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 of the Bishop of Niigata. On March 14th, 1989, the Most Rev. John S. Ito, retired Bishop of Niigata who knows English and who had personally read this English translation approved it in the following words: “I recommend this book and testify that its contents are true.” t Most Rev. John S. Ito, D.D. Copyright— 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 Foundation regrets that at the time of the publication of this first English edition, this was the only photograph available of Father Yasuda. Most of the other photographs in this edition were taken when the 1987 Peace Flight to Asia visited Akita, Japan. Akita The Tears and Message of Mary by Teiji Yasuda, O.S.V. English Version by John M. Haffert, 1989 101 Foundation, Inc. Asbury, New Jersey 08802-0151 U.S.A. TABLE OF CONTENTS: Chapter #: Page #: Preface 1. Prologue 2. 1. Vessel of Suffering 8. New Trial 9. The Hill of Hope 11. A Mysterious Light 12. Meditation 14. 2. Angels in the Light 16. The Bishop's Guidance 18. Apparition of the Angel 19. 3. A Wound in the Hand 25. Account of the Superioress 27. The Trial of Deafness, Source of Light 28. 4. The First Message of Mary 34. Testimonies Concerning July 6th 40. 5. The Following Days 44. Report to the Bishop 45. The Strange Phenomena Increase 50. W itnesses 55. 6. The Second Message of Mary 60. August 3rd, 1973 61. The Attacks of the Devil 67. Light, Perspiration and Perfume 71. October 7th, the Feast of the Holy Rosaiy 73. The Guardian Angels 74. 7. The Third Message of the Virgin 77. Perfume and Stench, October 15th 81. Feast of Saint Teresa The Fourth of November 82. Love of the Neighbor 86. The 10th of March, 1974 92. 8. Days of Hesitation 94. The Japanese Garden 95. A Garden Consecrated to Mary 98. From Plan to Realization 101. 9. The Healing Announced by the Angel 108. Eighteenth of May, 1974 109. Thirteenth of October, 1974 111. The Meaning of the Miraculous Cure 113. 10. The Dream 116. An Unexpected Visit 121. Content of the Article 122. 11. The Statue Weeps 125. Reaction to the Mystery 129. Words of the Angel 129. Reaction 131. 12. The Virgin and Saint Francis Xavier 134. The Martyrs of Akita 135. The Second Evangelization of Japan 137. 13. The Requested Sacrifice 141. Attach Great Importance To This Day 147. Witnesses 149. 14. The Church and the Media 154. The Divine Response 155. Growing Trials 156. Thermal Cure 162. The Plans of Providence 164. 15. New Signs 167. The Memorable Days 171. Twenty-fifth of March, 1979 171. Decisive Expertise 174. The Second Commission — Positive Ruling 176. The Last Weeping — Our Lady of Sorrows 178. The Complete Cure 180. 16. Conclusion 184. Documents 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 ... John Shojiro Ito, Bishop of Niigata Lachrymations 201. ttt 1. Akita—The Tears and Message of Mary by Fr. Teiji Yasuda Preface: News of tears flowing from a statue of Our Lady in a convent in Akita, Japan, spread through the entire nation following a series of articles in the publication Catholic Graph. Over a considerable time newspapers, magazines, radio and television have covered these events. Church authorities considered it prudent to remain quiet. It was only after twelve years of national publicity that Fr. Tatsuya Shimura, assistant rector of the Cathedral in Tokyo, decided courageously to publish a little work entitled The Virgin Mary Weeps At Akita. French and German translations of this little work caused news of the affair to spread in the west. On Easter Sunday, 1984,22nd of April, the Most Rev. John Ito, the Bishop directly responsible, issued a pastoral letter declaring “the events of Akita” to be supernatural. On November 3rd of the same year, the Bishop himself came to pray at the sanctuary of Y uzawadai (Akita) with a group of pilgrims. Since that time pilgrims have come in ever greater numbers from all parts of Japan and from other nations. For thirteen years I was chaplain of the com munity of the Handmaids of the Eucharist in Akita and I related the “events of Akita” in our monthly bulletin during the last two years before writing this book. It seemed to me opportune to gather the articles together in a complete work, which I hope will bring joy to those who have sustained us by their fervent prayer. I pray that it will justly and faithfully clarify the facts so that an ever greater number may progress in an understand­ ing of the divine mysteries they reveal. In the name of the community and all readers I thank Bishop Kei'ichi Sato, successor of Bishop Ito, who kindly approved the publication of this book without reserve. May it be for all, by the Grace of the Lord, an instrument of edification and of spiritual progress. Given on the Feast of the Annunciation, March 251987, on the hill of Yuzawadai, Akita. Signed, Father Teiji Yasuda. 2. Prologue As I write this, I have just spent almost thirteen years in Ihe convent at Yuzawadai on the outskirts of Akita where I have been an eyewitness to the events I am about to describe. A remarkable series of coincidences brought me to this holy place. The immediate occasion for my coming was an incident which took place because of sudden bad weather. At the time I was stationed in Tokyo and had been invited to a city in the north to speak at a catechetical session. I took advantage of the occasion to go a little farther to my native village which I had not seen for sometime. It was in February of 1974. The weather was unstable and a snowstorm of exceptional violence paralyzed all communi­ cations for two days. I was held up at the village church with nothing in particular to do. A member of the parish, seeing that I was free, asked if I would like to go to say Mass at the convent of the sisters of Yuzawadai. She explained that because of the heavy snowstorms during these past days, no one had been able to say Mass at the convent which was up along the hill on the outskirts of Akita. Having no reason to refuse, I willingly agreed. Towards two o'clock that afternoon I took advantage of the offer of a neighbor who had a truck. The rough road which led to the convent had disappeared under a thick covering of snow. We finally made it with the help of a bulldozer which cleared the way. The little building, which I then 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 winter I had the occasion to meet a group truly living the vow of poverty. About ten years ago a small group of women gathered together in a house on a hill outside Akita to lead a life of prayer. Some of them later left, others remained. They did not have a priest and lived on strict necessities, having abandoned all their goods in order to consecrate themselves to God. “They seemed to be the butt of constant criticism and calumny. They were reproached for not having anything other to do, and if I listened to what was being said, perhaps 3. I might have been of the same opinion. One must not forget the truth contained in this paradox... the one who is despised becomes in reality the one who identifies most with Christ. This example suffices to teach us which one is more loved of God, the one who throws the insults or the one who receives them. “These women told me of an unusual experience. They said: 'We were ardently begging the intercession of 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 of red blood in theform of 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 me to come and see the statue. I went to the chapel, said Mass there, and prayed to the Virgin Mary. I remained a moment to contemplate the statue of which the hand appeared to have bled. I felt very intensely that Mary had to suffer for the church of Japan, even to the point of shedding blood. I left the hill carrying in my heart a profound conviction that in this place there was an urgent appeal for prayer.” It was in these dispositions that I returned to my parish with a resolution to participate in some manner in the sufferings of Mary. A little later, I was led to give up my position as pastor and I at once remembered the Virgin who had shed blood. I felt an ardent desire to go there to pray. Such were the circumstances which led me to the Virgin of Yuzawadai, and with the passage of time I cannot but recognize the hand of Divine Providence, watchful in everything.