteria, it seem s th a t the more painful the
wound, the m ore it is accom panied by a feeling of delight
and a tendency to brag about it. The subject n eeds to feel
recognized because of vanity. There is nothing like th is in
the case of S ister Agnes. From the m om ent th a t sh e is
aware of the phenom enon, the idea of her sins being the
cause fills her with confusion. And w hen one asked h e r to
which sins she referred, it was a question only o f very
ordinary weaknesses which are th e sign of a delicate
conscience (such a s a lack of faith, insufficient gratitu d e,
and so on).
It goes w ithout saying, th a t th is kind of extraordinary
experience requires a great deal of prudence before co n ­
cluding that it is of heavenly origin. One cannot see the
Hand of God in ju s t every extraordinary fact. Nevertheless,
it is likewise wrong to ju m p to the conclusion th a t su c h an
extraordinary event is the result of hysteria.
W hen one considers the road followed by S ister Agnes,
h er entire life and h e r spirituality, it becom es clear th a t th is
w ound was a Divine intervention like the other phenom ena
which preceded it, and, as we shall see, it was to have a
special m eaning in the entire sequence of events leading
u p to a great m essage for the world.
33.
It seem s th a t S ister Agnes w as being purified in th e
crucible of a sequence of trials in order to be more attentive
an d more open for th e com m unication the M other of God
w as to m ake to th e world through her.
And one can begin to u n d erstan d th e im portance of those
m essages in the light of the painful and extraordinary
preparations which preceded them.
t+t
Above: Father J o h n Engler, chaplain o f the first organized
pilgrimage to Akita from the U.S., returns after m aking act of
consecration before the weeping Madonna. "Who can fail to be
moved," he asks, "by our Mother's tears?" The statue of Our Lady
o f Fatim a is the International Pilgrim Virgin w hich also shed tears.
It w as taken to Akita by the American group of the World
A postolate of Fatima led by Father Engler.
34
.
Chapter Four
The First M essage o f Mary
R eturning b ack to th a t night of Thursday, J u ly 5th:
While bearing th e piercing p ain in h er hand, S ister Agnes
began to feel growing in her a greater abandonm ent to the
Will of the Lord a s she reflected on the m eaning of all the
t rials of her life. The sam e prayer continued to rise to h e r
lips, “Lord, have pity! Pardon my offenses!”
Tormented by the piercing pain, she w as obliged to get up
and to lie down w ithout stopping, incapable of closing h e r
eyes. It w as already profound night when, tow ards 3
o'clock in the m orning, she continues: “I had ju s t changed
the bandage again an d was praying. Then I h eard a voice
which came from I know not w here saying:
“ 'Do not fear. Pray with fervor not only because o f your
sins, but in reparation fo r those o f all men. The world today
wounds the most Sacred Heart o f Our Lord by its ingrati­
tudes and injuries. The wounds o f Mary are much deeper
and more sorrowful than yours. Let us go to pray together
in the chapel. ’
“While I had becom e a little accustom ed to the angel, I h ad
never looked at h e r face, as sh e always stood n ear my right
shoulder. B ut now seeing her, I noticed such a striking
resem blance to my elder sister th a t I instinctively called h er
by my sister s nam e. The latter h ad died some years before
after having received the grace of Baptism.
“She smiled a t m e sweetly and m ade a light, negative
movement of h e r head. She said: ‘I am the one who is with
you and watches over you. '
“At the sam e tim e, she beckoned me tow ards th e chapel
and disappeared from my eyes. I quickly dressed an d w ent
out to the corridor w here I found h er a few steps in front of
me. I followed h e r along the corridor with rapid steps, filled
with a sense of security com parable to th a t of a little child
held by the h an d . The m om ent I p u t my foot in the chapel
she who had been so close to m e like a reassu rin g p resen ce,
disappeared from my eyes. “Finding myself alone, I
bowed in th e direction of th e altar and th e n tu rn e d
35.
tow ards the sta tu e of the holy Virgin. The words of the
angel resounded still in my soul, T he wounds o f Mary are
much deeper and more sorrowful... ’
“At th a t time, th e statu e was placed on the right side of
the altar. W hen I p u t my foot on th e step of the altar, I
suddenly fe lt that the wooden statue came to life and was
about to speak to me. I looked: She was bathed in a brilliant
light. Instinctively, I prostrated m yself on the ground an d
at the sam e m om ent a voice of indescribable beauty stru c k
my totally deaf ears:
“ ‘My daughter, my novice, you have obeyed me well in
abandoning all to follow me. Is the infirmity o f your ears
painful? Your deafness will be healed, be sure. Be patient.
It is the last trial Does the wound o f your hand cause you
to suffer? Pray in reparationfor the sins o f men. Each person
in this community is my irreplaceable daughter. Do you say
well the prayer o f the Handmaids o f the Eucharist? Then, let
us pray it together. ’
“As this beautiful voice began the prayer, the angel who
h ad led me to the chapel reappeared at my side and joined
in. Always pro strate and thinking of nothing else, I h ad ju s t
said the words, 'Jesus present in the Eucharist,' w hen th e
voice interrupted m e, adding: ‘Truly present.’ And to im ­
press this all th e m ore upon my troubled spirit, the voice
added: ’From now on, you will add TRULY"
(In the prayer com posed by the Bishop for the Institu te
of the H andm aids of the Eucharist, the words originally
were simply: “J e s u s present in the E u ch a rist.”)
“Did I even have the time to answ er yes? All I know is th a t
I thought only of uniting myself to th a t voice of such
inexpressible b eau ty which seemed to come from Heaven.
I w as aided also by the sweet voice of th e angel speaking by
my side. O ur three voices together prayed:
“Most Sacred Heart o f Jesus, truly present in Holy Eucha
rist, I consecrate my body and soul to be entirely one with
Your Heart, being sacrificed at every instant on all the altars
o f the world andgiving praise to the Father pleading fo r the
coming o f His Kingdom.
“Please receive this humble offering o f myself. Use me as
You will fo r the glory of the Father and the salvation
o f souls.
36.
“Most Holy Mother o f God, never let me be separatedfrom
Your Divine Son. Please defend and protect me as Your
special child. Amen.
“When the pray er was finished, the Heavenly Voice*
said:
“ ‘Pray very m uchfor the Pope, Bishops andPriests. Since
your Baptism you have always prayed faithfully fo r them.
Continue to pray very much... very much. Tell your superior
all that passed today and obey him in everything that he will
tell you. He has asked that you pray with fervor. ’
“After a sh o rt m om ent of silence, the angel began a
familiar prayer. I at once said it with her: ‘Lord J e s u s
Christ, Son of the Father.’ W hen th is prayer w as over I
timidly raised my head. The lum inous splendor had
completely disappeared. The angel w as no longer visible
and the sta tu e h ad resum ed its norm al aspect.”
In the above account, it is fitting th a t we should note first
of all the declaration of the celestial “guide." To show th a t
she is not an illusion, she begins by denying absolutely th a t
she is Sister A gnes’ elder sister (as sh e had presum ed) and
she identifies herself, 7 am the one who is with you and who
watches over you. " That is to say, it is clearly the g u ard ian
angel whose existence is taught to u s in Catechism. T here­
fore, we will use th is title in the rest of the account.
It is touching to see Sister Agnes look at the angel for the
first time (now a little accustom ed to having h er appear)
and to hear escape from her lips the nam e of h e r sister.
R ather th an a physical resem blance, it is p erh ap s the
feeling of the sweet and protective presence h er s iste r had
always had for h e r which aw akened th is reaction.
This elder sister had succum bed to a can cer of the
stom ach eight y ears before S ister Agnes arrived a t the
convent at Yuzawadai. Sister Agnes and her m o th er had
taken care of h e r during her hospitalization. At th e req u est
of the h u sb an d . S ister Agnes spoke to h er of God, after
which the sister w as baptized. As sh e knew she w as going
to die and leave b ehind three young children, sh e asked
S ister Agnes to replace her as m o th er and spouse. Agnes
*As we shall see shortly, this w a s the voice o f Our L ady.
37.
th e n had to m ake known to h er th a t she wished to be
consecrated to th e Lord in thanksgiving for all graces
received. The elder sister understood immediately and
acceded to her request, “When you are in heaven, you will
pray th a t I will be able to enter th e convent.” And Agnes
added, “If I am accepted, th a t will m ean th a t you are in
heaven... ”
Before the cancer, the elder sister had always been in
robust health an d h ad always tak en care of Agnes who, as
we know, h ad b een delicate from earliest childhood. She
discreetly saw th a t Agnes was sp ared physical works
imposed by relatives who were accustom ed to strict disci­
pline. In the good as well as the b ad m om ents, she had
always su rro u n d ed h er younger sister with attentive affec­
tion.
When one considers all these circum stances, it is not
surprising th a t S ister Agnes first thought she saw h er
deceased sister in the comforting apparition of the angel.
Indeed, w hen we asked Sister Agnes to describe the face
of the angel she could give us only vague explanations, “A
round face, an expression of sw eetness...” As for the
garm ents, she could only say, “A person covered with a
shining w hiteness like snow...”
She added th a t th is brightness is nothing com parable to
the lum inous splendor which em anated from the sta tu e of
Mary when she h eard Her voice. T h at brightness w as so
intense th a t she immediately p rostrated herself. She w as
incapable of saying w hether the face of O ur Lady had
changed expression in the course of the vision because she
could not lift h er head, so deeplywas she moved. W hat th en
could she tell u s ab o u t the voice of Mary?
This seem s to be w hat is m ost difficult to describe. In h er
effort to try to express as m uch a s possible the b eau ty of
th is voice. S ister Agnes often uses a n expression w hich in
h er dialect m ean s, “of a beauty w ithout limit.”
One day, I w as speaking with a stran g er who had come
to the convent on th e recom m endation of Bishop Ito an d we
were speaking again of the voice. “A voice never heard and
which certainly could not have come from th is w orld,”
S ister tried to explain while seeking ju s t the right expres­
sion since the stran g er asked, “W as it com parable to th a t
38.
of the angel?” S ister Agnes replied, “The two voices are
beautiful, b u t the voice of Mary h a s som ething m ore
divine.”
“Can you explain th is difference by com parison?”
She reflected a m om ent and th e n said, “One can say th a t
t he voice of the angel resem bles a song and th a t of Mary, a
prayer.”
The stranger seem ed overcome with this answ er. “It is
a very beautiful com parison. I u n d erstan d m uch b etter
now.”
But let us take up again o u r account of the events.
The statu e w as again in its norm al state and th e n S ister
Agnes rem em bered th a t she w anted to observe the condit ion of the hand. She was about to get up when she noticed
t hat a sister w as now praying next to her. It was already
ten minutes afterfive in the morning, although she th o u g h t
il was still in the middle of the night (because she h ad left
tier room about three o'clock in the morning). But the h o u r
of Lauds w as approaching an d h e r com panions were
arriving in the chapel one after th e other.
After Lauds, S ister Agnes decided to ask the su p erio ress
to look at the sta tu e for her, b u t a s they were getting ready
to leave for M ass, it did not seem to be the fitting m om ent.
She preferred to wait, and got into the car with th e others,
taking care not to draw attention to the state of h e r own
hand.
As the convent was w ithout a priest even on the First
Friday of the m onth, they were obliged to go into town or to
a neighboring com m unity to a ssist at Mass.
When they cam e back to th e hill, Sister Agnes did not
have the courage to go to look a t th e statu e herself. In
reality, the more the time passed, the more h er an g u ish
increased at the idea th a t there m ight be som ething there.
She had less an d less desire to approach it, held b ack by a
sentim ent of veneration and fear. Finally, she ask ed the
M istress of Novices to go to see w h eth er or not th ere w as a
wound on the h an d of the Virgin. She was troubled ab o u t
speaking to anyone before speaking first to the Bishop, b u t
she felt it proper to ask the M istress of Novices, w hom the
Bishop him self h ad appointed to guide her in th e co u rse of
39.
h er Novitiate. And if she w anted to refer th is to the Bishop
later, it would first be proper to m ake su re of the facts. She
waited some tim e in h er room, b u t th e sister did not come.
After a considerable time, Sister Agnes decided to go to the
chapel to see w hat h ad happened.
Alone before th e statu e of Mary, th e M istress w as on h er
knees with joined h an d s. W hen she perceived the presence
of Sister Agnes, sh e turned tow ard her, h er eyes filled with
tears, signaling h e r to advance closer, and pointed h er
finger in the direction of the right h a n d of the statue. S ister
Agnes approached, looked, and th e n immediately p ro s­
trated herself on th e ground as though stru ck by an electric
charge.
It was true! There was a w ound in th e middle of th e little
hand m ade of wood. Two lines crossed each other and
bloodJlowed from the central hole, creating a m ost sorrow ­
ful spectacle.
W hat indeed could th at m ean? Overcome by a fear
mixed with respect. Sister Agnes could not even weep. The
words heard during the night cam e back to her, “Pray in
reparation for the sin s of men." She said to herself, “Is the
wound of Mary d u e to the sad n ess because of ingratitudes
and outrages of m an ? Does She show Her pain in order to
incite u s to conversion and penance? It is the time to
confide to Her everything and to place oneself entirely with
Her in prayer!”
“Here is a visible and undoubtable sign, it is best to tell
the others, it is even necessary... " said the Novice M istress.
Soon an o th er sister came and prostrated.
That evening, th e event w as told to the sisters a s they
returned to th e convent from their different works. They
asked Sister A gnes to show h er own wound, which sh e did
with docility, extending her painful hand. She said only,
“Would you please pray for me who am a sinner?”
It is im portant to realize th a t p ain h ad prevented Sister
Agnes from sleeping during the night. She w as completely
awake, physically and psychologically, and in full p o sses­
sion of reason a n d lucidity. The w ords exchanged w ith the
angel and h er going to the chapel at the angel's direction,
are described w ith clear detail, as are the transform ation of
the statue shining with a divine light, and the w ords pro­
40.
nounced by a voice whose sw eetness was w ithout com pari­
son, inviting h e r to pray the prayer of the H andm aids of the
Eucharist.
All the above excludes the possibility th at S ister Agnes
might have been in a state of sem i-sleep. Furtherm ore, one
can say th a t the wound in th e form of a cross on th e right
hand of the sta tu e a u th en ticates the su p ern atu ral c h a ra c ­
ter of the facts, showing this to be, indeed, an intervention
from Heaven. In the years d u rin g which these events were
subjected to intense and som etim es hostile scrutiny, there
was talk of hallucination, som nam bulism and of ectoplas­
mic phenom ena.
However, a s one can see from all that h a s already
passed, an d a s one is to see in all th a t follows. S ister Agnes
was not touched by this kind of anomaly. The lengthy and
profound te sts to which she su b m itted at the Faculty of
Medicine of A kita rule out su ch speculations.
The unexpected greeting of the Virgin from th e tr a n s ­
formed statu e co n stitu tes in som e way the first step tow ard
the im portant m essages to follow. Mary p rep ares Her
instrum ent for th e essential p a rt of Her m essage, in order
that she m ight not be too m uch disconcerted by w h at is to
follow. She th a n k s her for having offered h er life, show s
concern for th e pain of h er deafness, consoles h e r and
finally guides h er in prayer while showing the example.
Does not one feel th at in all th is O ur Lady is showing the
solicitude of Her Im m aculate H eart?
T estim on ies C oncerning July 6th
T estim on y of th e N ovice Mistress
“On th a t day S ister Agnes m u st have risen earlier th a n
usual because sh e was p ro strate before the statu e of Mary
when I arrived in the chapel. Later, when I retu rn ed from
the city w here we had assisted at M ass in a convent, she
m et me at the door and asked:
“‘Could you go to see if som ething h as changed on the
statu e of the Blessed Virgin? I w as told som ething th is
m orning about th is and I am concerned.’ I went a t once to
the chapel an d w hen I cam e before the statu e of Mary
41.
sculptured in wood I saw a blackish m ark on the palm of th e
right hand in th e form of a cross. One would have said th a t
it h ad been traced with a fine point of a pencil about 1.5
centim eters high an d 1.3 centim eters wide. It is to be
rem arked th a t th e wound seem ed actually bigger in the
sm all hand of th e sta tu e which is only 70 centim eters high.
I at once rem em bered th at I am only a sinner an d I
prostrated m yself weeping, asking pardon aloud.
“While I w as doing this, S ister Agnes came, w ondering
why I had not retu rn ed . I showed h e r at once the condition
of the hand an d sh e seemed to be seized with fear and
astonishm ent. A sh o rt time afterw ards I called S ister T. K.
to look. Then I asked them to keep silent about it.
“I returned to th e chapel to pray several times and ab o u t
3 o'clock in the afternoon I saw th a t the blood which had
flowed from the w ound had dried and I went to inform S ister
Agnes and S ister T. K.
“When an o th er sister retu rn ed from town I explained
everything to h e r an d took her to see the statue. She asked
me if the statu e h a d not always been like th a t and I assu red
h er there h ad b een nothing there. Of course I knew
because I had pain ted a picture of th e statu e over a period
of two m onths, in th e course of w hich I had been able to
observe it at leisure down to th e sm allest detail.
“Those who saw the phenom enon for the first time,
including S ister T. K., seemed to have some doubts and
hesitated about w h at attitude to take. All the sisters cam e
to observe the sta tu e one after the other, b u t since it w as
forbidden to sp eak about it am ong ourselves the question
w as not brought up during d in n er th a t day. Indeed if it
were truly a grace come from Heaven (a miracle) any light
conversation risked soiling the m ystery...”
W itness o f S ister T. K.
“The Novice M istress of S ister Agnes told me: T here is a
w ound in the form of a cross on th e right hand of the sta tu e
of Mary. I have not yet spoken to th e Bishop, b u t do not fail
to go and see now ,’ which I did immediately. There w as
indeed a wound in th e form of a cro ss on the right h an d of
the statue. The lateral branch w as 1.6 centim eters an d the
42.
vortical b ran ch w as 1.7 centim eters. One would have said
I hat they were traced by a pen with black ink. On these
lines there stood out two d ark er points. It resem bled very
m uch ink w hich h ad spread u n d e r the effect of heat. I said
10 myself th a t the Novice M istress m u st have spoken of
l hese points w hen she saw blood flow through a hole as
large a s th a t of a needle.
“Considered with the eyes of n atu re , it resem bled someI hing traced w ith a pen. However, w hen one contem plated
11 with the look of faith, one felt a profound feeling of peace.
Ordinarily I am very careful about physical observation of
facts, b u t here it was faith w hich carried me aw ay and
forced me to my knees, p ro strate in prayer.
“I retu rn ed to the refectory an d th en retu rn ed to the
chapel a half h o u r or an h o u r later and knelt before the
statue of Mary. This time the h a n d h ad a clearly different
aspect. The height of the cross w as the sam e as before but
Instead of appearing like ink o u t of a pen, it seem ed to be
Iruly cut into the flesh. The edge o f the cross had the aspect
o f human flesh and one even saw the grain o f the skin like
afingerprint. I said to myselfat that moment that the wound
was real. I w as deeply im pressed an d I felt in the d ep th of
myself th a t this m etam orphosis w as a w arning of M ary in
view of my still undecided attitude.
“That day the wound underw ent several tran sfo rm a­
tions. S ister K. having told me th a t blood had flowed from
it, I hastened to see the statue. Some blood flowed dow n as
if it was coming forth from the w ound, having im pregnated
the wood. I said to myself th a t blood im pregnated in the
wood m u st indeed give th at color.”
T estim ony o f S ister Y. I.
“The First Friday of Ju ly w hen I retu rn ed from th e school
where I worked, tow ards six o'clock in the evening, S ister
K. told me about the wound w hich appeared on th e h an d
of the statu e of the Blessed Virgin.
“Approaching the statu e I saw in the middle of th e palm
of the right h a n d th a t a w ound in th e form of a cro ss had
been cut with som ething like the tip of a blade. It w as ab o u t
1.5 centim eters by 2 centim eters. I can certify th a t su ch a
43.
m ark did not exist there before. I was in charge of the
sacristy for five years and I often h ad occasion to clean the
statue. There w as no possibility of error.
“That evening, in the chapel, I asked Sister Agnes to
show me again th e wound in h e r left hand. There w ere two
red traces in th e form of a cross an d they seemed to cause
h er pain.”
Bishop Ito, speaking at the U.S. National Center of the B lue Army
in W ashington, N.J., in June, 1988 on his return from Rome
where he spoke with Cardinal Ratzinger about his pastoral letter
approving Akita. "I w as very pleased," the Bishop said, "with the
Cardinal's response."
44.
Chapter Five
The Following Days
It was n a tu ra l th a t the sisters would now give additional
.illention to S ister Agnes. T hat sh e had received a m ystei lous wound in th e h an d was already known, an d sh e alone
had been th e one affected. And now the same wound in the
lorm of the cross had appeared on the wooden statue o f
Mary.
Reduced to silence by word of the Bishop, each sister
was at the sam e time careful to treat Sister A gnes in a
perfectly norm al way. They showed a new fervor in prayer,
•aistained by a m ore filial love tow ards Mary to the degree
that they progressed in silent m editation.
Each tim e S ister Agnes would th in k again of th e sad
aspect of the w ound on the sta tu e of Our Lady, sh e felt
herself overcome in the deepest p art of h e r being and
preoccupied a s to the m eaning of th is phenom enon. B ut
she felt som ew hat relieved with regard to th e b itte r re­
proaches she h ad heaped upon herself.
We now come to the following Thursday, J u ly 12th.
When Sister K. arrived at the chapel for the evening office,
Iwo sisters praying in front of the statu e signaled for h e r to
come and look a t the hand.
“The h an d of the Blessed Virgin is bleeding again. Look
al the palm. It is still hum id.”
Blood seem ed to have ju s t flowed forming a line leading
Irom the cen ter of the hand down to the little finger, where
It stopped. The shock felt was no less th a n it h a d been the
preceding time.
During the evening prayer, th e wound of S ister Agnes
began again to pain her.
The following day, Friday th e 13th, the whole com m u­
nity went into th e city to a ssist at Mass. After having
conducted th e ir courses, they retu rn ed to the hill tow ard
midday. They w anted to go into th e chapel, b u t w h en they
found th a t th e door had been locked by two m istresse s who
had gone out to w ork and h ad ta k en the keys, th ey were
obliged to recite th e Angelus in th e refectory.
45.
The door of th e chapel was opened by Sister K. w hen she
returned for th e evening office. To their am azem ent they
found th a t th e blood was flowing again from the h an d of
Mary. Seen close up, it appeared to have ju s t begun
stream ing to the end of the little finger. The repetition of
this phenom enon, so sad to see, only caused the ap p reh en ­
sion of S ister Agnes to increase, overcome as she w as by the
original shock of the wound.
The first tim e, a week earlier, even though she had been
alerted by the angel, Sister Agnes had fallen prostrate
u nder such em otion th at she h ad doubted w hat she saw.
The sam e experience being repeated two or three tim es, she
was as overcome by each as by the first. It w as not one of
those isolated events to which one becom es accustom ed
after awhile. A wound appearing on the hand of a person
is nothing in com parison. B ut th is prodigious sign, which
defied all laws of nature... w hat indeed could it m ean?
Surely something urgent and serious was indicated.
Sister Agnes did everything possible so th a t no one
would know the anguish and th e emotion th at troubled her
heart. She paid special attention to fulfilling h er daily tasks
while she did not cease to pray in silence, “Lord, have pity,
have pity on us!”
Strange to relate, the w ound which did not h u rt h er so
m uch on the other days always began to torm ent h er on
Thursday night, the pain continuing throughout Friday,
the following day. Thus on J u ly 19th, the following
Thursday, piercing pain occurred in the evening and was so
violent on Friday, that she was unable to take up h er work
at sewing and could not participate in the kitchen work
which wet the h ands. On S atu rd ay the wound rem ained,
but the pain h ad ceased.
Report to th e Bishop
On Ju ly 24 th, after a m onth of absence, the Bishop came
for a visit. Having received the u su a l greetings from Sister
K., he said quietly to Sister Agnes who brought him tea,
“How are you?” Then he heard the account m ade to him by
Sister K. of th e events which h a d taken place since his
previous visit and he told S ister Agnes to show him
46.
her hand. A little disturbed for not having spoken to the
Bishop ab o u t th is a m onth sooner, she nevertheless braced
herself and opened h er palm to his view.
It was a Tuesday. The w ound appeared a little sm aller
but one clearly saw the form of the cross. The Bishop
removed his glasses and looked carefully, th e n w ithout
saying a word he went to the chapel with S ister K. to take
account of the condition of th e statue.
At 4 o'clock in the afternoon he called S ister Agnes to
listen in detail about the events th a t took place during his
absence. She m ade a faithful an d detailed acco u n t begin­
ning with w hat h ad happened to h er personally an d ending
up with the prodigy of the statu e. Aided by a good memory
and by notes tak en during those days, she w as agreeably
surprised to be able to m ake a precise and detailed account.
It is especially astonishing th a t she had w ritten u nder
the strain of emotion, driven by a n interior force, so th at
every detail w as accurately recalled. And one can n o t fail to
see in th is once again the m ysterious intervention of a
helping hand.
The following day the Bishop celebrated th e M ass fol­
lowed by an h o u r of adoration. Then S ister Agnes was
called again. The Bishop asked her to begin from the
beginning and repeat everything to the end. S he did so
repeating exactly the sam e details. (When one answ ers
questions in complete loyalty and good faith, w ithout
additions or subtractions, it goes without saying th a t one
can repeat th e sam e thing ten tim es w ithout m aking a
mistake).
The Bishop m ade no com m entary. He m erely repeated
the sam e recom m endation m ade in his preceding visit: “Be
careful not to say to yourself: It is a phenom enon especially
destined for me. I am a special case. Strive for hum ility.”
Sister Agnes who listened with deference, experienced
great confusion, as h er testim ony shows: “How could I have
imagined being a special case? I have no special gift and
furtherm ore my infirmity ren d ers me incapable of doing the
work of a person not handicapped. All th e o th e rs are
considered a s teach ers w hen they go out because they have
a diploma or a particu lar qualification. But I, I do no t even
have a catechist certificate an d I am capable only of taking
47.
charge of a chapel. I thought th a t it w as ju s t becau se of my
sins th a t th is penance had been given to me an d th a t it was
rather norm al.
“Also, w hen the Bishop told m e th a t I should not become
proud b ecau se of it, my only desire was to throw myself at
his feet a n d to beg him with all m y strength to pray for the
poor sin n er th a t I am. Taking my courage by both h ands
I asked him to please continue to direct and pray for me. He
answ ered m e with these kind words, “Very well, it is
understood.’
“I left th e room perfectly comforted and tru ly thankful.
Further, the m ore I thought ab o u t it the more I realized that
from the beginning of these events, despite a tendency to
blame everything on my personal sins, I felt my soul filled
with an interior peace which w as like a comforting light.
That, too, w as certainly a grace received... ”
Once again it is to be noted th a t Sister Agnes thought
everything w as due to her sin s an d she never im agined for
a m om ent th a t the same w ound could appear on the statue
of the Virgin. If she had not been prepared so well by the
announcem ent of the angel, th e shock m ost probably
would have plunged h er into extreme confusion. The
announcem ent made by the angel seems to have a deep
m eaning w hich does not concern only Sister Agnes:
“Do not pray only because o f your sins, but in reparation
fo r the sins o f all men. The world today, by its ingratitude
and outrages, wounds the most Sacred Heart o f Our Lord.
The wound on the hand o f Mary is much deeper and more
painful than yours. ”
Up to th is tim e Sister Agnes alone had received th e signs,
w hether the light from the tabernacle or the vision of the
angels in adoration. This time, the signs becam e public
after the angel led her to the chapel where she received the
unexpected greeting before th e statu e of O ur Lady. More
and more th e entire com m unity w as becoming involved and
drawn into deeper prayer and reparation.
Again one sees beyond th e individual appeal an urgency
whose meaning is universal: “Pray in rep aratio n for all
men... pray especially for the Pope, the Bishops an d the
P riests... ” This invitation ap p ea rs as the prologue to the
48.
urgent w arning which will soon follow, em phasized by the
wound in th e center of th e h a n d of O ur Lady's statu e.
This w ound w as a tangible prodigy visible to all believers
and nonbelievers. It w as a m ysterious sign produced to
authenticate in a m anifest way the su p ern atu ra l origin of
Ihe m essage received.
It is not at all surprising th a t forgetting h e r personal
sufferings S ister Agnes exclaimed with an an g u ish ed cry:
“It is certainly som ething serious!”
She relates the development of h er reaction from th a t
moment: “My h eart which u n til th en had been closed with
Ihoughts which hardly w ent beyond the fear of sin seemed
lo be enlarged and purified by th is new sign. From now on
my com panions shared with me the b u rd en which had
become alm ost insupportable and which now became
bearable.”
It is tru e th a t she alone h eard the angel an d th e Virgin.
And anyone m ight have said th a t these were ju s t h er own
ideas. B ut the phenom enon of the wound in th e h an d of
O ur Lady, which had been announced by the angel, was
now clearly and beyond any d o ubt revealed to the eyes of
all.
N aturally w hen the new s w as first published in Jap an ,
Ihose who c a n judge only by n a tu ra l laws sought every kind
of explanation. But the power of God su rp a sse s hum an
knowledge. Saint Luke recalls to u s in Verse 37, C hapter
1: “Nothing is impossible to God. ” When His Force m anifests
itself in defiance of physical laws, one says th a t it is a
miracle. Even when it can n o t be understood by h u m an
standards, it is there before the eyes of m en a s a n u n d en i­
able reality.
Furtherm ore, when a m essage seem s to be given by
Heaven it m u st be in conformity to the teaching of Scrip­
tures, as is the case here. As for the miracle, it is given as
an objective sign which confirm s the su p ern atu ra l origin of
the m essage. In the case of th e statu e of Akita, everything
happened w ithout the least h u m a n intervention.
To deny this, it w as proposed th at S ister Agnes had
ectoplasmic powers. According to th is theory she w as able
in some way to transfer h er own wound onto th e wood and
to transfer to it h er own blood. This thesis w as con stru cted
49.
and published w ithout any inquiry ever having been made
at Yuzawadai itself. (As we shall see later, th e analysis of
the blood from the statu e showed that it w as not from Sister
Agnes!)
Let u s not forget th a t S ister Agnes was totally deaf when
she clearly received the w ords of the Angel an d of Mary.
Trained to read lips, she could converse in daily life every
day, b u t h er ears were closed to every kind of so u n d and so
m uch the m ore to h u m an voices. Showing a n a tu ra l facility
to decipher w ords even w ithout seeming to keep h er eyes
riveted on the lips of the p erso n speaking to h er, she was
finally able to talk like everyone in su ch a way that
sometimes one would forget h er infirmity an d tu rn one's
back while continuing to sp eak to her, w hich of course
caused h er to lose the th rea d of the conversation. The
movement of the lips w as for h e r the only detectable sign of
speech.
But those “beautiful voices” of the celestial world were
very truly h eard by h er ears. It seem s th a t sh e h ad been
able to com m unicate independently of physical conditions
necessary in norm al tim es, nam ely by the vibrations of the
air and of the eardrum .
In the face of all this w hat were the reactions of h er own
com panions, h er own sisters? All the testim ony cited
earlier show s the same am azem ent, mixed w ith veneration
as well as a n application of th is to oneself a s would be
understandable for religious persons. Even though they
are religious, they are h u m a n beings endowed with reason
like everyone and one can easily u n d erstan d th e trouble
and the do u b ts they experienced at the beginning.
Sister I., eldest m em ber of th e Institute an d close to the
director, Bishop Ito, possessed a rich culture, m atured by
along experience of life. W hen she went to look a t the state
of the sta tu e at the first new s, she did not seem to be very
moved. T hen suddenly, h e r two han d s joined, she fell
prostrate saying in a strong voice, “My Lord an d my God!,”
which quite surprised th e com munity.
Later she explained h er reaction. At th e very mom ent
that she tho u g h t th a t she w as the victim of a bad joke
(someone h ad surely am used them selves by m aking m arks
with a pen) som e blood came forth from a little cen tral hole.
50.
Instinctively she repeated th e cry of St. Thom as. As the
disciple doubting the resu rrected Christ Who h ad to show
him His w ounds, she felt a strong emotion m ixed with fear
and veneration. O ther siste rs had a sim ilar experience.
There is no way one can consider a s hallucination or
optical illusion a fact th u s verified by several p erso n s both
sim ultaneously and at different times. It w as not an
Instantaneous and passing event because it w as able to be
verified several times over during the sam e day. Various
changes of more or less im portance were observed each
Iime as if th e wound were alive. The silence im posed by the
superior w as a wise m easu re nevertheless. Every su p er­
natural phenom enon does no t necessarily come from God.
Could it be the action of som e other m ysterious force? It
was not a m a tter to be treated lightly.
Nevertheless, they were all aware in th eir m inds and
hearts th a t this was not a sim ple event destined to fall into
oblivion after having astonished a few naive religious. They
silently sh ared the apprehension of Sister Agnes:
“It is surely something important!”
The Strange Phenom ena Increase
T hursday, the 26th of Ju ly , w as the Feast of Saint Ann,
Ihe m other of the Virgin Mary. In the afternoon during the
5 o'clock M ass Sister Y.I. w as to renew h er vows. Sister
Agnes who had been for som etim e appointed a s h er spirilual counselor was happy to be able to sh are with her so
great a joy.
It w as p a s t 3 o'clock w hen S ister S.I. cam e to the room
with S ister Agnes to say th a t she could not find Sister K.
anywhere. Sister Agnes th o u g h t at once to look in the
chapel. They went there an d found S ister K. kneeling
before th e statu e of Mary betw een the Bishop an d Sister I.
They were reciting the Rosary. After a m om ent of hesita­
tion, S ister Agnes advanced to tell Sister K. th a t she was
expected.
The S ister turned, h er eyes full of tears: “The blood flows
again from the hand of Mary. Today there is m u ch more,
and it h a s a som ber color w hich m akes it painful to see.
Take my place," she said, leaving.
51
.
It w as not necessary to com e any closer to be stru ck by
the presence not of a th read b u t of a large sta in of blood in
the center of th e hand. S ister Agnes could not approach the
Bishop and took a step backw ard. “Such a quantity of
blood! W hat does it m ean?”
Sister I. tu rn ed tow ards h e r and asked h e r to jo in them
in the Rosary. Hardly had they begun to pray w hen the
wound of S ister Agnes' left h a n d jerked in pain. The other
tim es it w as always from T hursday evening an d she was
wondering why she had p ain so soon. Despite it she forced
herself to participate as well a s she could in th e prayers.
The M ass began after 5 o'clock. At the m om ent when
Sister Y.I. read her Act of Consecration, the p ain in Sister
Agnes' h a n d reached an in tensity never before known. The
piercing w as so strong th a t a cry escaped from her, al­
though immediately repressed. It was as th ough a large
drill transpierced the h an d all the way through. It was
followed by a bleeding. She held herself up, b u t from her
forehead there appeared a heavy sw eat... “Holy Maiy, come
to my help!” Having no o th er recourse th a n to clasp the
m edal w hich she wore at h er neck, she united herself with
all her soul to the sufferings of J e s u s on the Cross. The
m om ents of m ost insupportable pain were certainly of
short duration, b u t the suffering she en d u red seemed
interm inable.
That evening she was appointed to say the first part of
the prayers. This required from her a suprem e effort which
she tried to hide. Always su stain ed by the th o u g h t of the
passion of O ur Lord she fulfilled her ta sk as b e st she could,
but at the end her body w as bathed in perspiration.
That evening the dinner h ad a festive air in hon o r of Sis­
ter Y.I. an d Sister Agnes ate like everyone else in order not
to cast a shadow on th a t hap p y day, hiding h e r h an d which
pained h e r greatly although n o t as violently a s it h ad in the
chapel.
After d in n er she w as sum m oned by the Bishop. She told
him of the sh arp pain which h ad torm ented h e r during the
Mass. W hen she tried to open her fingers sh e again
experienced a n incredible piercing pain. The Bishop ob­
served th e palm which sh e opened with great difficulty:
“Oh! T hat m u st pain you very m uch. The w ound risks
52.
passing from one side to th e other... ” The Bishop showed
Ids great solicitude.
T hat evening as on th e night of the First Friday of the
m onth, she could not close h er eyes the entire night. She
sat on h e r bed, recited th e Rosary, straightened th e room
while protecting h er hand. She had to move constantly in
order to b e a r the pain.
Dawn cam e like a deliverer. She h astened to th e chapel,
her only refuge. She participated in Lauds concentrating
as best she could, b u t w ith a feeble voice.
D uring the M ass at 7 o'clock, at the Consecration, the
pain again reached its zenith. Blood flowed. It seemed th at
Ihe piercing reached su ch a n extreme th a t it w as as if the
hand h ad been pierced through.
After the M ass which to h er seemed interm inable, she
left the chapel and looked a t her hand. There w as a rath er
large quantity of blood. She did not dry it an d w ent to show
the Bishop. On the way sh e m et Sister Y.I. who observed
the w ound with a sad expression.
One m ay w onder if the w ound which appeared on the
hand of the statu e w as exactly the sam e a s th a t of Sister
Agnes. In her intim ate jo u rn a l she states: “It w as exactly
the sam e w ound in the form of a cross with blood which
flowed from the center. However, since the sta tu e had a
hand m u ch sm aller its cro ss was smaller. The central
opening w as about as large a s the hole of a sewing needle.
Mine w as m uch bigger, like the thickness of a drill. In the
most painful m om ents one would have said th a t a serrated
drill w as twisting in the flesh and piercing through to the
other side. It is then th a t the blood began to flow, b u t it
caused so m uch pain th a t I did not have the stren g th to dry
it. All th a t I could do w as to pass a gauze between my
fingers to sponge it.
“Strangely, the blood th a t appeared on th e h an d of the
statu e never fell to the ground. Even w hen Sister K.
(kneeling with Sister I. an d th e Bishop) had alerted me with
tears in h er voice ab o u t the bleeding, th e blood always
rem ained in the palm of th e sta tu e even th o u g h the statu e's
hand is open and pointing downward... F urtherm ore, in my
case also I felt th a t the blood accum ulated w hen I prayed
in the chapel b u t it never soiled the floor a single time. It
53.
is also strange th a t my w ound did not open an d did not
twitch with pain except from T hursday to Friday. W hen the
pain reached its peak on th e 26th, the Bishop advised me
to go to the hospital if it got worse. But on S atu rd ay I no
longer felt pain. The central orifice had only a rose color,
b ut p erh ap s th at was an im pression.”
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE:
W e w ish to call the reader's attention once more to the fact that Father
Y asuda com piled this book from notes which he made o v er a period of
tw o years. B ecause he w as the chaplain of the convent, and because he
was charged w ith the responsibility o f recording all o f these events by
Bishop Ito, he sees fit to interrupt the narrative from tim e to tim e with
im portant observations. These are usually set off from the rest o f the text
by the spacing breaks used below . And while Father Y asuda speaks so
often o f the providential signs, one m ust be im pressed by the fact that
Father Y asuda him self w as m ost providential in this entire m atter and
indeed by extraordinary circum stances cam e to the convent o f Y uzawadai. Seen in this light his com m ents, like those follow ing, take on a very
special m eaning.
It is not rare for stigm atists to suffer the w ounds only on
T hursdays and Fridays, days of the week which recall the
passion of O ur Lord. On S aturday the pain would disap­
pear exactly as it came, b u t it had been indeed felt like a
cruel reality. “Never will I forget that pain,” S ister Agnes
recalls, repressing a shiver of fright.
T hus during the m orning of the First Friday she went
back to h er room to divert h e r attention and th u s atten u ate
the pain, b u t nothing helped, not reading, not even h er dear
crocheting. The time of suffering passed only in the
contem plation of the Cross an d m editation on th e Passion
of O ur Lord.
D uring th e free time of th e afternoon she tried to give a
little rest to h er body deprived of sleep for two days. But the
pain took over; lying or standing, she could not rem ain in
one place. At 2:30 in the afternoon she w as pierced with a
pain of u n h eard of violence. Unable to b ear more, she fled
to the chapel as to h er only refuge. Floored by pain, Sister
Agnes prostrated herself.
54.
Imm ediately the voice of the angel so un d ed to the ears
of h er heart:
“Your sufferings will end today. Carefully engrave in the
depth o f your heart the thought o f the blood o f Mary. The
blood shed by Mary has a profound meaning. This precious
blood was shed to ask your conversion, to ask fo r peace, in
reparation fo r the ingratitude and the outrages towards the
Ijord. As with devotion to the Sacred Heart, apply yourself
lo devotion to the most Precious Blood. Pray in reparationfor
all men.”*
In h e r pain and su rp rise. Sister Agnes could not reply.
The angel continued:
“Say to your superior that the blood is shed today fo r the
last time. Your pain also ends today. Tell them what
happened today. He will understand all immediately. And
you, observe his directions. ” The angel ended with a smile
and disappeared.
S ister Agnes regretted not having spoken to the angel.
She noted th at the pain in h er hand h ad vanished at the
sam e time th a t the angel disappeared... a p ain so violent
which ceased as though by magic w ithout any trace of
wound or blood, as though it were an o th er hand!
Quickly she looked a t the statue: from the h an d of the
statu e blood still flowed through the hole. She was
oppressed with a feeling of reproach regarding herself and
did not feel daring enough to go closer to exam ine it. She
left the sister who w as praying beside h er an d returned to
her room. While she w as passing the en trance she was told
that a rug which had been ordered for some time had ju s t
been delivered. She helped c a n y it up to th e first floor with
the service sister. They were spreading th e carpet in the
room u p stairs when the one who had been praying in the
chapel arrived. W hen sh e found herself alone with S ister
Agnes she informed h er th a t some blood h a d begun again
to flow from the statue.
“I h ad taken a little on my index finger to show it to the
Bishop b u t behold it disappeared while helping you here.
Now it is no longer worthwhile to go.”
•For an explanation of the relationship of "the blood of Mary" and
the Precious Blood see the booklet The Meaning o f Akita.
55.
S ister Agnes was d istu rb ed by this. She reproached
herself for not having gone a t once to inform th e Bishop b u t
since h is Excellency rem ained in his room working, it did
not seem proper to go to in terru p t him to sp eak of their lack
of vigilance. That day sh e kept the excuses to herself and
did not go to see him.
It goes without saying th a t each one re a c ts differently
with regard to the bleeding of the statue. Even though they
share th e same faith, som e prostrate them selves, m ute
through sentim ent of fear an d veneration before the m ys­
tery; o th ers pressed by a positive spirit seized the h an d
betw een their fingers to exam ine it m ore closely. For
example. Sister I. took o u t a large magnifying glass and
observed th e wound m inutely. Certainly su c h an attitude
can be explained by h e r responsibility, b u t S ister Agnes, for
her p a rt would have been totally incapable of this. And so
m uch the more it would be inconceivable for her, even for
a single instan t, to be so daring as to take som e of the blood
upon h e r finger.
“I do that! I have too m u ch fear,” she said shrugging her
head down to her shoulders.
In order to well u n d e rsta n d what she m e an s we m u st
u n d erstan d that the word “fear” is used here in a special
sense of Sister Agnes' regional dialect. For example if one
m u st m eet a person of elevated state, one will say: “But I am
too m uch afraid to approach so illustrious a person.” This
does not m ean fear in th e com mon sense of th e word b u t
rath e r a sentim ent of great respect. Also th e frequent use
of th is word denotes in S ister Agnes w hat we m ight call the
fear of God. After she knew th a t some blood of the statue
had disappeared while they were putting dow n the carpet,
she cleaned it with very special care.
One of the seven gifts of th e Holy Spirit is th e F ear of God.
It seem s th a t Sister Agnes h ad it in abundance!
W itnesses
T estim ony o f Sister Y. I.
w ith Regard to th e Blood of th e S tatu e
“W hat I rem em ber b est happened on T hursday, the 26th
56.
of July, about 2 o'clock In the afternoon while I was
arranging flowers on th e altar for Mass. Som ething which
looked like a large clot of d ark blood w as on th e h an d of the
statu e which had not b een there before. I at once notified
Sister T. K. who w as in th e kitchen in order th a t she m ight
come and verify it. A bout 3 o'clock we called th e Bishop so
that he could see.
“On Friday, the 27th of J u ly in the m orning, I saw Sister
Agnes showing h er h a n d to the Bishop, (‘Look at all th is
blood!’) I had come u p o n them by accident an d only saw the
bandage which w as soaked with it. One could see th a t it
was fresh blood. D uring all the m onth of J u ly the wound
seem ed to h u rt h er especially on T hursday evening and on
Friday. According to w h at she said it w as like a serrated
drill w hich transpierced h e r hand and cau sed it to bleed to
such a n extent th a t sh e w as dispensed from clearing the
Iable after m eals.”
One rem arks th a t th e blood does not flow in stream s b u t
I hat it accum ulates an d th a t the w ound of Sister Agnes
cau ses her unbearable p ain and is followed by rath er an
a b u n d an t hem orrhage. As is already indicated by the form
of a cross, these phenom ena show integral relation with the
passion of Christ. They suggest the im portance of an active
participation (compassion) in th e sacrifice of th e cross, not
only by thought b u t even to the point of sharing in the
physical pain of C hrist’s suffering. This experience teaches
us the necessity of offering all suffering of o u r daily life in
union with the passion of Jesu s.
W hen the guardian angel appears to th e S ister while she
Is prostrate in the chapel at the end of h e r strength, the
angel com forts her in draw ing h er atten tio n to the m eaning
of the blood, “Carefully engrave in the d ep th of your h eart
the tho u g h t of the blood of Mary,” she co u n sels Sister and
then explains, “This precious blood h a s been shed to ask
your conversion, to a sk for peace, in reparation for the
Ingratitudes and the outrages toward th e Lord...”
By the prodigy of blood flowing from a wooden statue,
God m anifests th a t the p ain of Mary Conceived W ithout Sin
is so profound th a t She sh ed s blood b ecau se of it.
W hen Mary p resented th e Infant J e s u s in the Temple
forty days after His B irth, alm ost 2000 y ears ago, the ju s t
57.
Simeon prophesied: “T his Child will be a sign of contradic­
tion, an d a sword will pierce your h eart.” (Luke 2, 34) In
agreem ent with this prophecy, at the m om ent She assisted
at the death of Her Son, standing at the foot of the cross.
She felt H er soul “tran sp ierced with a sw ord.” All the sins
of m en com mitted from th e beginning are th e cause of the
suffering of the Son of God on the cross. Likewise today
there is a close link betw een these three: o u r sins, the
suffering of the Crucified, and the suffering of the heart of
Mary... a suffering un to th e suffering of blood. That is why
the angel recalls our atten tio n once more to th e profound
m eaning of the blood of Mary.
For h er part S ister Agnes feels w ithin h er body an
u n h eard of pain never before known, th e experience of
which is engraved in h e r memoiy. The w ound whose
opening is not larger th a n th e passage of a toothpick causes
h er to b reak out into a heavy sweat. W hat m u s t have been
the sufferings of Him w hose two feet were fixed to the wood
by nails th e thickness of a little finger?
The experience of S ister Agnes rem inds u s in a veiy vivid
way of th e need to m editate on the sufferings of Je s u s
agonizing on the gibbet of th e cross and th e sorrows which
transpierced the h eart of Mary. It is a pressing appeal to
respondby praise an d changing of life to sh are th e sacrifice
of expiation in which M ary participated at th e foot of the
cross.
Is th a t not the full m eaning of this event? The angel gives
the following interpretation, “This precious blood has been
shed in reparation fo r the ingratitude and the outrages
committed against the Lord. ” It is not a question only of sins
com m itted by non-C hristians, b u t perh ap s above all be­
cause of the attitude of u s C hristians who so often abuse
Divine grace. Then she announces th a t “th e blood is shed
today for the last tim e,” after which, as th ough to console
Sister Agnes, she rep eats with a smile th a t S ister Agnes'
sufferings will end th is sam e day.
It all happened as the angel said. The trace of the wound
w as still visible on the sta tu e for two m o n th s b u t blood no
longer flowed from it. The wound of S ister Agnes disap­
peared an d the pain v an ish ed on the 27th of J u ly without
leaving th e least trace.
58.
Padre Pio, of th e C apuchin Order in Italy, w as am ong th e
great stigm atists of o u r century. His two h an d s, his two feet
and h is side bled exactly like the five w o u n d s of Christ. B ut
every trace of the w ounds w as effaced im m ediately after his
death to the great asto n ish m en t of all. Photos tak en ten
m inutes after his d eath showed th e su rface skin sm ooth
and w hite on his feet an d hands. If th e w ound of S ister
Agnes is m uch less im pressive, it nevertheless presents th e
sam e particularity of having appeared an d disappeared in
an absolutely involuntary and m ysterious m anner.
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE:
F ather Y asuda docs not address the question as to why identical
w ounds appeared on the left hand o f Sister A gnes an d on the right hand
of the statue o f O ur Lady. T w o questions are im plied here: a) W hy the
w ound? b) W hy on the right and left hands o f tw o persons, one in
I leaven (O ur Lady represented by the statue) and the other o f a person
here on earth?
A s F ather Y asuda explains, this type o f m iraculous w ound is called
a stigm ata. It indicates the stigm atized person's participation in the
redem ptive suffering o f Jesus. O ver five hundred stigm atists have been
recognized in the C hurch (although there have certainly been m ore.)
And stigm ata usually are recognized to be m iraculous w hen there is not
just the sign o f a wound, but actual bleeding not caused by any natural
means.
B leeding from the hand o f a wooden statue is obviously a m iracle.
And since it is m iraculous, w e are com pelled to ask w hat H eaven is
saying to us by causing the sam e wound to appear sim ultaneously on the
right hand of the statue and on the left hand o f S ister Agnes.
A m ong other m eanings w e can see here: a) T he doctrine “To Jesu s
Through M ary,” taught by Saint G rignion de M ontfort and reco m ­
m ended in the encyclical R edem ptoris M ater; and b) T h e doctrine o f co ­
redem ption set forth in the sam e encyclical. F ather Y asuda touches
upon the latter but because o f the im portance o f the m iracle in the full
context o f the m essages o f F atim a and A kita, and especially in light o f
R edem ptoris M ater (w hich appeared on M arch 25, 1987, after F ather
Y asuda's book was w ritten) let us briefly exam ine these tw o teachings
o f the M agisterium in that im portant encyclical o f the 1987-88 M arian
Year.
59.
To Jesus Through Mary
T he first doctrine is that as Jesus cam e to the w orld a first tim e
through M ary, so now H e w ills to com e to the w orld again through H er
b ut in an interior manner, m aking H im self one w ith us. S t. G rignion says
that T R U E devotion to M ary alw ays focuses on Je su s w hile sim ultane­
ously recognizing the im portant role of M ary both in the Incarnation and
R edem ption. He says that M ary is by G race w hat Jesus is by N ature and
that w e should lose ourselves com pletely in M ary's Im m aculate H eart in
order that w e may m ore quickly and perfectly becom e one with the
Sacred H eart o f Jesus.
T he blood flowing from the left hand o f the sister and the right hand
o f O ur L ady seems to sym bolize the oneness o f w hich Saint G rignion
speaks: o u r oneness w ith M ary w ho is, in the order o f G race, really and
truly o u r M other.
B ut m ore important, as F ather Y asuda stresses, is th e m essage o f our
calling to suffer with M ary (as She suffered in all o f H er sorrows and
especially on C a lv a ry )/o r the salvation o f souls.
Co-Redeemers
W e are all called to be co-redeem ers with Jesus. A nd according to
S aint G rignion de M ontfort the m ost perfect way to respond is to unite
ourselves to the m ost perfect o f His co-redeem ers, H is own Mother...
w hom H e gave to us from the cross to be also our M other.
S aint Paul said (C olossians 1: 24) that by suffering he m akes up for
“w hat is lacking in the sufferings o f Christ.” T his does not m ean that
there w as som ething m ore that Jesus had to suffer, but that W E ARE
C A L L E D TO SUFFER W IT H HIM. W e are called to help in the
salvation o f souls. W e are called to be “co-redeem ers.” M onsignor
Knox translates Col. 1: 24, “ I am glad I help pay o ff the debt which the
afflictions o f Christ still leave to be paid for the sake o f His Body, the
C hurch.”
A s w e shall see later in this book O ur Lady has revealed at A kita that
She has already been able to h old back a great chastisem ent of m ankind
by offering to the Father the P assion o f Jesus, “H is P recious Blood, and
beloved souls who console H im form ing a cohort o f victim souls.”
ttt
60.
Chapter Six
The S econd M essage o f Mary
We recall th a t th e w ound first ap p eared on the h an d of
S ister Agnes on T hursday, J u n e 28th. As we shall see, the
m iraculous events surrounding the g reat m essage of O ur
Lady to the world through Akita, were to continue with
m iraculous signs alm ost up to the tim e of the B ishop's
pastoral letter of approval in 1984.
Then on Friday, Ju ly 27th, after reaching a peak of
suffering, as announced by the angel th e wound instantly
and completely healed, leaving not a trace.
It is interesting th a t Ju ly 27th is th e Feast of S aint
Pantaleon, a m artyr w hose blood is said to liquefy each y ear
on h is Feast Day, a s does the blood of S ain t J a n u a riu s ... a
m iraculous phenom enon repeatedly recognized by the
C hurch and worthy of m uch greater m editation and a tte n ­
tion.
On the evening of Saturday, Ju ly 2 8 th , S ister Agnes w as
called to the B ishop's room. His Excellency asked h er to
recount w hat had happened the previous afternoon. She
spoke of the voice of the angel which su rp rised h er while
she w as praying in the chapel and of th e intense pain which
vanished as the angel announced. She spoke also, excus­
ing herself for not having shown it to th e Bishop, of the
blood which appeared on the h an d of th e statue.
The Bishop listened with close atten tio n as w as his
custom . He went b ack over the preceding facts, asking the
sam e questions a little as one would review a lesson. He
m ade w ritten notes of each detail, p erh ap s to be sure th a t
there w as no contradiction. As for S ister Agnes, she
invariably repeated over and over the sam e answ ers. As for
the m essage of the Virgin, she h esitated a bit as to the way
in w hich O ur Lady h ad insisted th a t one add truly before
61.
present in the Eucharist in the prayer of the H andm aids of
the E ucharist. (The Bishop had not ta k en any decision
concerning this, using great prudence in everything.)
At the end he gave S ister Agnes an unexpected mission:
“W hen this person retu rn s, you will a sk th e three following
questions:
1. Does Our Lord w ish the existence of our institute?
2. Is its present form suitable?
3. Is a group of contem platives necessary in a secular
in stitu te ?”
T his was not com plicated and at the m om ent she agreed
w ithout difficulty. With time, however, she felt more and
m ore the weight of th is responsibility. The more she
repeated the questions to herself, the b etter she u n d er­
stood their meaning. She said to h erself th a t she would
have to ask the questions with assu ran ce. B ut in any event
it w as not she who would decide the m o m en t... When would
she be able to hear th e voice again? And if th is grace was
not accorded to h er...? Men can hope, b u t does not
everything depend on th e Will of God?
Totally powerless, h e r only recourse w as to kneel often
before the Blessed S acram ent to pray th a t the occasion
m ight be given to accom plish the ta sk given to her by the
Bishop in the nam e of holy obedience.
August 3rd, 1973, First Friday
A week later S ister Agnes began h e r day with a longer
period of prayer in th e chapel than u su al. The m orning
p assed without any special event. However th a t afternoon,
during her visit to th e Blessed Sacram ent:
“I rem ained to m editate on the Passion of O ur Lord after
2:30 in the afternoon an d I said the Rosary. Had perhaps
an h o u r passed since I arrived in the chapel? That day the
angel appeared (which h ad not happened for some time)
an d she recited the Rosary with me. D uring th is time I had
in m y m ind the questions of the Bishop an d I secretly hoped
th a t the occasion would present itself for me to ask them.
“Had the angel divined my desire? The occasion w as
quickly given: ‘You have something to ask? Go ahead, you
have no need to be troubled, ' she said w ith a smile, slightly
62.
inclining her head. T h en taking my courage in two h an d s,
very im pressed, I w as ju s t saying th e first word w hen
suddenly from th e sta tu e of Mary, I h eard as the first tim e
that voice of indescribable beauty:
“‘My daughter, my novice, do you love the Lord? I f you
love the Lord, listen to what I have to say to you.
“‘It is very important. You will convey it to your superior.
“‘Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls
(o console Him lo soften the anger o f the Heavenly Father. I
wish, with my Son, fo r souls who will repair by their
suffering and their poverty fo r the sinners and ingrates.
“‘In order that the world might know His anger, the
Heavenly Father is preparing to inflict a great chastisement
on all mankind. With my Son I have intervened so many
limes to appease the wrath o f the Father. I have prevented
the coming o f calamities by offering Him the sufferings o f the
Son on the Cross, His Precious Blood, and beloved souls who
console Him form ing a cohort o f victim souls. Prayer,
penance and courageous sacrifices can soften the Father's
anger. I desire this also from your community... that it love
poverty, that it sanctify itself and pray in reparation fo r the
ingratitude and outrages o f so many men. Recite the prayer
o f the Handmaids o f the Eucharist with awareness o f its
meaning; put it into practice; offer in reparation (whatever
God may send)*for sins. Let each one endeavor, according
to capacity and position, to offer herself entirely to the Lord.
“‘Even in a secular institute prayer is necessary. Already
souls who wish to pray are on the way to being gathered
together. * * Without attaching too much attention to theform,
be faithful and fervent in prayer to console the Master.’
“After a silence:
“‘Is what you think in your heart tm e? Are you truly
decided to become the rejected stone? My novice, you who
wish to belong without reserve to the Lord, to become the
spouse worthy o f the Spouse make your vows knowing that
you must be fastened to the Cross with three nails. These
•Words in parenthesis have been added by the translator.
••We might apply this to the prayer groups of the World Apostolate
of Fatima (Blue Army cells), and similar prayer groups developing
all over the world.
63.
three nails are poverty, chastity and obedience. O f the three,
obedience is thefoundation. In total abandon, let yourselfbe
led by your superior. He will know how to understand you
and to direct you. ’
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE:
T his prophecy o f a g reat chastisem ent w as previously m ade at
F atim a in 1917 in a series o f prophecies, the last o f w hich was: “Several
entire nations will be annihilated. " In M arch 1939, follow ing the “great
sign” w hich O ur Lady announced at Fatim a as a prelude to the Second
W orld W ar, O ur Lord told S ister Lucia (the survivor o f the three children
o f Fatim a):
“A sk, ask again insistently for the prom ulgation o f reparation in
honor o f the Im m aculate H eart o f M ary on the F irst Saturdays. TH E
T IM E IS CO M IN G W H E N THE RIG O R O F MY JU STICE W ILL
P U N ISH THE CR IM ES O F D IFFER EN T N A TIO N S. SOM E O F
T H EM W ILL BE A N N IH IL A T E D . IN TH E E N D TH E SEV ERITY
O F M Y JU STICE W IL L F A L L M OST SE V E R E L Y ON TH O SE W H O
SEE K TO D ESTROY M Y REIG N IN S O U L S.”
T en years before, O ur Lady had asked for the collegial consecration
o f R ussia to Her Im m aculate Heart, prom ising that it would be a sign o f
R ussia's conversion. But w hen the consecration w as not made O ur Lord
said that it would eventually be accom plished, but: “It will be too late;
R ussia will already have spread her errors throughout the w orld."
(M artin's edition of Lucia's M emoirs, Porto, 1973, Page 465.)
A fter the collegial consecration m ade by the P ope at Fatim a on M ay
13,1 9 8 2 , Lucia said: “T he consecration will have its effect, but it is too
late.” She said that to avo id atomic war now (atom ic bom bs having
proliferated to various nations) “The Blue A rm y (the W orld A postolate
o f Fatim a) will have m uch to do.”
Sister Agnes now describes the effect o f this m ajor m essage at A kita
on A ugust 3, 1973.
“It w as a voice of indescribable beau ty such as there
could be only in Heaven. I was far too im pressed and
overcome to w onder w hether I w as hearing with my deaf
ears or with my h eart. I was prostrate, unable to m ake the
slightest movement. Even more, it w as a s if my whole body
w as alert not to lose a single one of th e words.
“After the principal m essage, there w as a pause. I do not
know how to say how m uch time it lasted because I w as
64.
completely absorbed in the present m om ent. P erh ap s It
was the space of a n O ur Father, p erh ap s too short to say
even the first p h rase. I th in k th a t I w as no longer aw are of
lime.
“I am asked also if I did not lift my head, because d uring
Ilie pause I m ight have thought th a t th e m essage w as over,
hut I could not becau se I was entirely u n d er the influence
of a m ysterious force. To give a com parison, even w hen one
knows th a t the song which one is listening to with delight
is over when th ere is a pause. I felt clearly th at it w as not
over. When the la st word faded into silence, I knew it w as
llie end as w hen a strong light is suddenly extinguished,
th e n I raised my face and saw th a t the angel had also
disappeared.
“After the beautiful voice with the heavenly so und w as
quiet, I got up and rem ained a m om ent in prayer, so m uch
did the sublim e echo of th at voice continue to reso u n d
within me. Then rem em bering th a t it w as necessary to give
a detailed report to Bishop Ito, I h asten ed back to my cell.
“Opening the notebook in which I registered all the
events which h ad tak en place for some time un d er the title
o i Journal O f A Soul, a s the Bishop had requested I began
Io write. I wrote concentrating my th o u g h ts and praying at
each word, th a t each phrase be as exact as possible. The
long m essage flowed from my pen w ithout the slightest
difficulty to my great am azem ent. I w as able to p u t it all
down straight away w ithout the slightest hesitation an d
without the need of searching in my m em ory for the w ords
which had become engraved in my soul and as though they
were dictated by an invisible presence. I think th is would
have been im possible solely by my n a tu ra l faculties.
“While writing, I experienced again the emotion felt at
the very time of hearing O ur Lady an d at the sam e tim e I
realized with gratitu d e and en th u siasm th a t the reply to the
questions of Bishop Ito were contained in the totality of th e
message. Even w hen it cam e time for my profession on th e
15th of August, I hardly had need to consult my notes, so
easily did the w ords come back to m e.”
Before studying th e m eaning and th e scope of th is event,
I would like to recall an anecdote w hich took place on th is
65.
sam e evening of A ugust the 3rd. In th e middle of the night
S ister Agnes w as aw akened with a sta rt, “Get up! Get up!”
She could not be m istaken. It w as th e voice of the guardian
angel.
With a bound sh e w as up an d opened the door. A
cu rio u s burning odor filled th e corridor. Following the
smell, she went down the stairs an d hastened to the
kitchen. The m etal kettle on the stove w as as red as a ball
of fire! Now completely awake she h a d only time to tu rn off
the gas. She got som e w ater and threw it on the in candes­
cen t kettle. After a m om ent the steam began to dissipate
an d the kettle appeared, bu t in w hat a state! In the bottom ,
calcified leaves of h erb s gave off a fetid odor. The next
m orning it was learned th at a siste r had gone to bed
forgetting the kettle on the fire. A little while longer and the
h ouse might have been the prey of flames.
This was not to be the only happening of its kind for the
com m unity from th is day. The g u ard ian angel would more
th a n once come to help in the daily th in g s of the life in th is
com m unity especially m arked and ch o sen to be among the
special souls whom O ur Lady w as now gathering together
a s those “who will repair, by their suffering and their pov
erty .for the sinners and the ingrates."
B ut now we know perhaps the m o st im portant p art of
the great m essage for th e world w hich th is community, an d
in particular S ister Agnes, had been prepared to receive.
The second m essage of Mary co n tain s major them es
w hich form the cen tral nucleus of Her words. It contains
a teaching of the highest im portance w hich is accentuated
by the background of the miracle of th e bleeding of the
statu e. The central them e begins with the words, “Many
men afflict the Lord, ” th a t is to say the sin s which we commit
daily in our earthly life. Maiy search es th e world with Her
glance and seeks “souls who console the Lord. To appease
the wrath of the Father (She) awaits souls who repair, by
their suffering and their poverty, f o r the sinners and the
ingrates.”
The warning contained in th e w ords, “The F ath er is
preparing to inflict a great p u n ish m e n t,” is the conse­
quence of w hat precedes. It is a pressing cry of d istress
leading to an explicit dem and in th e following sentence.
66.
Here clearly ap p ea r the answ er to th e three questions of
the Bishop. To the question, “Does the Lord w ish th e
existence of ou r in stitu te ?” Mary answ ers with the sim ple
words, “J wish this also o f your community.” She th u s
recognizes th e ex isten ce of th e H an d m aid s of th e
E ucharist while at the sam e time m aking an appeal to all
men.
To the second question, “Is its p resen t form su itab le?”
She gives Her direction, “Without paying too much attention
lo the form, be faithful and fervent in prayer to console the
Master. ” She seem s to wish to suggest th a t it is in ap p ro ­
priate to em phasize the distinction between a contem pla­
tive order, an active order and a secu lar order and th a t we
should not p u t a scale of values am ong the religious
belonging to different congregations. She th u s reproves the
attitude which looks to establish a hierarchy am ong th e
different categories of religious orders, a conception influ­
enced by the spirit of the world which always seeks to m ake
com parisons and segregations. She in sists on the essential
which is not the form b u t conformity to the will of God.
The third question finds an answ er in the passage, “Even
in a secular institute, prayer is necessary... already souls
ivho wish to pray are in the course o f being assembled.”
(dearly w hether a secu lar institute or not, even w hen one
Is in the lay state, prayer m u st be the center of life.
In the beginning, the Institute of the H andm aids of the
Eucharist was a group of women living without a welldefined rule. The m ain principle w as com m unity life lived
In simplicity an d poverty by perso n s wishing to offer
lliemselves in prayer.
Finally, when we look closely to the answ ers to the
questions of the Bishop, given w ithout awaiting the q u e s­
tions them selves, one is touched by the content an d
pertinence which could not be attrib u ted to h u m an w is­
dom, b u t which are indeed the very w ords of Heaven, of the
Mother of God in person.
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE:
O ne m ight be surprised that Father Y asuda hardly com m ents on
the terrible w arning in O ur Lady's message. H e m erely refers to this by
67.
rem arking that it is in keeping with the m iracle o f the blood flow ing
from the statue w hich prepared Sister A gnes and the com m unity for
this som ew hat frightful, even terrifying annou n cem en t from the
M other o f God.
In his pastoral letter, Bishop Ito w ent so far as to say that if it were
not for the m iracles w e m ight not be able to ac cep t so grave a m essage.
H ow ever, this second m essage o f O ur L ady was not prim arily to
speak o f the chastisem ent, but to speak o f the need for souls gathering
in prayer to m ake reparation in reply to the questions o f the Bishop.
It is only about seven w eeks later, on the 13th o f October, that O ur
L ady will speak in detail about the chastisem ent which threatens
the world if H er requests, first presented at Fatim a in 1917, are not
heard.
The A ttacks o f th e D evil
We have already spoken of the helpful intervention of the
guardian angel appearing to S ister Agnes. It is true th a t
this kind of experience is rath er rare an d men today have
a tendency to look upon It with a disdainful smile, and if
they do deign to in terest them selves in it, it is only to try to
explain it away as a symptom of m ental weakness.
However, a s we have also rem arked, the intervention of
the angels w as a n im portant part of th e events of Fatim a
and the im portant role of angels h a s been accentuated in
a special way by the Church in recent times, especially by
Pope Jo h n Paul II.
During the wave of criticism th a t followed the an n o u n ce­
m ent of these events in Jap an , one c a n imagine the reaction
to which Sister Agnes was subjected from some quarters.
But if she had m uch to suffer from b ad spirits in a h u m an
sense, she had m uch more to suffer from the fallen angels
for whom hell w as created.
We can p ass over the threat of fire on the very night after
the m essage of O ur Lady, b u t the following day, the 4th of
A ugust, as S ister Agnes was about to go into the chapel for
the evening office, she felt herself brutally seized by the
shoulder and draw n backw ards. B ecause of the violence of
the gesture, she understood at once th a t it was not simply
som eone accosting her. In her su rp rise she turned to h er
left and w hat she saw was like a d ark shadow leaning over
68.
and dom inating h e r entire height. Frightened, sh e lifted
her hand to free h e r shoulder, b u t th e grip th a t held h e r as
though in a vice prevented any movement. With a shiver of
fear she implored, “Hail Mary! G u ard ian angel, save me!”
Immediately the angel appeared an d advanced h e r into
(he chapel. The force which held h e r shoulder p riso n er
immediately left. She could finally wet h er finger with holy
water, m ake the Sign of the Cross, an d take her u su a l place
with the com m unity. Even though it lasted b u t a sh o rt
lime, this u n u s u a l attack, sufficient to cause nightm ares,
is certainly beyond the dom ain of h u m a n capacity.
Later the sam e incident took place at the sam e spot.
Immediately sh e begged, “Lord, save me, have pity!” an d
was immediately freed. She u nderstood a t once th a t these
attacks came from the devil. And while the m eeting of
divine grace fills the heart with sw eetness and interior
peace, this kind of experience leaves a sinister aftertaste
and a sensation of fear.
For Sister Agnes, it w as her first experience of th is kind
since her arrival at the Hill, b u t not the first in her life. She
recounts a sim ilar memory which even today cau ses a cold
sweat when she th in k s back upon it:
“It was w hen I w as convalescing in the hospital in Myoko.
I think it was the 20th of Ja n u a ry . My condition had
improved and a s I had been advised to take a therm al
treatm ent I w ent to the b ath every morning after my
tem perature w as m easured. That day I went with an o th er
invalid of advanced age. When we entered the b a th s they
seemed deserted. I had hardly begun to disrobe in the
women's vestiary w hen I saw Mr. T.
“Mr. T. w as an invalid gravely ill. He had been a
practicing Catholic b u t one good day one no longer saw him
In church. Some very believing p erso n s who saw th a t his
end was coming were concerned ab o u t his soul, an d they
exhorted him to becom e converted b u t without result. He
no longer w anted to h ear speak of religion. These p erso n s
had asked me to go to see him in h is room because am ong
invalids there w as a kind of bond. I did th is more th a n once.
In the beginning he w as hard, b u t little by little he loosened
up and even accepted th a t I give him a prayer book an d a
Kosary.
69.
“At the tim e th a t I was in th e therm al b ath I had
understood th a t he h ad gone back to his family for a rest
cure. While I saw him standing before me 1 w as d u m b ­
founded. He h ad a n anxious, torm ented air with deep
w rinkles betw een h is eyebrows. I could not keep from
speaking to him: ‘B ut Mr. T., w hat are you doing? You are
in the woman's section here!'
“Then a black shadow which w as leaning over him from
the back began to suddenly grow. Then it unclenched its
long, repulsive an d grasping fingers with which it had
gripped his shoulders, deployed black wings like those of a
great bat and cast itself on me... W hat happened then?
W hen I saw its fingers like grappling irons precipitating
upon me to sn atch me, I was so afraid th a t I fainted. 1
learned later th a t th e com panion who was with me p re­
vented my falling an d hitting my head on the concrete floor.
I was taken immediately to the hospital where I rem ained
ten days unconscious.
“My body w as rigid as a corpse an d everyone thought
th a t this time it w as the end. On th e third day they gave me
the last sacram en ts. The doctors were saying th a t if I did
survive there w as a fear of cerebral lesions or blindness.
W hen my m o th er saw my eyes covered with the white
m em brane, she would have preferred th at her poor d au g h ­
ter, who had already seen so m uch in life, be not m ade to
suffer more.
“Despite my com atose state, I am told th a t I h ad the
peaceful expression of a child and, strangely enough, when
one called me I answ ered with a voice of a child of five or six
years and m ade childish responses, ‘I'm going home. I’m
going hom e’ an d w hen one asked m e why, I replied. T o play
with papa and m am a, to play ball.’ My m other w as saying
th a t if the good God would take m e in this state of candor
I would surely go to paradise.
“As for me evidently I had not th e slightest idea of w hat
w as happening aro u n d me. All th a t I rem em ber is th a t I saw
myself seated, overcome with fatigue, after having walked
in immense fields which extended beyond my view. But
there were beautiful flowers there an d I was not at all bored.
“Then the siste rs of Notre Dame of Ju n sh in of Nagasaki
(to whom I belonged at th at time) sen t me some Lourdes
70.
water. Hardly h ad I been given a swallow th a n my h a n d s
and feet, as stiff a s wood, began to move. And a s th o u g h I
were coming ou t of a long sleep I stretch ed out, extended my
hands into the air an d exclaimed, ‘Oh, how beautiful.’ I did
not know th a t th e flowers I had seen in the fields d uring my
sleep’ were those at my bedside. Then my stren g th
returned and I w as completely better.
“The digression is a little long b u t it m u st be added th a t
two m onths after my cure the wife of Mr. T. came to see me:
'... Before his d eath my h u sb an d told me how grateful he
was to you for having saved him by your prayers,’ sh e said,
I hanking me. B ut w hen I told h er of th e frightening m eeting
In the bath she stated , to our great surprise, that had been
the very moment when Mr. T. received the last sacraments. ”
This true life experience show s well how the devil h ates
in particular those who do good, especially w hen they
snatch souls from him. In the lives of the saints one finds
num erous exam ples in which he show s his hatred in one
form or another seeking to place obstacles in the way and
lo avenge himself.
It is also im portant to note th a t S ister Agnes w as n o t at
all instructed in the things of the devil. She knew th a t he
existed. That is a n article of faith. But she had no idea as
lo why she w as the object of su ch attacks. Moreover,
Satan's m ethods w ent far beyond anything she could have
Imagined. C haracteristic in this regard is the exam ple of
I lie Cure of Ars, whose feast is on A ugust 4th (the day S ister
Agnes was first seized by the shoulders as she w as entering
I lie chapel w here O ur Lady appeared to her) who even gave
I lie demon a nicknam e.
It is a recognized fact th at the holy Cure of Ars w as
assaulted m any tim es by the dem on under visible an d
Invisible forms because he sn atch ed so m any so u ls from
him. The sain t never let him self be battered down an d
when he saw h is room burned he said with an u n d e rs ta n d ­
ing smile, “It's th e Creeper again...” an d added, “U nable to
catch the bird, he b u m s the cage.”
Certain paintings represent th e devil as a m o n ster with
Ihe wings of a b a t an d fingernails or grasping fingers like
grappling hooks. S ister Agnes h ad never seen su ch p a in t­
ings nor had sh e ever read the life of the Cure of Ars.
71.
It would seem th a t th is experience was given to h e r in
order that she m ight feel the need of seeking the aid of the
Lord, of His M other, an d of the angels in all circum stances,
and rem ain vigilant in prayer.
Light, Perspiration and Perfume
Almost two m o n th s later, on th e 29 th of Septem ber, all
the com munity h ad gone into the city to attend M ass in the
parish church for th e feast of S aint Michael. W hen they
came back, following the meal. S ister Agnes and a co m p an ­
ion went into th e chapel to pray th e Rosary.
At the beginning of the fifth decade Sister Agnes saw th a t
the statue of Mary shone with a brilliant light. She tugged
at the sleeve of h e r companion. Both saw the light shining
from the statu e a s they continued to pray. It w as the
garm ent which shone the m ost, b u t also from th e two
han d s there em an ated a dazzling light.
The fifth decade completed, they approached. While
Sister Agnes p ro strated herself, h er com panion pointed h er
finger tow ards th e hand, “Oh! The wound h a s d isap ­
peared!”
As we rem arked before, the blood h ad flowed for th e last
time on the 27 th of July, b u t the trace of the w ound was
always on the h a n d of the statu e, even though it had
disappeared from the hand of S ister Agnes th a t sam e day.
Now also on th e statu e it w as a s though there h ad been
nothing there. They stood astonished, seeing the sta te of
the hand suddenly become in tact a s it had been three
m onths before. They decided not to speak of it to the others
before informing th e Bishop.
However, du rin g the course of th e evening office an
unu su al event occurred which brought the m etam orphosis
of the statue to th e knowledge of all. As the office w as
almost over, the sta tu e again becam e resplendent in light
and began stream ing as though with perspiration.
Sister Agnes w ho had h er head lowered suddenly felt
someone beside her. She lifted h er eyes and saw th e angel
who said: “Mary is even sadder than when She shed blood.
Dry the perspiration.”
72.
She joined th e other sisters who brought a sa c k of
cotton. Five of th e sisters, with great care an d devotion,
sponged the perspiration. The entire body w as soaked,
they had to dry an d dry; a liquid sim ilar to heavy sw eat
oozed w ithout stopping, especially on the forehead an d the
neck. In addition to the general am azem ent there w as a
shared feeling of grief. Sister K. prayed with te a rs in h er
voice, “Holy Mary, pardon u s for causing you so m uch
sadness and pain. We beg you p ard o n for our sin s an d our
faults. Protect u s, help us!” Each sister applied herself to
drying the area before her eyes w ith the sam e com m on
Intention of rep aratio n and veneration. The pieces of cotton
were wringing wet.
After dinner th e com m unity retu rn ed to see the statu e.
II was again wet with perspiration. D istracted, the sisters
began again to dry it. One even heard S ister O., not
naturally talkative, m u rm u r in a sad voice, “My cotton does
not absorb. One would say th a t there is no perspiration
when I dry.” Immediately, as if in answ er to h er ang u ish ed
words, the cotton th a t she was holding began to absorb the
perspiration like a sponge plunged into w ater... which
impressed h er very m uch.
Suddenly one of the sisters rem arked th a t the co ttons
1îad a fragrant odor. Each one began to smell the cotton she
was holding and they discovered a subtle fragrance which
I hey could not describe as rose, violet, or lily. There was
general delight. One had never experienced su ch a m arvel­
ous fragrance. And when S ister O. declared th a t not even
Ihe m ost subtle of perfum es give off su ch a sweet fragrance,
II was indeed th e opinion of everyone. They were asking if
this m ight not be the perfum e of paradise.
The following S unday when they entered the chapel they
were stru ck with th e sam e perfum e. The superioress w ent
to see w hether th e fragrance w as coming from th e sta tu e
while the others, rem aining in place, felt enveloped in its
delicious waves. The grief of th e previous evening cau sed
by the discovery of th e perspiration gave way to peace and
Joy which shone on all the faces.
This fragrance rem ained for a long time in th e chapel.
Each time one entered, one h ad th e im pression of being
transported into Heaven.
73.
October 7th , the Feast o f th e Holy Rosary
Sister Agnes applied herself to saying each bead of the
Rosary with p articu lar attention. And the h earts of all the
com munity seem ed in the m atern al em brace of Mary and
lifted up in a sp o n tan eo u s tran sp o rt to the Lord. S ister
Agnes felt so happy th a t she asked herself how long this
might last, “If th a t could continue for the whole m onth of
the Rosary!” And immediately th e angel appeared at h er
right and lightly shaking her head said with a smile:
“Only until the 15th. After which you will no longer be
able to experience this fragrance on the earth. You also
amass merits, as so many delicate perfumes. In bending all
your efforts to this, under the protection o f Mary, you will
succeed.” Saying th is she disappeared.
As the angel predicted, the perfum e rem ained until the
15th of October. It w as especially strong on the 3rd, Feast
of St. Therese of Lisieux, and on the 15th which was th e last
day. For all th e sisters this grace w as a great consolation.
They saw in it a n encouragem ent to support all the dilficulties which would present them selves in the days to come.
Although S ister Agnes h a s played a key role in all of
these events, it w as obviously now a community m atter.
Had not O ur Lady said th a t each m em ber of the com m unity
w as dear to Her, and th a t She w as gathering together souls
who would pray, m ake reparation, and console the Lord?
From now on, all the com m unity will be ever m ore deeply
involved both in the wonders th a t are to follow and in the
trials to be endured. Now all the sisters had seen the light
shining from the statue. As all of them had experienced the
sense of grief becau se of the blood flowing from a w ound in
O ur Lady’s han d , so now also they said they felt a sen se of
grief as they each participated in diying a m iraculous
perspiration w hich em anated from the statu e in such
quantity th a t it soaked the cotton they used to dry it.
It is proper to reflect on th is new m etam orphosis of the
statue of O ur Lady on the Feast of Saint Michael, who is
venerated as th e holy patron of Ja p a n . The trace of the
wound on the hand, which h a d been there for three
74.
m onths, disappeared at the m om ent when th e statu e
shone forth w ith a dazzling light.
That evening all the sisters were eyewitnesses of th e real
prodigy of the w ound disappearing, an d of the perspiration.
And w hen th e cotton was sen t to the official laboratory of
the University of Akita the scien tists found, a s we shall
explain later, th a t it was hum an! These were visible (and
now scientific proofs) that what was happening here was
truly from Heaven.
F urther w as the fact th a t th e cotton im pregnated with
perspiration from the statu e itself exhaled a su b tle and
unknown perfum e, an unquestionable su p ern atu ra l sign.
I myself arrived at Yuzawadai six m onths after this
event. W hen th e sisters spoke to me about it, in the
beginning I did not know w hat to think. I didn't see th e need
of verifying th e tru th s of the facts because I w as su re th at
a judgm ent would be rendered in good time on the entire
matter.
One day w hen I was receiving a visitor, one of th e sisters
brought one of th e pieces of cotton so that he could smell
Ihe perfume. W hen I saw his reaction, I smelled it in tu rn
II was not very su re of my ability in th is regard becau se I had
undergone a n operation on my nose in my childhood). It
was true. To my surprise it gave off an ineffably subtle
fragrance not even equaled by a rose. My hesitatio n s and
doubts suddenly fell away and I h ad the im m ediate feeling
that this w as a question of an im portant event.
So I can im agine the im pact it m u s t have had on each of
llie sisters w hen they actually dried the statue, an d then
experienced th is wonder. Like S ain t Thomas, do we not all
bave a tendency not to believe w hat we do not see, w hat we
do not touch with o u r fingers, w hat we do not verify with our
senses?
From th a t m om ent I have been led progressively to be the
witness of the m ysterious phenom ena of which I write.
The Guardian Angels
I would like to go back here to som ething w hich h a p ­
pened a few days before. It w as th e 2nd of October, Feast
of the Holy G uard ian Angels. One can easily u n d erstan d
75.
the joy and thanksgiving of S ister Agnes on th a t day, she
who had com m unicated with h er guardian angel “in p er­
son.” From th e time th a t she no longer could h ear, how
many tim es h ad th e angel not appeared to extend a helping
hand? She h a d even given S ister Agnes counsel, en co u r­
agement and assu ran ce of h er protection. She m u s t have
been so happy to be able to assist a t the Mass celebrated by
the Bishop, to pray and to th a n k h er guardian angel for so
m any graces received in th is very chapel.
Sister Agnes recounts w hat she experienced during the
Mass: “It w as d u rin g the M ass at 6:30 in the m orning, at the
moment of Consecration. A dazzling light suddenly shone
forth. It w as th e sam e as I h ad seen during th ree days
beginning on th e 12th of J u n e and which had so m uch
overwhelmed me. I had the feeling th at this adorable
splendor was th a t of the presence of O ur Lord J e s u s Christ
in the E ucharist. S truck to the h eart I could only repeat,
‘My Lord and My God!’
“At the sam e mom ent there appeared the outline of
angels in p ray er before the shining Host. They were
kneeling all aro u n d the altar in a semi-circle, th eir backs
toward us. T here were eight of them . Evidently they were
not hum an beings and when I say kneeling, th a t doesn't
m ean to say th a t I saw th eir legs or how they really were. It
is difficult precisely to describe their clothing. All th a t one
can say is th a t they seemed to be enveloped in a sort of
white light. C ertainly they resem bled hum an beings, but
they did not have the air either of children or ad u lts, how
to say... finally, beings to whom one could not give th e age.
This said, one could see also th a t they were not the fruit of
an optical illusion and th at they were truly there. They did
not have wings, b u t their bodies were enveloped in sort of
a m ysterious lum inescence which clearly distinguished
them from h u m an s.
"Amazed, n o t believing my eyes, I opened an d closed
them, rubbed them , b u t nothing changed. All eight were
there to adore th e Most Blessed Sacram ent in a n attitude
of great devotion.
“Before so stran g e a sight, either I w as too moved, or even
overcome by th e brilliance of th e light. I thought of nothing
else and forgot to respond to th e prayers. Since th e chapel
76.
is quite small, an d I was in the front row, a little to th e left
ul the altar, I found myself completely absorbed by this
lum inous scene which unfolded before my eyes. Not th a t
my m ovem ents were not in accord with the others who rose
,md knelt, b u t quite simply I believe th a t I th o u g h t of
nothing else.
“At the m om ent of Com m union, my g u ard ian angel
approached me to invite me to advance to the altar. At th at
moment, I clearly distinguished the guardian angels of
each m em ber of the com m unity close to th eir left sh o u l­
ders, and of the height a little sm aller th a n each. Like my
guardian angel they gave truly th e im pression of guiding
and w atching over them with sw eetness and affection. This
scene in itself opened my eyes to th e profound m eaning of
Ihe guardian angel, better th a n h ad any theological expla­
nation, even th e m ost detailed. After dinner I gave the
complete accou n t of this vision to the Bishop.
"There were indeed eight angels there at the m om ent,
while we were seven. With the B ishop it m ade eig h t... Had
I hey not chosen the Feast of the G uardian Angels to show
I he example of adoration and to reveal their read in ess to
lead u s to the Lord?”
Bishop Ito at the Akita Convent.
77.
Chapter Seven
The Third M essage o f th e Virgin
It was S aturday, the 13th of October, the anniversary
day of the great miracle of Fatim a, a miracle w itnessed by
about one h u n d red th o u san d people and performed by Our
Lady at th a t predicted time a n d place “so th a t all may
believe.”
This m orning as usual Lauds were followed by a tim e of
adoration. Reciting the Rosary, S ister Agnes again saw the
lum inous splendor of the Blessed Sacram ent. From the
tabernacle th e brilliant light seem ed to spread into the
whole chapel. At th e sam e m om ent th e statue of Mary gave
off a celestial fragrance which filled the chapel. Ravished,
Sister Agnes forgot the passage of time and had to leave the
holy place with regret when it cam e time for breakfast.
Then she w ent to her room b u t she was still too d is­
tracted to give serious atten tio n to her work. Shortly
afterwards, h e r com panions tu rn ed over to her the care of
the house while they left for the city. She profited from this
to go back to the chapel w here she decided to say the
Rosary.
She relates: “Taking up my Rosary I knelt down and
made the Sign of the Cross. Hardly had I finished w hen th at
Voice of indescribable beauty cam e from the sta tu e to my
deaf ears. From the first word I prostrated m yself to the
ground concentrating all my attention:
“ 'My dear daughter, listen well to what I have to say to
you. You will inform your superior. ’
“After a sh o rt silence:
“‘A sltoldyou, if men do not repent and better themselves,
the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity.
It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one
will never have seen before. Fire will fa ll from the sky and
will wipe out a great part o f humanity, the good as well as
the bad,* sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors
•For suggested explanation of th ese m ysterious words see the
booklet The Meaning o f Akita.
78.
will fin d themselves so desolate that they will envy the
dead. The only arms which will remain fo r you will be the
Rosary and the Sign* left by My Son. Each day recite the
[irayers o f the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray fo r the Pope,
the bishops and the priests.
“The work o f the devil will in f Urate even into the Church
in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals,
bishops against other bishops. The priests who venerate Me
iD ill be scorned and opposed by their conférés... churches
und altars sacked; the Church will be fu ll o f those who
accept compromises and the demon will press many priests
and consecrated souls to leave the service o f the Lord.
“The demon will be especially implacable against souls
consecrated to God. The thought o f the loss o f so many souls
is the cause o f My sadness. I f sins increase in number and
(iravity, there will be no longer pardon fo r them.*
‘“Withcourage, speak to your superior. He will know how
lo encourage each one o f you to pray and to accomplish
works o f reparation.’
“W hen the Voice was quiet, I gathered the courage to
raise my head an d I saw the sta tu e still brilliant in light, bu t
a slight expression of sad n ess seem ed to veil Her face. Then
I resolved to a s k the question, ‘Who is my su p erio r?’ And
.it once I felt a reproach from the angel who h ad appeared
at my side durin g the interval (1 did not h ear th is reproach
In a living voice I simply felt h er say to me, ‘On such an
occasion you would certainly have been able to ask somelliing more important.’ But a s I had three su p erio rs in
addition to the Bishop I had th o u g h t it opportune to ask it.
“The Voice at once replied:
“ ‘It is Bishop Ito, who directs your community. ’ And She
smiled and th e n said: “‘You have still something to ask?
Today is the last time that I will speak to you in living voice.
I'Tom now on you will obey the one sent to you** and your
superior. Pray very much the prayers o f the Rosary. I alone
am able still to save you f o m the calamities which approach
Those who place their confidence in me will be saved. ’”
*For suggested explanation of th ese m ysterious w ords see the
Ixioklet The M eaning o f Akita.
“ This is Father Yasuda, author o f this book. (Translator)
79.
“She h ad finished speaking. This time my lips were
num b with em otion and I w as able only to say ‘yes’ while
I bowed to the ground. Little afterw ards I lifted m y head.
The dazzling light had disappeared and there rem ained
only the wooden statu e which h ad resum ed its norm al state
and stood there, silent, in its hum ble and poor co m er of the
chapel.
“The light h ad disappeared, b u t the Voice rem ained
engraved in th e depths of my soul an d I was filled w ith fear
and thanksgiving at the idea th a t a person like me h a d been
able to have th e grace to receive m essages of su ch im por­
tance. I prostrated myself to th e ground again knowing
only to repeat:
“‘Holy Mary, refuge of all sin n ers, pray for u s .’"
Now we know the great m essage for which there had
been such a long and painful preparation! The m essages
were given on three separate occasions through th e in ter­
mediary of the statue. And even as at Fatima the six ap
paritions o f Our Lady terminated on the 13th o f October, so
on this 13thofOctober Mary gave Her last message at Akita.
It is unthinkable th at th is could have been by chance.
Everyone know s that there is a “third secret” of Fatim a
which w as com m unicated to Pope Jo h n XXIII, th e Holy
Father in 1960. At the time the Pope decided th a t it should
rem ain a secret.
When th is m essage w as pub lish ed in J a p a n some crit­
ics, who claim ed th at this w as all out of the m ind of Sister
Agnes, said th a t she was probably inspired by reports of
what the third secret of Fatim a contained.
It seem s th a t any doubts of Bishop Ito concerning this
were dissipated after n u m ero u s interviews with Sister
Agnes during which he w as able to question h er in detail.
He knew h er well as her spiritual director and certainly his
detailed questioning was to avoid any possible m isu n d er­
standing. Furtherm ore, the first time she com m unicated
the third m essage she did not know the m eaning of the
word “cardinal," because th e Voice had employed the
English word “cardinal” pronounced in Jap an ese. The
Bishop was very im pressed w hen she asked, “W hat does
that m ean, ‘cardinal?’"
80.
“B ut it is th e English word for sukikyo (Cardinal in
.Japanese),” he answered.
“Ah good! Then th a t w as it?” She had finally u n d e r­
stood. “Yes, sukikyo, I learned th a t word in my catechism ,
hut ‘cardinal’ I had never h eard and I was asking w h at th at
could b e.”
This simple detail shows beyond doubt th a t S ister Agnes
was com pletely incapable of having invented th e text of the
messages. Ten long years after th is event, it is no longer
possible to n ou rish the slightest doubt on th is subject.
If th e n th e third m essage of Akita h as b een judged
credible, one c a n imagine to a certain degree w h at m u st be
the content of the third secret of Fatima. On O ctober 13th
al Fatim a 1917, following th e great miracle w hich was
witnessed by th o u san d s over a n area of 32 m iles “so th a t
all m ay believe,” the prim ary m essage to the world was,
"Men must stop ojfending God Who is already so much
offended!”
And the h e a rt of the third m essage given by O ur Lady at
Akita is a w arning which can be sum m ed up th u s, “Iff men
do not repent and better themselves, there will be a terrible
chastisement." At Fatim a O ur Lady had said th a t if Her
requests were not heard “error will spread from a n atheist
Kussia th ro u g h o u t the entire world, fomenting fu rth er
wars, the good will be persecuted, the Holy F ath e r will
si iffer m u c h , and several entire nations will be annihilated. ”
Sister Agnes said that after O ur Lady spoke th e face of
Ilie statu e h ad an air of sad n ess. Has not O ur Lady
permitted u s to see Her profound m aternal concern, con­
cerning how m any of Her children will indeed m end their
lives by prayer and acts of adoration? Despite th e great
miracle at Fatim a, recognized so signally by the C hurch
and by two personal visits th ere by popes, there h a s not
been an adequate response.
O ur Lady rep eats the sam e w arning in th is locality of
Akita, J a p a n , by the interm ediary of a m odest sta tu e of
wood and a hum ble n u n , leaving the seal of the s u p e rn a tu ­
ral by indubitable wonders.
From all of this, there com es forth an aw aren ess of
something serious, grave, solem n, pressing each an d every
one of u s to realize his and h e r personal responsibility.
81.
Perfume and Stench,
October 15th,
Feast of S ain t Teresa
As the angel had predicted (on October 7th, the Feast of
O ur Lady of the Most Holy Rosary) October 15th (Feast of
St. Teresa of Avila) was th e la st day of th a t wonderful
perfum e of Heaven. Indeed from the m orning onward
it im pregnated everything w ith a special intensity and
filled the sisters with com plete delight. In contact with
this subtle fragrance which no earthly rose could equal,
one can only say over and over th a t it was the perfum e of
heavenly flowers, so m arvelous th at one would never
forget it.
The next day, October 16th, w hat the sisters encoun­
tered in the chapel had nothing w hatever in com m on with
w hat they h ad experienced th e day before: an indescribable
stench. Nor w as this stench ordinary. Like the perfum e
which h ad no equivalent in anyone's memory, this terrible
odor w as strange. It didn’t seem to resemble any other
smell and seem ed to come from ano th er world. And there
was something else, as S ister Agnes relates:
“The odor which assailed m e w hen I opened the door of
the chapel w as so disagreeable th a t I had the reflex action
of placing my h an d on my nose. As the sacristy seem ed to
smell m ore th a n the rest, I told m yself th a t perh ap s th e odor
was coming from there and I w ent looking for some infected
place b u t found none. Furtherm ore, it was not the odor of
a dead anim al. Others th o u g h t at once th at it m ight be
coming from th e compost pile, b u t that was at th e other
extremity of the building. In any event, it was time for
Lauds and we were forced to pray while repressing our
disgust.
“Then, after the Rosary, S ister K. got up to extinguish the
candles burn in g in front of th e statue. Suddenly she
jum ped, pointing her finger a t th e front of the knees of the
sister next to her. The la tter lowered h er eyes and saw
som ething like a grain of white rice which she took into her
fingers, ‘Bah! A worm!’ I h eard h e r cry. At th e sam e time,
each one saw th a t there w as a worm in front of the sister
X2.
next to her, ‘Look! There too!’ each one rem arked in turn
with a shiver of disgust. They looked in every possible
com er from which the w orm s might have come, b u t they
encountered nothing b u t th e m ysterious sten ch an d it was
impossible to determ ine th e origin.
“These two events did n o t fail to liven th e conversation
during the m eal. They felt it so m uch the m ore because of
the m arvelous perfume which had delighted th em for 17
days and all agreed by saying th a t this stench too was not
a n atu ral phenom enon, b u t som ething which cam e from
the occult world.
“W hen I saw th at white a n d slimy worm, I could not help
but th in k th a t the image of m y repulsive state w as reflected
to me. And the others seem ed to feel the sam e. After an
almost euphoric period w hen we had been bath ed in
celestial w aves for more th a n two weeks, th is w as th e cold
shower m aking u s quite small. The beautiful fragrance was
the perfum e of Mary, free of all stain of sin. The bad odor
was of us, covered with sins. W hen the first disappeared,
It is we who gave off the odor. W hat are we th e n w hen the
grace of God is w ithdraw n? Are we more th a n one of those
miserable w orm s? Each one took this reflection personally.
“The w orm s appeared only once, b u t th e fetid odor
remained for three days.”
The Fourth o f November
On November 4th th e Bishop came, and a s usual, he
asked if there was anything new. Sister Agnes told him of
what h ad happened beginning with the m essage of October
13th.
The following morning while Sister Agnes assisted at the
Mass celebrated by the Bishop, the angel ap p eared after
Communion: “Your superior is getting ready to requestfrom
Rome the official recognition o f your institute which he had
desired fo r a long time. Announce that there will be many
obstacles, but it will please the Holy Father to grant it
l)ecause Mary has encouraged him to love poverty and to
accomplish acts o f reparation. ”
These w ords were conveyed to the Bishop im m ediately
after Mass.
83.
A little after the New Year, on the 30th of Ja n u a ry ,
another u n u su a l event occurred. There was a n u n u su a l
snow fall th a t year, beyond w hat anyone had ever seen in
that region. It w as the heaviest snowfall recorded since the
creation of th e w eather station of Akita, and J a n u a ry the
30th w as especially memorable in this regard.
That night S ister Agnes woke up three times. The first
was a little after midnight, th en at one-thirty, and again at
twenty m in u tes to four. Each tim e she woke from th e same
dream: The roof of the house w as on the point of collapsing
under the weight of the snow an d she felt herself trying to
hold it up with both her arm s, exhausting all h er strength.
In her dream w hen her arm s began to fail. S ister Agnes'
guardian angel appeared an d cam e to her relief. Indeed,
she had come to help three tim es. When S ister Agnes
awoke she h ad a stiffness in h e r shoulders, w as gasping for
breath, and h er body was b ath ed in perspiration.
She had to reassu re herself th a t it was only a dream , but
ju s t the sam e she was nevertheless concerned at seeing the
snow continue to fall without letup. At the rate a t w hich the
snow w as falling, the house would certainly be very heavily
covered an d there was good reaso n to fear th a t th e roof
would give in u n d er the m a ss of snow. The following
morning it would be necessary to arrange for the removal
of the snow a s soon as possible... She awaited th e dawn
with concern.
When she woke up at 4:30 it w as still dark outside but
one could see, through the falling snow, a pile of at least six
feet of snow on the roof of the p riest's house opposite the
convent. S ister Agnes w anted to do som ething b u t unable
to undertake such a heavy work, she hardly dared to
present th is problem before th e others.
After Lauds, taking advantage of the breakfast time.
Sister Agnes m ade her concern known to th e person
responsible and begged h er a s soon as possible to do what
was necessary. But she w as not taken seriously. The
beam s were sufficiently strong an d they would n o t budge
under a little snow! Then S ister Agnes recalled a frighten­
ing memory th a t she had of th e ho u se which h ad collapsed
under snow w hen she was in Myoko. But the responsible
person w as not convinced. Still filled with concern. Sister
84.
Agnes decided to a sk one of the other sisters to intervene,
hoping th a t she would be m ore convincing. T his time the
person responsible decided a t least to go and see. W hat she
saw caused h er to tu rn pale.
Already a large p art of th e roof had sagged to w ithin less
than a foot of the window frames. But by a m iracle, it
remained at a norm al height above the room of S ister Agnes
and th u s formed a sort of sq u are hat falling side to side of
the window. Before th is sight, which spoke for itself, the
person responsible was m ost impressed. “It is indeed the
protection of Heaven which h a s avoided a catastrophe!
This is som ething truly rem arkable!” The alarm w as given.
There w as panic. Som ething had to be done, an d quickly!
In the village everyone w as tak en up with the sam e problem
but finally two m en of goodwill were found who climbed to
I he roof an d caused a veritable curtain of snow to fall.
Sister Agnes looked at th e white sky which continued
ceaselessly to discharge its overload and she im agined with
a shiver of fright w hat would have happened if no one had
noticed. She thanked Divine Providence for having spared
(hem a catastrophe, the consequences of w hich one can
only imagine. She still felt th e effects of the com bat th a t she
had endured in h er dream . H er arm s were stiff an d h er legs
so weak it w as as though she had come to th e end of her
strength after climbing a high m ountain. She h ad difficulty
breathing an d although she h ad always show n a resistance
to every trial, she asked th e superioress for perm ission to
take a little rest in the afternoon.
At the end of the snow, w hen one came to rep air the roof,
t he carp en ter could not hide h is am azem ent; 42 b eam s had
broken. Needless to say, th e news was th e occasion of
renewed ac ts of thanksgiving!
If these above events are not directly connected with the
statue ofO urL ady and Her m essage, they were nonetheless
lived by the entire com m unity.
The first w as the insupportable stench w hich infected
the chapel for three days after 17 days p assed in the
atm osphere of Heavenly perfum e. And while the latter
came from th e statue, one could not determ ine th e origin
of the other. They looked a t every nook an d cranny.
85.
thinking it m ight come from th e body of a dead cat or
mouse, b u t nothing was found. And as for the w orm s which
so unexpectedly appeared in front of each of the sisters,
efforts to find the source were also fruitless.
If the fetid odor evokes som ething occult and n o t from
this world, th e worms seem ed also to have a symbolic
meaning. Furtherm ore, the place most infected by the
stench, w here it was truly unbearable, was the sacristy
which also served as confessional. The opinion spread
through the com m unity th a t it w as “our sin.” As S ister K.
said, “The sweet perfume is th e odor of the Blessed Virgin;
this stench, com es from us. While the grace of the perfum e
plunged u s into joy, the latter brought u s face to face with
our reality.” And this reflects the opinion of the entire
community. As for the worm s which suddenly appeared
under their noses, they strongly report the feeling, “W hat
am I com pared to God? I am b u t a miserable worm!”
Aside, it is interesting to note th a t in the beginning no
one rem arked th a t the worm w as in front of herself, but
noticed first of all the worm in front of the sister next to her.
“One never ta k es account oneself of his pitiable s ta te ,” they
rem arked an d their com m ent is quite pertinent.
Worms ap p ear often in sacred scripture as the symbol of
the soil and bittern ess brought on by sin. O ur Lord Himself
describes the frightful state of desolation into which fall the
souls th a t go to hell, “Where the worm never dies an d the
fire is never extinguished.”
This world in which we live could also indeed becom e a
place fragrant with benedictions and divine grace rath er
than an infam ous cesspool w orthy of the m alediction and
anathem a of th e Most High. In the first case, it is like a
garden in w hich m en travel tow ard life eternal u n d er the
impulse of grace; in the second, m a n is separated from God,
at the edge of a precipice over a world of hatred an d despair.
Without ambiguity, these facts show the choice which is
left to our liberty, like signs at a crossroad. And they are all
the more meaningful and deserving o f our reflection in that
they follow so closely upon the communication o f the third
message.
The second event concerns the catastrophe avoided
th an k s to the “com bat” by S ister Agnes with the help of her
86.
guardian angel. That th e com m unity had been protected
by m eans of h er feeble body h a s also a symbolic meaning:
Those who respect the m essage of O ur Lady a n d p u t it into
practice are assu red of the protection of Heaven, which also
Implies the su p ern atu ra l aid of one's g u ard ian angel.
C hristians today, including the Catholics influenced by
m odem society, have a tendency to give value to an abusive
scientism which m inim izes the action of the su p ern atu ral.
The value of the latter is indeed recognized in the sacra­
ments, b u t outside it is overlooked. C ontem porary m an
seem s to have a repulsion for everything th a t to u ch es upon
the intervention of angels in o u r h u m an society. He h a s a
marked ta ste for psychology applied to ju s t ab o u t every­
thing, thinking in this way to explain su p e rn a tu ra l p h e­
nom ena an d to deny in p articu lar the existence of angels
(both the fallen ones who would drag u s to hell, and the
guardians who would guide and protect us).
In the present case, one can clearly see th e link of
solidarity which exists betw een the su p ern atu ra l world and
our physical world. Is not th is event a supplem entary proof
tor the action of the angels a s efficacious interm ediaries
between the celestial universe and the physical universe?
The m ystery of the Incarnation of the Word in the womb
of the Virgin Mary began with the oral announcem ent of the
Angel Gabriel. It was through the interm ediary of a n angel
Ihat union between God of th e Holy Trinity an d th e h u m an
person of Mary took effect. There is nothing surprising
about a n angel intervening still today in o u r daily life as
m ediator of the Divine Will. And still more, th is shows to
what point God su rro u n d s every creature with His loving
regard.
T hus th is event, which m ight not seem of great im por­
tance, can help us better understand the message o f Mary
which is aimed at drawing us from sin and enabling us to
turn back a chastisement worse than the deluge.
Love o f th e Neighbor
On Monday, February 25th, the g u ard ian angel a p ­
peared durin g the evening Rosary at the beginning of the
third decade. She m u rm u red to Sister Agnes: “At this
87.
moment one o f the sisters is tormented by something. Take
from her an object she wears and wear it in her place until
the First Friday o f the month. On that day, I will give you the
answer she needs." Then the angel disappeared.
Discreetly, S ister Agnes w ent to the kitchen an d ap­
proached the sister who was taking care of th e stove and
without giving m uch thought a s to w hat she should choose,
she noticed the m edal which h er friend was w earing around
the neck. She undid the ch ain saying, “Lend it to me for a
little and I will explain to you afterwards." S ister Agnes put
the m edal aro u n d h er own neck an d returned to th e saying
of the Rosary. It all happened so quickly th a t sh e herself
was surprised.
However, som ething even m ore surprising th e n fol­
lowed. W hen sh e tried to take up the prayer, sh e found that
her m ind w as elsewhere and th a t she was incapable of
doing it. She h a d to reason with herself th at “You a re before
the Lord, you m u st pray with all your h eart...” b u t sh e could
no longer concentrate at all. Her thought w as scattered.
Her heart w as filled with ideas w ithout relation w hich came
and went like clouds in the sky... For the first tim e in her
life she understood the m eaning of “not being able to pray.”
Her com panion had spoken to her before of difficulties
that she experienced because of distractions, b u t she did
not u n d erstan d it and always asked the reason. “What
does it m ean to be distracted?” Sister Agnes h ad asked of
the others. She finally understood th at it was not given to
everyone to be able to be completely absorbed in prayer,
each one being more or less subject to caprices of thought.
She had been careful not to insist, in order not to give the
im pression th a t she seemed to have received a n excep­
tional grace.
However, sh e had indeed received this rare privilege,
namely the faculty of praying in a spirit of total ab an d o n ­
ment and total simplicity of heart. From h er infancy she
had show n a special aptitude for concentration. She
absorbed herself totally in w h at she undertook. This
natural disposition made it possible for her to en ter w ithout
difficulty into a life of prayer w hen she em braced the
Catholic faith. W hen one ask s h er how she p ray s her
answer is of a disconcerting naivete. She explains th a t she
88.
quite simply follows the counsel of the priest who prepared
her for Baptism : to pray is to speak with God an d nothing
more. W hen one asks h er if she is not troubled th a t the One
to whom she is speaking does not answer, she said th a t th at
is no problem because anyway, she w as always the dear
child of h er father, and consequently she sp eak s to God as
if speaking to her father. For Mary it is th e same: she
speaks to Her in the sam e way a s to her m other. Such are
her answ ers, given with a disarm ing n atu raln ess.
Does not th e evangelical recom m endation “like little
children” refer to this fundam ental attitu d e of th e heart?
And w hen one tries to know if other th o u g h ts do not come
to trouble h er prayer. S ister Agnes answ ers w ith a troubled
air, “How can one th in k of anything else w hen one is before
God and speaking to Him?”
T hus in prayer said aloud, it is enough to th in k of the
sense of each word. Finally she sees before h e r the faces of
all the people whom she carries in her intentions, with ju s t
enough tim e to stop on each one in particular. So how
would she have time to th in k of anything else! F u rth er­
more, S ister Agnes seem s to believe th a t th is is evident for
everyone.
T hus th is new experience astonishes h e r so m uch the
more because she had not th e slightest idea of the diffi­
culties one can experience in prayer. Suddenly her
Ihoughts begin to w ander from right to left an d everything
around h e r begins to b o th er her. Until th e n expressions
which express em barrassm ent and affectation su ch as “to
put on a irs,” to “show off,” were for her only w ords. For the
lirst time in her life she u n d e rsta n d s w hat they m ean in
reality.
Now she realized w hat it w as to be in th is insipid and
heavy state. Moved by a profound com passion, sh e never­
theless forced herself to pray th a t her com panion m ight be
liberated. During th is tim e, h er com panion from the
kitchen shone with a rad ia n t enthusiasm . Never in h er life
had she succeeded in praying so easily.
Two days after this began w as Ash W ednesday, the 27th
of Februaiy, a day of fast an d abstinence. S ister Agnes
knew through the Gospels th a t prayer and fasting were
efficacious to dissipate th is kind of torm ent. O n th a t day.
89.
she deprived herself more th a n the others to o b tain the
requested grace. Giving the im pression th a t it w as because
of the state of h e r stom ach, she did not take a drop of w ater
the whole day. She repeated w ithout stopping, u n ab le to
do more because of the state in which she found herself,
“Lord have pity!” and begged Mary without being able to
find words o th er th an , “Help m e!”
That evening the Way of th e Cross began at 7:30. She
followed th is sorrowful spiritual exercise to th e end doing
violence to h e r som ber and recalcitrant hum or. B ut hardly
was the service over th a n she felt in herself a ray of light
piercing throu g h the darkness. Somewhere a flame had
been lit and comforted her w ith its warmth. As though
returned to herself, she found th a t she had regained her
habitual disposition. The following morning she welcomed
the day with the sam e interior peace.
For her p art, h er com panion from the kitchen seemed
closed w ithin herself and spoke to no one to su ch a point
that she finished by going into h e r room for the re st of the
day. Now S ister Agnes knew w hat it was to have such a
suffering, having had the sam e experience. She w ent often
to console and encourage h er friend with the w ords of one
who had know n the sam e lot: “We will offer all o u r w eak­
nesses and ou r m iseries to M aiy and ask Her h elp .” She
continued discreetly, to the degree th at was possible, to fast
and to pray.
The First Friday of the m onth of March cam e, day of the
angel's promise. That m orning h er friend hasten ed to greet
her and with a radiant face exclaimed : “T hank you for you r
prayers!” She confided to her to have really felt th e effects,
but nonetheless Sister Agnes did not relax in h e r effort.
That evening when the two sisters were alone in the
chapel after th e Way of th e Cross, the g u ard ian angel
appeared to S ister Agnes an d gave her this exhortation
which she felt w as addressed to h er friend: “Believe, trust,
pray!” She repeated it to h er friend word for word. “/ be­
lieve, I trust, I pray, ” * repeated the other. Then th e angel
T h is is sim ilar to the prayer taught by the angel to the children
of Fatima: “My God, I believe, I adore, 1 trust, and I love Thee! i
beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not trust
and do not love Thee!”
90.
disappeared. Immediately S ister Agnes noticed th a t she
was holding in h er h an d th e m edal she h ad borrowed, and
gave it back. The latter p u t it aro u n d h er neck an d went and
knelt before the statu e of O ur Lady saying aloud, “Holy
Mary, I believe, I trust, I pray!”
If th is religious h ad not been delivered im m ediately from
the cross which she h ad been given to carry, she had
received th e confidence an d th e hope of being able one day
lo overcome h er trial.
This episode, which ought not to su rp rise u s, concerns
the interior world in its m o st p u re expression. At first sight
one would be tem pted to see simply a beautiful story
between two friends, one of whom frees th e oth er from a
burden by sharing h er sufferings through p rayer and fast.
Indeed th is experience w as as fruitful for S ister Agnes
herself. These three w ords faith, hope and love give h er the
m easure of the trials w hich are going to m a rk h e r road and
they create in her the n ecessary dispositions to overcome
them.
The c u rre n t fashion, sp read even among religious, tends
lo consider all th a t carries the nam e of God a s a n object of
Intellectual investigation an d not as a Being to Whom one
gives confidence. In the Catholic C hurch one h ears again
and again that theological m atters are evaluated and
researched with intellectual delight. However, w hen one
slops at believing only w hat one h as understood at the end
of a research, can one sp eak of a deepening of the faith?
Has one not merely rested on th e level of acquisitions of
hum an intelligence?
No m a tte r w hat one does, h u m an resources alone are
always powerless to sound the im m easurable d ep th s of the
Divine m ystery. The only way to progress a t all is to have
recourse to the grace of faith which is a gift of God. One
often h e a rs it said: W ithout previous knowledge, one
cannot p ray to God or confide to His Providence. This is to
rely on one's own ideas an d to count only on one's own
strength. It is hardly possible in these conditions to have
a taste for prayer to Him who is radically different, God in
His ineffable mystery.
The world we see is full of m arvels which far s u rp a ss our
hum an capacity of knowledge and com prehension. As for
91.
the spiritual world which we do not see, the feeble light of
our intelligence is of little help. It is only by th e light of faith
that we c a n hope to penetrate in some small way th e depths
of the Infinite Mystery. For those who p u t intellectual
knowledge above all, th e tribulations of a soul in search of
God ta k en up o n herself by a com passionate sister will
appear like som ething of little consequence. B ut it is a
profound act of charity.
The effective participation of Sister Agnes in th e moral
sufferings of h er friend, on th e invitation of th e angel, is a
very concrete example of love for one's neighbor. In our
days th is kind of love is hardly taken into consideration.
But it is necessary to rem em ber th a t the sa in ts who have
m arked th e history of the C hurch were m en a n d women
who never recoiled before suffering out of love for their
neighbor. Inversely, w hen one is consecrated only to
preaching while rem aining in delicate comfort, one h as
little chance of seeing th a t preaching b ear fruit.
W hat the angel teaches u s through this experience of
Sister Agnes is certainly n o t visible to th e eyes. It is
nonetheless an exemplary application of th e com m and­
ment of J e s u s . Today, love for one's neighbor h as a
tendency of being considered only as a m aterial act
consisting of giving and receiving to the degree that
one's pocketbook does not suffer too m uch. Is this
sufficient indeed to please th e Lord? The teaching of
Christ is not easy: “W hat m erit have you for loving those
who love you? When you salute only yo u r brothers,
where is yo u r m erit?”
In this trial the exhortation of the angel to believe,
confide, an d pray, is a precious encouragem ent for Sister
Agnes herself more th a n for anyone else in the num erous
difficulties she was soon going to have to face when the
m essage of O ur Lady would be m ade public. She w as to be
subm itted to te st after test, repeated interrogations, disbe­
lief, and worse. In all th is th e encouragem ent of th e angel
to “believe, tru s t, and pray” will be a consolation. All h er
trials to th is date were preparing her to bear a much greater
burden.
All of the events th a t I have recorded up to th is time had
taken place in th e year which preceded my arrival, begin-
92.
iling in J a n u a ry , 1973, w hen Sister Agnes w as stru ck with
total deafness. Not having been a personal w itness during
I hose previous years, I have h ad to rely on th e intim ate
|oum al of S ister Agnes, filled out and explained in detail in
my direct com m unications with h er an d with th e m em bers
of the com m unity. Now I, too, becam e a w itness.
The 10th o f March, 1974
Itw a s o n th e lO thofM arch, 1974,w h en ld e c id e d to ta k e
a leave of absence from public preaching an d to take up
residence in the presbytery of th e sisters of Yuzawadai, at
t hat tim e a ham let unknow n to the world an d buried u n d er
snow. I have already told you of the u n u s u a l circum ­
stances w hich led me to th is isolated convent an d m ade m e,
however unw orthy, a p a rt of the extraordinary events
which su rro u n d the p resentation to the world of a m essage
of stu n n in g importance.
W hat I learned and w hat I personally w itnessed con­
cerning th e statu e of O ur Lady and Her m essage to the
world, w as completely beyond anything I h ad foreseen.
From th is point forward I will be recounting th e facts as I
personally lived and observed them.
In m y younger years I w anted to be a p riest because I
wished to preach the Word of God. And having realized my
wish by the grace of God, I th o u g h t only of consecrating the
rest of m y days to this ta sk w ithout ever in th e world
Ihinking th a t I would come to dwell in th is convent lost in
the northw est m ountains of Jap an .
It is always with em otion th a t I recall the u n u su al
circum stances of Divine Providence which led me to this
place... a n invisible th re a d of Providence drawing me
Ihrough the Im m aculate H eart of Mary.
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE:
It w as proposed to B ishop Ito that the first m ajor book in E nglish
about A kita should be based on the w ritings o f F ath er Y asuda (that is,
this p resent book), on the book by F ather Shim ura (w ho w as V ice Rector
o f the cathedral in Tokyo and spiritual director o f the B lue A rm y there),
and in a special way on the intim ate relationship betw een the events
93.
and m essage o f A kita and the events and m essages o f Fatim a.
H ow ever, B ishop Ito directed th at first o f all this book o f Father
Y asuda should be translated and m ade available in E nglish in its
entirety. A nd this is because it seem s apparent that O ur L ady H erself
prepared and chose this exceptional priest to go to the convent at
Yuzaw adai at precisely the tim e he did so that he could closely study
the event as the confessor and spiritual director o f the com m unity,
becom e the confidant o f Sister A gnes and the right hand o f the Bishop
in ev a lu a tin g and reacting to th is m ost im p o rtan t su p ern atu ral
intervention, so im portant not only to Japan but to the entire world.
As rem arked in a previous footnote, rarely has any im portant private
revelation been the object o f such prudent, discreet, and accurate
“im m ediate” reporting. O ne can recall the role o f B lessed C laude de la
C olom biere in the apparitions o f the Sacred H eart to Saint M argaret
Mary, the records of O ur Lady o f P ontm ain by A bbe R ichard, or the role
of Canon F orm igao in the apparitions of Fatim a. N one exceed in
im portance the role o f Father Y asuda in the events o f Akita. He now
continues.
S ister Agnes greets a group of U. S. Pilgrims.
94.
Chapter Eight
Days o f H esitation
W hen I arrived at th e ham let of Yuzawadai, which was
| nst com ing out of its w inter hibernation, I first had to adapt
lo the rhythm of the sim ple life of the convent.
The sisters did not delay in recounting to m e the events
which h ad happened during the previous two years, happy
finally to find someone in whom they could confide. At the
beginning I was completely abashed. One can n o t im m edi­
ately believe this kind of thing. Furtherm ore, the principal
w itness of the events. S ister Agnes, had nothing in particu ­
lar w hich distinguished h e r from the others. She appeared
to me a s one of the m ost ordinary of women. W hat I heard
seem ed to be som ething of a dream , or of a world discon­
nected from reality. I had no idea from which angle to
approach it.
W hen one sta rts to tell you about angels here and angels
there, anyone would have difficulty in knowing how to
answ er. And then is there not the world of the apocalypse
In w hich the angels fly in the air at th e ir will w ithout
bothering anyone? B ut I have now come to u n d erstan d
Ibat it is impossible to u n d erstan d anything at all of the
events described up to th is point if one did not first of all
recognize the reality of th e angel which appeared to Sister
Agnes.
In m y life, I had never heard spoken about angelic
apparitions, either n ear or far, except through the accounts
of the Bible. Even g u ard ian angels... did they show
them selves so easily a s th is? For my p art of course I
believed in their existence, b u t it w as som ething which
rem ained purely in the dom ain of faith. Also, when I was
told th a t the angel of S ister Agnes appeared to her and
spoke to h er and replied to h er like a h u m a n person, I was
perplexed. Even if th is truly happened, I felt the need of
tangible proof.
T hat is why, w ithout categorically denying w hat I had
heard, I w as hoping w ithin m yself for a sign w orthy of faith
to bring light on this enigma. Although I th in k I had the
best intention s in the world, I felt the need of discerning
95.
w hether these m anifestations were real or a n hallucination
coming from th e profound d ep th s of the h u m a n psyche.
But never for a single in sta n t did I th in k th a t th e person
involved w as schizophrenic. G radually as the days passed,
it becam e m ore and more evident th at she w as not different
from any of the others. This is especially tru e about her
attitude during prayer which showed no anom aly, and also
her faith in general which never gave the im pression of
being especially privileged. She was in every way sim ilar to
the other religious. Even d uring the conversations at table
she was talkative like the o th ers and even h ad som ething
of a ten d ern ess in her m a n n er even if she should speak
em phatically, or when she m ade a m istake on th e meaning
of certain words. (We m u st rem em ber th at she participated
in a conversation only by lip reading.)
A m onth and a half p assed in this sta te of doubt,
questioning, waiting for “som ething which would permit
me to believe.”
The Jap an ese Garden
It w as after mid-April before spring began to warm our
frigid regions of the north an d the last snow s were disap­
pearing in the hollows of th e valleys, giving way to the
scintillating flight of the day flies. As I gazed at th e beautiful
country around me, from the fields that su rro u n d the
convent to Mount Taihei w hich rises in the distance above
the neighboring hills, my h e a rt stirred within me with the
thought of a new project.
The Ja p a n e se countryside is very m uch appreciated
because of its variety of form, m ountains, rivers, and the
richness of its phases in th e four seasons, an d in the midst
of the m ost beautiful p a rts of the country one is almost
certain to find a religious m onum ent constructed in some
past epoch. This w as im pressed upon me each time th a t I
visited su ch sites, beginning with Mount Koya, M ount Hiei,
or tem ples like those of Eiheij i. It seems to me th a t the same
is tru e in Europe where th e m ajor places of pilgrimage are
often situ a ted in a n atu ra l setting suitable to m editation.
Long before I cam e to Yuzawadai I had desired to do
som ething to encourage th e cult of the Virgin Mary in the
96.
heart of the Jap an ese. W hen I thought of th e deep roots
which C hristianity im planted in cou n tries of C hristian
Iradition, often the fruit of great sacrifice, it occurred to me
Ihat these roots had to be nourished by m ore th a n ju s t
ancestral tradition or th e acceptance of a dogma in the
strict sen se of the word. The lives of n u m ero u s sain ts
suffice to show th at there is som ething m o re... a simple and
lervent devotion to the Virgin Mary.
It is certainly a unique benefit of devotion to Mary th a t
Ihe C hristian s of Europe have been able to cultivate and
conserve their C hristian faith intact after m ore th a n two
th o u san d years. Closer to u s is the fact th a t the "hidden
C hristians" of feudal J a p a n were able to keep their faith in
C hrist despite terrible persecutions, su stain e d by the
devotion to “S anta M aria” to a point th a t fills u s with
adm iration.
B ased on these th o ughts, I came to a s k myself if the
protection of Mary and authentic M arian devotion would
not be a precious help to contribute to the work of the
C hristianization of J a p a n . For this reaso n I had had a
statu e of O ur Lady of Lourdes made for the ch u rch of which
I had charge before I cam e to Yuzawadai on th e occasion of
the centenary of the apparitions. I h ad it placed in the
church garden, w anting to transform the sam e garden into
a J a p a n e se G arden of th e traditional style. The atm osphere
of the J a p a n e se G ardens is especially adap ted to recolleclion. I had begun the project. But a great deal of money is
necessary to complete a project of th is scope and I was
unable to obtain the support of the parish io n ers at the
beginning. I decided to start, confiding th e enterprise to the
protection of Mary, and indeed my confidence w as recom ­
pensed beyond all hope. I th an k Heaven and continue to
pray for all those persons who contributed to th a t work.
So the project which began to form in m y m ind at Akita,
as I contem plated the beautiful countryside there, was far
from a caprice.
This had nothing to do with what the sisters had been
telling me. I w as still in the state of perplexed waiting
described above. I was not yet sure that Mary was truly
present in this place in a special way. B ut if it should prove
to be tru e, the arrangem ent of a “G arden of M ary” where one
97.
could pray would certainly be a precious help in th e future.
So I proposed the garden to th e sisters of the com m unity to
see w hat their reaction m ight be. They all agreed with
common accord, assuring me of their full cooperation.
Obviously there was at once th e eternal problem of finding
the funds. One can imagine the cost involved in landscap­
ing about six and a half th o u san d square m eters!
The superiors of the convent took advantage of a visit to
the Bishop who was hospitalized at th a t time to ask if he
would be favorable to su ch a project. As could be expected,
the Bishop w as reticent since there was no evident source
of funds. They told the Bishop th a t they h ad no idea yet of
a budget b u t at least they could begin and leave th e rest to
Providence. It was the th read in the needle. The Bishop
finally gave his consent. And th e news th a t th e Bishop had
given h is “official authorization” filled the com m unity with
joy and hope. It even seem ed to increase the com m unity
courage in the fulfillment of daily tasks.
The project of “The G arden of Mary” w as each day a part
of the intentions of the com m unity prayers, alw ays asking
the special intercession of S aint Joseph.
On May 1st, Feast of S aint Joseph the W orker, con­
scious of the financial b u rd en implied by su ch a n enter­
prise, I said some words a t the beginning of th e M ass in
honor of S aint Joseph: “Today we honor S aint Joseph,
patron of workers. We a sk h is very special intercession for
the realization of the G arden. Since Saint Jo se p h passed
his life in the service of th e Lord and of M aiy in selfabnegation, we are sure th a t in Heaven he will aid u s with
the sam e joy to bring th is project dedicated to Mary to
fulfillment. We celebrate the Mass for this inten tio n .”
After breakfast which followed the M ass th ere was the
usual tim e of adoration. Then Sister Agnes approached me
and said: “The guardian angel who often gives m e precious
counsels appeared during th e adoration an d said: T he
intention which you ojjer in conformity with the will of him
who directs you is good and pleasing to the Lord and His
Holy Mother. The more you offer this good intention, the more
difficult and numerous will be the obstacles.
“‘But today you have asked the protection o f Saint Joseph
in a same union o f prayer. This prayer is very pleasing to
98.
,lesus and Mary; it will be heard. Saint Joseph will protect
itour work. To overcome the exterior obstacles, pray with
confidence in interior unity.
“‘It is rather a shame that there is no exterior sign here in
honor o f Saint Joseph. Ask him who directs you to do this
it'hen you can, even if it is not right away.'” Having said this
I he angel disappeared.
(After this a statu e of S aint Joseph w as placed in the
chapel. The present sta tu e w as offered by a kind person
some years later. It w as m ade, like the sta tu e of the Virgin,
by Mr. W akasa who scu lp tu red it from th e sam e kind of
wood a s the statu e of O ur Lady, so th a t it is complemenlary.)
This w as the first tim e in my life th a t directly from the
mouth of Sister Agnes I h eard speak of the special intervenlion of a guardian angel. However, th e tru th of the
prophecy depended obviously upon the real su ccess of the
enterprise which rem ained to be verified. B ut th e following
ten years progressively opened my eyes to th e reality of the
events.
TRANSISTOR'S NOTE;
In his m odesty, Father Y asuda does not draw our attention to a m ost
im portant fact in this very first m essage of the angel bearing directly
upon him self. W e will recall that in the very im portant m essage from
( )ur Lady, She H erself spoke o f the superior and also o f the director sent
lo Sister A gnes, in whom she w as to confide. A nd now the guardian
angel confirm ed specifically that this director is F ather Y asuda... “ the
one w ho directs you.”
We rem em ber that it w as in that all im portant third m essage o f
( )ctober 13th, ju st five m onths before Father Y asuda cam e to Y uzawadai, that O u r Lady said to S ister A gnes: “Do you have som ething m ore
to ask? T oday is the last tim e that I will speak to you by voice. From
now on you will obey the one w ho is sent lo you and your superior.”
A Garden C onsecrated to Mary
The idea of arranging a Japanese-style garden in honor
of Mary In a remote co m er of our country did not long
99.
rem ain ju s t a n unacted u p o n pious wish. The announce­
m ent of the angel th a t “The intention which you offer...
pleases the Lord and His Holy Mother" encouraged u s to
undertake the work w ithout delay despite any obstacles.
For som eone whose reaso n for living is th e service of the
Lord, th e dilficulties encountered become a part of the
program.
I recall the encyclical of Paul VI Marialis Cultus. In th a t
long encyclical addressed to all the bishops of the world on
the F east of the Presentation of J e s u s in th e Temple, the
Holy F ath er m editated on devotion to th e Virgin Mary
concluding with these words: “If I have considered it
necessary to speak at su ch length of cult an d devotion to
the M other of God, it is because it is a n integral element
which cannot be sep arated from our C h ristian faith. Also
the im portance of the problem required it.” And in the first
part of the encyclical the Holy Father und erlin es that, “True
growth in C hristian faith is always accom plished by a ju s t
and balanced progress in piety towards M ary.”
It w as a reading of these words of the Holy Father in the
encyclical Marialis Cultus after my arrival on the hill of
Yuzawadai which revived in me the desire of a greater
intim acy with our Holy Mother.
In m y young years, it w as after having heard a serm on
about Mary th at I m ade the decision to consecrate my life
to the priesthood. D uring my years of preaching 1 often
exhorted the faithful to a greater filial love tow ards Mary,
trying always myself to rem ain faithful to th e daily recita­
tion of the Rosary which I advised. It w as because of this
th a t m ore th an once it w as said behind m y b ack that I was
th a t “backw ard M arianist.”
Today, following the so-called renewal of th e liturgy, one
sees th e statue of the Virgin less and less in churches, and
especially in m odem churches. It often h ap p en s th at She
is also taken out of all churches or th a t a m uch sm aller
sta tu e is used, or even relegated to the en tran ce as a sort
of decoration. W hen one h ears this expression “backward
fanatic” in this context, one asks oneself how those who use
it w ould interpret th e w ords of Paul VI in th e encyclical
Marialis Cultus: “The cu lt owed to the M other of God is an
indissoluble element of o u r Christian faith.
100.
D uring the time th a t I h ad charge of a p arish , I dedicated
an im portant part of my pastoral work to th is problem. It
was th e time w hen the National Union of Y outh h ad tak en
Ihe lead in a general agitation throughout th e country, the
repercussions of which were felt even in the C hurch
through the action of progressive priests. To preach
Marian devotion in su ch a n atm osphere w as chancy, b u t I
never abandoned the struggle. This tru e battle, draw n up
in the bosom of the C h urch, will long rem ain engraved in
my memory.
W hen I think back on this, I recall a scene of the Way of
Ihe C ross represented on a picture which I u sed to have. As
Our Lord advances carrying His cross, before and behind
Him children, unaw are of w hat they do, b ran d ish signs
upon w hich are inscribed the crim es an d th e pu n ish m en t
lo be inflicted upon the Condem ned while oth ers pull upon
Hie ropes which hold Him. And C h ristians today who give
so little im portance to th e Mother of J e s u s ap p ear like these
lurbulent groups. Oh, w hat a sad spectacle for those who
consider Her as truly th e ir own Mother!
The new sects which rise up today in J a p a n , w ithout
speaking of those which existed from previous times, are
never stingy about the acquisition of la n d s an d m aterials
necessary for their cults. But is it not cu rio u s th a t the
religious and the Catholic lay people of o u r country, who
confess faith in the one tru e God, Creator of all things, show
it bewildering indifference when it com es to these exterior
m anifestations? W hen (hey acquire property they use it to
construct secular stru ctu re s. I recently saw a grotto of
D iurdes transform ed into a parking lot. W as th a t not
appropriating purely an d simply som ething which had
been consecrated to the Lord?
One often hears the progressives, consecrated or lay,
rem ark th a t it is no longer n ece ssary to c o n stru ct
churches. It suffices to say M ass in the hom es of the
lalthful. To live the word of God is above all to participate
In social life. To serve one's neighbor is m ore im portant
Iban to assist at Mass. A nd it seem s th a t th e se opinions are
taken a s authentic by n o t a negligible n u m b e r of C hris­
tians. One sh o u ts th a t th is is an involved way of “living
C hrist.”
101.
Such persons forget th a t God is the U nique Source of
au th en tic love for one’s neighbor. S uch a love is not
possible unless it is lived in the spirit of offering to Him Who
gives it. C hristians m u st be aware th a t love of one's
neighbor w ithout reference to God is a tree, stripped from
its roots.
Today it is popular to sp eak of “innovation” on all levels;
one sp eak s frequently of “revolution,” of “new ness,” to
bring in things often doubtful. The religious renewal is in
itself m ost praiseworthy, b u t if abuses come to wipe out its
sacred character, one m u st fear th at the life of faith will
sooner or later be deprived of vital n o urishm ent. This
danger requires from the faithful the g reatest vigilance.
W hen th e statu e of O ur Lady wept for th e first time at
Yuzawadai on the 4th of Jan u ary , 1975 (an event which we
will describe in detail shortly) the angel told Sister Agnes:
“The Holy Virgin... loves Japan. She has therefore chosen
this land o f Akita to communicate Her messages... She
awaits you with open arms to pour forth graces. Spread
devotion to the Virgin. ”
From Plan to Realization
A lthough the m iracle of th e tears had not yet taken place
in confirm ation of the m essages given by O u r Lady through
the sta tu e of Akita (this w as to happen only seven m onths
later) the project began to take shape on the first of May,
1974. It was still too early to go immediately ahead. But
I decided, with the agreem ent of the com m unity, officially
to inaugurate the works with a ceremony on the 31st of
May, F east of the V isitation of O ur Lady.
Indeed the previous day had been m arked by an u n ­
u su al event. All had decided to go to th e chapel and I was
also there when one of the sisters tu rn ed suddenly and
announced in a sh a rp voice, “The face of Mary h as
changed!” Immediately raising my eyes I saw th a t the face
no longer had the sam e color; it w as of a d ark reddish
brown, distinctly different from the color of the rest of the
statue.
Feeling the excitem ent gathering aro u n d me, I kept
my u su a l attitude while letting them know th a t this was
102.
now a m om ent to pray in silence. After the office, the sisters
discussed among them selves w hat they h ad felt in seeing
the new expression of the statue. (It w as an event experi­
enced by the entire community.)
S ister Agnes later told me w hat she rem em bered of th a t
m om ent: “When I had dried the p erspiration which cam e
from th e statue, or w hen I had seen the w ound on the h an d
I w as shocked. How is th at possible? Simply a wooden
statue! But this time I felt very strongly th a t the statu e of
Mary w as alive!
“While the garm ent and the hair retained their look of
n atu ral wood, the face, h an d s and feet alone becam e
distinguished by a d ark reddish-brow n tin t such as skin
bronzed by the sun. It was not a dark, m ore or less dirty
color. It was a beautiful reddish brow n, lu stro u s and
touched with life. Ah, it w as indeed a living Mother! I still
recall th e joy I felt a t th a t m om ent!”
A part from the h an d s, the traces of th is change are still
visible even though th e color h as since dim inished. Eight
years later when th e sculptor cam e to see the statu e he
could not hide his am azem ent. It can hap p en th at entire
parts of sculptured wood change color, b u t it is u n th in k ­
able, by natural laws, th a t certain very determ ined areas
become distinguished from the others by taking on a
particular tint. He also showed him self intrigued by the
expression on the face which had changed since the time
lie had m ade the statue.
I know that I am getting slightly ah ead of the sequence
of events, but I cannot help b u t rem ark th a t from th a t time
many who cam e to venerate the statu e said th at it seem ed
lo take on a different expression at different times. A nother
prodigy is in different expressions, som etim es striking,
which appear in the various photographs. A question I
often asked myself w as not so m uch ab o u t the change of
expression but why h ad the color changed? I seem to find
the answ er in a m essage given by Mary to Don Gobbi of the
Marian Movement of P riests which I read quite a few years
later:
“The signs which I accomplish through the intermediary
of My statues or My images are given to awaken in you a ju st
devotion which give so much jo y to My heart... these signs
103.
o f My face... theface whichchanges color... these signs o f My
heart... My heart which sometimes exhales a discreet per­
fum e and at other times an essence more intense.
“When a mother experiences great jo y her face blushes,
and when she is worried about thefuture o f her children she
blanches. What is true o f mothers on earth is also true o f Me.
I f I give such signs so human and so maternal it is to show
you that I am with you at each moment o f your existence...”
In the sam e m essage to Don Gobbi, a little further one
reads: “The perfume which I exhale, sometimes intense and
at other times subtle, is a sign given to show you that I am
always with you and in particular at the moments when you
need Me most.”
For the ceremony of the inauguration of the work, we
invited persons from th e village, especially those who h ad
helped in the clearing of the land for the convent of
Yuzawadai w hen the first m em bers of th e com m unity cam e
there: the Bonzess of th e neighboring tem ple, friends from
the parish of Akita an d other regions, m em bers from
nearby branches of the Institute of th e H andm aids of the
E ucharist, and nearby relatives. Some h ad come from a
distance to give th eir support. All in all th ere were about 30
persons. The little cerem ony took place around a provi­
sional altar erected for th e occasion in th e general area
w here there would soon rise a statu e of th e Holy Virgin in
the center of the proposed garden.
In my introduction, I explained th a t th is Jap an ese
G arden in honor of th e Virgin Mary w as destined to receive
persons who wished to pray, not only from Ja p a n , bu t from
the extremities of th e earth. Afterwards I said the prayer of
blessing and tu rn ed up the first shovel of earth. Those
p resen t took the shovel one after the o th e r to complete a
hole in the bottom of which we buried a M iraculous Medal
from the Rue du Bac (convent in Paris where O ur Lady
appeared in 1830).
The second step now w as to g ath er sto n es of different
sizes for the arrangem ent of the garden. With the com m u­
nity car, we m ade several retu rn trips all th e way to M ount
Taihei, along the river banks, and from the side of Oga, to
gath er stones w hich we piled into boxes. D uring th is time
we m ade the acquaintance of Mr. N., a solid and jolly m an
104.
who helped us to tra n sp o rt more th a n two h undred sto n es
Irom th e River Kosa a t the foot of M ount Chokai. And the
sisters had not abandoned us. There are two m em orable
episodes.
One day the wheel of the car tran sp o rtin g the sto n es
eam e off and rolled into the ravine, so heavy w as the load.
The stronger helpers hasten ed to lend a hand while oth ers
went to the chapel to say a Rosary. Shortly a bulldozer
passing by solved the problem. Also, Mr. N. cam e in the fall
with a bulldozer an d began the im portant work of leveling
Ihe entire area.
Naturally everything stopped during the winter, during
which we regathered o u r strength! W hen the first m elting
of the snow s came, th e work began again, and I joined th e
larm ers of the neighborhood who cam e to help us, exposing
myself with them to th e snow and the rain, to the w inds an d
lo the sun, working th e shovel and p u sh in g the w heelbar­
row.
Active participation in these physical works tau g h t m e
m uch about the m eaning of work. Is not the expiation of
our sin s by J e s u s who carried the cro ss on His shoulders
Ilie heaviest of physical labors? This reflection perm its me
now to recognize a precious stone in each drop of sw eat
shed in the course of o u r work. M editation on the Word is
Important, b u t accom panied by physical labors and m oral
pain, does it not lead to a more vivid experience of a love of
Christ and a more intim ate union with Him? At least su ch
Is (he grace that I felt in m aking my hum ble contribution to
Ihe arrangem ent of th e G arden of Mary.
The work was going well when, tow ards the beginning of
.July, the sister in charge of the fu n d s gave u s news which
had the effect of a cold shower: “My F ather, when we will
have paid those who are working now, there will rem ain
nothing more in the acco u n t.”
I asked all to pray very m uch to S aint Joseph. For my
part, taking advantage of the Feast of Obon, the 15th of
August, (a Buddhist Feast) I decided to give the w orkers a
vacation during the m o n th of A ugust. The end of th a t
m onth brought u s a great surprise; a check of several
million yen was sen t to u s by a sym pathetic person who
regretted not being able to participate personally in the
.
105
work. From th is time on we were able to continue the work
w ithout interruption. One could cite exam ple after ex­
am ple of intervention which truly cam e from Heaven. It
w as tow ards th e end of May or the beginning of Ju n e,
during the third year of the work, th a t we received a rath er
disagreeable visit. It was the time of the commission
inquiry on the events concerning the sta tu e which had
been formed at the request of Bishop Ito. And since we are
speaking here of th e G arden, it seem s the appropriate place
to m ention how even th is came u n d er adversity in this
trying moment.
At the time, I w as away giving a talk which had been
requested from outside. A person who claimed to be an
im portant m em ber of the Canonical Com m ission of Inquiry
and authorized by the Bishop to take over spiritual direc­
tion of the com m unity, announced to the latter: “The
phenom ena which occurred in connection with the statu e
of Mary are not a su p ern atu ral grace. They are only the
result of ectoplasmic faculties of Sister Agnes and one m u st
not use them to take advantage of people. The arrangem ent
of the G arden of Mary is an act of propaganda which can
only lead people into error and you m u st stop it immedi­
ately...”
It w as only a week after my retu rn th a t the sisters, not
a little put out, told m e about this. And I at once rem em ­
bered the word of the guardian angel, “The more you will
offer this good intention, the more numerous will be the
difficulties and obstacles.’’ For my p art I do not rem em ber
ever for one m om ent having conceived th e project of the
G arden of Mary with relation to the events connected with
the statue. As I stated earlier I had accom plished a sim ilar
project, on a small scale, in the parish I h ad served before
com ing here. My sole desire was to create a propitious
space for prayer, w here one could be recollected in a calm
atm osphere. Independent of the reality of the m ysterious
events of Akita, th e idea of the J a p a n e se G arden w as
unrelated. Over an d beyond th is kind of malevolent
criticism I was resolved to carry on th e work, cost w hat it
might. But obviously there came d ark m om ents w hen I
cam e close to the point of letting everything go.
By October of th is sam e year, th a n k s to the precious
help of num erous well-wishers, the G arden of Mary was
106.
alm ost finished. The ceremony of th e inauguration took
place on October 11 t h , in the presence of the m ayor of Akita
and of num erous personalities and well-wishers who cam e
Irom far and near. For this beautiful Feast, more th a n two
hundred were present.
I presented the G arden of Mary with these words: “The
principle part of th e G arden is the pool in the form of the
.Japanese archipelago, from the m iddle of which rises the
sta tu e of Maiy. In th e background, w ater cascades from an
artificial hill symbolizing the grace of salvation spread upon
hum anity, the source of which is the C ross of C hrist raised
on M ount Calvary. The ensem ble therefore rep resen ts the
w ater symbol which spreads over J a p a n through the
Interm ediary of Mary, Mediatrix of all Grace. The little
g rass covered hill situ ated in the cen ter of the G arden
symbolizes peace an d harm ony by its round form, an d
recalls at the sam e time the Serm on on the Mount. The two
extrem ities of the pool are separated from the central p art
by two bridges, J a p a n e se style, leaving the Isle of K yushu
to the south and the Isle of Hokkaido to the north, with the
ilow of water... which represents th e Jo rd an ... oriented
Irom south to north.
“The m ain en tran ce gate is m ade of two tru n k s of special
wild trees ofAkita, ab o u t two h u n d red years old, bearing up
a roof of tiles which appear also to be old. Indeed it w as
conceived to give th e G arden the m ajestic and sacred
character evoked by its very nam e: Gate o f Heaven.
“One can progress around th e cen tral little hill an d the
pond, visible from every part of the G arden, while reciting
the Rosary. Furtherm ore, the entire layout was planned in
order th a t one m ay always see M ount Taihei, and no trees
were planted to risk losing the view of its changing an d
varied tints in th e course of the year. More th an a h u n d red
different trees have been planted. Ninety percent of them
have already taken root. And we can im agine how great will
be the beauty of th ese plantings, b ro u g h t from all regions
of J a p a n in testim ony of affection for Mary, in the y ears to
come... ”
The help which we received during these three y ears
cam e to u s from all th e regions of Ja p a n : from the island of
Kyushu to the isle of Hokkaido for th e glory of the “Celestial
107.
M other” and was literally providential. Now th a t it is
finished we can indeed u n d erstan d th e prediction of the
angel: “The difficulties and the obstacles will be numerous,''
and h er exhortation, “Pray with confidence with interior
unity. "
And all these th ings helped to prepare u s for w hat
w as still to come!
ttt
Above: U.S. Pilgrimage in the garden of Akita standing before a
copy o f the Akita statue. In h is address to the pilgrims, Bishop Ito
said: “The m essage o f Akita is the m essage o f Fatima."
108.
Chapter Nine
The Healing Announced by the Angel
Now let us re tu rn to Sister Agnes, beginning in th e
m onth of May w hen we started th e w ork on the G arden.
W hat h ad stru ck m e in reading the n o tes and m essages of
Sister Agnes was th e prodigy th a t sh e w as able to h e a r th e
words of the angel an d of O ur Lady even though m edical
science had declared h er to be com pletely deaf. In the final
analysis, this could only have been by “interior locutions”
which have nothing to do with th e physical faculty of
hearing. Sister herself explains: “It w as not the sound of an
ordinary voice which would have resounded in my ears a s
If they had been tem porarily healed. It w as a voice w hich
cam e directly to m y heart, passing through my ears w hich
were incapable of hearing.”
In the first m essage of Our Lady, they were w ords of
encouragem ent: “Is your deafness difficult to bear? You will
soon be healed, be sure. Be patient." In view of th is
prophecy, I said to m yself that th e extraordinary p h en o m ­
ena of the statu e could never be recognized until the ears
of the sister would be completely cured. Furtherm ore, I felt
Ihat the only way to prove the su p e rn a tu ra l origin of O ur
Lady’s m essages would be a healing obtained n o t by
medical treatm ent, b u t by the action of a su p ern atu ra l
force. Clearly, a miracle was necessary.
For my part I h ad no difficulty believing that sooner or
later the healing would take place a s th e Blessed Virgin h ad
predicted. When I finished reading th e notes, I gave them
back to Sister Agnes with this counsel: “Certainly one day
you will hear again. But since th e Lord loves sacrifice,
abandon yourself entirely to His Will, w ithout being co n ­
cerned about being cured or not being cured, in a spirit of
patience.”
I knew veiy well w hat this m u st have cost her and I knew
Irom the expression on h er face as sh e read my lips th a t she
had indeed resolved to give herself totally to the Will of th e
I-ord.
109.
E igh teenth o f May, 1 9 74
On May 18th, after th e m orning Eucharistie adoration
S ister Agnes cam e to see me and said: “J u s t now, shortly
after the Rosary and during the prayer silence, the g u a rd ­
ian angel came to me an d said: 'Your ears will be opened in
August or in October. You will hear, you will be healed. But
that will lastfor only a moment because the Lord still wishes
this offering and you will become deaf again. In seeing that
your ears are restored again, the heart o f those who still
doubt will melt and they will believe. Have confidence and
pray with good intention. Report what I have told you to him
who directs you. But speak o f it to no one else until it takes
place.’”
Later, in the notebook where these words were copied
she adds: “In the beginning the angel w as smiling b u t th e n
h er expression becam e severe. Already I did not believe my
eyes, b u t when I saw h e r severe air, I felt my body contract
u n d er the surprise a n d I prostrated myself. My heart w as
full of an overwhelming joy mixed with th e feeling th a t I h ad
to be totally abandoned to God's Will. I said an ard en t
prayer of thanksgiving for so m uch mercy.
“W hen I told th is event to the F ather, he appeared very
interested. ‘Ah good,’ he said. ‘In A ugust or October?’ he
repeated with a nodding of the h ead .”
Indeed, w hat I w as thinking w as th a t if it was in the
m onth of August it would certainly be th e 15th, the F east
of the A ssum ption or on another M arian Feast Day, al­
though the m onth of the Rosary m ight be more appropri­
ate... My im agination w as going!
After this Sister Agnes had to b ear an unexpected trial
which affected h e r in body and spirit a s though in p rep a­
ration for the graces she w as soon to receive.
It w as the m orning of Thursday, A ugust 8th; during th e
M ass I was suddenly seized with terrible stom ach p ain s
and had to be ta k e n in haste to the hospital. I at once
underw ent surgery an d if my days were not counted, I
w as immobilized in th e hospital until th e 4 th of September.
On my hospital bed I said to m yself th a t the cure of S ister
Agnes would p erh ap s not take place during this period.
After I came out, w hen I had ju s t ab o u t regained my
.
110
u su al schedule. S ister Agnes cam e to tell me on the
m orning of the 2 1 st of Septem ber after the adoration: “A
little after the beginning of th e silent m editation th e angel
appeared and said: 'You spoke this morning at table con­
cerning the dream, didn't you? Do not be disturbed. Today
or tomorrow begin a novena, one ofyour choice, and then two
more. During the time o f these three novenas made before
the Lord Truly Present in the Eucharist, your ears will be
opened during the adoration and you will hear. The first
thing that you will hear will be the chant o f the Ave Maria
ivhich you are accustomed to singing. Then you will hear t
he sound o f the bell ringing fo r the Benediction o f the
Most Blessed Sacrament.
'After the Benediction you will calmly ask the one who
directs you to have a Canticle o f Thanksgiving sung. Then
It will be known that your ears hear again. At that moment
your body also will be healed and the Lord will be glorified
'When he leams this, your Superior will be filled with
courage, his heart will be consoled and he will bear witness.
However, the more you offer with good intention, the more
there will be difficulties and obstacles. To overcome these
exterior obstacles, pray with more confidence in interior
unity. You will be protected, be sure.'
“After a silence, the angel added: ’Your ears will hear only
lor a certain time. They will not yet be totally cured. You will
become deaf again. The Lord still wishes this offering...
Report what I have told you to him who directs you. ’ After
having fixed upon m e her profound regard, she d isap ­
peared from my eyes.”
On these conditions, since the angel m ade everything so
clear, I counseled S ister Agnes to begin the novena w ithout
delay, even the sam e day if possible, rem inding h er not to
speak of it to anyone. Concerning the dream of which the
angel spoke (You have spoken o f the dream this morning at
table) we will explain later.
Once again I asked myself w hen th e grace of th e p re ­
dicted healing would be granted. If S ister was going to h e a r
the ch an t of the Ave Maria and the so und of th e bell, it
would be during Benediction of th e Blessed Sacram ent,
and th a t would surely be on a S unday. And as the angel
said th a t it would be during the tim e of three novenas
111
.
I m ade the m istake of thinking th a t it would be at th e end
of the third, th a t is th e last Sunday of October. Even with
predictions so clear, o u r intelligence slips into erroneous
conjectures. It goes w ithout saying th a t the h um an m ind
is truly not so sm art.
T hirteenth of October, 1974
October 13th of 1974, anniversary of the third m essage
of O ur Lady here in Akita and also anniversary of the great
m iracle of Fatim a, w as a radiantly beautiful day. I took
advantage of a few h o u rs to go as far a s Tenno, situ ated at
th e top of the Oga peninsula, carrying with me my fishing
gear. As I had adoration of the Blessed Sacram ent a t 5
o'clock in the afternoon, I intended to retu rn to com pose
m yself a little before going to the chapel.
T hat evening exposing the Blessed Sacram ent and in ­
censing the altar a th o u g h t crossed my m ind: Could this not
be the day? After th e Act of C ontrition I returned to my
place and joined in th e Rosary. Then cam e the ch an t of the
Ave Maria... it w as tow ards the end of the chant. S ister
Agnes prostrated herself on the floor an d I saw th a t she w as
weeping. After the silent m editation an d the u su al prayers
of Lauds came th e m om ent of the blessing with the Holy
E ucharist. One heard the sh arp tingle of the bell ru n g by
one of the sisters. Raising the m o n stran ce I traced the Sign
of the Cross, praying, “Lord, give Your grace according to
Your Will!”
Then kneeling before the Blessed Sacram ent exposed I
began the divine praises, “B lessedbe God... ” At the end as
I w as getting ready to indicate a hym n. Sister Agnes, to
w hom I had tu rn ed my back, spoke, “My Father, may we
sing the Te Deum, hym n #12!”
I immediately tu rn e d around an d said, “Do you h ear
again?”
“Yes, I have ju s t received th is grace,” she answ ered,
w ithout need of having to read my lips.
Therefore, I told th e congregation (on Sunday there were
also people from outside who assist a t the ceremonies):
“Today as the angel h a d predicted two tim es, in May an d in
Septem ber, the ears of Sister Agnes have been restored to
.
112
hearing; this h a s j u s t happened. In thanksgiving let u s
sing the Te D eum .”
The news seem ed to have produced a strong im pression
(>n those present w ho were unable to believe their e a rs ... the
proper expression here!... and som e sobs mixed w ith the
singing in an atm osphere charged with emotion.
Sister Agnes herself recounts w hat happened w hen she
was cured: “At th e m om ent of Benediction of the Blessed
Sacram ent, as th e angel had Indicated before, I first h eard
l he voices singing th e Ave Maria a s th ough in th e distance,
as though in a dream . I heard only the voices and nothing
else. Then there were some m om ents of silent m editation
followed by the u s u a l evening prayers, b u t of those I h eard
absolutely nothing. At the very in sta n t w hen F ath er gave
the Benediction of th e Blessed S acram ent, I clearly h eard
I he sound of the bell. Then I heard him begin, ‘Blessed be
Bod.’ It was the first time I w as hearing his voice.
“In the beginning when I h eard the singing of the Ave
Maria, an im m ense feeling of gratitu d e and of confusion
filled my heart at th e thought th a t God had leaned down to
so small a thing a s I. I was so overcome th at 1 p ro strated
myself weeping. Finally able to stifle my voice, I no longer
even found w ords for prayer.
“During the y ear and seven m o n th s th a t I had been
plunged into a world of total silence, my p a re n ts were
desolate and it w as for me a nervous tension renew ed with
each day. And even now th at my hearing was restored, I
knew that a day would come w hen I would have to offer the
privation of hearing once again an d I fortified myself saying
that it was necessary to continue to pray with m ore faith.
“The announcem ent of the angel, ‘At that moment your
l)ody will also he healed, ' also had its effect. I noticed th a t
the intestinal an d other pains w hich had torm ented m e at
this time had disappeared at th e sam e m om ent.”
Immediately, a telephone call w as m ade to the B ishop to
give him the news. S ister Agnes herself, with tra n sp o rts of
Joy, told His Excellency everything an d answ ered h is q u e s­
tions. She w as also able to telephone h er p aren ts an d close
relatives to tell th em of her unbelievable cure. At th e
request of the Bishop, I accom panied h er to the hospital of
the Red Cross an d to the M unicipal Hospital of Akita
113.
to undergo m edical exam ination. Both establishm ents
certified that h er ears were now norm al.
Two weeks later I w as invited to sp eak in the church of
S ister Agnes' native village to which I h a d accompanied h e r
w ith two other m em bers of the com m unity. Her family, who
h a d awaited her im patiently, assailed h e r with questions to
see if truly she heard. It w as a moving scene even for
persons outside the family.
She did not forget the provisional n atu re of her sta te
telling herself each day th a t it m ight be for only a week, or
nine days, or forty days. She th a n k ed Heaven for th e
unexpected grace of being still with no rm al hearing alm ost
six m onths later. It w as about the tim e of Ash W ednesday,
in February, th a t headaches and buzzing of the ears
assailed her, plunging h er again into th e world of silence.
However tem porary it was, th is m iraculous cure w as as
predicted and seem s to have very m u c h encouraged the
Bishop. Gathering together the som e one hundred pages
I h ad edited up to th a t time from my interview w ith
m em bers of the com m unity and from consulting S ister's
intim ate journal, he decided to req u est a serious inquiry by
theologians.
This cure proved to be the decisive factor which brought
the Virgin of Yuzawadai to the knowledge of the public. One
could no longer fail to recognize in th e succession of the
events of Yuzawadai the h an d of Divine Providence.
The M eaning o f th e M iraculous Cure
As the angel predicted, the healing w as provisional. It
lasted only five m onths, b u t it no n eth eless has a profound
m eaning.
I have already spoken of the problem posed by the
Bishop on the reading of the m an u scrip t which I h ad
subm itted to him from the notes of S ister Agnes. He w as
troubled indeed to know w hether th e th ird m essage given
thro u g h the interm ediary of the sta tu e m ight not have been
in som e way a repeated version of all th a t had been reported
to be the third secret of Fatima. It very m uch resem bled
th o se reports.
114.
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE:
As previously noted the third secret o f F atim a was never officially
m ade public by the C hurch. Pope John X X III was the first to o pen the
secret in 1960 and he consulted his secretary and several cardinals w ho
agreed with H is H oliness that it not be m ade public. Subsequently, Paul
VI, John Paul I and John Paul II held to the sam e decision. H ow ever, a
priest who was on the com m ission for the beatification o f the tw o
younger children o f F atim a gave out a version o f the secret w hich w as
widely quoted and w hich does indeed very m uch resem ble the third
m essage of O ur L ady at Akita.
Indeed S ister Agnes m ight have h ad knowledge of th is
because ofleaflets at th a t time which m ight have com e to
her attention w hen she w as catech ist in the ch u rch of
Myoko. But w hen I asked h e r ab o u t th is she answ ered
w ithout am biguity th a t she h ad never seen anything of th is
kind. However, th e Bishop w anted to avoid any possible
error even to the point of thinking to delete th a t p a rt of the
third m essage (concerning the chastisem ent).
It w as precisely w hen the Bishop w as thinking th is th a t
the hearing of S ister's ears took place on the 13th of
October, anniversary of the m essage, and exactly in the
m anner the angel h ad predicted. It w as a true au th en ticat ion of the m essage. Indeed the grace of the healing could
have been given on any day whatever. So why w as it
precisely on th e 13th of October ra th e r th an an o th er day?
As I said I m yself w as projecting it for the last S u n d ay of
October, and it w as only afterw ards th a t I understood why
this date had been chosen.
Catholics of the entire world know well th a t th e great
miracle of Fatim a took place on th e 13th of October, which
was also the la st day of th e apparitions. And th e th ird
secret given to Lucia would have been of such serio u sn ess
that it h as not yet been made public. It gave place to m ore
or less hypothetical versions which circulate ju s t ab o u t
everywhere in th e world. Now at Akita it was also on the
13th of October th a t Mary w arned u s of a terrible c h a stise ­
m ent which m en aces the world. The w itness says th a t
the face of O u r Lady, while rem aining splendid, a t th a t
m om ent took on a n expression of sadness.
115.
In order to prove the tru th and th e su p ern atu ral c h a r­
acter of such a w arning, a m iraculous and tangible sign
w as necessary. This sign w as given on th a t sam e day,
O ctober 13th, w hich will rem ain doubly m emorable b e­
cau se it is at once th e day of the m essage and the day of the
healing.
The angel had predicted well w hen she announced that,
“The heart o f those who doubt will melt and they will
believe.’’ As said above, the d o u b ts of the Bishop were
dissipated th a n k s to the miracle of healing so th a t he
decided to m ake no change in the text of th e m essage and
to subm it it to exam ination by theologians.
ttt
The International “Pilgrim Virgin" (Our Lady of Fatima) and the
M iraculous statue of Our Lady of Akita. Bishop Ito said: “The
m essage of Akita is the sam e a s that o f Fatima."
116.
Chapter Ten
The Dream
We read in th e preceding ch ap ter th a t the angel m ade
reference to a d ream which S ister Agnes had had. B ecause
of its m eaning, I th o u g h t it b est to give it special atten tio n
here.
On the m orning of Monday, J u n e the 10th, w hen I w as
going from the presbytery to the chapel for th e 6 o'clock
Mass, my glance w as attracted by a bedcover hanging from
one of the windows of the first floor. As it is ra th e r rare to
see bedding hanging from a window at su ch a n early
morning hour, it w as n atu ral th a t I noticed it. However, as
11 was a m atter of no great im portance I continued on my
way and carried o u t the m orning program as u su al.
Now during dinner, one of the sisters began to sp e a k of
a terrible dream th a t Sister Agnes h ad had th a t m orning.
C urious to know m ore, I asked h er to tell me ab o u t it in
detail. Her voice w as still deeply moved by em otion w hen
she told me: “This m orning I h a d a dream in w hich 1w as the
victim of a terrible persecution to such extent th a t my h eart
w as palpitating even after I awoke.
“Before me w as a group of perso n s who seem ed to be
religious. One of them who m u st have been th eir h ead , a
foreign Catholic theologian it seem ed to me, h ad a gray
colored habit an d advancing tow ards me said in a p erem p ­
tory tone: ‘Why w ould the God of th e Trinity be one God? We
cannot believe th a t Christ is God. According to you. w here
then is the center of th e Catholic faith? Ifyou believe in God
and say th a t you serve Him, why do you not do a s we who
adore a m ultitude of gods? If you say you believe in God,
do as we; believe in m any gods. Then all of u s, too, will
become Catholics. Ifyou would jo in us, you would lead an
easy and agreeable life as we do. It is indeed b ecau se you
wish it th a t you lead th a t life there. You are tru ly painful
to see. Go, tell u s th a t the God of the Trinity is n o t one, th a t
there are a m ultitu d e of gods. If not, take th a t for y o u r p a in .’
“Saying th at, he brandished a sort of cane an d I clearly
saw th a t it was a large serpent w hich began to entw ine itself
117.
aro u n d me. I w as so afraid th a t I could n o t open my m o u th
b u t finally I w as able to say with su p rem e effort: "The God
of the Trinity is th e only God. I can believe in no other God
th a n He. If you can n o t believe th a t C h rist is God. you can
never become Catholics. I believe th a t the essential of th e
Catholic doctrine is th a t Christ is God an d Man.’
"Then he retu rn ed to the charge: Y ou say th at C hrist is
God? We cannot believe that. You becam e a Catholic
because you believe th a t Christ rose from the dead?’
“Yes, that is tru e. It is because we believe th at C hrist is
God and Man th a t we have become C atholics.’
“At this response the serpent tightened around me
strongly and completely immobilized me. For m om ents he
darted out his red an d pointed tongue, bringing h is nose
before my face. I w as too exhausted w ith fear and physical
oppression to be able to answ er to th e sam e question which
w as tossed at me w ithout ceasing like a defiance. I gripped
my Rosary with all m y strength reciting th e prayers. W hen
th e serpent s red tongue came so close to my face I ch ased
it w ith my Rosary, b u t my strength w as little by little fading
away. Seeking some aid around me, I saw my com panions
form a row on my right. I saw clearly th a t they were
frightened and concerned, th a t they rem ained powerless to
help me. Looking at each of them I could read in their look,
*We are with you, courage!’ No one, even the superiors who
are usually of su ch great help, was able to extend a helping
hand.
“I w as at the end of my strength, no longer able to ch ase
th e head of the serp en t nor to say th e prayers, w hen
suddenly Father Y asuda appeared before me. He m ade a
large Sign of the C ross saying: ‘In th e Name of the F ather,
of the Son, of th e Holy Spirit.’ Then he added in a strong
voice, ‘She h as a right to say th a t we believe th at th e God
of the Trinity is th e only God. Those who do not wish to
believe th a t cannot become C atholics.’
“At th a t m om ent th e chief of the group who w as standing
a t my left with h is rep u g n an t and m enacing air began to
recoil and then th e serpent who held m e prisoner also left.
“My com panions were finally able to come to save m e. I
w as in a state of extrem e exhaustion. I did not even find
enough energy to th a n k the chaplain for arriving in time.
118.
Perspiration flowed abundantly, b u t I did not even have the
courage to dry it. It is th e n th a t th e guardian angel cam e
and dried it for me.
“At th a t in sta n t I awoke. All m y body was really b ath ed
In perspiration. ’Oh! It w as n o t a dream ,' I said to m yself
while tiying to get up and at first not succeeding, so great
was the oppression which still rested upon my b reast. My
hands and feet were cold and my voice did not succeed in
giving off the slightest sound to call a neighbor to m y help.
When I looked a t th e clock it w as p a s t 4:30 in th e m orning.
“Once up, I saw th a t th e perspiration h a d soaked
Ihrough the sh eet to the bed covering which still kept the
imprint of my body. Seeing th a t, I h u n g it from th e window
until the s u n w ould rise to dry it.
“In the chapel th e dream co n tinued to torm ent m e and
I begged th e aid of the Lord to overcome my w eakness.
Here, w hen it cam e time for the com m on prayers, I w as still
too weak to be able to pray aloud.
“At first I decided not to sp eak of th is dream to anyone
but the fear w as su ch th a t I ended u p by w hispering a word
to my neighbor. She asked m e w hat kind of dream it was
but as we were having breakfast, I told her to w ait a little.
We went to pray before the Blessed S acram ent after which
she came to m y room and I told h e r w hat h ad happened.
She told m e w ith astonished air: ‘You were right to be
afraid. It is tru e, th e bedding is still soaked.’ You see, my
Father, certainly it w as to a s k you to exercise d iscernm ent
that this sister cam e to you to sp eak of it.”
Such w as th e recital given to me by S ister Agnes
concerning th a t dream . After hearing it to the end, I began
by saying th a t certainly it could n o t have been a simple
nightm are and I offered my personal interpretation:
“This does not concern only S ister Agnes. There seem s
to be here a n allusion to th e state of the C h u rch an d to
certain of its orientations. The C hurch, in th e nam e of
evangelization, tries to approach other religions, even
polytheists. At th e sam e tim e it is set to accept com pro­
m ises which draw the life of th e faith into w ays more
adapted to th e m o d em world, th a t is to say easier ways. It
is clear th a t th is attitu d e h a s som e adherence even am ong
those responsible in the C hurch. I believe it is o u r duty
119.
to observe faithfully th e Word of God p u tting into it th e best
of ourselves, if we do not wish to be tricked in this fashion...
I w as speaking to the com m unity, and the sisters
listened with attention, b u t some of th em didn't seem to be
taking the m a tter very seriously, “After all, it w as only a
dream ,” they said. Nevertheless, all were persuaded th a t
th is affair of the dream was over and would not be coming
up again. If th a t were so, neither w ould I have m ade so
m uch of it here, b u t as there h ad been so m any external
signs confirming th e authenticity of th e m essages given
through Sister Agnes in the past, so now som ething very
extraordinary happened.
Now once again it is noteworthy th a t the entire com m u­
nity w as involved... even as the com m unity was to some
extent “involved” in the actual dream itself. T hat very
evening we all received a surprise!
After the Rosary which precedes evening prayers. S ister
Agnes came abruptly to tell me: “F ather, there is a serpent
in the next room!"
I got up at once to go look in the parlor. Opening the door
I saw a n enorm ous serpent at the foot of the opposite wall.
The sisters having also seen it from behind, I quickly closed
the door, exhorting them to rem ain calm especially since
the prayer had not finished. A little la ter I got the sn ak e out
and settled his account.
Sister Agnes told u s th a t at th e m om ent they were
praying the invocation “O ur Lady of th e Holy Rosary, pray
for u s ,” the gu ard ian angel appeared a n d told her, ‘Tell the
chaplain that there is a serpent in the next room at this
moment. This is to give awareness to those who took your
dream lightly. The chaplain will know how to guide you. ”
Surprised, she h ad interrupted h e r prayer to go and look.
Carefully opening th e door of separation. Sister Agnes
discovered a serpent of the sam e large size as the one in h er
dream , lifting up h is head and darting out its red tongue.
It w as then th a t sh e hastened to come an d tell me.
So m any years later the event m ay now seem sim ply an
interesting story, b u t indeed it h ad th e value of a w arning
in m any ways. It w as a prem onitory sign.
Consider again th e discourse of th e chief of th e group
w ith his airs of a theologian. In th e first question he ask s
.
120
why the T rinitarian God would be one God. Ju d a is m had
well believed in one God, C reator of Heaven and earth , b u t
did not know th e m ystery of th e Trinity. W ithout the
revelation of th is m ysteiy it is not possible to believe th a t
J e s u s C hrist is th e unique Son of God. When th e p ersecu ­
tor declares: “We cannot believe th a t Christ is God,” he is
saying nothing new; it is a problem which h a s grown with
the increase of m aterialism an d of scientism , deeply tro u b ­
ling souls. A ctually it is a n undeniable fact th a t ath eism
and m aterialism have p en etrated even into th e C hurch
under diverse an d disguised forms.
In the dream , a theologian throw s into the face of the
believer the defiance of m aterialism , expressing in a clear
and simple fashion a true cu rre n t of our time. W ith his
friends, he would become a Catholic if the accused accepts
to recognize th e m ultitude of gods which, in th e case of
Jap an , could refer to the n u m ero u s divinities of an cestral
cult. It is an allusion to an easy way of evangelization which
consists in no t rejecting com prom ises with traditional
beliefs. In conclusion he feigns com passion an d proposes
a bargain, “If you join us, you will be able to lead a n easy
and agreeable life with u s,” m aking of the faith a u tilitarian
complement to a life completely materialistic. In other
words, it is the exaltation of th e terrestrial life of m a n and
the negation of th e spiritual life which leads to God.
This episode can n o t be treated lightly u n d er th e pretext
t hat it is a dream . Indeed one can see in this the a n n o u n ce­
ment of a trial w hich will affect S ister Agnes som etim e later.
It was w ithout d o u b t to w arn h er of th is event th a t th e angel
assured S ister Agnes saying, “You spoke o f the dream this
morning at table, didn't you? Do not let it disturb you." On
the other h an d one can say th a t it w as to aw aken the faith
of those who did n o t give it attention, th a t a real serp en t was
placed before them .
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE:
As noted p reviously, it was the translator's intention to w rite a new
book about the events o f A kita based on this book of F ather Y asu d a and
on other books, and om itting details like the above w hich are a t o n ce so
extraordinary and y et m ay not seem so central to the great m essag e for
.
121
the w orld w hich O ur L ady brought at Akita. B ut Bishop Ito gave a
m andate first for the com plete translation o f F ather Y asuda’s book in its
entirety and it w as in the course o f this w ork that the translator saw not
only the wisdom o f the B ishop, but, felt forced to exclaim: “To w hat an
extent G od has gone in the events o f A kita to draw our attention to the
serious state o f our tim es, both within the C hurch and w ithout, in order
that w e m ight know m ore exactly how to respond to Our Lady's terrible
w arning!”
F ather Joachim A lonso, internationally celebrated theologian w ho
w as the official docum entarian o f F atim a, w rote a book on the third
secret o f Fatim a in w hich he deduced that the secret referred above all
to the struggles that w ould take place w ithin the Church. He concluded
that devotion to the Im m aculate H eart o f M ary w as the great aid w hich
G od offered now to the w orld to save us from falling into the abyss.
W e are obviously rem inded o f the w ords o f G enesis recalling that
She, the Im m aculate M other o f the Savior, w ould be for each o f us the
one that would crush the head o f the infernal serpent.
An U nexpected V isit
Bishop Ito h ad visited several renow ned theologians of
J a p a n and had given them my m an u scrip t entitled "The
Events Relative to th e Virgin of Yuzawadai." Their reaction
h a d been reserved if not to say negative. And w ithout even
going into the m a tte r fu rth er they judged that a m ore
profound inquiry w as not necessary arguing th at there w as
little m aterial here for a theologian. Nevertheless, these
inquiries resulted in drawing the atten tio n of the public to
w hat had previously been limited to whispered conversa­
tions.
On November th e 3rd, 1974, th e sisters received an
unexpected telephone call from Tokyo. A jo u m alist of th e
review Catholic Graph asked to come to the convent for an
interview about th e “Events which recently had been
entertaining tittle-tattle.” The sisters politely refused b u t
w ithout backing down.
While listening to them tell me th eir difficulties in
discouraging su ch a prejudiced interviewer, while a t th e
sam e time bou n d by th e Bishop to absolute secrecy, I
tho u g h t it w as preferable to personally take the m a tte r in
h an d . At th a t tim e th e Catholic Graph was a review
.
122
which seem ed to be oriented tow ards denouncing all
corruptions an d ab u ses of religion and carried on a
valiant com bat for the renovation of Catholic environm ent.
In th is m a tte r in which we were confronted w ith su p e r­
n atu ral events a little beyond good common sense, it did
not seem advisable to leave th e unbridled im agination of
some jo u rn alists ru n wild. T h at would m ean a n open door
to all kinds of m isu n d erstan d in g s. If erroneous inform a­
tion and fantasies circulated one could fear inauspicious
consequences... not only in Catholic circles b u t in all of
society.
Since I told th e sisters th a t I would take responsibility for
the interview, they were all o u t gathering sto n es for the
G arden w hen th e jo u rn alist arrived. He introduced him self
saying th a t he h ad heard talk of th e m ysterious events
concerning th e statu e of the Virgin in our convent a n d th a t
he wished to know the tru th , an d for that he needed my
cooperation. I th e n gave him th e following brief sum m ary
of w hat h ad happened up to th a t time:
“First o f a ll in March o f the previous year Sister Agnes
had become suddenly deaf After that she came to this
convent, and later a wound similar to stigmata appeared on
her left hand. A t the dawn o f the First Friday o f July, she had
gone to the chapel led by her guardian angel and saw the
same kind o f wound on the right hand o f the statue o f the
VirgirL She received messages given through the intermedi­
ary o f this statuefrom which she saw bloodJlowingfrom the
wound, which was also witnessed by the other sisters. ”
My explanation seemed to be accepted w ithout difficulty
by the interviewer who sh ared th e sam e faith. Even if he
was not totally convinced, he no longer showed a n attitu d e
of rejection and I felt th a t his confidence was being gained
little by little. W hen he prom ised to write a faithful account
of w hat I h ad told him, I insisted th a t he first ask perm ission
of the Bishop before publishing th e article.
The latter w as published alm ost immediately in the
December issue of Catholic Graph u n d er the title of: “The
Virgin Mary A ppears At Akita! The T ruth Of The M atter.”
It w as a first page story w ith photographs. The article
began by describing the su rro u n d in g s of the convent of the
Institute of the H andm aids of th e E uch arist and th e a u th o r
123.
gave free reign to h is imagination: “Before the w ar no one
dared to tread th e soil of th is sacred m ountain, calm an d
profound.”
The following p art, entitled “U nder The Conduct Of The
Angel,” told ab o u t S ister Agnes hearing a first m essage
while before th e sta tu e of the Virgin. There followed the
encouragem ent to prayer in reparation for ingratitudes an d
the warning contained in the second and third m essages.
Finally, it passed in review the testim ony of th e sisters
concerning the w ound which appeared on the h an d of th e
statue.
The article concluded th at it is “impossible to affirm the
actual state of things, w hether the events of Akita are really
m iraculous.” It added: “Nevertheless one thing is certain:
only God is capable of performing m iracles. That su p p o ses
th a t the m eaning a n d the purpose of w hat happens, w hen
there is a miracle, is worthy of consideration.” Then citing
my own words before concluding:
“As for the purpose or object of th ese apparitions. F ath er
Y asuda explains first of all th a t To save the world today, it
is necessary for those who believe to be aware of the
urgency of prayer... the healing of S ister Agnes is the
authentic proof of th e m essages. The wound in th e form of
the cross is an o th er tangible proof... I intend to do all th a t
I can to create in th is place conditions favorable to p ray er.’”
(Reporting and text of Mr. Yoneda.)
Obviously Catholic Graph gave coverage of the events of
Akita far beyond w hat had been expected. In addition to the
report, they brought in an explanation of Mr. Queeny, who
worked for the Tokyo television network, and th e expert
opinion of F ath er Nemshgy, both of whom presented the
entire events of A kita as worthy of consideration. And, as
the saying goes, th is took off the lid.
T hus th a t which could have rem ained secret in a co n ­
vent lost in the m o u n tain s suddenly became resounding
news. And this act of Divine Providence was for u s totally
unexpected. Indeed it was only th e beginning. Divine
Providence ordained th a t in th e y ear following there
would be an event to draw still m ore public attention: the
weeping of O ur Lady's statue! N aturally criticism flared.
The mockery of th o se who attrib u ted this phenom ena to
124.
hum an m achinations and th e voices of those who denied
the su p e rn a tu ra l c h ara cter of the events, seem ed to
overwhelm the protest of believers who recognize the
Hand of God with a simple faith. The clergy show ed an
indifferent attitu d e, if not negative, to the whole affair...
and despite th e official recognition of the su p ern atu ra l
origin of the events by th e B ishop of the place, in April of
1984, many^continued in an attitu d e of doubt or disbelief.
As is w ritten in the Bible, w ould the Virgin Mary also be a
sign of contradiction?
But O ur Lady was not finished. She had no intention of
leaving u s an d the world in doubt.
P ilgrim
Virgin
o f th e
W orld
A p o s to la te
o f F a tim a
a n d O ur
Lady of
A k ita
to g e th e r
in A k ita ,
N ov.,
1987
125.
Chapter Eleven
The Statue W eeps
It was about 9 o'clock in the m orning on Ja n u a ry 4, (the
first Friday) 1975. The spirits of all were still im pregnated
w ith the joyous atm osphere of the festivities which filled the
first days of the New Year. I w as in the presbytery w hen they
ra n to tell me: “The statue o f the Virgin is weeping!”
Since this w as th e last day of a retre at which I w as giving
to the sisters I h a d begun to prepare the sermon, b u t I
immediately p u t down my pen and w ent to see the statu e.
It was norm al to hope th a t some sign from Heaven would
still happen in order to enable people to believe in the three
m essages given by O ur Lady to S ister Agnes. I myself m ore
or less was aw aiting another m iracle.
And as I reflect u p o n it well, th is kind of prodigy, which
no one in the world expected, is w ithout doubt the m ost
appropriate m iracle for such a m essage. This touching
grace from Heaven is in perfect harm ony with the co n ten t
of the m essages, filling the h eart a t once with profound
gratitude.
The notes and recollections of S ister Agnes, who w as one
of the first w itnesses, recalls th a t first day when the sta tu e
wept: “It was the tim e of prayer which follows breakfast.
S ister K., who w as putting the chapel in order, cam e
running to call me while I w as still in th e corridor, ‘A gnes...
come see!’
“Wondering w hat w as happening, I followed her into the
chapel. She pointed with h er finger to the statu e of the
Virgin. W hat is it?’ I asked her, looking at her face which
h ad taken on a n unearthly color. The pointing finger
seem ed like a trem bling leaf. Approaching the statu e I w as
shocked on seeing th e face. W ater w as accum ulating in the
two eyes.
“‘Oh! W ater... ’ I said to myself w hen the w ater suddenly
began to ru n down. ‘Water which flows from the eyes... b u t
then, those are tears!’ I thought to myself: ‘Could these be
the tears of the Blessed Virgin?’ I asked Sister K., b u t she
rem ained fixed an d h er lips were trembling.
.
126
“Feeling my knees give way, I prostrated myself. Then
coming to m yself I said th at som ething had to be done. I ran
to the telephone to advise the F ather who w as in the
presbytery at th a t m om ent. Then there w as general
astonishm ent. F ather im m ediately arrived an d all the
com m unity gathered in the chapel in the space of a few
m om ents. P rostrated in th e back, I did not have the
courage to approach the statue. I prayed within m yself with
all my strength , ‘Holy Mary, p ard o n me. It is I who have
made you cry. Pardon! Lord, p ardon me becau se I am a
sinner.’
“Mary w eeps because we have not taken co u n t of all the
graces obtained by Her intercession! I was ab ash ed by the
weight of regret.
“T hat day the tears appeared two more tim es. The
second time w as about one o'clock in the afternoon. As two
of the sisters who were on retreat h ad to leave sooner, I went
to gather m edals placed in offering before the sta tu e of Mary
because 1 w as sacristan th a t day. When I looked into the
face of O ur Lady to greet Her, after taking the m edals from
the table, I w as am azed to see th e tears again startin g to
flow. I felt m yself shaken with an emotion still stronger
than the first time, perhaps becau se I had discovered them
myself and so close up. I took hold of myself an d informed
the sister who w as at the other end of the chapel. And I
hastened to tell (he others. They all soon arrived with the
Father and we recited the Rosary.
“At 4 o'clock Father Y asuda began his talk. I was
touched w hen he explained th a t these tears were the
authentic proof of the m essages. The emotion w hich I had
stifled until th e n suddenly overwhelmed me an d I felt my
body drained of all its energies. After the serm on. Father
noticed th a t I w as in su ch a w eak state th a t I w as unable
to rise although my com panions seemed to have thought
simply th a t I w as delaying to pray.
“The te a rs began to flow a third time while I was
rem aining th u s for a long m om ent absorbed in prayer.
Towards 6:30 in the evening, th e sister who cam e to ring the
dinner bell w as the one who saw it first. The two of u s were
in the chapel praying. This tim e th e tears did n o t flow by
accum ulation an d th en overflowing from the eyes. They
127.
stream ed one after the other. It flowed, flowed... in a
continual flux, they formed stream s on the cheeks, the
chin, down to th e breast, an d fell drop by drop.
“I found ju s t th e strength to p ro strate myself, repeating
in myself w ithout being able to move my lips, ‘Holy Mary,
Holy Mary, why to such a degree?’ The sisters who came
seemed also deeply im pressed. Even those who had
rem ained perplexed the first two tim es, p erh ap s because
they had not seen well, appeared convinced th is time of the
evidence of th e miracle
“Meanwhile, th e Bishop h ad arrived and seeing th e tears
for the first tim e, had cotton brought and he him self
gradually dried th e te ars.” T h u s en d s the detailed report
from the intim ate jo u rn al of S ister Agnes.
Twenty perso n s were w itnesses of these three su cces­
sive lachrym ations. Ordinarily th ere would be less th a n ten
sisters present in the convent, b u t m em bers of other
regional b ran ch es had joined u s for the New Year retreat.
As for myself, who had observed th is phenom enon very
closely each tim e, I was profoundly touched by it.
Both eyes of th e wooden sta tu e shone, liquid accu m u ­
lated, overflowed, stream ed, exactly as would te ars from
the eyes of a h u m a n being. Each one in tu rn spoke of it as
if being present at the tears o f a living person. The tears
appeared on the inside edge of th e eyes where lachrym al
glands would be located, flowed along the nose, the cheeks,
then fell drop by drop, exactly like a h u m an person who
would cry while m aintaining the sam e position. The drops
hesitated on the chin like little pearls, accum ulated on the
collar of the garm ent, rolled on th e cincture, followed the
foldings of the robe and fell down upon the globe.
Who would pretend to give a n a tu ra l explanation to such
a phenom enon? The scientific analysis of the liquid m ade
immediately afterw ards showed th a t it w as indeed a q u es­
tion of “h u m an te a rs.” And w hen one sees liquid flowing
from the eyes of a wooden statu e, w hen the latter is so dry
th a t it is already slightly cracked in some places, one
cannot help b u t th in k th a t th ese are th e true tears of Mary
brought forth again by the creative power of God. W hether
they believe in th e su p ern atu ral n a tu re of the facts or not.
128.
every w itn ess who h as seen th is h as been profoundly
touched b ecau se they really h a d the im pression of seeing
Our Lady H erself crying. W ith tim e it seem ed th a t some
began to doubt. However, w hen one tries to deal w ith the
miracle solely w ith the light of h u m an intelligence one
u n d erstan d s nothing and solves nothing; it is evident th a t
Ihe approach by h u m an intelligence alone is th e open door
lo skepticism .
If one consid ers th a t a m iracle tran scen d s all th e laws of
nature an d could be caused only by the All Powerful God,
Io ask w h eth er it is a question of a little m iracle or a big
miracle doesn't m ake sense. One can only bow before the
mystery. For some time there were some people who not
only took th e facts lightly, b u t who even tried in every way
(o explain th e m away by su ch th eses as “ectoplasm ic
faculties of S ister Agnes,” even though there w as n o t the
slightest sh re d of support for su ch an affirmation.
In the following ten years, scientific studies excluded any
other explanation than the supernatural. In m y opinion, it
is as im possible for a m an to cau se h u m an te a rs to flow
If om a piece of wood as to change w ater into wine. I feel th a t
here we are in th e presence of a prodigy as u n h e a rd of as
that at th e m arriage feast of C ana in the Gospel of Jo h n
when J e s u s transform s w ater into wine.
The sta tu e h ad been carved from the hard wood of the
Ju d ea tree te n years before by M. Saburo W akasa, a
sculptor renow ned in the area. It had completely dried out
during the y ears since it w as m ade and little crac k s had
begun to appear. It is already m iraculous if w ater would
flow from su c h m aterial, b u t it is still more prodigious that
a liquid slightly salty, o f the nature o f true human tears,
should have flow ed precisely from the eyes.
In the beginning, everyone w as so am azed th a t no one
thought of tak in g a picture, b u t th is w as done su b se ­
quently an d th e objective proof rem ained th u s preserved.
The lachrym ations had begun on the 4th of J a n u a r y 1975,
and they were succeeded at m ore or less reg u lar intervals,
sometimes day after day, u n til th e 15th of Septem ber,
1981! The phenom enon occurred one h u n d red an d one
times! And it goes w ithout saying th a t this never happened
in exactly th e sam e way as th ough in a stereotype scenario.
129.
The quantity and m a n n er w as each time different as would
be the case with h u m a n beings.
R eaction to the M ystery
If the eyew itnesses of the three lachrym ations of the 4 th
of J a n u a iy showed m ore or less the sam e degree of a sto n ­
ishm ent, one nevertheless rem arks g reat diversity in the
final attitude of each one. And in su c h a case one is
confronted, w hether one w ishes it or not, with an objective
reality impossible to deny. When one finds oneself before
a m ystery which defies the laws of n atu re , after the first
astonishm ent one a sk s w hat such a m ystery could m ean.
And the more disconcerting the fact, th e more one looks
for the true reason. W hen th a t ap p ears to be a sign coming
from God, one needs to exercise p ru d en t discernm ent
w ith a disposition of profound veneration.
W hen some m arvel is produced th ro u g h skillful h u m an
artifice (such as a magic act) forgetfulness soon gives way
to the first reaction of surprise. Furtherm ore, mystic
theologians say th a t if the marvels come from a diabolical
action, the surp rise felt in the beginning dim inishes with
tim e without exercising lasting influence on the spirit.
In sum m ary, w hen it is a question of Divine Intervention
it necessarily carries a profound m eaning in relation to the
“sign” given by Heaven and m an conform s to the Will of God
in recognizing it as su ch . These signs do not contradict the
Gospel. They bring hom e to u s the prom ise made by Je su s:
“J am with you until the end o j the world. ”
W hat then are the first interpretations given to the “tears
of the Virgin?”
Words of the Angel
As we have already seen. Sister Agnes who discovered
the te ars the second time, rem ained p rostrated because of
h e r emotion, incapable of moving. Even after the last
Benediction of the Blessed Sacram ent which closed the
retre at of the New Year, she was unable to rise and she sent
one of the sisters to a s k the Bishop an d myself to come to
th e chapel.
130.
Later we h ad h e r write down for u s exactly w hat sh e told
u s at th a t m om ent: “During the Rosary after the talk,* I
again saw the g u ard ian angel who h ad not appeared for a
long time (it w as the first tim e since the curing of my
deafness) and sh e said the R osary with m e.” T hen she
disappeared for a m om ent, retu rn in g during th e p ray er of
silence a little after the profession of the lay m em bers.
“She told me: ‘Do not be so surprised to see the Blessed
Virgin weeping. She weeps because She wishes the conver­
sion of the greatest number; She desires that souls be
consecrated to Jesus and to the Father by Her interces
sion.**
“'He who directs you told you during the last sermon
today; your fa ith diminishes when you do not see. It is
because your fa ith is weak. The Blessed Virgin rejoices in
the consecration o f Japan to Her Immaculate Heart because
She loves Japan. But She is sad to see that this devotion is
not taken seriously. ** Even though She has chosen this land
o f Akita to give Her messages, the local pastor doesn't dare
to comeforfear o f what one would say. Do not be afraid. The
Blessed Virgin awaits you all. Her hands extended to pour
forth graces. Spread devotion to the Virgin. She rejoices in
the profession o f the lay members consecrated today by Her
intercession in conformity to the spirit o f your Institute. You
must not consider the lay members thus consecrated as o f
little importance. The prayer which you have the custom o f
saying, ‘Grant to Japan the grace o f conversion through the
intercession o f the Virgin Mary, ’ is pleasing to the Lord.
“‘You who have believed while seeing the tears o f Mary,
when you have permission o f your superior speak to the
greatest number in order to console the hearts o f Jesus and
Mary. Spread this devotion with courage fo r Their greater
glory.
“‘You will transmit my words to your superior and to him
who directs you. ’ She leaned forward to look at me an d th e n
disappeared.
*Sister Agnes is referring to the last talk of the retreat given by
Father Yasuda w hich had preceded the Rosary and the closing
Benediction.
**For further explanation of this very im portant m essage see The
Meaning o f Akita.
131.
The first w ords of the angel, “Do not be surprised,”
appear like a n encouragem ent an d an exhortation to the
sister who rem ained prostrate w ithout moving a t sight of
the tears. The angel th en explains th a t the te a rs of Our
Lady were sh ed to ask the conversion of th e greatest
num ber. W hen she adds, “Mary weeps because She wishes
that souls be consecrated to Jesus and to the Father through
Her intercession," the angel in sists on the urgency of the
request.
With regard to the profession of the lay m em bers, the
angel a ssu re s u s th a t souls consecrated in conformity with
the spirit of th e Institute please th e heavenly F ath er and
His Son. She w arns u s ag ain st considering th is act of
consecration lightly. The consecration to Mary w hich leads
us to J e s u s , J e s u s leading u s to th e Father and to the Holy
Trinity, is in conformity with th e teaching and tradition of
the Church.
It is touching th a t Mary h ad indeed chosen th is land of
Akita to spread Her graces upon J a p a n which She desires
so m uch to lead to the faith. Is th is not the grace called forth
by the blood an d tears of a m u ltitu d e of m artyrs since the
coming of S aint Francis Xavier four centuries before?
But this is n o t a m essage only for Jap an . It applies to all
the world w hich h as been consecrated to the Im m aculate
Heart of Mary, and especially to nations which have been
consecrated, a s well a s individuals. Each must make the
consecration effective.
R eaction
On Monday J a n u a ry 6th, two years later, there w as the
New Year's reun io n of all the p riests of the district of Akita
which I atten d ed in the com pany of Bishop Ito. After having
passed in review all th e subjects on the agenda one of the
priests said: “I have heard sp eak of lachrym ations of the
statue of th e Virgin and I do not know w hat to think.
Bishop, could you give u s your opinion?”
And another, w ithout w aiting for the Bishop's answer,
said: “In our time, this kind of event interests no one. One
would be m uch b etter to be com pletely quiet concerning it.”
For him it w as som ething to be filed away.
132.
A nother priest spoke: “W hen I did my theology I chose
the Virgin Mary as the su b ject of study. This led m e to read
the w orks of num erous F a th e rs of the C hurch on the
m atter. I noticed two things: a t th a t time the dogm a of the
A ssum ption h ad not yet b een prom ulgated, b u t I had
become certain th a t one day th is would take place. The
second thing concerns the question of Mary, M ediatrix of all
graces. This Is not yet a dogma, b u t I have u n derstood little
by little th a t in the n ear fu tu re it will be.
“W hen I heard th a t blood h a d flowed from the statu e I
rem em bered having once seen a red and salty liquid, like
resin, sw eat from the surface wood that was several years
old. I concluded th a t th a t m u s t have been the case here.
But for tears, it is difficult to find a satisfactory explanation
and I ra th e r tend to believe th a t this is som ething su p er­
natural. This said, as long a s one has no scientific proof of
the n a tu re of th is liquid, one cannot affirm with certitude
that there w as truly a Divine Intervention.” Finally the
Bishop him self spoke: “I h ad seen the wound on the hand
of the sta tu e and the blood flow, b u t I w as m u ch more
im pressed w hen I dried the te a rs which flowed from the
eyes. I truly felt that I w as in the presence of a m iracle.”
G radually a s the m ost diverse opinions were voiced one
after the other, I came to a decision. It was n ecessary to find
scientific proof. Shortly afterw ards, I w ent to seek the
counsel of Professor O k u h ara of the faculty of m edicine of
Akita. I show ed him the ban d ag es which h ad served to
sponge the blood six m o n th s before and the cotton used to
dry the te a rs of the 4th of J a n u a ry . On his recom m enda­
tions I asked Professor Sagisaka of the F aculty of Legal
Medicine* to m ake a rigorous scientific exam ination.
It goes w ithout saying th a t we did not tell him the origin
of the liquids subm itted for exam ination in order not to
harm the objectivity of the stu d ies. After two long weeks of
waiting the following re su lts were com m unicated to me:
“The matter adhering on the gauze is human blood. The
sweat and the tears absorbed in the two pieces o f cotton are
of human origin. ”
“The Faculty of Legal Medicine refers to a medical exam iner, a
pathologist.
133.
The objects subm itted to th is scientific exam ination
reveal the presence of strange bodies due to th e contact of
the fingers w hich had used th e gauze and cotton to absorb
the blood an d tears. But th is h ad no bearing upon the
result.
F urtherm ore (and th is w as a n amazing fact for one who
knew the a ctu al origin of th e m aterials) when th e blood was
examined it w as found to belong to group B, and the sweat
and tears belonged to group AB. Now it is un th in k ab le and
scientifically impossible th a t th e sam e person belong to
different groups.
The reaso n for this soon becam e apparent. It will be
recalled th a t th e su p ern atu ral n atu re of these events was
the theory of ectoplasm, w hich suggested th a t S ister Agnes
in som e m ysterio u s way tra n sm itte d h er own blood
“through the air” to the statu e. However unreasonable it
sounds, it is am azing how th is completely u n supported
theory dam pened faith.
And th is happened because w hen the scientific results
were published, the Catholic Graph in a first article pointed
out th a t th e blood w as group B. And Sister Agnes belongs
to this sam e group. In a second article they ignored the fact
that the te a rs belonged to group AB, preferring to retain a
“certain coherence with the preceding article.”
T hus the first com mission inquiring into the s u p e rn a tu ­
ral ch aracter of the events did not know th a t the tears
belonged to group AB, and th u s had extended th eir theory
lo conclude th a t Sister Agnes had, by an ectoplasmic
power, transferred both h er blood and tears to the statue.
In reality, it w as a hasty conclusion refuted by the reality
of the events. T ruth cannot be stifled by arg u m en ts which
at first ap p ear satisfying, b u t which do not stan d up u nder
serious analysis.
Was there indeed anything more Heaven could have done
to remove all argument and to convince the world? Some­
time later, on A ugust 22nd 1981 (Feast of O ur Lady Queen
of the World) te ars again flowed from the statu e. This
resulted in even more solid scientific confirm ation as we
shall soon see.
ttt
134.
Chapter Twelve
The Virgin and S ain t Francis X avier
On A ugust 15th, 1549, F east of th e A ssum ption of the
Virgin Mary, Saint F rancis Xavier, m essenger of the good
news of Jesuis Christ, landed in J a p a n for th e first time at
the port of Kagoshima. It is a recorded historic fact. By an
effect of Divine Providence th e Virgin w ished th at th is
precise day be the one for th e people of J a p a n to first meet
C hristianity. And it goes w ithout saying th a t th is event led,
through th e blessing an d grace of God, to a n impressive
num ber of vocations in o u r country.
W hen he set foot on th is co m er of the J a p a n e s e archi­
pelago, F rancis Xavier certainly did not fail to show his love
and devotion to the Virgin Mary who h ad preserved him
from dangers through a m o st perilous crossing. Beyond
doubt he consecrated J a p a n to Her Im m aculate H eart and
prayed for h er conversion on th is solem nity w hen Mary is
honored in Her greatest glory.
I rem em ber having seen a film in my younger years on
the discovery of America by C hristopher C olum bus. I
vividly rem em ber the moving scene in which th e troop of
navigators hum bly kneels in prayer on the b a n k s of the
unknow n country where th e ir boat h as landed.
It is unthinkab le th a t a sa in t like F rancis Xavier, driven
by an ard en t m issionary zeal, would not have made a
fervent prayer of supplication to the Lord an d asked Mary
to intercede for the su ccess of his m ission on th is blessed
day, the F east of Her A ssum ption. As a m a tte r of fact, the
prayer of the saint and th e help of Mary from the very
beginning h ad rem arkable effects on the evangelization of
Jap an . However, terrible persecutions followed shortly
afterw ards on the part of th e ru lers and there b eg an a tragic
period w ithout precedent in th e history of J a p a n m arked by
executions and tortures w ith o u t num ber.
If th e te a rs of Mary were n o t visible to th e eyes of m en at
(hat tim e, is it not certain th a t they m ixed with the
m ultitude of so many m a rty rs whose blood reddened the
land of th e Rising Sun?
135.
The Martyrs o f Akita
Recalling th e words of th e angel addressed to Sister
Agnes: “The Virgin has chosen this land o f Akita to give Her
messages. ” I looked into a book relating the history of the
m artyrs of Akita in the hope of finding some w itness to the
seeds of grace which could have been sown d uring those
years of suffering. I will recite a brief passage from the
rem arkable stu d y of Mr. T etsujo Muto, entitled History oj
the Christians o f Akita: Snow. Blood, and Holy Cross:
“The th ird of J u n e in the first year of the Kan'ei era ( 1624)
m arked the beginning of th e sad history of th e C hristians
of Akita. On this day took place the first executions in the
fiefdom.”
The book goes on to quote from the jo u rn al of Masakage,
young b ro th er of the judge of the castle, who w as a person
feared by all the C hristians a s though the devil in person.
In this jo u rn a l Masakage records the three things he did on
Ju n e the 3rd: “One, I left th e castle with my m usket. Two,
I had 32 C hristians burned, 2 0 of them m en an d 12 women.
Three, it w as a nice day.”
The book continues: “T his is the only living chronicle
which h a s come down to u s concerning th e genocide
perpetrated against the Ja p a n e s e C hristians in th is region
at the beginning of the 17th century.”
One is profoundly shocked by the last w ords “It was a
nice day,” w hose cruel echo com es down to u s despite the
separation of three centuries. At the sam e time, th e reader
sees rolling on before his eyes the sacrifice of som e dozens
of crucified suffocating on th e gibbet in the m idst of the
flames an d fire which m o u n t tow ards the heavens under
leaden sky...
C rasset recalls the scene in his work History O f Christi­
anity In Japan: “When th e believers had been brought to
the place of suffering, they were attached one by one to
stakes w hich had been set in th e ground a little ap art from
each other. Kindling wood w as placed around th em and set
afire. W ith a single h eart an d a single soul they called upon
the Lord the Savior while raising their eyes to Heaven and
accom plishing their m artyrdom . The bodies were kept for
three days by some men.
136.
“S trange to say, certain g u ard s began to say th a t the
sky w as illum inated during th e night. One of th em advised
some believers and all w ished to see th e m ysterious p h e­
nom enon, going even to p a s s the night on the roofs of
houses. The third evening, a large cloud covered the sky
and a heavy rain fell on m ore th a n 300 perso n s gathered
at the places. These events brought great comfort to the
C hristians, and the p ag an s were am azed to see such
prodigies take place before th eir eyes.
“W hen J o h n Kiemon w as tied to the stake, a m anuscript
fell from his pocket. W hat w as w ritten upon it reveals to u s
the depth of his devotion tow ards the Virgin Mary:
“‘Holy Virgin, filled w ith Divine grace, it is through Your
M aternal tenderness th a t a being as unw orthy a s I h as been
able to believe in Your Son J e s u s C hrist and to render Him
homage.
“‘Deign to preserve m y wife and my children from the
sufferings of hell and preserve us in the faith u n til death.
“‘Holy Mother, in my so great w eakness how will I find the
courage to b ear by m yself th e great trial? G rant me by the
grace of your Divine Son th e strength to overcome my fear.
I do not beg help because of fear of falling into hell. My only
desire is to offer myself in holocaust in the flam es of the
wood. Very good Mother, do not disdain my prayers and
deign to protect o u r wives, our children, an d all our
com panions th a t they m ay rem ain firm in the faith and in
the Holy Doctrine until th e h o u r of death.
“‘My soul experiences a n ardent desire for the Holy
Doctrine preached and cultivated w ithout su rcease by the
priests of J a p a n . I am aw are of the daring of su c h a req u est,
but I know also th at J e s u s , from the height of the cross,
gave u s Mary for a Mother. T hat is why, despite my fear, I
come to implore Your h elp .’”
It is certainly not by ch an ce th a t Mary chose th is land of
Akita, reddened by the blood of so m any m arty rs, to give
Her m essage and to m anifest Her tears. The angel contin­
ues w ith the assurance:
“Do not fear. The Blessed Virgin awaits you all. Her
hands extended to distribute graces. ”
How can we fail to lend a n attentive ear to su c h a warm
invitation?
137.
The Second E vangelization o f Japan
Two h u n d red and eighty years after th is sad page in
C hristian history. F ath er F aucade of the foreign m issions
of Paris arrived in J a p a n an d laid the foundations of a new
evangelization. Landing a t th e Port of Naha on May 1st,
1844, he celebrated M ass in the infirmary of a w ar ship.
After a prayer of thanksgiving, he consecrated J a p a n to the
Im m aculate H eart of Mary. The text of th a t prayer of
C onsecration is reported to u s by F ath e r W asaburo
U rakawa in the first volum e of Resurrection o f the Chris­
tians:
“Oh, m ost Holy H eart of Mary, m ost beautiful, m ost
pure, m ost honorable, stain less fountain of goodness, of
sw eetness, of com passion a n d of love, throne of all virtues,
h eart m ost tender and w orthy of praises an d above all
except the Divine H eart of J e s u s , to You who have confided
to me, despite my extreme w eakness, the charge of spread­
ing the Gospel in these islands, I present an d consecrate
them in so far as it is possible in order th a t You m ay take
them u n d e r Your special protection.
“W hen the work of evangelization will have begun in
such a w ay th a t a solid b a se will have been m ade with a
sufficient num b er of persons snatched from th e ir vain idols
and gained to th e C hristian faith and a chapel constructed,
I prom ise at once to send a request to the Holy See in Rome
in order th a t th e entire co u n try may be placed u n d er Your
protection by public and official act.
“Oh, m ost merciful H eart of Mary, H eart m ost powerful
with th e Sacred H eart of J e s u s so th a t it h a s never been
heard or know n th a t anyone who h as sought Your protec­
tion h a s been abandoned, do not despise my hum ble
prayers. Make my h eart ever better, dissipate th e fog which
holds it in darkness. Confronted by great difficulties and
great dangers, I come to im plore the graces of humility,
prudence, intelligence, an d courage. Since th e All-Power­
ful and Very C om passionate God, F ather Son and Holy
Spirit, h a s chosen th e m iserable person I am according to
w hat is w ritten: W hat is despised by the world, God h as
chosen: th a t which is not to bring to nothing th a t which is,
( 1 C orinthians 1: 28)... in o rder th a t He m ay deign to bring
138.
the light of the Gospel an d to eternal life th is people plunged
for several centuries into dark n ess an d death . Amen.”
It w as only shortly afterw ards th a t J a p a n p u t an end to
its policy of closed borders and a t the sam e tim e the long
persecutions of C hristians cam e to an end. Nevertheless,
C hristianization did not progress. The faith spread b u t
slowly an d the m issions rem ained alm ost w ithout effect.
T hen cam e the w ar in th e Pacific w hich w as a catastro ­
phe w ithout precedent in the history of th e Jap an ese
people. It ended w ith th e disaster of H iroshim a and
N agasaki and the capitulation o f August 15, 1945, Feast of
the A ssum ption. For th e som e ninety th o u s a n d Catholics
of th is country, it w as a coincidence willed by Divine
Providence which would suggest once again th e close link
of th e ir country with the Virgin Mary. With com m on accord
the assem bly of Ja p a n e se bishops, following th e example of
F ather Faucade, of whom we have spoken above, decided
lo consecrate the n atio n to the Im m aculate H eart of Mary
and encourage this devotion among the Catholics.
On th e 4th of Ja n u a ry , 1975, when the s ta tu e wept three
times, th e angel said to S ister Agnes: “The Holy Virgin re­
joices in the consecration o f Japan to Her Immaculate Heart
because She loves Japan. But She is sad to see that this
devotion is not taken seriously.” Filial love tow ards Mary,
M other of God and given to be Mother of all hum anity, h as
always been considered a s a devotion am ong the m ost
orthodox throughout th e ages with a foundation in trad i­
tion a s well as in scripture. Sustained by th e love of Mary,
the C hristians of whom we have spoken resisted cruel
persecutions and were able to consum m ate th eir m artyr­
dom. S uch h as always been the love of the Virgin for J a p a n
and H er attachm ent to th e Jap an ese people.
B ut th e n what is the m eaning of those te a rs shed today?
The “Prayer Of C onsecration of J a p a n to th e Im m aculate
H eart of Mary” is found on page 241 of th e collection of
prayers used in all th e Catholic ch u rch es of Ja p a n . B ut if
one could borrow the penetrating look of th e angel to see
into th e se sam e ch u rch es, would one find m an y C hristians
tu rn in g to th a t page? Or even if it is not said orally, in how
m any ch u rch es can one find a faithful devotion to Maiy
anim ated by this intention?
139.
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE:
R eaders o f this book outside o f Japan may easily apply alm ost every
word above to them selves and to th eir ow n nation. F o llo w in g the appeal
o f O ur L ad y o f Fatim a, m ost countries have been consecrated to the
Im m aculate H eart o f M ary, and the entire world has five tim es been
consecrated to the Im m aculate H eart o f Mary by the H oly F ather, m ost
recently on M arch 2 5 ,1 9 8 4 , in union with all the bishops o f the world.
And yet indeed, how m any even think o f this consecration, let alone try
to understand w hat it really m eans and how it applies to each one
individually? This is critical in the m essages o f O ur L ad y o f Fatim a and
at A kita. A s Pope John Paul II explains, the consecration m eans an
entrustm ent o f ourselves to M ary (even as O ur L ord entrusted us to Her
from the C ross) and bringing the reality o f this entrustm ent into our lives
by such devotions as the S capular an d the Rosary. A lso these tears o f
O ur L ady in Japan should have a special m eaning for everyone in the
U nited S tates, the nation w hich destroyed N agasaki and H iroshim a with
the atom ic bom b, ending the Pacific W ar on the F east o f the Assum ption
in 1945. T h e econom ic ties today betw een the U. S. and Japan are such
that despite the great distance betw een the two nations there are cultural
and econom ic ties all the m ore am azing because o f the w ounds of w ar
w hich preceded them.
ttt
We live in a time w hen it is not rare to see all prayers of
petition through the intercession of Mary tak en lightly.
There are even persons who protest about su p erstition and
even heresy. And before subjecting such cries to the proof
of argum ent, one m u st say th a t such proposals are a
flagrant ru p tu re with th e official position of th e Church.
V atican Council II an n o u n ced clearly regarding M arian
devotion: “All C hristians m u s t pray to Mary, M other of God
and M other of men, in o rd er th a t She m ay continue to
intercede today with Her Divine Son in the com m union of
all the sa in ts because Mary, by Her fervent supplication,
helped the C hurch from its beginning and is elevated above
all the angels and all th e sa in ts.” Doesn't O ur Lady weep
because th is text of the Council h as been left alm ost in
complete oblivion? The angel follows w ith these words
of encouragem ent: “The prayer that you are accustomed to
140.
say, ‘Grant to Japan the grace o j conversion through the
intercession o f theVirgin Mary,’ is pleasing to the Lord.”
In th e convent of th e H andm aids of th e E ucharist, th is
prayer is recited every day before the R osary in th e presence
of the Blessed Sacram ent exposed.
This prayer which we have the custom of saying each day
in o u r com m unity, w hich finds its origin in S aint Francis
Xavier, w as repeated som e time later by F ath er Faucade
and reform ulated in a recent time by th e Assembly of
.Japanese Bishops. Full of filial ten d ern ess an d confidence
one does not fail to recite it with ever renew ed devotion.
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE:
B ishop Ito asked for the translation of this book and its prom ulgation
in the w orld because he w as convinced that the m essage o f O ur Lady o f
Akita is not only for Japan b u t for every nation. H ow ever, as O ur Lady
exhorts the people of Japan to recall their consecration to Her Im m acu­
late H eart as a nation, so each o f us should pray for o u r ow n countries
and w eep and make reparation for our own national sins and our own
lack o f response to this critical m essage from H eaven, recalling that the
chastisem ent o f which O ur L ady speaks threatens every nation, and that
O ur L ady has been appointed by G od to save us and bring us peace. She
said this explicitly in H er m essage o f A kita as She has said it at Fatim a.
In the w ords o f Jacinta, "G od has entrusted the p ea c e o f the w orld to
H er." In O ur Lady's own w ords, “ If My requests are heard... an era o f
peace w ill be granted to m ankind."
ttt
141.
Chapter Thirteen
The R equested Sacrifice
S ister Agnes lost h e r hearing on th e 16th of March,
1973. For a time after th e m orning call, sh e did not speak
to anyone and was not aw are of the abnorm al state of h er
ears. W hen the telephone ran g about 6:30 in th e morning
the sou n d had seemed som ew hat distant. W hen she took
up the phone she could h ard ly distinguish th e voice at the
other end (a sister w as calling from the m o th er house of
Akita). Then suddenly sh e w as again plunged into th a t
world of silence. The events which followed during the next
ten years little by little opened her eyes to th e profound
m eaning of this trial w hich w as the w ork of Divine Provi­
dence.
At th e m om ent it h appened, it was like a catastrophe for
h er and forced her to leave th e catechetical service which
h ad been going so well an d to come and take refuge in this
place of peaceful prayer lost in the fullness of nature. At
th a t time the com m unity w as small an d rarely received
visitors. All the sisters were of one heart in p rayer and daily
work. W hen Sister Agnes took up her work of sewing in h er
own room, she joined a p ray er with each movem ent of the
needle, never detaching h e r th oughts from the Lord. T hus
w ithout h er being aw are of it at all, h e r faith was being
purified in the crucible of trial and her h eart invited to the
g reatest intimacy with the Lord, in order th a t she might
become a pliable in stru m en t capable of receiving the
m essages of Mary.
The series of events w hich we have traced in th e previous
pages, and the m essage w hich is at th eir heart, began
shortly after Sister Agnes becam e deaf. The im portance of
th is trial w as underlined by O ur Lady H erself in Her first
words: “Is your deafness painful to bear? You will be cured,
be sure. Be patient... pray in reparation fo r the sins o f
humanity...’’ These simple w ords conceal a n entire in stru c­
tion.
W hat are we searching for in life in o u r time, whoever we
are? It can be sum m ed u p in two words: tem poral happi­
142.
ness. One finds a reaso n for living in th e pleasures of th e
world. One lives for diversion, leisure, a n easy life, to su ch
a point th a t one sees in w ork only the m e a n s of obtaining
leisure. The search for pleasure for th e body, the b a n ish ­
m ent of pains and an g u ish of th e spirit, become th e
ultim ate ends of life. And w hen these conditions cannot be
realized, it is common practice to b ran d ish slogans of social
ju stice or respect for th e rights of m an while declaring w ar
on o th e r men.
Carried on the wave of contem porary fashion, C hris­
tian s have more an d m ore difficulty living th e faith a s a total
offering to God, of offering the sufferings and sacrifices o f
each day in reparation for sins, an offering nevertheless
inherently necessary to the economy o f salvation. Certainly
it is not easy to rem ain serene and to w ithhold oneself
entirely from the influence of the overwhelming flood of
m aterialism which seem s to carry all before it, even w hen
one clings to the Catholic faith and tries to live it with the
help of grace.
One does not accept th e least suffering or the least effort
if th e se are not paid for in some way by a tem poral
satisfaction. The old proverb, “No good w ithout p ain ,”
seem s to be effaced from o u r memories. To b ear m oral pain
and physical suffering in a spirit of offering and of love for
God, patient acceptance of His Will, is a n attitu d e long
since relegated to th e m u seu m of alien follies of religion.
W hen one looks at th e Cross from th is angle, one can
easily u n d erstan d the dispositions of the crowd laughing at
this p u re sacrifice of expiation: “If you are the M essiah,
come down from the C ross and save Yourself!” Those of u s
who live following th e ta ste s of our tim e, do we not in a
certain way take up th is insulting cry of th e crowd? Dazzled
by th e needs of the world, do we forget th e needs of the
Kingdom and forget to look for the Divine Will?
We do not like th e sacrifices asked of u s an d seek by
every m ean s to avoid th e efforts which com e o u r way. And
if we hook on to the little happiness of th e m om ent, do we
not finish by m aking it a reason for being alive one day to
the o th e r and lose o u r tru e sense of th e C hristian religion
to w hich we thought ourselves attached? In th is perspec­
tive, th e trial of the d eafness which affected S ister Agnes,
143.
even if the causes were n atu ra l, m erits th a t we study it with
a special attention.
We have already spoken of the details of h e r m iraculous
cure, although provisional, which took place on the 13th of
O ctober, 1974. This cure h ad been announced on the 18th
of May. Let u s consider again the angel's words: “Your ears
will be restored in August or in October; you will hear, you
will be healed. But that will lastfo r only a moment, because
the Lord still wishes this offering, and you will become deaf
again. And seeing that your ears hear again, the heart o f
those who still doubt will melt and they will believe. Have
confidence and pray with good intentions. ”
Later, in the m essage of Septem ber 22, the angel de­
scribed in detail the circum stances in w hich th e cure would
take place. Then she ad d s in order th a t S ister Agnes m ight
u n d e rsta n d well th a t th is will be provisional: “Your ears will
hear fo r only a certain time, they will not be completely
healed, you will become d ea f again. The Lord still wishes
this offering... ”
W hen we realized th a t Sister Agnes h ad really been
cured we were am azed an d we all expressed to her our
sincere joy. But th is w as. despite everything, mitigated
because we knew th a t if h er ears had been healed in the way
predicted, they would also be closed again. And one could
not help b u t wonder with a certain anxiety, a s she did, ju s t
how long it would last. One had the im pression th a t this
m ight be shortly afterw ards, and putting th in g s in the best
light, one could also th in k th a t the delay would be shorter
even th a n hoped for.
On Thursday, the 6 th of March, 1975, I was in the
process of transporting a n enorm ous stone of several tons,
with the help of four w orkers, which I h ad chosen for the
G arden of Mary. We were moving it by sled on the snow.
Tow ards midday, hearing the voice of a sister who called me
from th e convent, I ran thinking it m u st be the telephone
only to learn th a t the sta tu e of the Virgin w as weeping.
It h a d not wept since th e 4 th of J a n u a ry , two m onths
before. I hastened to th e chapel in my w ork clothes and
w hen I w as close to the statu e, I saw th a t th e wood was wet
n e a r th e feet and th a t a drop rem ained on th e bottom of the
chin. While I was noting this, th e Bishop arrived and saying
144.
th a t one could not be su re w ithout touching it, he g athered
th e drop on his index finger w here it shone, visible to th e
eyes of all.
At th is precise m om ent one heard th e noise of a taxi
arriving at the en tran ce of the convent an d there w as th e
jo u rn alist from the Catholic Graph ! Not w ishing to let p a ss
su c h a n opportunity, he hastened to tak e out his cam era
b u t the photb show ed nothing because th e te ars h ad ju s t
stopped. If I had n o t recalled th is incident before, it is
b ecause there w as nothing else in p articu lar except th a t it
w as th e first lachrym ation after the th ree which took place
on J a n u a ry the 4th.
However, it w as from this day th a t S ister Agnes began to
experience violent h ead ach es w ithout anyone at first
knowing. During M ass of the First Friday of the m onth an d
on th e First S aturday, it redoubled in intensity to the point
th a t she rem ained p ro strate holding h er neck in h er h a n d s
after Communion. She refused to come for breakfast an d
kept h er prostrate position w ithout moving. Later she cam e
to see me and said: “I no longer h ear anything, a s the angel
h ad predicted. The angel looked at me with a com passion­
ate air and said: ‘Support that, until the time willed by the
Father,’ and then d isappeared.”
S ister Agnes h ad a presentim ent on the previous eve­
ning with a headache. She relates th a t it w as of the sam e
n a tu re as the h ead ach es with w hich she w as assailed
before her first deafness. It was not only a feeling of
heaviness, but she felt oppressed a s if one h ad placed a
steel pot over h er head with a deafening roar which
resounded as though in a tunnel or n ear a jet plane taking
off.
I took her the sam e day to the M unicipal Hospital of
Akita and to the specialist of the Hospital of the Red Cross.
The M unicipal H ospital delivered th e following m edical
certificate: “One m u s t fear a b ru tal lowering of hearing in
both ears. First con su ltatio n 7th of M arch, 1975. M ust
observe relative re st and undergo a treatm en t for th e
m om ent, (signature)” The Red Cross Hospital gave th e
following diagnosis: “Bad hearing of bo th ears. Annex:
Following the fall of auditive faculties, th e level of percep­
tion h a s been null even in regulating th e a p p a ra tu s to the
145.
m axim um . A regaining of th e auditive faculties in the
fu tu re is highly im probable. I certify th e above. (Date and
signature.)” Thus S ister Agnes found herself plunged into
a world cut off from all so und from th is day on, as it
happened two years before. And w hat is m ore, the doctors
declared it incurable after having su b m itted h er to m inute
exam inations.
However, as the angel h a d declared: “You will not hear
fo r a certain time... you will not yet be completely cured, ” it
w as perm itted to hope th a t she would be cured definitely
one day and all hope w as not lost. Moreover, the angel had
encouraged her to accept th is with patience, “Until the time
willedby the Father.” None of u s knew th e day nor the hour,
b u t all h earts were u n ited in prayer strengthened with a
new hope.
It is fitting th a t we should again take u p o u r reflection on
the m eaning of the m ysterious events concerning the
statu e. We have already seen th a t a m iracle is never given
w ithout a spiritual reason. M agicians do their tricks to
asto n ish spectators, b u t God does not tu rn over the laws of
n a tu re for the pleasure of am azing men.
Why the blood, th e sw eat, the perfum e, th e h undred and
one tim es that the statu e w ept? We have already said th at
these signs were given to verify the su p e rn a tu ra l character
of the m essages, m essages given through th e interm ediary
of th e sta tu e and of ears m ysteriously closed and then
m iraculously opened, closed again... with th e promise of a
final cure.
To su m up we can say th a t the first m essage is a greeting
and encouragem ent ad d ressed to the Sister; the second is
an invitation to sacrifice an d prayer offered to appease the
anger of the Father; finally, the third is a w arning against
eventual chastisem ent a n d a n exhortation to confidence in
O ur M other in Heaven. And perhaps th e following words of
the second m essage co n stitu te the essen tial of the entire
m essage: “Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I seek
souls to console Him. To appease the anger o f the Celestial
Father, I seek, with my Son, souls who repair by their
suffering and their poverty f o r sinners and ingrates. ”
M any m en in th is world afflict the Lord... one could say
th a t th e actual state of th e world is su ch th a t it appears to
146.
be th e contem porary version of the Way of the C ross m ade
by the Savior. In o u r day there is practically no m an who
h a s not heard sp eak of Christ. One know s His nam e, one
h a s m et Him in one way or another. And does not the great
contem porary m a ss have the sam e attitu d e tow ards Him as
th e Jew s of two th o u sa n d years ago? There w as no one to
console the Savior. One is, above all, preoccupied with
consoling oneself. C an one h ear anything other th a n
s h o u ts of injury an d of mockery? “I seek souls to console the
Master." W hat a poignant appeal!
Are we not being asked if we wish to console th e M aster?
To r u n to His help on th e road of Calvary and, like Veronica
w ho courageously offered a towel to dry the face of the Lord,
to brave the prejudices and the oppositions of the en to u ­
rage and to approach and participate w ith all of our being
in th e Holy Sacrifice?
We m u st recognize th a t believers them selves are fooled
by cu rren t fashion... flight before suffering, frantic se a rc h ­
ing for pleasure... an d end by renouncing the Cross. One
w ishes a C hristianity w ithout a cross, which accom m o­
d ates u s with salvation in sw eetness and w ithout m uch
effort.
Is it not because of this sad state of things th a t O ur
M other h as m anifested tears so m any tim es? And w hat is
going to happen if we continue to p ass over the dangerous
w arnings, feigning indifference despite the miracle of see­
ing te ars flowing from a statu e of wood?
In the first ch ap ter of Saint Luke one finds th is im p res­
sive passage: While Zachary, who will be the father of J o h n
the Baptist, p recu rso r of J e s u s, is incensing the altar in the
tem ple the Archangel Gabriel appears to announce th a t h is
wife Elizabeth is going to conceive a son. As he did not
immediately believe, the angel declares, “I have been sen t
to you to announce th is good news. B ut you will no longer
be able to speak u n til it happens. Indeed you have not
believed my words w hich will be fulfilled on the fixed day.”
S ister Agnes did n o t become deaf because she doubted
the w ords of the angel. R ather h er ears were cured, a s th e
angel predicted, b ecau se she at once believed. It is im por­
ta n t to note th a t God p u n ish ed Zachary for his lack of faith
in th e angel's word by sending a physical trial.
147.
N um erous fam ous exam ples show th a t God perm its the
direct Intervention of angels when events of great im por­
tance are involved, a s is the case here. The num erous
m anifestations of the angels and the m iracles which took
place at Yuzawadai are undeniable facts. Furtherm ore,
God willed th a t not only angels, b u t the Blessed Virgin
Herself appear in person to transmit Her messages. And
She did this in apoignant manner... weeping. W hen m en on
earth jo in sobs and flowing tears to their lam ents, they find
b reth re n to ru n to th e ir aid, to loyally h e a r them.
After so pathetic a n appeal from th eir M other in Heaven,
how m any tim es will it be necessary for m en to become
aware of the gravity of th e m om ent and to m ake honorable
am endm ent?
A ttach Great Im portance To This Day
S aturday,M ay 1st, 1976, was th e F e ast of Saint Joseph,
patron of workers. On th a t day we were awaiting eleven
visitors coming from Tokyo. Some m en of advanced age,
dwelling in the su b u rb w est of Tokyo for th e m ost part, had
formed a group which they called A nshinkai with the
purpose of deepening th eir faith while a t the sam e time
carrying on th eir professional activities in society. I had
transferred the M ass th a t day to the evening so they would
be able to participate an d pray with the sisters. Thus Lauds
had been followed by a tim e of adoration th a t morning,
w ithout Mass.
After breakfast S ister Agnes went tu the chapel and saw
th a t th e tears were flowing again from th e statue. The
previous lachrym ation h a d been one year an d two m onths
before, nam ely the 6 th of March of the preceding year.
Naturally, everyone w ent to the chapel an d we recited a
Rosary.
Then w hen Sister K. cam e about tw enty after nine to
m ake a sketch on draw ing paper, she found to h er asto n ­
ishm ent th a t the te a rs h ad begun again an d immediately
inform ed all the oth ers who again g athered to recite a
Rosary with her. I could not be p resent at th is second
lachrym ation because I left to give some co u rses in the city.
I w as told about it w hen I returned a little before midday.
148.
A half h o u r before vespers, which w as scheduled for 5
o'clock in the afternoon, one of th e sisters w ent to th e
chapel and again th e statu e w as weeping. A th ird Rosary
w as recited by th e entire com munity.
The group of visitors arrived later th a n expected, to ­
w ard s 8 o'clock in th e evening. We h ad been aw aiting
w ithout eating becau se the M ass h ad to precede the dinner.
Taking advantage of the holidays in th e m onth of May,
ab o u t twenty other persons were expected to arrive from
Niigata, Sendai, an d other regions.
The Mass which began at 8 o'clock w as said in ho n o r of
S ain t Joseph to th a n k him and to a s k his protection. It
ended about 9 o'clock. W hen everybody had left th e holy
place, I rem arked th a t Sister Agnes rem ained alone, p ro s­
tra te without moving since the end of h e r Comm union. A
little later she cam e to find me with a p ap er grasped in h e r
han d . The angel h a d appeared to h e r after Com m union.
T his is the text:
“Many men in this world afflict the Lord. Our Lady awaits
souls to console Him. Remain in poverty, sanctify yourself
and pray in reparationfor the ingratitudes and the outrages
o f so many men. The Rosary is your weapon. Say it with
care and more often f o r the intention o f the Pope, o f bishops
and priests.
“You must not forget these words (o f Mary). The Blessed
Virgin prays continually fo r the conversion o f the greatest
possible number and weeps, hoping to lead to Jesus and to
the Father souls offered to Them by Her intercession. For
this intention, and to overcome exterior obstacles, achieve
interior unity, form a single heart. Let believers lead a life
more worthy o f believers! Pray with a new heart.
“Attach great importance to this day fo r the glory o f God
and o f His Holy Mother. With courage spread this devotion
among the greatest number. Inform your superior and him
who directs you o f what I have told you. ” Saying th is th e
angel disappeared.
After reading th is I went to dinner a t th e presbytery w ith
the group of visitors. About tw enty m in u tes of ten in th e
evening we were still a t table an d they were recording som e
of th e happenings of their trip (they h ad traveled 700
kilom eters by car). The telephone rang. It w as a call from
149.
the convent. The statu e of Mary was again weeping for the
fourth tim e in the sam e day!
T hrough the dark night we all h asten ed to the chapel
and a t th e sight of the te a rs flowing from the eyes of the
sta tu e some prostrated themselves, o th ers sobbed, each
m anifesting his emotion in a different way. As on the other
occasions, I took out my Rosary and we m editated on the
Sorrowful Mysteries.
D uring the recitation of the Rosary, th e te a rs continued
to flow abundantly from both eyes down th e cheeks; the
drops fell from the chin to the b reast an d even wet the
pedestal. They finally stopped during th e second decade.
Among the visitors who h ad come to sp en d the night at
the convent, beginning with the twenty perso n s who were
not a p a rt of the Tokyo group, it seem s th a t certain ones had
the suspicion th at th ere w as some kind of fakery inside the
statu e. The next day, the third Sunday of E aster, I cited the
words of the angel quoted above during my serm on and
invited everyone p resent to reflect on th e m eaning of the
tears shed by O ur Lady. T hat day th ere were still m any
more visitors including four doctors. While we were dining
in a w arm and anim ated am biance, th e sam e news of the
previous evening cam e to cu t short o u r conversations. It
w as ab o u t 12:30.
Almost at once the chapel was full. This tim e even those
who h ad not been able to repress suspicions the evening
before began to weep and sob. The doctors present agreed
th a t th is could only be a prodigy. According to the records
of the com munity, there were 55 eyew itnesses that day.
The tears had flowed five times in two days, leaving for
the first time visible traces even on the cheeks after the
te ars disappeared. They are still visible today despite the
time th a t has since passed.
W itnesses
Afterwards, eleven of th e m en fromTokyo participated in
an interview for the Catholic Graph in th e nam e of all the
eyew itnesses of these days. Their testim ony w as repro­
duced later in a work entitled “Messages o f a Heavenly
Voice.” Here are some of th e testimonies:
ISO.
Testimony o f Mr. Shingi Saigusa (lawyer):
“After M ass we w ent to dinner a t th e House of S ain t
Jo sep h where th e m en were staying. It w as already late,
p erh ap s 9:30. We were at table w hen a telephone call from
the convent alerted u s th a t the sta tu e w as crying again.
F a th e rY a su d a to ld u s: ‘She is crying a t th is m om ent. W hat
shall we do?1
“Instinctively, everybody rose from the table to ru n to the
chapel. Indeed th e te ars flowed from the eyes of the statu e.
As form e, who w as th e first to arrive, I wept with sobs in my
voice. I was n e a r the foot of the alta r w hen the Rosary
began, but I w as un ab le to rep ress my tears which flowed
w ithout stopping. I believe th a t th e sta tu e shed more te a rs
th is day th a n the day before.
“After the prayer, we retu rn ed to the House of S aint
Jo sep h to finish dinner, b u t no one spoke fu rth er an d a
great emotion reigned around the tab le.”
Witness o f Mr. Mitsuo Kawashima:
“The next day, a little after m idday, we had sat down at
table when the new s came. We were then w itnesses a
second time. The te a rs of the night before had left traces
on the face and new drops stream ed on the cheeks.”
Witness o f Mr. Isao Suzuki:
“Having had a technical training, I have a tendency to
learn everything by reasoning. I am of those who prefer
n atu ra l explanations to su p ern atu ra l phenom ena. Also
the first time th a t I saw the tears, I asked myself at once if
it w as not due to th e rain which h ad humidified the wood.
It w as at the second lachiym ation th a t I truly experienced
a shock. There w as no n atu ra l explanation possible.”
Witness o f Mr. Eiji Hiroi:
“When I h eard th e news, I also asked if it w as not
hum idity because of the w eather an d when I understood
th a t this could not be the case as I observed the phenom e­
151.
non m ore closely, I th o u g h t of th e possibility of some fakeiy
with a syringe.
“However, the second tim e I clearly saw the tears flowing
from th e pupils and stream ing one after th e other. This
time I could not rem ain insensible before a prodigy which
su rp asse d all h u m an com prehension.”
Testimony o f Mr. Saimon Miyata (university professor):
“The second time, I do not know how to describe w hat I
felt a t the sight of the d rops which appeared in the com er
of the eyes giving off beautiful lum inous reflections before
pearling on the cheek.”
Witness o f Mr. Kiyokazu F ujit
“The first time, it w as so unexpected th a t I rem ained
stupefied. I had prayed the Rosary asking pardon for my
sins, though I could n o t raise my eyes an d looked simply at
the te a rs stream ing n e a r th e feet w ithout looking in greater
detail.
“The second time I observed attentively. Large drops
formed beads which flowed from the left eye onto the cheek
and I h a d the feeling of being face to face with a prodigy in
which no hum an artifice w as involved.”
Witness o f Mr. Tadao Moriguchv
“I also w as very im pressed the first time and I could not
observe the tears attentively, b u t I w as n o t yet convinced
th a t evening. W hen it h a d happened th e next day I looked
closely. It is not som ething which one can explain by
invoking simply n a tu ra l or psychic causes.
“Even for a n atheist it is inadm issible to decree th a t w hat
one does not u n d erstan d can n o t exist, an d to deny apriori
w ithout asking questions about w hat one h a s seen with
one's own eyes. I hope th a t w hat I saw (the su p ern atu ral
force m anifested before me) h as served to increase my
faith.”
152.
Witness of Mr. Yasuhiro Izaki (president o f a company):
“Certainly I h a d reason to go to Akita, b u t in no way did
I expect to see th e te a rs of the Virgin. Evidently I w as ready
to believe in the m iraculous events concerning the blood,
the perspiration, th e perfum es, b u t I did not have th e least
pretension, furtherm ore u n th o u g h t of, to go to verify them
myself.
“I indeed saw te a rs appear and accum ulate at the co m er
of the eyes and flow silently along th e cheeks. I immediately
prostrated myself, forgetting the world around me. I h ad
the very strong feeling th a t all of o u r little personal affairs
a n d the desires related to them are futile and vain. W as it
a n inspiration of Heaven?
“God has hidden these things from the learned and the
wise and has revealed them to little ones , the Bible teach es
us. I am filled with fear at the th o u g h t th a t the All Powerful
God has m anifested Himself to u s ... to th e nothingness th a t
I am.
“Faith is not a part of an individual, and still less, an
accessory. It m u st concern the entire personality, an d all
o u r actions. This is w hat I profoundly felt because of th is
experience.”
Witness of Mr. Fumio Ono:
“After the first lachrym ation I discussed it th a t evening
with Mr. Hiroi, an d we raised the possibility of fakery with
a syringe. The second time, while trying to keep my sang
froid (I told myself, ‘Don't become eccentric’) I decided to
look seriously.
“The tears formed and flowed w ithout stopping. I
approached very close to assu re m yself better. T hen I
understood th a t it w as not som ething to doubt and I prayed
the Rosary with th e others.”
Witness o f Mr. Hiroshi Kawasakv
“The second tim e, I approached w ithin 30 centim eters
(about one foot) from the statu e an d I saw tears large a s a
grain of rice come forth from the right eye and fall, throw ing
153.
off reflections of light. It w as of a b eau ty which h u m an
artifice, even though artistic, could not express. Had I been
alone I would have been tem pted to tak e th e drops which
h ad fallen to the foot of th e statu e an d place them on my
R osary.”
After citing th e above testim ony, th e editor of Catholic
Graph added: “The eleven w itnesses have different atti­
tudes. Some say th a t they will always repeat the sam e
testim ony w ithout ever changing a word, an d others are
m ore reserved and th in k th a t one m u st sp eak of th is with
prudence, taking into account the dispositions of the
perso n to whom we speak. B ut all are u n an im o u s in saying
one cannot deny th e events of Yuzawadai n o r take them
lightly and th a t they require a loyal inquiry whose resu lts
ought to be m ade public a s soon as possible.”
As for myself, I h ad been w itness of th e lachrym ations of
th e two days (except for th e second b ecau se I had gone to
the city) and I have already described w hat I saw. And since
th e n I have often spoken of this to n u m e ro u s visitors who
cam e to pray at the convent.
It seem s th a t the events of th is day, th e Feast of Saint
Jo se p h and First S aturday, m erit a m ore special attention
as suggested by the w ords of the angel. The exhortation to
“Attach a greater importance to this day, ” appears like the
assu ran ce th a t th e devotion to Saint Jo se p h pleases the
Lord (and to the importance o f the First Saturdays). Heaven
w ishes to encourage each one to bring th is into daily life.
B ut w hat stan d s out with p articular im portance in the
w ords of the angel is th e pressing invitation to p u t the
m essages of O ur Lady into practice.
As we have rem arked once before, could Heaven go to
any greater lengths to a ttra c t our atten tio n an d im press u s
with th e im portance of th is m essage m anifested through
te a rs an d of urgent im portance to each a n d every one of u s?
ttt
154.
Chapter Fourteen
The Church and The Media
The 13th of May is a date w hen Catholics aro u n d the
world com m em orate the first apparition of O u r Lady of
Fatim a. Fo'f th is day. Pope J o h n XXIII in stitu te d th e
Liturgy of the “F east of Our Lady of th e Rosary of F atim a.”
On the 13th of May of 1976, Mr. and Mrs. Keisuke
Yama'uchi, jo u rn a list and editor of the Catholic Graph,
were privileged w itnesses to a lachrym ation.
It was a year an d a half before th a t the Catholic Graph
h ad published a series of articles on “The Virgin of A kita.”
O ther m agazines a n d new spapers h a d reprinted th e new s,
an d two or th ree television netw orks had show n “The
S tatue Which W eeps” on the little screen. T hus th e secu lar
m edia drew atten tio n of the public to such an extent th a t
the Jap an ese Catholic press w anted to h ear nothing m ore
about it and fell into an obstinate silence on th e subject.
For my part, I s e n t exact inform ation to various C atholic
centers of inform ation b u t nothing w as published. So I
wrote to the Catholic Graph, offering to put all th e d o cu ­
m ents at th eir disposal.
The at least astonishing new s of th e lachrym ations of the
Virgin tem porarily increased the circulation of the m ag a­
zine, but at the sam e time drew u p o n it the anger of people
who were apriori opposed. Mr. Y am a'uchi often told m e of
his concern for th e future of his work, “Since we sp eak of
the Virgin of Akita, the very existence of our review is in
danger.”
Now on th is 13th of May, 1976, Mr. Y am a'uchi h ad the
providential opportunity to a ssist him self at a lachiym ation. The article in which he relates h is experience begins
by telling of th e difficulties he m et in m aking know n the
events of Akita. O pposition from w ithin the C hurch w as so
great th a t he confesses th a t he did n o t know how he could
continue b ecau se of h is feeble resources. He added, “This
w ork became, fo rm e above all, a n insupportable b u rd e n ...”
On this 13th of May w hen he cam e to the convent, Mr.
Yam a'uchi had already prepared th e next issue of Catholic
155.
Graph in which he w as going to publish th e interviews of the
eleven w itnesses of th e lachrym ations of the first and
second of May (the first of May w as not only the Feast of
S aint Joseph the W orker, b u t also the First Saturday of the
Month). Now less th a n two weeks later, having taken the
decision to publish th e se testim onies, he relates the state
of despondency which he felt when he arrived at Akita. He
confided to us the b itter com plaint he addressed to Mary as
he prostrated before H er statue:
“I p u t myself out to try to bring to life a Catholic jo u rn al
in th e service of loyal an d honest inform ation, b u t the resu lt
is th a t I am at th e end of my strength. I can do no more. I
believe th a t it is th a n k s to Your m iraculous help th a t we
have been able to avoid failure to the p resen t day. I th a n k
Your Grace for th at... b u t the collective interview which I
am preparing to pub lish will finally do nothing but repeat
th a t su ch and su ch a one h as seen th is and that. Then, if
th ese facts are au th en tic, give me the grace to be among the
w itnesses. Would I n o t have m uch m ore to say with m uch
m ore credibility? B ut it is You th a t will decide and not I.
May it be done according to Your will. B ut as for me, I can
do no m ore.”
The D ivine R esponse
Mr. and Mrs. Y am a'uchi took the tra in from Tokyo the
night before and they arrived in Yuzawadai in the m orning
after breakfast and E ucharistie adoration.
Briefly these are th e circum stances which brought Mr.
Y am a'uchi to w itness th e tears of Mary. First his wife had
pointed to the holy w ater font at the en tran ce to the chapel.
“It h a s a fragrance,” sh e said. “Not especially,” he a n ­
swered. Then she wet h e r finger an d m ade the Sign of the
C ross several tim es. “It is true, more now ,” she added.
T h at afternoon both of them w ent to th e chapel which
seem ed empty. Looking at the sta tu e to the right of the
altar, Mr. Yama'uchi saw not only th e face b u t the entire
body giving off a white light. Remembering th a t the statu e
h ad been dark w hen he saw it in th e m orning, he called his
wife an d went closer: “I cam e as close a s 30 centim eters,
no... 10 centim eters, to observe.
156.
“A drop of w ater shone on the end of the nose. Large
round drops h ad stopped on the right cheek. The right eye
w as wet and shooting off reflections, and from th e lower
lid began the trace of a th read of w ater developing into
drops. Drawing b ack I exclaimed: ‘She weeps!’ My wife sat
down, saying th a t sh e was afraid. My eyes did not leave the
statu e and all so rts of th oughts filled my m ind.”
G athering him self together, Mr. Yama'uchi w anted to
recite a Hail Mary, b u t his voice w as too broken with
emotion and he could not. W hen he began to pray m ore
slowly, his wife began to cry with great sobs. (She reco u n ts
th a t she prayed for the first time in her life with a truly
childlike heart an d th a t she felt the presence of God very
close to h er at th a t moment.) Shortly after, Mr. Y am a’uchi
hastened to find m e in my office an d I at once followed him
to the chapel.
On that day tw enty parishioners of Akita h ad com e to
participate in a Day of Recollection. At the ann o u n cem en t
of the news they all assem bled in th e chapel an d we were
w itnesses of the phenom enon. As in the preceding tim es I
led the Rosary. W hen it w as over, th e areas wet with te a rs
retained a reddish color clearly visible. Mr. Y am a'uchi
describes the condition of th e sta tu e in his article:
“When we were coming to the end of the Rosary, the
w ater which had accum ulated at the neck d isap p eared
from our eyes in the space of an in stan t. They disappear,
they disappear, I said to m yself looking at th is stran g e
phenom enon w hich unfolded before me as in a film. From
the place where I w as I cannot verify w hat happened to the
tears on the cheek an d on the chin, b u t I very well observed
the change which took place at the level of the n eck .”
When the phenom enon w as over, he felt th a t it w as the
response of God to his prayer an d a t the sam e tim e an
encouragem ent to continue to publish th e review no m a tte r
w hat it cost. It is th u s th a t the Catholic Graph con tin u ed
to appear for m any years.
Growing Trials
Opposition and criticism flowed from all sides a s the
Catholic G raph informed the public about the w eeping of
157.
the sta tu e of Akita, giving the miracle th e im portance which
it deserved.
Bishop Ito, th e highest religious p erso n responsible with
regard to these events, w as not one to sim ply observe the
situ atio n in a passive way. One year before, he h ad asked
a priest who w as well know n for research in Mariology to
cooperate in an inquiry. This priest cam e in person to
Yuzawadai w here he h ad interviews w ith the sisters and
asked Sister Agnes, w hom he had been observing, to lend
him h er intim ate jou rn al. He said th a t th e articles th a t I
h a d furnished until th a t time did not perm it objective
judgm ent because they presented everything in a favorable
light w ithout any allusion to w hat m ight be negative.
After a m om ent of reflection, I told S ister Agnes th a t she
could give him the jo u rn al, judging th a t it was not proper
to w ithhold anything w hatever if th a t could be useful for
discerning the tru th .
It w as a year later th a t the intim ate j o u m a l was retu rn ed
and in reality h ad been used to show th a t the sister w as a
psychopath using “ectoplasm ic” powers! This m arked the
beginning of a m ost sorrowful period n o t only for S ister
Agnes b u t for all of us. It w as only eight y ears later th a t the
accusation would fall w ith th e publication of the pastoral
letter of the Bishop after m uch more detailed inquiries.
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE:
A t this point in his book, Father Y asuda speaks at som e length of the
terrible trial which ensued not for ju st days or w eeks, but for several
years. W hile it fills only a few pages, certainly all the encouragem ent
o f O ur Lady and o f the angel w ere necessary to com e through this
terrible time. O ne is put in m ind o f the sufferings o f Lucia after the
apparitions o f Fatim a, w hen she w as repeatedly taken to the priest by her
m other and told to confess that she had lied, even to the point o f having
been beaten several tim es an d accused o f leading her entire fam ily to
disgrace and ruin.
F our days after th e visit of Mr. an d Mrs. Yama'uchi,
th is sam e priest (whom we shall call th e inquisitor)
cam e to preach a w eek’s retreat. Bishop Ito agreed with
th is because he had ask ed th is priest to cooperate in th a t
158.
inquiry and he th o u g h t th a t h is m eeting with th e com m u­
nity would facilitate the task. As for me, I had been invited
to go to sp eak a t a church in Suzuka, of th e prefecture
of Miea, and I to o k advantage to do th is during th e time
of the retreat.
W ithout doubt by an effect of Divine Providence, S ister
Agnes w as called to the bedside of h e r dying m other in h er
native village an d h ad to leave the convent the first day of
th e retreat. And th u s the inquisitor h ad an open field to give
free course to h is verve for a whole week.
When I retu rn e d from the trip I was surprised by the
leaden silence an d the heavy atm osphere which reigned
among the sisters. Several days p assed and the following
Sunday they cam e to find m e in m y office after breakfast.
They began by explaining th a t th e inquisitor h ad caused
them to doubt everything. They h a d been obliged to agree
th a t they h ad no argum ent to oppose his coherent and
stru ctu red dem onstration, according to which eveiything
w as a result of ectoplasm ic pow ers of Sister Agnes who had
to be a psychopath and, everything considered, th ere was
no other solution th a n to take th e side of the inquisitor.
For the m om ent I protested vigorously “W hat idiocy!” b u t
I soon realized th a t it was fruitless to try to deny a theory
based on a third person report. I h a d to meet the inquisitor
in person to u n d erstan d his so convincing argum ents.
As I reflect u p o n it, there w as nothing surprising in the
fact th a t the first conviction of th e sisters w as overcome
before the large-worded in terpretations of a theologian
strong in M arian questions. It w as a total im passe an d I
w as deeply disturbed. Even the tree s and the flowers of the
G arden of Mary no longer bro u g h t joy to my heart. Every­
thing seemed covered with a gray veil which seem ed to
block out any prospect of solution. I had doleful sta te s of
soul when I th o u g h t how fragile can be our h u m a n convic­
tions.
So two days la ter I w ent to see th e inquisitor in Tokyo
with two superio rs of the convent. We were received in the
parlor of the In stitu te of Theology for an interview which
lasted two hours. The inquisitor gave u s the explanations
which follow, citing his detailed inquiry in which he sifted
the intim ate jo u rn a l of S ister Agnes.
159.
His study revealed th a t since S ister Agnes was a psycho­
p ath from birth she h ad already m anifested ectoplasmic
pow ers before being converted to C hristianity and th a t
these powers had resurfaced after h e r conversion. The
w ound which appeared on the h an d of th e statue, the blood
w hich flowed, the phenom ena of perspiration and lachrym ation, all could be explained by th is so called ectoplasm
w hich she had, th a t is to say th a t she w as able to tran sfer
h er own blood upon th e hand of the sta tu e , and the sam e
with the tears.
He h ad an air of certainty of w hat he said and cited as
su p p o rt the occult practices of certain B uddhist sects.
W hen he was finished speaking, I said to myself th a t the
object of my research would have to now bear on the
question of knowing w hat precise relation of cause and
effect existed betw een the so-called pow ers of the sister
and the objective phenom ena we w itnessed on the statue.
The theory of th is renow ned theologian satisfied me not
at all.
For his part, bearing the prim ary responsibility in the
C hurch, Bishop Ito began to feel the urgency of concrete
action and decided to ask the advice of the Apostolic
Nuncio. The latter suggested th a t he a s k the Archbishop
of Tokyo for the creation of the com m ission of canonical
inquiry without delay, so a com m ission was officially
created, and the inquisitor, whose position was already
well known, was nam ed president. On the order of the
com m ission. Bishop Ito m ade an official declaration in the
Catholic Journal official press organ of the Jap an ese
C hurch, forbidding all public m anifestation of veneration
tow ards the statu e of th e Virgin of Akita.
At the same time S ister Agnes w as called by the inquisi­
tor to answ er to a long interrogation. It lasted an entire day
during which she w as forced to h ear argum ent upon
argum ent, undergoing a true brainw ashing. The inquisitor
h ad already explained, over and over an d to num erous
personalities from different areas, w h at he thought of
S ister Agnes, calling h e r a “special psychopathic case”
characterized by a disassociation, th e visions which she
said to have seen of the guardian angel being only a
m anifestation of h er double personality of which she h e r­
160.
self was the dupe. And he ad d ed th a t h er spiritual director
used her for w riting articles in th e m ed ia and accum ulating
benefices, which w as an in ad m issib le sin.
But this did not prevent h im from welcoming S ister
Agnes with open arm s, w ith o u t a single word of reproach
and even with a strong m ark o f affection worthy of a father.
Was it to gain h e r favor? S is te r Agnes relates: “W hen I
arrived, accofnpanied by my b r o th e r an d my sister, he (the
inquisitor) welcomed u s with o p en arm s and a w arm smile.
We were very moved by his very p atern al kindness. He h ad
had a very nice breakfast p re p a re d for us.
“Then we found ourselves alone, face to face, an d I had
to listen to the development of h is arg u m en ts from m orning
until 5 o’clock in the afternoon, w ith o u t the time to b reathe.
“1 saw com ing the m om ent w hen I was going to be
squarely labeled m entally ill, b u t th is word w as not pro­
nounced a single time. It w as w h en he declared th a t I had
ectoplasmic pow ers th a t I b eg an seriously to be disturbed.
To my question a s to w hat he m e a n t by th at, he explained
at length th a t th a t cam e from th e subconscious, an d so on
and that all the m ysterious ph en o m en a were due to my
subconscious action.
“T hen th a t com es from th e devil? In these conditions,
I pray you to drive them from m e.’ ‘It is not the devil. There
is no fault on y our part becau se it is subconscious.’
“‘But I cannot be a victim of th is m onstrosity. And since
you say that I ab u se very m any people in th is way, it is a
frightening thing. I beg you, free m e from these pow ers.’
“‘In any event it is not you who are at fault. One c a n say
th a t the responsibility falls on y o u r superior who took this
story of the angel seriously from th e beginning and th a t let
th is snowball. The words of the angel, it is you who recount
them to yourself.’ He exhorted me to pay no more atten tio n
to these apparitions.
“However, the g u ard ian angel appeared to me d u rin g the
M ass at 11 o'clock which followed although I did not expect
her there. I hastily closed my eyes not to pay atten tio n b u t
I immediately h eard her voice which said, 'Donotfear,' and
from th a t I h ad a feeling of indescribable peace.
“At the beginning of the afternoon interview, I explained
th a t the angel h ad come again and he told me th a t th is w as
.
161
altogether norm al because th at could not stop all of a
su d d en since the tim e I had had these visions, b u t th a t
everything would soon retu rn to order because he w as
there to direct me... an d the serm on began in the sam e
style...
“The thing which u p set me the m ost in w hat he said,
even supposing th a t I w as not at fault, was th at I w as
abusing a great n u m b er of people. At th e end, I felt m yself
completely battered down and my sister, advised by tele­
phone, came to get m e w ith a taxi. In th e taxi I was asking
m yself if I would come out of this alive, em ptied as I w as of
all energy.
“I did not w ant even to look at the d in n er which my sister
h a d prepared for me with such solicitude and taking my
head in my hands, m y face resting on th e table, I jum ped
w hen I felt a strange sen satio n on m y fingers. My h air h ad
literally stood up on my head, w ithout doubt because of
fear; it was completely stiffened by grease and sweat as
though someone h ad planted stiff needles which my fingers
could not penetrate.
“After a frightened in stan t, I took hold of myself s u d ­
denly a s if waking from a sleep. W h at are you about? And
you imagine th a t you have the faith? Nothing h ap p en s
w ithout perm ission of God, and does not He know it all? Is
it not to be the victim of oneself, torm enting the soul like
th a t? ’ This light suddenly freed me an d I almost felt like
laughing because th e situ atio n w as truly funny. W hen I
lifted up my h an d s again in the m idst of a laugh wet with
te ars, my h air had regained its suppleness.
“The next day, th a n k s to the good care of Bishop Ito. I
w as hospitalized for a com plete exam ination of my physical
an d psychic state. I stretch ed out on th e bed at the end of
my strength. For th ree days the doctors kept going an d
coming, and I w as un ab le either to eat or to raise myself.
Three weeks later, two S isters took me to a therm al station
for a period of convalescence.
“W hen I retu rn ed to the convent after having regained
my strength, I found there a n am biance completely differ­
ent from w hat it h ad been before. From th is day on I h ad
the im pression of living, walking on needles. When I th in k
of it now I wonder how I ever survived alive. At the m om ent
162.
of hospitalization, I was in a sta te of extreme m oral and
physical exhaustion. I said to m yself more th a n once th at
I would indeed be happier if th e good God would call m e to
Himself at once!”
One m u st realize th at th is acco u n t rath e r m inim izes the
reality, the m em ories being strongly dim inished with the
passage of the y ears after th a t sh o ck of “spiritual direction.”
In appearance the people were gentle. The doctors at the
hospital never spoke to h er openly about m en tal illness
them selves an d persistently told h e r th a t she w as norm al,
while in the report sent to the canonical com m ission they
refer to a specific case of hysteria.
At the convent, the superior an d the other sisters treated
her kindly, b u t she knew too well th a t h er credibility was
reduced to nothing and she w as considered with d o ubt in
all th a t she did. She confided to me later th a t she clung
with all her stren g th to the w ords th a t I w hispered to her,
“Christ on the C ross was rejected and abandoned by all.”
T hus for h e r began long days of trial and m oral solitude
in the m idst of general m isunderstanding.
Thermal Cure
Sister Agnes h ad always been of fragile health from her
infancy. It w as not rare th a t she would go several tim es a
year for a therm al cure. Professor O kuhara now counseled
this treatm ent for her at the th erm al b a th s of Y. She there
found a haven of warm peace of which she had so m uch
need in order to recover from th e sad trials she h ad h ad to
undergo.
In th a t isolated village in th e hollow of the m o u n tain s, a
place so fam iliar to her, she found th e attentive welcome of
the director of th e establishm ent to which was added the
beneficial effect of the w arm w aters. Nevertheless, the
absence of daily M ass and of the E u ch arist m u st have been
extremely difficult to bear for a person desiring an d devot­
ing her life in p rayer in a convent.
Bishop Ito w as able to m ake only three short visits of a
day during the three m onths she w as there. As for myself,
I could hardly do more th an bring h er Com m union one or
two tim es a m onth, covering th e 170 kilometers by tra in or
163.
b u s. I spoke to h er of th e Passion of O ur Lord and I enjoined
h e r to draw courage from it. She answ ered th at she felt
su stain ed by this m editation.
W hen she said “S tripped of all h er energies” she w as also
m aking reference to o th er events which affected her deeply.
Indeed, some will say th a t there w as not sufficient reaso n
to be p u t into such a sta te by a single day of “brainw ashing”
b u t we m ust rem em ber th a t Sister Agnes' health w as ju s t
sufficient to lead th e com m unity life of the convent at the
sam e tempo of the others. Moreover, she hadju st lost her
mother. And at the beginning of the same year, she h ad
been affected by the death o f herfather whom she so m u ch
loved. N ow herm otherlefther... this m other whom she h ad
cau sed so m uch fatigue and worry, with h er fragile health,
h e r long malady, h e r eleven operations and the Last
S acram ents adm inistered twice when she was at the point
of death. The profound sorrow th a t she felt because of th is
weighed heavily on h e r fragile shoulders.
A nd it was precisely in these difficult moments th a t they
cam e to take h er literally by force to Tokyo (her family
obviously opposed it) in order to subm it to the “good offices”
of the inquisitor. To all th is m u st be added the fact th a t she
was completely deaf!... som ething those around her h ad a
tendency to forget. And total deafness does not seem to be
sim ply a handicap a s one would be tem pted to think. J u s t
im agine the anguish into which a person is plunged who
h e a rs nothing. D angers can strike from behind, im possible
to avoid. She did succeed well in com m unicating norm ally
th a n k s to lip reading and an innate intuition, b u t h er
nerves m ust have been perpetually strained.
Hardly had she been presented to the inquisitor th a n
she had to follow a serm on which didn't finish. And th is in
a very proper Jap an ese, requiring a particularly su stain ed
attention necessary to read the lips of a stranger. The
serm on consisted of showing the ab u se people m ade of th e
u se of ectoplasmic faculties. And for someone who finds
h e r joy and reason for living in the service of God and of
others, this b ru tal shock took a terrible toll of her physical
a n d moral resistance. So now p erh ap s one can com pre­
h en d the state of extrem e exhaustion after the fear w hich
h a d actually caused h er hair to stan d straight on h er head.
164.
Then the three weeks in the hospital were a n u n in te r­
rupted succession of m edical exam inations. She had no
rest whatever. W hen she could finally leave, sh e h a d been
injured in the shock o f an abrupt landing o f the plane and
had to be transported in a wheelchair! In brief, each day
brought its sh are of trials so th a t it is no wonder, from ju s t
the brief overview th a t I have given above, we c a n u n d e r­
stand how sh e w ondered if she would live th ro u g h it all.
Happily a convalescence at the therm al statio n of Y. was
m ost beneficial. W hen I w ent to see h er she let m e know
that she did not feel any solitude, su stain ed by m editation
on the Passion. Furtherm ore, she did not have the air of
being depressed. Loving person th a t she was. S ister Agnes
very soon had bonds of friendship with the family of the
establishm ent an d the others taking the cure.
She explains th at her g reatest pleasure w as in the
com pany of the birds of the m ountain. They cam e one after
the other to pick the cru m b s of cake which sh e sp read at
the edge of th e window. They ate from her h an d . They
rested on her arm s, h er shoulders, and even h er head.
Even the m ost timid birds cam e to see h er to th e joy of all
around. Furtherm ore, the visits of “the g u ard ian angel”
continued co n traiy to the affirm ation of the inquisitor, “She
will not ap p ear m ore.” The angel appeared often at Sister's
side, encouraging h er with a sweet smile and som etim es
saying the Rosary with her.
Three m o n th s passed in this way, and with the fresh
breezes of au tu m n she had sufficiently recovered her
strength to re tu rn to the convent.
The Plans o f Providence
As we have already seen, the atm osphere w hich aw aited
Sister Agnes w hen she retu rn ed to the convent w as not at
all the sam e a s before. Her com panions were troubled not
knowing w hat attitu d e to adopt now th a t the m ysterious
events which h ad so m uch overwhelmed them were rele­
gated to the cupboard of ectoplasm s. It m u st have been
quite difficult for them to show th e sam e atten tio n to her
now denounced by the auth o rity a s “the instigatrix” of the
affair.
165.
For my part, I continued to sp eak of the events in the
m onthly bulletin of th e com munity, furnishing new infor­
m ation connected w ith it. At the sam e time, I suggested to
the com m unity to discreetly m editate on these things with
hum ility as signs sen t by th e Lord.
However, after I published the detailed account of th e
lachrym ation of th e first of May, Bishop Ito sent me th is
order: “This kind of inform ation risk s provoking m isu n d er­
standings. Since a com m ission of inquiry h as been
charged to study th e m atter, keep silence until the conclu­
sions are published.”
From th a t time on, I no longer spoke for a certain time,
keeping myself to diverse events of th e life of the convent.
Nevertheless it would h ap p en th a t I would briefly recall th is
or th a t special fact. T h u s a Korean w om an of advanced age
had, during a stay at Yuzawadai, experienced a sweet
perfum e em anating from the statue, som ething which h ad
not happened for a long time. She said th a t the events of
Yuzawadai were widely known in Korea through a book
entitled The Virgin Mary Weeps at Akita (already 20 th o u ­
sa n d copies sold, exhausting th e edition), and th a t the
Catholics of Korea believed in the tru th of the miracle and
dream ed of coming h ere in pilgrimage.
Now the phenom ena of th e tears h ad stopped completely
from the m om ent w hen the com m ission of inquiry w as
begun. And I concluded at th a t tim e th a t they were
definitely term inated.
Two years later, th is com m ission decided not to recog­
nize the su p ern atu ral character of th e events. B ut no
details were given to u s on the content of the study. Bishop
Ito com m anded th a t we subm it to th e conclusions of the
com m ission w ithout discussion after they were published.
One of the sisters asked if it was n ecessary to obey even
w hen conscience opposed. He had confirmed, “In a case
like this, it is im portant to obey.”
However, it would seem th a t Bishop Ito was very tro u b ­
led by the negative conclusion of th e com mission and he
w as not able to decide to m ake a public declaration on the
subject. Instead, som e m o n th s later he went personally to
Rome to the Congregation for the D octrine of the Faith, an d
th e Congregation for th e Propagation of th e Faith. There he
166.
exposed all th e facts and ask ed the advice of authorized
persons. He w as given the following advice: “If you are not
convinced by th e conclusions of th is com m ission, you m u st
form another yourself and begin th e study from the begin­
ning.”
As we have already seen, th e intim ate jo u rn a l of Sister
Agnes had been photocopied an d used by th e inq u isito r as
the unique piece of the dossier w ith the intention of denying
everything. And thejudgment was pronounced without any
member o f the said commission, outside of th e inquisitor,
ever having put foot in the convent ofYuzawadai to verify
the facts, to live the daily life of th e convent, an d to better
know the dispositions and spirit of the m em bers. To base
such an im portant decision solely on the intim ate jo u rn al
w ithout finding th e need to com e and find out for oneself is
indeed a cu rio u s way of fulfilling such a grave responsibil­
ityW hen the second com m ission w as created on th e initia­
tive of the Bishop, the result of th e first was know n by all.
For my part, th e more I studied w hat had hap p en ed , the
more evident to m e it was th a t the events were s u p e rn a tu ­
ral.
T hroughout the inquiries, th e life of the convent co n tin ­
ued w ithout any particular change. And by little groups,
pilgrims continued to come from the four c o m e rs of the
country.
U.S. Pilgrims with Sister Agnes and members of the community.
167.
Chapter Fifteen
New Signs
As we have seen, we h ad asked th e aid of Saint Jo se p h
in order th a t we m ight complete th e G arden of Mary.
Having learned th e request of the angel, “It is sad that there
is no exterior sign here in honor o f Saint Joseph. Ask your
superior to have an exterior sign erected in his honor when
you are able, even if it is not right away,” I h asten ed to
acquire a little sta tu e of Saint Jo sep h which I had placed in
su ch a way as to m ake it a co u n terp art to th a t of Mary, at
the other side of th e altar.
Shortly afterw ards, M. H., who frequented our prayer
meetings, expressed a desire to offer a statu e of the sain t in
wood which he ordered from M. S aburo W akasa, scu lp to r
of the statue of th e Virgin. The sta tu e w as delivered six
m onths later. It w as m ade in su ch a way as to accord very
well with that of th e Virgin, of the sam e height and from the
sam e wood. Meanwhile, because of the inquiry, the sta tu e
of O ur Lady had been removed to th e com er, and so we
decided to place th e statu e of S aint Jo sep h there beside
th a t of O ur Lady on th e 15th of A ugust, the solemn day we
h ad chosen for its blessing.
At the beginning of July, we were visited by 32 children
from the prefecture of W akayama, accom panied by Mr. an d
Mrs. Y., directors of a private school. These y o u th s of
elem entary school an d of college had not been baptized and
I w as wondering w hat we could do th a t might leave with
them a good m emory of the long trip th a t they had m ade to
Akita.
To celebrate th e second anniversary of the G arden an d
a t the same time to th a n k Saint Jo se p h to whom it owed its
existence, I h ad th e idea of a procession in the G arden
carrying the holy p atro n at th e head of th e cortege. I spoke
of this to Mr. and Mrs. Y. and to th e sisters and all agreed.
S uch a m anifestation m ight ap p ear childish at first sight,
b u t any act of faith implies a childish candor and th is one
seem ed to me quite proper for the young people. T h u s on
the evening of th e 2 6 th of July, th e day of their arrival, we
168.
processed aro u n d the G arden several tim es, th e boys at
the head w ith th e statu e of S aint Jo se p h on th eir shoulders
as though preparing for the blessing which w as to take
place some days later. The ad u lts followed with candles,
singing hym n s between decades of th e Rosary. It w as a
very beautiful procession.
After th e procession, which lasted about a n hour, we
brought the àtatu e of Saint Jo se p h back into th e room to be
placed next to the statue of Mary. And hardly h ad the
sacristy siste r p u t on the light th a n she exclaimed: “The
statu e of the Virgin weeps again!”
At first I th o u g h t she w as joking, b u t she signaled for me
to come while I was still at the doorway. It w as tru e, stream s
of completely fresh tears were visible from the ch in down to
the neckpiece. Evidently, it w as a question of the very sam e
phenom enon of weeping which had stopped two years
earlier and w hich had been repeated ten times.
At the announcem ent of the new s, more th a n 50 p er­
sons, including the children, g athered in the little room.
Among them were Mr. and Mrs. H., donors of th e sta tu e of
Saint Jo sep h . They had come especially th a t day to
participate in th e candlelight procession. By th e end of the
second decade of the Rosary, the tears were com pletely
dried.
For the children it was a m em orable pilgrimage in the
distant region of Michinoku, in th e m idst of the candles, the
songs and the prayers. And they carried in th eir h e a rts the
candid joy of being the knights of Saint Jo sep h . They had
contem plated the tears with astonishm ent. For them,
Mary expressed Her joy in seeing them gathered ab o u t Her;
they were full of w arm th and h ap p in ess when it cam e time
to leave.
W ithout d o ubt Mr. H. also saw in the tears of Mary a sign
of thanksgiving for the donation of S aint Jo sep h . U nfortu­
nately it w as not possible to ask h is im pressions because
he died suddenly the following day. His spouse rela tes th a t
during a gam e of golf he had been suddenly su rp rised by a
violent pain in his neck. He soon succum bed to a heart
attack. The evening before w hen they were going to retu rn
by car after th e festivities in the G arden of Mary, he had
proposed to h is wife to come to pray at Yuzawadai every
169.
day. Greatly absorbed in his work a s an inventor, he h ad
never shown very fervent faith. He w as baptized before he
died, and he m u st have been profoundly im pressed by the
te ars of Mary to have taken such a resolution. His wife h ad
the consolation of seeing him called to God in excellent
disposition of soul.
Having anno u n ced th a t the lachrym ations would not
last a long time, th e inquisitor found it perfectly norm al
th a t they had not recurred in two years after the inquiry
h ad begun. This is w hat he had affirmed to me w hen I
visited him in p erso n to know exactly his point of view an d
his argum ents. According to him , h is theological investi­
gations had revealed th a t the sister had voluntarily pro­
voked the tenth lachrym ation ju s t before the beginning of
the inquiry in order to influence th e judgm ent.
Nevertheless, O ur Lady, through the statue, h ad a s it
were guarded silence for two y ears and two m onths,
relegated to an anticham ber, an d now began to weep
absolutely as if She had waited until the unfavorable
decision of the com m ission w as known. It was the evening
of the 26th of Ju ly , 1978. And after th a t the phenom enon
would be repeated m any tim es u n til the Feast of O ur Lady
of the Seven Sorrows.
TRANSLATORS NOTE:
Father Y asuda refers to his own suffering during these terrible tw o
years in just one sentence, saying that there w ere times that he felt so
“ low ” that he was tem pted to give it all up. A nd he hardly spoke at m uch
greater length about the terrible sufferings o f Sister Agnes, w hich w ere
so great that she w ondered if she could possibly live through them . And
w hat about the sufferings o f the entire com m unity? There w as so m uch
in that question put to th e B ishop by ju st one o f the sisters, “ A nd if it is
against our conscience, are we not to believe?”
A nd w hile the tears o f O ur Lady had alw ays aroused great co m p as­
sion and sorrow in them , causing them to w eep, now after tw o years and
tw o m onths the tears o f O ur Lady this tim e seem ed like tears o f joy.
F ather Yasuda rem arks that the young children who w itnessed this left
w ith a feeling o f w arm th and happiness., .undoubtedly reflecting his ow n
jo y after such a long, alm ost interm inable period o f trial, indeed a trial
w hich he thought w ould n ot end because he had never expected that the
170.
statue w ould w eep again, after tw o years o f nothing but contradiction
and crosses. A nd now a new inquiry had been set up by the B ishop which
would certainly be influenced by the one conducted by the inquisitor
who had stated flatly that the last lachrym ation was deliberately brought
on by Sister A gnes, and that there w ould be no more.
But B ishop Ito had gone to R o m e for advice, and on that advice he
had established a new inquiry. A nd at this dram atic m o m en t O ur Lady
intervened by rêhew ing the m iracle.
From the beginning of th e phenom enon of th e te ars on
the 4th of J a n u a ry , 1975, u n til the Feast of O u r Lady of
Sorrows on th e 15th of Septem ber, 1981, the sta tu e h as
cried 101 tim es. A little later Bishop Ito had gone to the
inquisitor to a s k him what explanation he would give to the
fact th a t the sta tu e wept even w hen Sister A gnes was far
from the convent. He obtained a n answer, w hich to say the
least, is surprising: “It is b ecau se another siste r n e a r the
statu e also p ossesses ectoplasm ic faculties!"
I spoke above of the reaction of M. H. and h is wife and
of the children. For my p art it w as with renew ed emotion
that I saw the phenom enon of lachrym ation again. Over
and against th e wisdom of h u m a n s who obstinately deny,
God continues His work in Sovereign liberty. At least this
is w hat I h ad felt in my interior conscience. And in fact, as
to fill the void of those two y ears and two m onths, th e statu e
of O ur Lady now began to weep when She w ished, as She
wished. The th esis of tears cau sed by ectoplasm , accen tu ­
ated by the announcem ent of the inquisitor th a t these
m ysterious events would soon cease, fell ap art like a house
of cards.
The value of a simple faith w as taught to u s here once
again. One feels a necessity of reviving in our contem porary
world, w ithout seeking to minim ize its sense, th e teaching
of J e s u s, “Ifyou have a faith a s great a s a m u sta rd seed, you
will say to th a t m ountain to throw itself into th e sea, and it
will throw itself into the se a .” Each time that I saw the
brown cheeks o f the statue become wet as those o f a living
person, I could notfa il to invoke Mary at thefoot o f the Cross
by Her agonizing Son.
More th a n any other artistic representation of th e P as­
sion, no m a tte r how beautiful an d well m ade, th e sight of
171.
tru e hum an te a rs coming forth from a simple wooden
sta tu e h as som ething so poignant th a t it touches directly
to the heart. N ature is so m ade th a t even the m ost m arked
events, even those one should never forget, do not resist th e
usage of time; im pressions ta m ish an d memories fade. In
th is regard, it seem s to me th a t th e te a rs of Our Lady are
also a grace given to o u r time in o rd er to revive in u s the
rem inder of C hrist suspended on th e Cross, and of th e
sorrowful participation of Mary in His Divine Sacrifice.
The Memorable Days
If the weeping of th e statu e took place 101 times, it w as
never the same. As for the quantity, they could flow w ithout
stopping in ab u n d an ce, or they m ight be reduced to two or
three tears. Besides, from th is tim e on the phenom enon
rarely happened w hen the com m unity was alone in the
convent; more often it happened w hen there were visitors,
th a t is in the presence of w itnesses from outside whose
observation would be more difficult to consider subjective.
Moreover, the m om ent w hen the te a rs would flow was never
fixed; they could ap p ear in the m iddle of the day or during
the night, w ithout anyone being able to know in advance.
There w as always someone to notice the tears, w hether
adults, children, visitors or sisters, w ithout any distinction
of persons. If one seeks a time w hen th e tears never did
occur, perhaps th e only exception w as the Holy Mass. The
M ass is the m ost sacred liturgical act, central and in d is­
pensable in the life of the com m unity. I rem em ber th a t the
tears flowed two or three times a little before or after M ass,
b u t otherwise always at different tim es of the day or night.
At the end of th is book we will give a chronological ch art
of the 101 lachrym ations. B ut p erh ap s it is fitting here to
recount ju s t some of the more special examples.
Twenty-fifth of March, 1979
On March 25, 1979, tears flowed from the eyes of Mary
after breakfast, ju s t before the E ucharistie adoration.
These were tru e stream s of tears w hich covered Her face.
We never saw th em so ab u n d an t as a t th a t time. On photos
172.
taken at the end of the phenom enon, one still clearly sees
the traces. I recall th a t we interpreted these te a rs a s a sign
from Heaven in honor of the A nnunciation, the feast of th at
day.
The te a rs flowed ab u n d an tly in the following period and
even som etim es several days in a row during th e m o n th s of
May and J u n e . On the la st day of Ju ly the sta tu e wept for
the 95th timd: In this period, th e m em bers of th e com m u­
nity began to sort of take it for granted. We u n ited to say
the Rosary in a more distracted way, as if the phenom enon
could be seen any old time. Some of the sisters even showed
a certain lassitu d e w hen told th a t the statu e w as crying
again while they were absorbed in their work. No one was
sheltered from this h u m a n tendency to m ake little of
som ething, over a long period, even though it o u ght to be
taken m ost seriously. T hen after the 31 of J u ly the
phenom enon abruptly stopped.
At th e approach of a u tu m n , after the heavy h eat of
sum m er, pilgrim s came to ren d er homage to the m iracu ­
lous Virgin in ever greater n u m b ers, b u t none of th em could
see the tears. Then came w inter. Not a single te a r flowed
from the statu e. W hat did th e silence m ean? W as it an
interruption or was it the end? I w as indeed troubled to find
an answer.
Towards th e end of the y ear I received a telephone call
which to say the least was surprising. It w as M. T ., director
of a television station. He said th at he h ad received a
bizarre telephone call from a n anonym ous person advising
him above all not to sp eak of the T ears of th e Virgin of
Akita." M. T. h ad never h eard speak of the te ars an d this
brief exchange peaked his curiosity. He h ad called M.
Yama'uchi of the Catholic Graph to ask for m ore details.
After th a t he w anted to come in person to leam ab o u t it and
requested a n interview. I w as not very hap p y about
furnishing inform ation to th e m edia, b u t since he said he
w anted to know the tru th I could not refuse.
Four p erso n s from th is television station arrived on the
6th of D ecem ber, led by Mr. Yam a'uchi. They were two days
later th a n originally expected, bringing u s closer to the
Feast of the Im m aculate Conception. As we sh all see it
proved to be a providential delay.
173.
The 6th fell on T hursday evening before the First Friday
of the m onth w hich is always preceded in our convent by a
night of adoration with sisters taking tu rn s before the
Blessed Sacram ent.
The statu e of O ur Lady was still in th e parlor, next to the
chapel, because th e second board of inquiry w as a t work
an d the m a tter w ould still be u n d e r ecclesiastical exam ina­
tion until th a t com mission h ad m ade its decision one way
or the other, after which the B ishop would m ake a pro­
nouncem ent.
The technicians had brought th e ir m aterial and set up
a cam era before th e statue, regulating it in such a way th a t
it would sn ap a picture every six seconds. And although it
w as in a room separate from th e chapel, the noise of the
autom atic cam era release reso u n d ed in the silence of the
night. So I decided to postpone the adoration to the
following night. Besides, now the night adoration would be
a preparation for th e Feast of th e Im m aculate Conception
the day following. So to say the cam era monopolized the
statu e until th e beginning of M ass th e following m orning,
implacably repeating the sam e operation ho u r after hour,
b u t it photographed nothing u n u su al.
The next day, December 7th, we were requisitioned for
an interview, an d then a to u r of the garden etc., an d our
visitors th u s u sed up our time u n til evening. As night fell,
they rested th e ir tired bodies, an d we began the night
adoration w hich h ad been tran sferred from the day before.
On the 8th of December, a little after m idnight, more
precisely at ten m inutes after, the telephone rang in my
room. The sta tu e had been discovered in tears. I at once
called Mr. Y am a'uchi and his technicians who were sleep­
ing on the first floor and m aking sure that they had
understood m e, I ra n to the convent.
I h a d h a r d ly arriv ed a t th e s ta tu e b efo re th e
technicians, who had followed close behind, bom barded
the statue with th e ir cam eras and photographic ap p aratu s.
I h ad to adm ire th e prom ptitude an d dexterity of these
picture specialists. Some later said th a t the first pictures
were spoiled becau se their h a n d s trem bled. As u su al, we
recited the Rosary with the pilgrim s present and with our
own eyes saw th e end of the lachrym ation.
174.
In the m orning the cam era m en asked to rem ain another
day, regretting not having placed the cam era th e previous
evening a s they had on th e day they arrived. They w anted
to try a second time. It w as a legitimate req u est an d I had
no objection. So the cam era w as replaced on th e evening
of the 8 th of December ab o u t 8 o'clock and th e lapse set to
snap a t regular intervals.
It w as p aèt 11 o’clock w hen one of the sisters, kneeling
before the statu e after a final visit to the Blessed S acra­
m ent, discovered the te ars again. Later, the film ta k en th a t
evening w as show n on television throughout all of J a p a n in
a course of a program w hich proposed to answ er the
question, lie or reality?
Today th is videotape is show n all over the world, and we
show it to the pilgrims who come to the convent, if they
desire to see it, and th u s a s we were nearing th e very end
of this prolonged miracle, it w as prolonged in su c h a way
th a t m any, m any th o u sa n d s all over the world have also
become w itnesses.
One can only render th a n k s to the Providence which
awaited the Feast of the Im m aculate Conception to m ani­
fest this prodigy in such a way th at it is preserved for the
sight of m any.
D ecisive Expertise
The feast of A ugust 22nd, 1981, Feast of th e Q ueen of
the World, w as in the old calen d ar the Feast of th e Im m acu­
late H eart of Mary. There is nothing in p articu lar about the
tears w hich the statu e shed th a t day, b u t it is fitting that
we recall them in order th a t we m ay better u n d e rsta n d what
is to follow.
The first scientific analysis which I had requested con­
cerning th e te a rs of J a n u a ry 4 th 1975, had revealed th at it
was a question of h u m an liquid. However, the presence of
“hu m an liquids” foreign to th e statu e had created a prob­
lem with regard to the ongoing inquiry; it h a d provoked
doubts of som e and h ad poisoned the argum ent. I therefore
w as looking for an occasion to gather the liquids with
extreme care to avoid all im purity. On th a t day I took
im m ense precautions. Taking a new morsel of cotton with
175.
tweezers, 1 m ade a ball about as large as an apricot seed,
th en I carried it b en eath the wooden chin where a drop was
clinging and after having absorbed it in the cotton, I p u t it
into a sack of new vinyl.
The afternoon of the sam e day I took it to the University
of Akita. The analysis was requested from Professor
Sagisaka of the faculty of Legal Medicine of the University
of Gifu, on the recom m endation of Professor O kuhara of the
num ber one laboratory of biochem istry of Akita.
Professor Sagisaka, loaded w ith work, sent me the
results only th ree m onths later, through the h a n d s of
Professor O k u h ara in the form of th e very complete certifi­
cate containing nine articles:
1. Name of th e person asking for the analysis.
2. Day of the request.
3. Object to be analyzed
4. Content of th e analysis.
5. Tests with an tih u m an rabbit serum
6. Analysis of blood group.
7. Explanation.
8. Analysis of blood group.
9. Result of analysis, which w as given in the following
words: “The object examined h a s adhering to it human
liquids which belong to the blood group O.
“Made by the faculty of Legal Medicine of the University
of Gifu, the 3 0 th of November, 1981. Expert: Karou
Sagisaka.”
This expert analysis is the only au th en tic scientific proof
which we have kept with regard to th e tears of the statu e.
It played a decisive role in the recognition of the facts.
As we have already seen over and over, the phenom enon
had been attrib u ted by the first com m ission to the ecto­
plasmic faculties of Sister Agnes. She had firmly declared
th a t she h ad no knowledge of su ch powers, b u t w as told
that this w as som ething from h e r subconscious, th u s
cutting short all objection.
The blood group revealed by th e scientific analysis w as
a determ ining factor. Sister Agnes belongs to group B. The
first analysis h a d established th a t th e blood w hich a p ­
peared on the w ound of the right h an d of the statu e w as of
group B. As for th e tears which flowed from the eyes, they
176.
belonged to a person of group AB, always according to the
first expert analysis. As we indicated before, th e inquisitor
had ignored th a t the te ars w ere of group AB a t th a t time
when he insisted on the ectoplasm ic theory. And now on
the exam ination taken later, w ithout any adherence of
im purities, revealed th a t they belong to group O.
As one com pares the first expert analysis and the
second, it is «established th a t the blood an d the tears
coming from the statu e belong to three different blood
groups. How could a h u m a n being fabricate two blood
groups to which he did not belong? Is not the pu re act of
creation the privilege of God?
God h a s m anifested h ere His creative force. He first
created th e blood of group B, th e n the perspiration and the
tears of group AB and finally of group O, as th o u g h to place
an absolute and final refutation to the sen seless thesis of
paranorm al powers invented by the detractors.
I som etim es wonder if it h a d not been for th is second
expert an aly sis (with th e irrefutable scientific proof)
w hether th e thesis of ectoplasm might not have continued
its ravages, drowning all in a n erroneous in terpretation of
the facts and abusing so u ls of good will who seek only to
render hom age to the su p e rn a tu ra l action of God.
The Second C om m ission — Positive Ruling
On Septem ber 12, 1981, the second com m ission of
inquiry, formed at the req u est of Bishop Ito, held its last
session. At the time of the m eeting which took place in May,
Bishop Ito read a provisional report, w ritten in his own
hand, in which he asked for recognition of th e facts. No
m em bers of the com m ission were openly opposed, but all
decision w as put off for the la st meeting. In th e interval.
Bishop Ito received a letter from the Holy See advising him
to be careful. This w arning h ad certainly been inspired by
the negative conclusion of th e first com m ission.
W hen th e second com m ission was concluded, four
m em bers voted in favor of recognizing the events a s su p er­
n atu ral. an d three did not. D espite the favorable majority.
Bishop Ito preferred to a b sta in from any official declaration
authenticating the su p em atu rality of the events in order to
175.
tweezers, I m ade a ball about as large as an apricot seed,
th e n I carried it b en ea th the wooden chin where a drop was
clinging and after having absorbed it in the cotton, I p u t it
into a sack of new vinyl.
The afternoon of the sam e day I took it to the University
of Akita. The analysis was requested from Professor
Sagisaka of the faculty of Legal Medicine of the University
of Gifu, on the recom m endation of Professor O kuhara of the
num ber one laboratory of biochem istry of Akita.
Professor Sagisaka, loaded w ith work, sent m e the
resu lts only th ree m onths later, through the h a n d s of
Professor O k u h ara in the form of th e very complete certifi­
cate containing nine articles:
1. Name of th e person asking for the analysis.
2. Day of the request.
3. Object to be analyzed
4. Content of th e analysis.
5. Tests with an tih u m an rabbit serum
6. Analysis of blood group.
7. Explanation.
8. Analysis of blood group.
9. Result of analysis, which w as given in the following
words: “The object examined h a s adhering to it human
liquids which belong to the blood group O.
“Made by th e faculty of Legal Medicine of the University
of Gifu, the 3 0 th of November, 1981. Expert: Karou
Sagisaka.”
This expert analysis is the only au th en tic scientific proof
which we have kept with regard to th e tears of the statu e.
It played a decisive role in the recognition of the facts.
As we have already seen over an d over, the phenom enon
had been attrib u ted by the first com m ission to the ecto­
plasm ic faculties of Sister Agnes. She had firmly declared
th a t she had no knowledge of su ch powers, b u t w as told
th a t this w as som ething from h e r subconscious, th u s
cutting short all objection.
The blood group revealed by the scientific analysis w as
a determ ining factor. Sister Agnes belongs to group B. The
first analysis h a d established th a t th e blood w hich a p ­
peared on the w ound of the right h a n d of the statu e w as of
group B. As for th e tears which flowed from the eyes, they
176.
belonged to a person of group AB, always according to the
first expert analysis. As we indicated before, th e inquisitor
had ignored th a t the te ars w ere of group AB a t th a t time
when he insisted on the ectoplasm ic theory. A nd now on
the exam ination taken later, w ithout any adherence of
im purities, revealed th a t th ey belong to group O.
As one com pares the first expert analysis an d the
second, it is established th a t the blood an d the tears
coming from the statu e belong to three different blood
groups. How could a h u m a n being fabricate two blood
groups to w hich he did not belong? Is not th e p u re act of
creation th e privilege of God?
God h a s m anifested h ere His creative force. He first
created th e blood of group B, th e n the perspiration and the
tears of group AB and finally of group O, as th ough to place
an absolute and final refutation to the sen seless thesis of
paranorm al powers invented by the detractors.
I som etim es wonder if it h a d not been for th is second
expert an aly sis (with th e irrefutable scientific proof)
w hether the thesis of ectoplasm might not have continued
its ravages, drowning all in a n erroneous in terp retatio n of
the facts an d abusing so u ls of good will who seek only to
render hom age to the su p e rn a tu ra l action of God.
The Second C om m ission — Positive Ruling
On Septem ber 12, 1981, the second com m ission of
inquiry, formed at the req u est of Bishop Ito, held its last
session. At the time of the m eeting which took place in May,
Bishop Ito read a provisional report, w ritten in his own
hand, in which he asked for recognition of th e facts. No
m em bers of the com m ission were openly opposed, but all
decision w as p u t off for the last meeting. In th e interval,
Bishop Ito received a letter from the Holy See advising him
to be careful. This w arning h ad certainly been inspired by
the negative conclusion of th e first com mission.
W hen the second com m ission was concluded, four
m em bers voted in favor of recognizing the events as su p er­
natural, an d three did not. D espite the favorable majority.
Bishop Ito preferred to a b sta in from any official declaration
authenticating the su p em atu rality of the events in order to
ML
rem ain faithful to the attitude of prudence counseled by
Rome.
On the morning o f this same day, the statue o f the Virgin
wept fo r the one hundredth time.
The sisters telephoned to Niigata in order th a t the
m em bers of the com m ission m ight be informed before th eir
meeting. The response was, “We can n o t consider the te ars
of the statue a s a determ ining sign or a miracle. The
su p em atu rality of the facts c an only be recognized if more
important miracles take place. ”
There h ad been one h undred lachrym ations an d th a t
w as still not en o u g h . The more w eak the faith, the m ore one
requires sp ectacu lar signs. However, it is im possible to
recognize the su p ern atu ra l n atu re of a fact, w hatever it be,
w ithout the light of faith. The n u m ero u s m iracles operated
by Christ were denied purely and simply by those of the
Jew s who were incredulous by th eir disposition of spirit. It
is therefore not surp risin g th a t a h u n d red lachrym ations of
the statue of the M other of C hrist did not yet suffice in order
th a t one judge it enough.
In the beginning the inquisitor, leader of the opposition,
had him self declared, “One or two te a rs do not suffice. They
can be evoked by ectoplasm ic faculties of someone. W hen
the quantity will be sufficiently a b u n d an t in order th a t
such faculties can n o t be invoked, in th a t condition it would
be convenient to believe th at th a t com es from H eaven.”
However, even w hen the statu e h ad wept ab u n d an tly (it
happened th a t th e tears accum ulated in the folds of the
garm ent and fell even down to the globe), those who did not
wish to believe did not. The fact th a t a person believes or
doesn’t believe in the su p ern atu ral, does not relate to the
m ore or less sp ectacu lar ch aracter of the m atter, b u t to the
disposition of th e person to believe or not believe in Divine
intervention in o u r world. In other term s, acceptance
com es by faith an d faith alone.
A little later th e guardian angel said to Sister Agnes,
“They ask a miracle greater than the tears; there will be no
more. ”*
♦There were to be further m iracles, but the m iracle o f tears was to cease.
178.
The Last Weeping — Our Lady o f Sorrows
On the F east of O ur Lady of Sorrows, S eptem ber 15th,
1981, th e statu e again sh ed te ars about 2 o'clock in the
afternoon. Sixty-live p erso n s were present: a group of
parishioners of Akita, visitors from more d is ta n t regions
and som e sisters of the m otherhouse of the Institu te. The
quantity of tea'rs was m oderate. Nevertheless th e w itnesses
were very moved by the fact th a t it happened exactly on the
day of the F east of O ur Lady of Sorrows. From th e words
of the angel I didn't have th e slightest d o u b t th a t these
would be th e last tears sh ed by O ur Lady at Yuzawadai. It
w as the one h u n d red and first time th a t She w ept. It is not
a round figure and asidefro m the words o f the angel, there
w as nothing to cause u s to th in k th a t it w as th e end of the
lachrym ations.
Two w eeks later, the 2 8 th of Septem ber, S ister Agnes
suddenly felt the presence of th e angel a t h e r side during
the adoration of the Blessed Sacram ent. She did not see the
angel in person b u t a Bible appeared open before her eyes
and she w as invited to read a passage. It w as a large Bible,
very beautiful and su rro u n d ed with a celestial light. When
Sister Agnes could recognize th e references (G enesis 3:15),
the voice of the angel w as h eard explaining in sort of a
pream ble th a t the passage h a d relationship w ith the tears
of Mary, th e n continued:
“There is a meaning to the figure one hundred and one.
This signifies that sin came into the world by a woman and
it is also by a woman that salvation came to the world. The
zero between the two signifies the Eternal God who is from
all eternity until eternity. The first one represents Eve and
the last the Virgin Mary. ” * T h en the sister w as again invited
to reread the verse, and th e angel left. At the sam e time the
vision of the Bible disappeared.
After adoration Sister A gnes cam e at once to my office.
She recounted the apparition an d asked m e to read verse
15 of c h ap ter 3 of Genesis. She asked me to verify the
passage before she herself w ould open a Bible. So I took
out the m odem Jap an ese tran slatio n by F a th e r Barbaro
*For further explanation see The M eaning o f Akita.
179.
and found the following passage: “I will place enmities be­
tween thee and the woman, between thy seed and hers. She
will crush thy head and thou shall lie in wait fo r her heel. "
Then she repeated to me the explanation of th e angel
concerning th e m eaning of th e n u m b er 101... of th e one
hundred and one tim es th a t O ur Lady's sta tu e wept
miraculously. At th e m om ent I w as not especially s u r ­
prised. However, a s the days p assed I realized with growing
emotion th a t th e te ars would flow no more and th a t the
profound m eaning h ad been elucidated by a passage from
Scripture.
Inverse 15 of th e chapter in question, the sovereign God,
the Absolute Being, m akes th e prophetic announcem ent to
satan of the com bat which will oppose him to th e Virgin
Mary throughout th e ages. It is evident th at the Seed of the
Woman m eans J e s u s com es into the world th ro u g h Her
and all those w ho will believe in Him. The Mystical Body of
Christ is the com m unity of believers of all generations of
whom He is th e Head. It is in u n io n with the C hurch, the
Mystical Body of C hrist, th at th e Virgin has received from
the Eternal F ath er the m ission of fighting against s a ta n and
his cohorts until the end of the world.
This passage of Genesis is called protoevangelic an d is
considered as th e first promise of a Savior made by God to
m an. It is also th e first verse of th e Bible m aking allusion
to the Im m aculate Conception of Mary, preserved from
original sin and th u s never u n d e r the domination of satan .
The apparitions of O ur Lady of Lourdes have been
considered a s a com m em oration of Her Im m aculate Con­
ception, the dogm a of which h ad ju s t been prom ulgated by
Pope Pius IX, four years before th e apparition.
The apparitions of Fatim a m ight also be considered as a
com m em oration of Her A ssum ption. Pope Pius XII pro­
claimed the dogma of th e A ssum ption on the first of
November of th e Holy Year of 1950, when one know s th a t
the Holy F ath er at th a t time h ad the privilege of seeing
again the F atim a “Miracle of the S u n ” over the V atican in
that year.
The m iraculous lachrym ations of th e statue of O ur Lady
in Akita had been explained by th e angel with th e aid of
Scripture. The passage of G enesis suggests the w ar which
180.
opposes Mary and s a ta n u n til the end of th e world. Mary
does n o t lead th is com bat alone. She is associated to the
M ystical Body of C hrist in union with all believers. As in
the case of all of the app aritio n s of O ur Lady, the call is one
of rep aratio n for sin an d of a retu rn to God.
The C om plete Cure
The angel had said th a t, “People ask a miracle greater
than the tears; there will be no more. ” And soon afterw ards
the sta tu e wept for the la st time. But of course we knew
th a t th ere w as to be a n o th e r miracle, one which had been
an n o u n ced over and over an d which would certainly be big
enough to satisfy th e com mission: S ister Agnes, whose
deafness had been declared incurable, w as going to be
absolutely and finally cured.
On the Feast of the A nnunciation, a m ost im portant
F east for the H andm aids, S ister Agnes cam e to see me after
the adoration and to say th a t the angel h ad appeared again.
In su b stan ce this is w hat w as said:
“Vour deafness causes you to suffer doesn't it? The
moment o f the promised cure approaches. By the interces­
sion o f the Holy and Immaculate Virgin, exactly as the last
time, before Him who is truly present in the Eucharist, your
ears will be definitely cured in order that the work o f the Most
High may be accomplished. There will still be many suffer­
ings and obstacles coming from outside. You have nothing
to fear. In bearing them and offering them, you will be
protected. Offer up and pray well. Transmit what I have told
you to him who directs you and ask him fo r counsel and
prayer. ”
As for me, I never doubted th at the com plete healing
would come one day b ecau se the angel had said shortly
before th e first cure th a t it would be provisional, because
God still wished th is offering for som etim e... I nevertheless
w as very im pressed by th e announcem ent of th is predic­
tion. It w as impossible to foretell the date of the healing
with so little detail. N evertheless I told sister not to speak
of it to anyone and to co n tin u e her norm al activities.
Soon it w as the m onth of May, the m onth consecrated to
Mary. More th a n a m o n th h a d passed since the announce-
181.
m ent of the angel. On the F east of Saint Joseph th e Worker,
the first of May, S ister Agnes received a m essage from the
angel during adoration:
“Your ears will be definitely cured during this month
consecrated to the Immaculate Heart o f Mary. They will be
cured as the last time by Him who is really present in the
Eucharist. Those who will believe in this sign will receive
many graces. There will be those who oppose, but you have
nothing to fear. ”
If the cure w as going to tak e place during th e m onth of
Mary, I told m yself th a t it would certainly be a S unday. And
if it was going to happen again during the Benediction of the
Blessed S acram ent, it would su rely be during th e cerem ony
of Benediction which h ap p en s on Sunday. The m onth of
May had five Sundays. The first of May being a S aturday,
the next day w as the first S u n d ay of the m onth. That
seemed nevertheless too soon. Certainly nothing perm itted
me to guess th a t it would be one Sunday ra th e r th an
another. W hen I th in k back on it now, the last S un d ay was
Pentecost and furtherm ore th e Vigil of the F east of the
Visitation, an d seem ed th e m o st ap t day for th e realization
of the prom ise m ade by the angel.
W hatever the case, one S u n d ay succeeded th e other in
the expectation of the prodigy a n d it was soon the Sunday
of Pentecost. The ho u r of Benediction approached. That
day there were fewer visitors th a n usual. The only persons
from outside were Mr. and Mrs. O kuhara who h a d taken
care of the scientific analysis of th e liquids taken from the
statue (truly there could not be more appropriate wit­
nesses.)
After more th a n an h o u r of adoration I took th e m on­
strance of the Blessed S acram ent, blessed the assem blage,
then the bell sounded: at that precise moment the ears o f
Sister Agnes opened as the preceding time. W hen we had
finished the divine praises, I heard her speak to me as
before, "I have ju s t received th e grace of healing. I a s k th at
one recite the M agnificat in thanksgiving." R estraining my
emotion with difficulty (“It w as therefore true!”) I replaced
the Host in th e tabernacle a n d turning to w ard s the
assemblage I revealed publicly for th e first time th e content
of the two predictions m ade by th e angel sometime before.
182.
and announced to all th a t they had been realized at th a t
m om ent. The hym n w as su n g with u n u s u a l force, sobs
mixing with the voices, so great was th e feeling of th a n k s ­
giving w hich overflowed from the heart of each.
The following m orning, S ister Agnes p resen ted herself to
the eye and ear service of th e Red Cross H ospital with which
she w as now acquainted for a long tim e. A detailed
exam ination-of the state of h er ears show ed th a t they h ad
been totally cured. The doctor who seem ed very im pressed
rose w ith a solem n air, an d the n u rses did th e sam e, and
bowed before her as he presented, “All m y felicitations.”
Some days later Bishop Ito went in p erso n to ask for a
certificate of “m iraculous cure." And despite the fact th at
doctors of this and an o th e r hospital h ad declared S ister
Agnes incurable before, th e certificate w as refused, b e­
cau se apparently it is n o t perm itted to inscribe the term
“m iracu lo u s” in a medical certificate in th ese days.
O nce again I would like th e reader to consider the silence
into w hich Sister Agnes w as suddenly plunged from the
beginning of the 16th of March, 1973, c u t off from all
exterior sound and which w as a purification an d an interior
prep aratio n for the m essages she was to receive from O ur
Lady.
In th e beginning of th e Gospel of S aint Luke, the angel
predicts to the priest of the Temple, Zachary, the coming
birth of a child. To au th en ticate the prom ise, he predicts
to him th a t he will be d eaf an d dum b u n til th e accom plish­
m ent of that which appeared impossible.
G uided by her angel. S ister Agnes bore the trial of
deafness well and received th e unexpected grace of hearing
w ords pronounced by O u r Mother of Heaven. (This show s
in passin g th at infirmity of the ears is no hindrance to
receiving voices from th e other World.)
The infirmity of the old Zachary w as cu red at the birth
of J o h n the B aptist and h is m outh poured forth in to rren ts
of p raise for the Lord. The hum iliation of th e trial gave way
to a n im m ense thanksgiving for the gift received, giving way
to unm ixed joy.
The total deafness of S ister Agnes considered by all a s a
great cross, because it h ad been declared incurable, w as
cured in conformity to th e prediction of th e angel. And it is
183.
im portant to note th at this com plete cure took place after
Bishop Ito h a d sen t to the Holy See in Rome a dossier
concerning all th e events w hich h ad taken place u p to this
time.
Today the hearing of Sister Agnes is completely norm al
and one can even say th at som etim es she h as a “finer” ear
th an her com panions.
The m ore one m editates on all these events which
transform ed th e life of th e convent of Yuzawadai, the
working of Divine Providence ap p ears ever m ore evident.
One cannot fail to glorify the Lord for such great blessings.
ttt
Sister Agnes Sasagaw a
184.
Chapter S ixteen
C onclusion
The m ysterious facts which I have described in the
course of these 15 ch ap ters cam e to a n end on the 30th of
May, 1982, Feast of Pentecost, with the com plete curing of
the ears of Sister Agnes. But it is fitting to take a last look
b ack to a short time before the healing.
On th a t first of May of 1982, the angel appeared to S ister
Agnes during her adoration before the Blessed S acram ent
a n d told her th a t h er ears would definitely h ear during th a t
m onth consecrated to Mary. And th is w as the last ap p ari­
tion of the guardian angel of Sister Agnes.
The theologian of the first com m ission of inquiry h ad
told the Sister th a t sh e w as recounting these words of the
angel to herself and th a t the angel w as an hallucination
cau sed by a doubling of h er personality. And she h ad not
forgotten this w arning which preoccupied her and she
profited by the adm onition of the angel on th a t day to ask:
“Are you the fruit of my personal im agination?”
“Not at all. I have shown myself to you up to this day to
guide you, but I will not appear anymore." After having
pronounced these w ords, the angel left her, disappearing
into a cohort of angels who gave off a celestial light, the
b eau ty of which could not be expressed in words.
W hen she told m e this, I asked S ister Agnes to write
down w hat she h ad seen, but she avowed th at she w as
incapable of describing such a vision in words. But she had
felt at th a t m om ent a profound consolation which h ad
sw ept away at once all the doubts th a t sh e m ight have had
on the n atu re of the “person” who w as appearing to her.
Indeed the g u ard ian angel h as not appeared again. Even
w hen the angel indicated to h er a passage of the Bible
while holding it open before her eyes, she only h eard
the angel’s voice. W hen one considers th a t the signs
relative to the sta tu e ended and th a t th e m eaning of the
m essage had been com m unicated, it is norm al th a t the
angel should no longer intervene in any special way from
th a t time. It seem s to me th a t an o th e r m anifest sign
185.
of Divine Providence was th e completion in Decem ber of
1982 of the reception cen ter for the lay m em bers of the
com m unity... as though everything followed a Divinely set
timetable.
The story goes back to th e 27th of F ebruary of the
previous year. Through a m a ste r carpenter w hom I knew,
I went to see an abandoned farm on the site of w hich a new
house w as to be built four kilom eters from o u r m onastery.
I h ad previously adm ired th e traditional architecture of
old b a m s I had seen in J a p a n and with th e need of
increasing o u r space for receiving pilgrims, I h ad asked
the carp en ter to inform m e if su ch a building should
become available. The m orning when I went to see it with
three sisters of the com m unity, after the m orning Mass, I
felt w ithin myself th a t th is building ought to be used for
the reception of the lay m em bers. In the car, bum ping on
the snowy roads, I spoke of th is to my com panions asking
them to consider the building we were going to see with this
perspective.
It w as a single level building of about 330 sq u are meters.
It was 102 years old with enorm ous and very solid beam s
and everything th a t I could see w as in a perfect state. With
the accord of the sisters I settled with the proprietor who
sold it to u s w ithout difficulty. If th is occasion h ad arisen
a year later, w hen I was ill, th e realization of su ch a project
would have been very m uch compromised.
Indeed I w as suddenly strick en with loss of speech in
February, 1983; the doctor h a d declared it incurable and
said I would be incapable of ever taking up norm al activity.
But a year later, I improved enough to resum e Holy Mass
and little by little the homilies.
T hanks to this converted b a m we can now receive not
only the lay m em bers of the com m unity, b u t also m any of
the pilgrims who arrive in ever greater n u m b ers since the
event of Akita h a s been recognized officially a s su p er­
natural. After the O rdinary of the Diocese of Niigata
officially authorized the veneration of the statu e of Mary at
Yuzawadai, th e majority of th e laity favorably welcomed
the news b u t there still seem ed to be some reticence on the
part of some of the Catholic clergy. Some said th a t one
should not go to Akita despite th e recognition of the local
1X6.
B ishop because Rome had not yet spoken. R ather th a n
argue in my personal nam e, I will cite th e recent work of
F a th e r Tatsuya S him ura entitled “The Revelations o f the
Virgin at Fatima. ” In th e chapter Recognition by the Church,
the a u th o r indicates th a t apparitions at Fatim a were
recognized by the Bishop of the diocese 13 years after, on
the anniversary day of the apparitions. The following year,
the C ardinal of Lisbon was in pilgrimage to th e Cova of
F atim a with a group of bishops in the presence of te n s of
th o u sa n d s of people. Later Pope Paul VI, an d then Pope
J o h n Paul II, personally went to Fatim a.
B ut Fatim a h a s never been “approved by Rome,” nor h a s
any other sim ilar apparition. This is always left to the local
bishop who, in m a tters of such im portance, would rarely
act w ithout first consulting the Holy See.
In the fifth edition of his booklet entitled The Virgin Mary
Weeps in Japan, the sam e au th o r (Father Shim ura) writes:
“The revelations of the Virgin at Akita are exactly the sam e
a s those of Fatim a, th e seriousness of w hich is adm itted by
all. They are an u rgent w arning to m an k in d in danger of
d estruction and m u st not be taken lightly.
“Some th in k they should w arn ag ain st it u n d er the
pretext th a t Rome h a s not yet m ade known its official
position. B ut they seem to ignore th a t the Holy See
delegates to the local bishop the au th o rity of rejecting or
recognizing su ch events and when th ere is su ch recogni­
tion, the Holy See approves only tacitly the declaration of
the bishop.”*
News of the recognition spread through all th e dioceses
of J a p a n and little by little, began to be know n thro u g h o u t
the world. Pilgrims cam e in ever g reater n u m b ers to kneel
before the statu e with filial piety, to pledge before Her th e ir
act of consecration an d to promise to respond to Her u rgent
requests.
From all th a t I have experienced, I have no d o ubt th a t the
grace of Akita will sp read to the ends of th e earth for all th e
*In June of 1988, B ishop Ito returned to R om e a third tim e, four years
after he had issued the pastoral letter proclaim ing the events o f A kita to
be supernatural. His E xcellency w as reassured by the Sacred C o n g re­
gation o f the D octrine o f th e Faith that he had acted properly.
187.
children of Mary. I seem already to see the glory of O ur Lady
shining on the entire w orld after the final victory of Her
Im m aculate Heart. To close, m ay I be perm itted to borrow
the w ords of Gamaliel in th e Acts of the Apostles:
“Have nothing to do w ith th ese m en, let them be. If this
is m a n 's design or m a n 's undertaking, it will be over­
thrown; if it is God's, you will have no power to overthrow
it. You would not willingly be found fighting against God.”
Acts Ch 5, 38-39.
D ocum ents
Healing o f a Brain Tumor in South Korea
M adam Theresa C hun, 4 6 years of age an d m other of
four children, w as hospitalized from the spring of 1981 for
a cerebral tum or. T reatm ent was of no avail and she fell
into a coma. Some believers who had m ade a pilgrimage to
Akita gave the photo of the Virgin to the family, counseling
them to a s k Her aid. The oldest sister and godm other of the
sick person placed a picture of O ur Lady of Akita on her
pillow inviting friends an d n u rs e s also to pray (it was a
Catholic clinic.) At su n rise on the 4th of A ugust she
regained consciousness in a n inexplicable m anner.
On the 15th of October 1983, some Korean pilgrims
cam e to Akita with F ather Oh Ki Saun; am ong them was
Madam C hun and her eldest sister. They explained her
cure which had been declared m iraculous by Church
authorities of Korea.
I interviewed h er (with th e assistance of F ath er Oh as
translator): “W hat is your age?”
“46 years.”
“W hen did you become sick ?”
“The 3rd of July, 1981 (it is the sister who answ ers). She
w as exam ined the following day by Professor Kim Ja n g Je
of the Catholic University of Gyonghwi in Seoul. She was
found to have a brain cancer w ithout hope of cu re and told
th a t it w as useless to keep h e r longer in th e hospital.”
“W hen were you baptized a Catholic?”
'The 11th of April, 1981." Despite th e difficulties
of language, m any questions an d answ ers continued. The
IKK.
eldest sister, who h ad ta k en care o th e r, gave m any details
w hich can be sum m ed up a s follows:
At the time of th is sickness M adam e C h u n had been
baptized only a sh o rt time. She w as com pletely ignorant of
the events of Akita an d also did not know ab o u t the photo
of th e weeping Virgin. It w as h er eldest sister an d god­
m o th er who had b ro u g h t it to her. All were very sad an d the
eldest sister proposed some other trea tm e n ts, including
acu p u n c tu re, w hen suddenly the sick w om an began to
sp eak like a child an d said, “I do not w ish it. J e s u s will cure
m e.”
These words produced a strange im pression on those
present. It seem ed a s though she h ad fallen back into
childhood. And h ardly had she said th ese w ords th a n she
lost consciousness an d fell back into coma.
It is th an k s to F ath er Oh th a t the sick person w as
brought into contact with the Virgin of Akita. This priest
h a d come to Akita for the first time on the 2 6 th of May,
1979. To his great asto n ish m en t he saw the te ars flow. It
lasted a short time, from ten m inutes after four until ten
m in u tes after six of the afternoon, b u t he w as deeply
touched and felt from th a t time the im portance of h is
m eeting with the Virgin of Akita. He carried b ack to Korea
a great num ber of photos which he d istributed to m em bers
of the Legion of Mary an d fervent persons. Among them w as
th e sister and godm other of Theresa whose life w as held
only by a thread. They placed th eir last hope in the
solicitude of Mary who had m anifested H erself in the
san c tu a ry of Akita, so close to Korea. And w hat h appened?
In the space of six m onths, O ur Lady—a s She w as
rep resen ted in th e photograph — appeared to the sick
woman three times. The first time w as the 4th of A ugust,
1981 at 3 o'clock in th e morning while she w as still in a
com a. The Virgin wore a golden garm ent and held in Her
a rm s a lamb a s w hite a s snow. She b reathed th ree tim es
on the forehead of T heresa who reported th a t the b reath
w as alive, warm, an d strong to such a point th a t she could
see the fur of the lam b wave as O ur Lady b reath ed on her.
According to the testim ony of those around, one heard the
sick wom an cry o u t from h er coma, “Lamb! Lamb! Lamb!”
b u t no one un derstood w hat th at could m ean.
187.
children of M ary. I seem already to see the glory of O ur Lady
shining on the entire world after th e final victory of Her
Im m aculate H eart. To close, m ay I be perm itted to borrow
the words of Gamaliel in the Acts of the Apostles:
“Have nothing to do with these m en, let them be. If th is
is m an's design or m an's u ndertaking, it will be over­
thrown; if it is God's, you will have no power to overthrow
it. You would not willingly be found fighting against G od.”
Acts Ch 5, 38-39.
D ocum ents
Healing o f a Brain Tumor In South Korea
Madam T heresa C hun, 46 years of age and m other of
four children, w as hospitalized from the spring of 1 9 8 1 for
a cerebral tum or. Treatm ent was of no avail and sh e fell
into a coma. Some believers who h ad m ade a pilgrimage to
Akita gave the photo of the Virgin to the family, counseling
them to ask Her aid. The oldest sister and godm other of the
sick person placed a picture of O ur Lady of Akita on h er
pillow inviting friends and n u rse s also to pray (it w as a
Catholic clinic.) At sunrise on th e 4 th of A ugust she
regained consciousness in an inexplicable m anner.
On the 15th of October 1983, som e Korean pilgrims
cam e to Akita with F ather Oh Ki S aun; among them w as
M adam C hun an d h er eldest sister. They explained h er
cure which had been declared m iraculous by C hurch
authorities of Korea.
I interviewed h e r (with th e assistan ce of Father Oh as
translator): “W hat is your age?”
“46 years.”
“W hen did you become sick?”
“The 3rd of Ju ly , 1981 (it is the sister who answers). She
w as examined th e following day by Professor Kim J a n g J e
of th e Catholic University of Gyonghwi in Seoul. She w as
found to have a b rain cancer w ithout hope of cure and told
th a t it w as useless to keep h er longer in the hospital.”
“W hen were you baptized a Catholic?”
'T he 11th of April, 1981." Despite the difficulties
of language, m any questions and answ ers continued. The
188.
eldest sister, who h ad taken care of her, gave m an y details
which can be sum m ed up as follows:
At the tim e of th is sickness M adame C h u n h ad been
baptized only a sh o rt time. She w as completely ignorant of
the events of Akita and also did not know ab o u t th e photo
of the weeping Virgin. It w as h e r eldest sister an d god­
m other who h ad brought it to her. All were very s a d an d the
eldest sister proposed some o th er treatm ents, including
acu p u n ctu re, w hen suddenly th e sick w om an b eg an to
speak like a child and said, “I do not wish it. J e s u s will cure
me."
These w ords produced a stran g e im pression on those
present. It seem ed as though she had fallen b ack into
childhood. And hardly had sh e said these w ords th a n she
lost consciousness and fell b ack into coma.
It is th a n k s to Father Oh th a t the sick p e rso n was
brought into contact with the Virgin of Akita. T his priest
had come to Akita for the first time on the 2 6 th of May,
1979. To h is great asto n ish m en t he saw the te a rs flow. It
lasted a short time, from ten m in u tes after four u n til ten
m inutes after six of the afternoon, b u t he w as deeply
touched an d felt from th a t tim e the im portance of his
meeting with th e Virgin of Akita. He carried b ack to Korea
a great n u m b e r of photos which he distributed to m em bers
of the Legion of Mary and fervent persons. Among th em was
the sister an d godm other of T heresa whose life w as held
only by a thread . They placed th eir last h o p e in the
solicitude of Mary who had m anifested H erself in the
san ctu ary of Akita, so close to Korea. And w hat h ap p en ed ?
In the space of six m onths. O ur Lady—a s She was
represented in th e photograph — appeared to the sick
woman three times. The first tim e w as the 4th of A ugust,
1981 at 3 o'clock in the m orning while she w as still in a
coma. The Virgin wore a golden garm ent and h eld in Her
arm s a lam b a s white as snow. She breathed th re e tim es
on the forehead of Theresa w ho reported th a t th e breath
w as alive, w arm , an d strong to su ch a point th a t sh e could
see the fu r of th e lamb wave a s O ur Lady b reath ed on her.
According to the testim ony of those around, one h eard the
sick w om an cry out from her com a, “Lamb! Lamb! Lamb!”
b u t no one understood w hat th a t could m ean.
189.
The second apparition took place o n th e 15 th of Augu s t ,
1981 at 5 o’clock in the morning. O ur Lady wore the sam e
garm ent but no longer held the lamb. She first asked
T heresa to recite th e m orning prayer w ith Her, and ordered
h e r to rise. Then T heresa tried to get up, b u t did not at once
succeed; she h ad to be helped by h er sister who p u t h er
h an d behind h er back to hold her. She finally succeeded
in standing up, b u t sh e still had to take the arm of her sister
to walk.
The third apparition took place in th e X-ray room of the
hospital of Saint Paul. It was the 9th of December, 1981
while she was being exam ined to see w hether or not she h ad
been cured. This time O ur Lady wore a garm ent of brilliant
white altogether different from the preceding apparitions.
Also she looked at T heresa with a smile before going back
tow ards Heaven, always smiling.
The X-ray revealed a complete cure. After this miracle,
the C hurch of Korea established a com m ittee which m et on
M arch 3rd, 1983, in order to work tow ards the canoniza­
tion of the 103 Korean m artyrs. The auth o rities of the local
ch u rch recognized th a t the m iraculous cure of Madame
C hun w as due to th e intercession of O ur Lady of Akita and
sen t a letter to th e V atican signed by the bishops and
m em bers of the committee.
After the cure of Theresa, her s iste r showed h er a
photograph of O ur Lady of Lourdes an d one of O ur Lady of
Akita. T heresa did not hesitate to recognize the latter as the
a u th o r of her cure.
We note that th e Virgin Mary appeared three times for a
single miracle. Each apparition carries a special meaning.
The first time She ap p ears to the sick w om an while she is
still in a coma. Even though she is in a state of u n co n ­
sciousness, the vision is clearly perceptible. And it seemed
th a t th is apparition w as im pregnated in h er'sp irit in an
indelible fashion because she was able later to describe it
in every detail. Such a living description cannot be given
by som eone unless they have lived th e event.
In th is first apparition the Virgin does not speak. She
only b reath es upon the forehead of T heresa and one is
stru c k by the vigor of th is breath w hich cau ses the fur of
the lam b to wave. Could we not th in k th a t th is breathing
190.
of theVirgin rep resen ts the Holy Spirit and th a t th e lamb
represents J e s u s in the E u ch arist? This would m ean th a t
the Virgin effected th e m iracle th a n k s to J e s u s a s M adame
C hun had been inspired to hope. And even th o u g h T heresa
did not yet come out of h er com atose state, one could say
th a t the sickness had already been cured.
The second apparition ta k e s place on the day of the
A ssum ption at 5 o'clock in th e morning. The Virgin no
longer carries the lamb, b u t com es only to aw aken the one
who h as been already cured. She speaks to h e r for th e first
time, inviting h er to recite w ith Her the m orning prayer and
to get up. Now th a t she is cured, she m u st pray an d rise up.
And she does it with the help of h er sister. She m u s t m ake
known to everyone the cure th a t h a s taken place since the
first apparition.
With the third apparition, in th e X-ray room, one can say
th a t Mary, a u th o r of the healing, w ished to be p resen t at the
m om ent of the scientific recognition of the fact. T he shining
white garm ent, the smile of th e Virgin as She m o u n ts
towards Heaven, adds to th e sublim ity of the scene. S u r­
rounded by celestial glory, Mary comes to verify the com ­
plete healing, th e victory obtained by the grace of the
miracle.
Pastoral Letter o f th e B ishop o f Niigata on the
Subject o f the Statue o f th e Virgin o f A kita
Joh n Shojiro Ito, B ishop o f Niigata, 1 9 8 4
I
To all m em bers of the diocese, my blessing a n d m y best
w ishes on th is Feast of Easter. It is now tw enty-two years
th a t I have been bishop of th e diocese of Niigata, nam ed by
His H oliness J o h n XXIII in 1962. In conformity w ith the
legislation of th e C hurch I have reached the age of retreat
and m u st give up my function. My thanksgiving goes to
each one of you for prayer an d cooperation w hich have
perm itted m e, despite m any difficulties, to fill m y ta s k up
to the present day.
191.
Before leaving you I m u st confide to you a preoccupa­
tion. It h as to do with the series of m ysterious events
concerning a wooden statu e of the Virgin Mary in the
In stitu te of the H andm aids of the E u ch arist. (The request
for ecclesial recognition of th is secular institu te h as been
introduced in Rome.) This institute is found in Yuzawadai,
Soegawa, Akita, in this diocese of Niigata (Japan). You are
w ithout doubt aware of these events through magazines,
books, television, and so on.
W hen the first com m ission of inquiry was nam ed in
19 7 6 ,1publicly announced th a t it w as necessary to abstain
from all official pilgrimage and all p articu lar veneration of
th is sta tu e while the inquiry was underw ay. From th at day
I have m ade no declaration on th is subject. Indeed, being
a question of im portant events concerning the C hurch, one
can n o t treat them lightly. However, to keep silence at the
time of leaving my function a s bishop, since I have been at
the h eart of the events, would be a negligence with regard
to my episcopal duties. For th at reason I have decided to
m ake a new declaration in th e form of th is pastoral letter.
Since 1973, when the events began, eleven years have
passed. As th at was the first time I w as a witness of the
ra th e r extraordinary events, I went to Rome to the Sacred
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1975 where I
consulted Monsignor Hamer, secretary of this Congrega­
tion an d whom I already knew. He explained to me th a t
su ch a m atter belonged above all to th e authority of the
bishop of the place.
In 1976,1asked the archbishop ofTokyo for the creation
of a com m ission of inquiry. This com m ission declared that
it w as not in a position to prove the su p ern atu ra l events of
Akita. In 1 9 7 9 .1 presented to the Congregation a request
for the form ation of a second com m ission of inquiry which
perm itted u s to exam ine the facts still m ore in detail.
In 1979, a letter of the Congregation, unfavorable to th e
events, came to th e n u n ciatu re in Tokyo. But th is letter
contained some m isunderstandings. Esteem ing it my duty
to restore the exactitude of the facts, I re-exam ined it all in
1982 a t the time th a t the events cam e to a n end. Through
the interm ediary of the Apostolic Nuncio inTokyo, I sent the
com plete dossier, augm ented with th e new facts, to Rome.
192.
At the time of m y trip to Rome in th e m onth of O ctober last
year (1983) I w as able to m eet with three personalities
charged with th e m a tter in th e Congregation for th e Doc­
trine of the Faith. At the end of th is meeting we h ad decided
th a t the dossier should again be subm itted to prolonged
exam ination.
II
The series of events relative to the statu e of th e Virgin
Mary include the flowing of blood from the right h a n d of the
statue, also a perspiration spreading a sweet perfum e,
perspiration so a b u n d an t th a t it w as necessary to dry the
statue. However, the m ost rem arkable fact, in o u r opinion,
and the m ost evident, is th e overflowing of a n aqueous
liquid, sim ilar to h u m an tears, from the eyes of th e statu e
of O ur Holy Mother.
This began on the 4th of J a n u a ry , 1975 (Holy Year) and
some tears flowed 101 tim es, u n til th e 15th of Septem ber,
1981, F east of O ur Lady of th e Seven Dolors. I w as able
myself to w itness four lachrym ations. About 500 persons
have also been eyewitnesses. I twice tasted th is liquid. It
w as salty an d seem ed to m e tru ly hum an tears. The
scientific exam ination of Professor Sagisaka, specialist in
legal medicine in the faculty of m edicine at the University
of Akita, h a s proved th at th is liquid is indeed identical to
hum an tears.
It is beyond h u m a n powers to produce w ater w here there
is none, and 1 believe th at to do th is the intervention of a
n onhum an force is necessary. Moreover, it is n o t the
question of pu re w ater, b u t of a liquid secreted by a h u m an
body. It flowed only from th e eyes of the statu e, a s tears
flow, and th a t m ore th a n 100 tim es over a period of several
years and before m any n u m ero u s w itnesses. It h a s been
established th a t it could not have been by trickery or
h u m an m aneuvers.
If these events are not n a tu ra l one can envisage three
causes. They would be due to:
1. P aranorm al faculties of th e h u m an being:
2. M achinations of the devil;
3. A su p e rn a tu ra l intervention.
193.
I do not know well w hat could be paranorm al faculties.
However, certain individuals say th a t Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa, m em ber of th e H andm aids of the Servants of th e
E ucharist, and who w as the one linked m ost especially to
th e events of Akita, m ight possess paranorm al powers
perm itting h er to tran sfer h er own te ars to the statue. For
th a t however, it would be necessary, according to Professor
Itaya of the Technical University ofTokyo (specialist in th is
field) th a t the interested person be aw are of the fact in order
to cause such p aranorm al powers to intervene. Now th e
te a rs have flowed from the statu e w hen Agnes Sasagaw a
w as sleeping and even w hen she was not aware of the event,
being home with h er family 400 kilom eters from Akita. I
th in k therefore th a t th e hypothesis of su ch faculties can be
p u t aside.
There are also p erso n s who suppose th a t it is a question
of a m achination of th e devil. If th at is the case it ought to
lead to evil effects for th e faith . Not only have there not b een
su c h effects, b u t quite to the contrary there have been
favorable effects. For example, a h u sb an d whose Catholic
wife h ad for a long time recom m ended conversion decided
to receive baptism after seeing the tears.
In another case, a form er believer, separated from the
C hurch for several decades, returned to the regular p ra c ­
tice of our religion. And again, following a visit to the place,
a believer resolved to w ork in evangelization. Alone she
created two bases of evangelization and continues th is
work to the present day.
Furtherm ore, there are num erous reports of m iraculous
cu res of sicknesses su ch as cancer, th a n k s to the m edia­
tion of the Virgin of Akita. I am going to m ention two, th e
m ost proving.
One is the su d d en cu re of a Korean woman. Following
can cer of the brain, sh e w as reduced to a vegetable state
from July, 1981. The Virgin of Akita appeared to h e r
an d told her to get up. Almost at once she w as able to get
up, having entirely recovered her health. This healing took
place while p riests an d Korean w om en prayed to th e
Virgin of Akita for h e r cure and asked for a miracle in view
of the canonization of the Korean m artyrs. There are
X -rays of this person tak en during the sickness and after
194.
the complete cure. Even nonprofessionals can verify the
cure. The authenticity of th e X -rays is attested to by Dr.
M. D. Tong-Woo-Kim, of the H ospital of Saint Paul in Seoul
who took these X-rays, and also by F ather Theisen, STD,
president of the ecclesiastical trib u n al of the archdiocese of
Seoul.
All of the records have been sen t to Rome. I w ent myself
to Seoul (Korea) last year an d w as able to interview the
person involved; I could th u s a ssu re myself of th e tru th of
the facts of h e r m iraculous cure. For her part th e person
cam e to Akita to th a n k O ur Holy Mother.
The second case is the com plete cure of the total
deafness from which Agnes Sasagaw a suffered. I will speak
in detail of th is later.
By such facts propitious to the faith and to physical
health, it would seem to exclude th a t the events of Akita
could be of diabolical origin. There rem ains therefore only
the possibility of a su p ern atu ra l intervention. It is in any
event difficult to hold th a t it m ight be not a q uestion of
su p ern atu ral phenom ena.
in
But why have such phenom ena taken place? I a s k if they
are not with regard to the m essages coming from th e statu e
of the Virgin and perceived by the deaf ears of Agnes
Sasagawa.
The first m essage w as given to h er on the m orning of
Ju ly 6th, 1973, first Friday of th e m onth. A voice coming
from the statu e of Mary, always splendid, saying:
“My daughter, my novice, you have obeyed Me well in
abandoning all to follow Me. Is the infirmity o f your ears
painful? Your deafness will be healed, be sure. Be patient.
It is the last trial. Does the wound d f your hand cause you
to suffer? Pray in reparationfor the sins o f men. Eachperson
in this community is my irreplaceable daughter. Do you say
well the prayer o f the Handmaids o f the Eucharist? Then, let
us pray it together:
“Most Sacred Heart o f Jesus, truly present in the Holy
Eucharist, I consecrate my body and soul to be entirely one
with Your Heart being sacrificed at every instant on all the
195.
altars o f the world, and giving praise to the Father, pleading
f o r the coming o f His Kingdom.
“Please receive this humble offering o f myself Use me as
You willfor the glory o f the Father and the salvation o f souls.
“Most Holy Mother o f God never let me be separatedfrom
your Divine Son. Please defend and protect me as Your
special child Amen.
“Pray very much fo r the Pope, the bishops and the
priests. ”
Agnes Sasagaw a lost h er hearing w hen she was working
a s a catechist in th e ch u rch of Myoko-kogen. B ecause of
th is deafness she w as for a time in the hospital of Rosai in
the city of Joetsu . Dr. Saw ada diagnosed h er total deafness
a s incurable and issu ed the docum ents perm itting, for th is
reason, state subsidy. No longer being able to work a s a
catechist, she cam e to the Institute of the H andm aids of the
E ucharist at Akita, w here she began to live a life of prayer.
The second m essage, like the first time, was given by the
voice coming from the sta tu e of the Holy Virgin:
“My daughter, my novice, do you love the Lord? If you love
the Lord, listen to what I have to say to you.
“It is very important. You will convey it to your superior.
“Many men in this world afflict the Lord I desire souls to
console Him to soften the anger o f the Heavenly Father. I
wish, with my Son, fo r souls who will repair by their
suffering and their poverty fo r the sinners and ingrates.
“In order that the world might know His anger, the
Heavenly Father is preparing to inflict a great chastisement
on all mankind With my Son, I have intervened so many
times to appease the wrath o f the Father. I have prevented
the coming o f calamities by offering Him the sufferings o f the
Son on the Cross, His Precious Blood and beloved souls who
console Him and form a cohort o f victim souls. Prayer,
penance and courageous sacrifices can soften the Father's
anger. I desire this also from your community, that it love
poverty, that it sanctify itself and pray in reparationfor the
ingratitude and outrages o f so many men. Recite the prayer
o f the Handmaids o f the Eucharist with awareness o f its
meaning; put it into practice; offer (whatever God may send)
in reparation fo r sins. Let each one endeavor, according to
capacity and position, to offer herself entirely to the Lord
196.
“Even in a secular institute prayer is necessary. Already
souls who wish to pray are on the way to being gathered.
Without attaching too much attention to theform, befaithful
and fervent in prayer to console the Master. ”
The third an d last m essage w as given also by th e voice
coming from th e statu e of the Holy Virgin on the 13th of
October in the sam e year:
“My dear daughter, listen well to what I have to say to
you. You will inform your superior.
“As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves,
the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity.
It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one
will never have seen before. Fire will fa ll from the sky and
will wipe out a great part o f humanity, the good as well as
the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors
willfmd themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead.
The only arms which will remain f o r you will be the Rosary
and the Sign left by my Son. Each day recite the prayers o f
the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray fo r the Pope, the bishops
and the priests.
“The work o f the devil will infiltrate even into the Church
in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals,
bishops against other bishops. The priests who venerate me
will be scorned and opposed by their confreres, churches
and altars sacked, the Church will be fu ll o f those who
accept compromises and the demon will press many priests
and consecrated souls to leave the service o f the Lord.
“The demon will be especially implacable against souls
consecrated to God. The thought o f the loss o f so many souls
is the cause o f my sadness. I f sins increase in number and
gravity, there will be no longer pardon fo r them. ”
This m essage is based on th e condition if men do not
repent and better themselves... I th in k th a t it is a serious
warning, although one feels here th e m aternal love of O ur
Heavenly M other in the words: “The sight of th e loss of
num erous souls m ak es me s a d .” If the promise contained
in the first m essage of 1973 w as not realized (Is your
deafness painful to bear? You will soon be healed) one
would be able to doubt the veracity of these m essages. B ut
th is promise w as kept nine y ears after the beginning of the
sickness.
197.
Before this happened, a person sim ilar to an angel
announced to Agnes Sasagaw a (the 2 5 th of March, and the
1st of May, 1982): “Your deafness causes you to suffer
doesn't it? The moment o f the promised cure approaches. By
the intercession o f the Holy and Immaculate Virgin, exactly
as the last time, before Him Who is truly present in the
Eucharist, your ears will be definitely cured in order that the
work o f the Most High may be accomplished. There will still
be many sufferings and obstacles comingfrom outside. You
have nothing tofear. ”
Effectively on the la st S unday of th e m onth of Mary, the
30th of May, 1982, F east of Pentecost, at the m om ent of
Benediction of the B lessed Sacram ent h e r ears were cured
completely and instantly.
T hat sam e evening she telephoned to m e and we co n ­
versed normally. On the following 14th of Ju n e , I visited
Doctor Arai of the Eye an d E ar Division of the Hospital of
the Red Cross of Akita who had verified the complete
deafness of Agnes Sasagaw a at the m om ent she arrived in
Akita nine years before.
I asked his im pression. He was am azed a t this complete
cure. Doctor Saw ada of the Rosai de Jo e ts u who had been
the first to examine h e r w hen she becam e deaf, h as now
issued a medical certificate dated J u n e 3rd, 1982, attesting
th a t following m inute exam inations of th e auditive capaci­
ties, he certifies th a t th ere is no fu rth er anom aly in the two
ears of Agnes Sasagaw a.
I have known Agnes Sasagaw a for te n years. She is a
w om an sound in spirit, frank and w ithout problems; she
h a s always im pressed m e a s a balanced person. C onse­
quently the m essages she says th a t she h a s received did not
ap p ear to me to be in any way the resu lt of im agination or
hallucination.
As for the content of th e m essages received, there is
nothing contrary to Catholic doctrine or good morals, an d
w hen one thinks of th e actu al state of the world, the
w arning seem s to correspond to it in m an y points.
Having set down h ere my experiences an d my reflections
w ith regard to th e events relative to th e sta tu e of the Holy
Virgin of A kita, I esteem it my duty, as O rdinary of the place,
to respond to the req u ests of the faithful to give pastoral
198.
directives on th is subject. It is only the bishop of the
diocese in question who has th e pow er of recognizing a fact
of this kind. The Congregation of th e Doctrine of the Faith
h a s given me directives in th is regard.
I have been in co n stan t relation with the Institute of the
H andm aids of the E ucharist since its creation, an d th u s I
know exactly th e situation of th is Institute an d of its
m em bers. In studying the histo iy of th e apparitions of the
Virgin Mary u p to th is day, I am aw are th a t it is always the
bishops of the place who have authorized the veneration of
the Virgin Mary w hen she h a s m anifested H erself in th eir
diocese.
After long prayer and m a tu re reflection, I draw the
following conclusions in my position a s Bishop of Niigata:
1. After the inquiries conducted u p to the p resen t day,
one cannot deny the su p ern atu ra l ch aracter of a series of
inexplicable events relative to th e sta tu e of the Virgin w hich
is found in the convent of the In stitu te of the H andm aids of
the E ucharist a t Yuzawadai, Soegawa, Akita (diocese of
Niigata.)
Nor does one find in it elem ents contrary to Catholic faith
and good m orals.
2. Consequently, I authorize throughout th e entire
diocese, with w hich I am charged, th e veneration of the
Holy Mother of Akita, while aw aiting th a t th e Holy See
publishes definitive judgm ent on th is m atter.
And I ask th a t it be rem em bered th a t even if th e Holy See
later publishes a favorable ju d g m en t with regard to the
events of Akita, it is a question only of a private revelation
which is not a point of doctrine. C hristians are b o u n d to
believe only co n ten t of Divine revelation (closed after the
death of the la st Apostle) which co n tain s all th a t is n eces­
sary for salvation.
Nevertheless, the C hurch, u n til now, h as equally tak en
into consideration private revelations insofar as they fortify
th e faith. For reference, I cite th e following tex ts of the
docum ent on Catholic Doctrine:
“The sain ts an d th e angels having been conformed to the
Will of God, receive from Him grace an d glory in ab u n d an c e
an d it is ju s t to venerate them becau se this re s u lts in
offering praise an d thanksgiving to God Himself. Among
199.
the sa in ts the Virgin Mary receives a special veneration.
Indeed, She is not only th e M other of O ur Savior who is God,
b u t also the Mother of u s all, and it is a s M other th a t She
intercedes for us, full of Divine grace m ore th a n all the
sa in ts and angels.” (Article 72)
“One venerates the s ta tu e s and im ages of Christ and of
the sa in ts to su stain th e faith, to adore C hrist, to venerate
the sain ts. This act th u s becom es praise to God.” (Article
170)
Finally, I beg God th a t He accord to you all ab u n d an t
graces, with my Apostolic Benediction.
Niigata, Feast o f Easter, April 22, 1984
Signed, John Shojiro Ito, Bishop
Above: Bishop Ito explains the message of Akita to a group of U.S.
pilgrims in the Akita chapel. His Excellency said: "It is the
message of Fatima."
Above: Blue Army Akita pilgrimage from the U.S. with Father
T atsuya Shim ura and Japanese Blue Army members outside
Tokyo Cathedral. Father Shim ura wrote the first book on the
Akita events.
Below: Convent of the apparitions.
201
.
Lachrymations: Date:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
01/04/75
"
11
03/06/75
05/01/76
”
"
"
05/02/76
05/13/76
07/26/78
08/31/78
09/15/78
10/11/78
10/21/78
11/04/78
11/06/78
11/09/78
11/13/78
12/05/78
12/07/78
12/25/78
01/24/79
03/04/79
03/07/79
03/25/79
03/27/79
03/31/79
04/04/79
04/08/79
04/09/79
05/01/79
05/05/79
05/06/79
05/09/79
05/10/79
05/13/79
"
05/19/79
05/20/79
05/21/79
05/22/79
05/26/79
05/27/79
05/29/79
"
05/31/79
06/02/79
06/03/79
Time:
09:30 a.m.
12:30 p.m.
06:45 p.m.
12:45 p.m.
07:30 a.m.
09:20 a.m.
05:00 p.m.
09:40 p.m.
12:30 p.m.
12:50 p.m.
09:00 p.m.
02:45 p.m.
05:00 p.m.
08:15 a.m.
07:30 a.m.
07:30 p.m.
07:35 p.m.
08:10 a. m.
08:10 a.m.
04:20 p.m.
08:40 p.m.
02:15 p.m.
07:00 p.m.
05:40 p.m.
01:45 p.m.
09:20 p.m.
05:25 p.m.
05:10 p.m.
09:20 a.m.
09:30 a.m.
02:45 p.m.
04:00 p.m.
06:45 p.m.
04:10 p.m.
04:30 p.m.
12:30 p.m.
08:00 a.m.
12:05 p.m.
11:50 a.m.
09:30 a.m.
06:20 p.m.
02:10 p.m.
04:35 p.m.
09:20 a.m.
11:55 a.m.
08:20 p.m.
10:30 a.m.
09:00 a.m.
10:05 a.m.
# of W itnesses:
20
20
18
15
20
—
—
30
55
35
46
18
16
23
20
13
18
13
12
16
18
60
13
13
10
13
11
23
20
23
16
19
20
—
14
17
—
23
-»15
—
13
11
11
12
15
11
13
12
40
202
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
06/05/79
06/06/79
06/07/79
06/09/79
06/10/79
06/12/79
"
06/14/79
06/15/79
06/16/79
06/17/79
06/21/79
06/22/79
06/23/79
06/25/79
06/26/79
06/28/79
06/29/79
07/01/79
07/06/79
07/07/79
07/08/79
"
07/10/79
07/11/79
"
07/13/79
"
07/14/79
07/16/79
07/18/79
07/02/79
07/22/79
"
07/23/79
07/24/79
"
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
07/25/79
"
07/26/79
07/27/79
07/28/79
07/29/79
07/30/79
07/31/79
"
12/08/79
"
01/06/81
08/22/81
09/12/81
09/15/81
08:10 p.m.
07:30 a.m.
03:30 p.m.
08:00 a.m.
09:20 a.m.
11:15 a.m.
07:40 p.m.
12:50 p.m.
05:30 p.m.
05:40 p.m.
11:00 a.m.
04:32 p.m.
05:23 p.m.
03:30 p.m.
05:25 p.m.
12:50 p.m.
02:20 p.m.
11:30 a.m.
11:10 a.m.
07:20 a.m.
12:15 a.m.
09:15 a.m.
06:15 p.m.
05:20 p.m.
07:20 a.m.
07:20 p.m.
09:40 a.m.
02:00 p.m.
09:00 a.m.
11:00 a.m.
11:00 a.m.
04:30 p.m.
12:35 p.m.
07:25 p.m.
05:15 p.m.
05:20 p.m.
07:10 p.m.
08:15 a.m.
12:30 p.m.
08:45 a.m.
05:25 p.m.
03:20 p.m.
01:20 p.m.
03:05 p.m.
03:00 p.m.
04:45 p.m.
00:10 a.m.
11:28 p.m.
08:50 a.m.
01:00 p.m.
08:44 a.m.
02:00 p.m.
ttt
13
13
19
10
12
10
18
12
10
13
25
18
17
40
15
13
15
06
13
14
11
14
15
12
12
15
10
22
24
12
13
14
10
17
18
14
14
30
24
50
46
46
17
20
16
16
20
26
18
44
13
65
.
V
I
The 101 Foundation is dedicated to making Our Lady’s messages known.
Many well substantiated miracles confirmed these recent apparitions and mes­
sages of Our Lady given to the world at Akita, Japan. Among them were 101
miracles of tears which flowed from the eyes of a wooden statue which became
animated and spoke: "Ifmen do not repent and better themselves, the Father will
inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It w ill be a punishment greater than
the deluge, such as one will never have seen before. Fire from the sky w ill wipe
out a great part o f humanity..."
As angels intervened at Fatima and gave part of the message, so too at Akita.
And the angel said that the number of miracles of tears was precisely 101 because
that figure represents the mystery of Our Lady as the New Eve, “Mother of all the
living” by the gift of Grace, as Eve is mother of all because she was the first
woman. The zero, a circle, represents God with Eve on one side and Mary on the
other. Eve had separated us from God by sin. Through Mary, Eve and all her
children are restored to God. Thus 101 becom es a symbol o f the Incarnation, o f
Mary's universal motherhood, o f Her mediation o f Grace.
At Fatima Our Lady told us that Jesus has "entrusted the peace o f the world"
to Her. This we see in 101, with Eve on one side representing all men on earth
now threatened with a terrible chastisement unless they turn to God, and Our
Lady on the other, interceding.and coming to tell us what we must do to avoid the
chastisement and be joined to God.
Unlikely as it may seem at the moment that the world will respond (any more
than it did after the great miracle of Fatima) the chastisement CAN BE averted.
This time our Mother presents Her message in tears and She says that already the
chastisement has been held back because o f the sacrifices and prayers o f special
souls and Her own offering o f the Passion o f Her Son to the Father. This is the
ultimate meaning of 101.
Above: Dr. Rosalie A. Turton, President o f the 101 Foundation bidding
goodbye after spending a night in the convent at Akita.
(The 101 Foundation, P.O. Box 151, Asbury, New Jersey 08802-0151)
Eucharistie Prayer
of Akita
{Most Sacred Heart of Jesus,
TRULY present in the Holy Eucharist,
I consecrate my body and soul to be
entirely one with Your Heart, being
sacrificed at every instant on all the
altars of the world and giving praise to
the Father, pleading for the com­
ing of His Kingdom.
Please receive this humble offer­
ing of myself. Use me as You will
for the glory of the Father and the
salvation of souls.
Most Holy Mother of God, never let
me be separated from Your Divine
Son. Please defend and protect me
as Your special child. Amen.
ttt