►After a lull of three years caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Japanese pilgrims are resuming visits to Manila to trace the footsteps of ⛨Blessed Justus “Ukon” Takayama of Manila (高山右近, 1552 Toyono-cho, Osaka-1615 Intramuros, Manila) who was exiled to the Philippines in 1614, and died in Intramuros after a sojourn of only 44 days.

Cardinal Thomas Aquinas Manyo MAEDA, archbishop of Osaka-Takamatsu Archdiocese, will lead a 30-man group to Manila from Dec. 18-22, 2023 to mark the 409^th anniversary of the 1614 arrival of ●Lord Takayama and 350 Catholics exiled from Tokugawa Japan for refusing to renounce their Catholic Faith. This first exile ship in 1614 would be followed by many others every year for the next 254 years.

The Japanese pilgrims will offer flowers at the Takayama National Memorial (est. 1977), which was declared a National Monument by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines in 1992.

At Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City, they will celebrate Mass before the venerated Marian icon ●“La Japona,” which was brought back to Manila by Lord Takayama from Nagasaki’s Santo Domingo Church.

They plan to visit and celebrate Mass at Takayama’s putative gravesite in the Jesuit Cemetery at the ●Sacred Heart Novitiate (SHN) in Novaliches.

They will offer flowers at the ●Takayama Shrine at the UST Graduate School; visit the churches Takayama visited —  the ●San Fernando de Dilao Parish Church (also known as Paco Church) and ●San Miguel Church (also known as the National Shrine of Saint Michael and the Archangels) — and celebrate Mass at the Manila Cathedral where Takayama had served at Mass.

On December 21 — which was declared “Blessed Takayama Ukon Day” in Manila by the Manila City Council in 2018 – Cardinal Maeda will concelebrate the Noon Mass at the Manila Cathedral with Manila Cardinal Jose F. Advincula, after which he will lead a procession from ●Postigo del Gobernador (the city gate where the Japanese exiles made their entry to Manila), to the ●Jesuit Compound (today, the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila | PLM Campus) where the exiles were accommodated in their first night in Manila before being resettled in San Miguel.

In preparation for the arrival of the Japanese pilgrims, the PLM Campus Ministry will celebrate a triduum before Takayama Day on December 21.

The DOT-NCR is laying out the red carpet for this faith-based initiative, and is preparing for Japanese visits, not only to Intramuros, but other areas of interest – like the corridor of Spanish churches from Ilocos Norte to Ilocos Sur, as well as ancient churches in Bohol, Cebu and Bicol.

In 1634, only 19 years after Takayama’s death in Manila, the Manila archdiocese proposed to the Vatican the canonization of the Japanese-born Manila Catholic. Takayama is thus the first ●“Servant of God” of the Philippine Church.

In 1964, Japanese Bishops visited Manila♝Cardinal Rufino J. Santos in Rome in the sidelines of Vatican II to urge Manila to revive the dormant Beatification Cause of Takayama.

The Manila Archdiocese, not having a native Filipino saint of its own in 1964, “seconded” the promotion of the Beatification Cause of the Servant of God, Justus Takayama, to the Osaka Archdiocese.

In 1975, a Historical Committee of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan (CBCJ) submitted supporting documents to the Jesuit General Postulator.

But when Prof. Ernesto A. De Pedro visited Rome inquiring into the papers about Takayama, he was told the Cause had been dormant for 12 years as they could not be submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (CCS): Two of the languages they were written in – German and Portuguese – were not official Vatican languages.
Would De Pedro undertake the translation of all the documents into English “pro bono” in two years?

De Pedro accepted the assignment.

From Manila, De Pedro printed out the ●“Positio: Servus Dei, Justus Takayama Ukon: Materia Praeparata Pro Propositione Super Virtutibus Servi Dei Justi Takayama Ukon” (1994, 648p).

In 2017, Ven. Takayama was beatified, which means he is now venerated in churches in Japan and the Philippines —  and elsewhere in the world where there are Filipino or Japanese Catholic congregants.

When a validating miracle — effected through the intercession of Blessed Takayama — is approved by the Vatican, St. Justus Takayama of Manila will be venerated in Catholic churches around the world. #

Dr. Ernesto A. de Pedro, PhD
Takayama Trustee