From September 21 to 23, 2026, the friars of the Province of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. in Japan gathered at the Friary of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Seibo no Kishi) in Nagasaki, Japan, for their annual fraternal gathering. The event was marked by fraternity and prayer. The friars enjoyed being together again after some time apart. During the gathering, as in the previous year, the friars continued collecting comments and proposals in preparation for the revision of the Provincial Statutes.
On the afternoon of September 22, the friars held a conference dedicated to the 800th anniversary of the transitus of St. Francis of Assisi, followed by a Mass of Thanksgiving, which many of the faithful attended.
On September 23, Friar Augustinus Yoshimi SAKURAMOTO presided over a Mass of Thanksgiving to mark the fiftieth anniversary of his priestly ordination.
Although the gathering was brief, it gave the friars a valuable opportunity to come together, pray, and give thanks to God. Thus, the friars were able to spend some meaningful time together within the context of the year marking the 800th anniversary of the transitus of St. Francis.
Province of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. in Japan
