Students travel to Japan to commemorate moment in history

Forty-two students, 10 chaperons (including myself), 28 parents and relatives, and 4 alumni, traveled to gain insight into the Japanese culture while reinforcing the educational relevance, spiritual formation, and global perspective of the Society of Jesus. The chaperones included members of the Administration, Social Studies department, the Language department, the Humanities department, the Science department, and a representative of EF tours. Each and every one played a crucial role in the formation of these travelers as all educational disciplines were represented.

 

The itinerary, which began on June 20^th and ended June 29^th, included Tokyo, Hakone, Lake Ashi, Takayama, Shirakawa village,  Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, Miyajima Park, and Osaka.

 

Tokyo was exactly what the group expected: fast paced, bright, beautiful, flashy, and electric in atmosphere. Travelers compared Tokyo to Times Square in New York City. The next destination was Hakone where the group experienced authentic Japanese accommodations, including the wearing of kimonos, eating authentic Japanese cuisine and participating in karaoke.

 

The trip focused on the life of Father Pedro Arrupe, S.J., who was in Japan at the time the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. The day after the bombing, he and other Jesuits set up a clinic in a church that was miraculously left standing despite being located less than one kilometer from the blast. The six Jesuits that were in the rectory suffered very little injury and the event is known as, “the Miracle of Hiroshima”. These Jesuits stayed in Hiroshima to show the people that Jesus loved them by meeting the needs of those suffering and dying. Unbelievably, none of them became sick or died from radiation poisoning. Father Arrupe S.J. went on to become the twenty-eighth Superior General of the Society of Jesus.

 

The students knew of Father Arrupe’s impact in the area but they didn’t understand the extent to which he is still respected and honored, until they reached Hiroshima.  The tour guide, who was an “in-utero survivor”, shared deep insight of how the bombing impacted his life. He was pleased that our students traveled to Japan to commemorate the 70^th anniversary of Hiroshima and was happy to see that we wore the name of Father Arrupe, S.J. on the back of our polo shirts as a symbol of honor to a man that did so much during a time of great darkness.

 

When the group visited the church that survived the blast, they found that it had been torn down except for two pillars that remained. As soon as the person in charge of that area read Father Arrupe’s name on the back of our shirts, we were allowed to enter the church, take pictures inside the sanctuary, and descend into the crypt. Word quickly spread that a Jesuit school had arrived honoring the life of a man that they revered so highly. The humbling visit ended when a priest allowed our group to pass through the Jubilee locked doors.

 

The ten day trip was a profound experience that left an impact on the lives of those that attended. Preparations are already underway for next summer’s trip to Asia. For more information on how you can participate, please contact me at ccleveland@belenejsuit.org.