Christmas and New Year Celebrations with the Migrants

With the grace of God and the entrustment of the Bishop of Kyoto, I have the privilege of serving five Vietnamese communities, five Japanese parishes, and the English-speaking community, working alongside two Japanese priests. Recently, I had the opportunity to celebrate Christmas with the Filipino community on December 22nd at one of the centers in Kyoto.

In the Vietnamese community, a meaningful tradition is to choose the Word of God during New Year masses as a source of guidance and blessing for the upcoming year. In the images, you can see the New Year celebration in the prefecture of Shiga. We hope that through this practice, the youth will become more aware of God’s presence and direction throughout the year, and strive to be witnesses of His love and mercy in their workplaces and daily lives.  

[Credits from Fr. Stephen Nang, CMF]