Parishes
Kitamachi Catholic Church
Name
Kitamachi Catholic Church
Dedicated to
St. Andrew
Date of Establishment
November 3, 1959
Parish Priest
John Mary Michael Tadashi Furuichi
Number of Parishioners
755 (as of Dec.31,2019)
Sunday Mass (All in Japanese)
9:30 am
Weekday Mass (All in Japanese)
7:00 am
Sunday School
For Elementary school children (Every Sunday, after Mass 10:30˜) For Junior and senior high school students (Any time)
Bible Study
Every Saturday 14:00
Volunteer Activity
Through volunteer activities we support churches in Brazil and welfare organizations in Japan, etc. with the proceeds of the bazaars that we regularly hold.
Address
3-16-1 Kitamachi, Nerima-ku, Tokyo 179-0081
Telephone
03-3933-5057
Fax
03-3931-1640
Website
http://www.mars.sphere.ne.jp/churchkitamati/
Facilities for the Handicapped
Slope (or Barrier free)
Directions
10 minutes walk from Shimo-Akatsuka Stn on Tobu Tojo Line. 10 minutes walk from Eidan Akatsuka Stn on Yurakucho Subway Line. Parking not available. 5 minutes walk on the left side of Kawagoe Street , which is along the railway of Tobu Tojo Line, toward Ikebukuro. GoogleM ap
Parish History
History
Born in Nerima Ward in Tokyo 50 years has been passed since the Church started in this area of Nerima. The Church has been dedicated to St. Andrew as an patron Saint, one of the twelve Apostle of the Lord. Though the size is small but the Church aims at providing active programs. The founder of the Church was Fr. Gereon Goldman, O.F.M. He made up his mind to establish another Church after the establishment of Itabashi Church along Toubu Tojou Line for the increasing Christian members in Itabashi area. He made an effort to collect the fund and finally big fund was contributed for the new construction of the Church by Cologne Archdiocese. In 1959 the Church and the kindergarten have been built on the grounds of the present place purchased by the fund. Under these circumstances Kitamachi Church has been born on April 5th dedicated to St Andrew as the patron Saint and the temporary chapel has been set at one ward of the kindergarten. The first chaplain was Fr. John the Baptist Yasukuni Tokugawa. On the 3rd of November of the same year the official dedication ceremony of the present chapel had been taken by Bishop Johannes Ross, S.J., the former Bishop of Hiroshima Diocese. The sculpture of St. Andrew with 110 centimeters high made by Mr. Kenji Matsutani had been installed at the inner part of the chapel. The parishioners moved from Itabashi Church to Kitamachi Church were 69 people at that time but now the total number became more than 650 parishioners. The Church also has received the grace of vocation to the priesthood and religious life and has sent out Fr. Hideo Stanislas Sekine, Masakazu John Tachibana, Fr. Satoshi Francisco Akaiwa to Diocesan priest of Tokyo Arch Diocese and Fr. Ryoji Terahama to Fukuoka Diocese, and Sister Kiyoe Sekine to Congregation Filles De Marie Immaculee.
Environment
Kitamachi Catholic Kindergarten and the Church are in the same Church yard within 5 minutes walk from Eidan Akatsuka Station on Yurakucho Line or Shimoakatsuka Station on Tobu Tojo Line, along the left side of Kawagoe Road which runs pallalel to Tobu Tojo Line. There is the sign pole of Catholic Kitamachi Kindergarten and the Church is at the left side on the diagonal road from the pole. From the front gate there is a play ground where children play around on week days and parking space for the parishioners’ cars on Sunday Mass. The white chapel with Neo Gothic style is at the back of it. On the left side there are a large and small From the front gate view, the children play around the garden of kindergarten during the week days and on Sunday the yard becomes the parking area for the Mass. The chapel is a neo-gothic white building at the back of the yard. At the left side of the chapel there are a big and small kindergarten buildings. The parsonage is a two stories building at the back of the kindergarten.
Present Situation
All the functions such as the youth formation, treasure and other important tasks of the Church organization has been carried out by the parishioners. There are about 20 groups serving for the Church functions. For example the group in charge of the home page belongs to Social Communications group which publishes the monthly news letter. Also there are some other action groups like “Kangaroo” group for infant children & mothers, Choir group ” Choral Shalom” , study group on social problems and others. People of the Church community and also non Christian participants from outside enjoy their new encounter by joining together in these activities. The each member of the Church try to serve actively by sharing their gifted talent with practical use for the administration and activities of the community. Their are 7 fields of activities, financial, liturgy, social communications, building & maintenance, youth, event, and community. There are 25 working groups under 7 fields and all the members of the Church belong to any of them. In such a way the Church aims at the independent Church, developing Church and the evangelizing Church day by day.
