Ichihara (AsiaNews/JCW Ichihara parish in Chiba has been without a priest since last year, but parishioners have formed a group to meet, read the Bible and pray together. They say that in doing so, they have saved their church.
The Bible study groups started last summer with a weekly meeting: the idea came from Naotoshi Ishikawa, a 65-year-old parishioner, who until then had "watched over" the church, worried that someone might enter on the sly, seeing there was no priest there.
Ishikawa then took part in a series of eight lessons held by the auxiliary bishop of Tokyo, Mgr Kazuo Koda, who during the first meeting expressed hope of seeing "a renewal of Christian groups who pray and read the Bible together".
Returned from Goi, the man launched the bishop's idea among his fellow parishioners. One of the first to try the experiment, Isako Susa, said: "The meetings serve for reflection. We read the gospel of the following Sunday. Then at Mass, the sermon takes on a greater meaning." Once a week, a priest from another parish goes to Goi to celebrate Sunday Mass.
Starting out with a handful of members, the group has since had to split into two because of the large number of participants who joined: two are not Christians but they come anyway and sometimes lead the reflections.
Toyoko Ishibashi, 60, said: "When you hear what others have experienced, you realize we are all united with God and the Scriptures take on a deeper meaning. I hope that many other Catholics can have the same experience."
