September 10, 2021

1. As the State of Emergency in Tokyo is extended until the end of September, all masses and other face to face group activities will remain cancelled through the time period of emergency. Exceptions are allowed for funerals, essential activities and meetings that are absolutely necessary. (Confession is possible on personal request)
    
2. There will be no Elderly Mass(Mass for the elderly people--Keiro Misa) at 12:00 noon on Saturday, September 18th. The Anointing of the Sick (80 years old or older) scheduled after the "Keiro" Mass also is cancelled. Persons who are preparing for major operations or with serious health conditions are requested to contact the parish office and personally arrange the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Priests from our parish are also available to give the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick at hospitals and old age homes if those facilities allow it. (All priests in the parish are vaccinated twice)
    
3. While all parishioners are requested to attend online masses (in Japanese, English, Spanish and Vietnamese) on St. Ignatius parish YouTube channel, please continue to send paper cranes(Oritsuru) to church. The paper cranes will be placed in front of the altar representing the parishioners during the mass. (Online Japanese Mass is also available at St. Mary’s cathedral parish YouTube channel)
    
4. As part of commemorating the papal visit in 2019, the Archdiocese has set the monthly theme of prayer for September as ‘Protect all Lives”. The corona pandemic is said to be a side effect of environmental crisis. During these lockdown days let us give some time to reflect upon the importance of the protection of environment and what we can do practically.
    
5. Fr. Nguen Thanh Nha, SJ will resume working as assistant parish priest from September. Fr.Nha will be serving the Vietnamese community and the social service group in the parish.
    
6. The Church Festival is scheduled on October 10th (Sun). An online International Mass will be held from 11:00 a.m. and an online event will be planned from 13:00 pm. The link will be placed in the web.
   (In order to facilitate the international mass, other masses on this day at 8:30 am, 10 am, 12 pm, 1:30 pm, 3 pm and 4:30 pm will be cancelled. The 6 pm vigil mass on Saturday, October 9th and the 7 am mass and 6 pm mass on October 10th will be held as usual)
    
7. Once the State of Emergency is lifted, the public mass can be resumed. At the end of September, we will issue further announcement about it.

Please pray that the day we can meet each other in the church may come soon. Meantime, let us encourage each other with patience and hope in the Lord. 

Fr. Hanafusa Ryuichiro, SJ
Pastor, St. Ignatius Catholic Church, Tokyo