►Timeline of Blessed Takayama’s journey to sainthood:
●1614, Dec. 21 – Arrival in Manila of exiled “Samurai of Christ,” Dom Justus Ukon Takayama (1552-1615) with the first boatload of 350 Catholic refugees and migrants deported from Japan;
●1615, Feb. 3 – Death of Justus Ukon Takayama in the Jesuit (now PLM) Compound, Intramuros, Manila;
●1630, Oct. 5 – Petition sent to the Vatican by the Manila Archdiocese proposing Takayama as the first Manila Catholic to be considered for sainthood;
●1963, Nov. 14 – Manila Cardinal Rufino J. Santos “seconds” Takayama Beatification Cause to Osaka Bishop (later Cardinal) Paul Yoshigoro Taguchi;
●1977, Nov. 17 – Inauguration of the Takayama Memorial as the centerpiece of the Philippines-Japan Friendship Park at Plaza Dilao, Paco, Manila;
●1987, July 23 – Jesuit General Postulator, Fr. Paolo Molinari, entrusts to Prof. Ernesto A. de Pedro the translation to English of the “Positio: Servus Dei, Justus Takayama Ukon: Materia Praeparata Pro Propositione Super Virtutibus Servi Dei Justi Takayama Ukon” submitted in 1975 by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Japan (CBCJ);
●1994, June 10 – Justus Ukon Takayama declared “Servant of God”;
●2016, Jan. 21 – Pope Francis authorizes the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints (CCS) to publish Decree of Martyrdom declaring the Servant of God, Justus Ukon Takayama as a “layperson … from Japan [who] died from the hatred of the Faith on Feb. 3, 1615 in Manila, Philippines”;
●2017, Feb.7 – Beatification Rites for Ven. Takayama in Osaka Archdiocese, Japan;
●2019, July 25 – Pope Francis imparts Apostolic Blessing to Dr. Ernesto A. de Pedro and Prayer Warriors of Blessed Takayama;
●LAST STEP – Canonization (i.e., enrollment in the Canon of Saints) upon approval of validating miracle.#
Blessed Justo Takayama Ukon 