Church seeks to revitalize monasticism in Japan

(OrthoChristian) - The holy Equal-to-the-Apostles St. Nicholas of Japan brought the holy Orthodox faith to Japan as a missionary in 1861. Now work on the nation’s first Orthodox monastery to be consecrated in his honor is underway, reports the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism of the Russian Orthodox Church.

At its July 16, 2005 session, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church heard a report on His Eminence Daniel of Tokyo and All Japan’s request for assistance in the revival of monastic life in the Japanese Autonomous Orthodox Church.

On the basis of the report, the Holy Synod resolved to send Hieromonk Gerasim (Shevtsov) of the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra to be at Met. Daniel’s disposal to assist in organizing a monastic community.

Land for the long-awaited monastery was finally purchased on June 22 of this year in the south-central city of Ajiro. On July 3, the brothers of the monastery Archimandrite Gerasim and Monk Solomon served the first moleben at the site of the monastery’s future church.

The future monastery owns a large altar Gospel printed in St. Nicholas’ Japanese translation by the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra. Such Gospels will also be given to the Orthodox cathedrals in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Sendai.

The purchasing of the land was reported to the Council of the Japanese Orthodox Church at its July7-8 session, to the joy of the hierarchs, who approved of the project. The brothers of the monastery will be working hard over the coming year in order to have visible results to report to the Council at its session next year.