Morning breviary with the new students新入生との朝の祈り

We welcomed 225 new students on April 8th. Because of the Covid, we don't make an annoucement about the morning prayer in the school chapel, but some students come to the chapel and we pray together.
入学式に225名の新中学1年生を迎えました。新型コロナ感染症拡大予防のため、朝の祈りのことはまだ生徒たちには公には伝えていませんが、少しずつ集まってくるようになりました。

We have started the morning Breviary although it might be very difficult for new comers without any knowledge of the Catholic culture, but we hope they will recognize the importance of praying together according to the text long passed down from the people before us.
朝の祈りでは聖務日課をしています。キリスト教に初めて触れる新入生には難しいかもしれませんが、祈りの本を読んで一緒に祈っていく間に、彼らが祈りの大切さをわかってくれるいいなぁと思っています。

ウェブページに年度末・年度始めの行事を順次紹介していきます。

The busiest season of the end and beginning of the school year is almost over, and we have got some time to update our Viatorian webpages.
年度をまたぐ一番忙しい時期もどうやら落ち着いてきて、ゆっくりコンピュータに向かう時間も増えてきましたので、またこのページも更新していきたいと思います。

The biggest news of our Viatorian Community in Kyoto is that St. Viator Rakusei School has welcomed the new Principal, Ms. ODA Megumi, who is an associate member. We are really proud that a boys' high school, in our still Japanese male-dominant society, has welcomed a determined pious lady as a Principal. Mr. OGINO Kazushige, who is also an associate member, has been stay in offiece as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
新年度、私たちにとって一番大きなニュースは小田恵先生が学校長になられたことです。まだまだ男性優位の社会において、男子校の校長に女性が就かれたことを、私たちは本当に誇りに思います。ヴィアトール共同体も彼女をしっかり支えていきたいです。
理事長は荻野一茂先生が続けられますが、このお二人のヴィアトール会員とともに、私たちヴィアトール共同体も続けて頑張っていきたいです。

We are having the biggest spring holiday season in Japan and a lot of time updating, so we update our webpages to show you about the very important school ceremonies of the end and the beginning of the school year and our individual activities at church as parishioners.
ゴールデンウィークにかけて、年度末から新年度にかけての活動を投稿していきます。
よろしくお願いします。

洛星中学校・高等学校　理事長・学校長のご挨拶

Easter Vigil 2022 at St Viator Kitashirakawa Church2022年度復活徹夜祭（北白川教会）

We prayed in the Mass of Easter Vigil celebrated by Fr William at St Viator Kitashirakawa Church. We had not been able to get together at church for a long time since the end of last January, so we were really happy to have the Easter Mass together.
聖ヴィアトール北白川教会で、ウィリアム神父様司式で復活徹夜祭をお捧げしました。1月以降公開ミサはできなかったので、この日を迎えられて本当に嬉しかったです。

Ms ODA, the new principal of St Viator School, who is an associate member, played the organ with such beautiful sounds. Fr William celebrated served by another associate member Mr Oshima. It was really a moving mass.
洛星の新校長小田先生がオルガン奏楽をしました。彼女が選ぶ音はいつもとても美しいです。またウィリアム神父様は、大島さんの侍者奉仕で安心して司式されていました。

"Agape", the School-Year-Opening Ceremony on April 9th, 2022『アガペ』2022年度前期始業式

Following the School-Year-Opening Ceremony, we have a religious ceremony every year. We call it "Agape." Our new principal Ms Oda, an associate member, explained that we read the Gospel about the Last Supper, Passsion and the Easter, listening to a religious talk and pray together in this ceremony.
前期始業式引き続き、『アガペ』という行事を行います。小田校長から、主の最後の晩餐、主の受難、主のご復活の聖書箇所を一緒に読み、お話に耳を傾け、共に祈るものだという説明を聞いて始めます。

As Japan is not a Christian country, the day of the school year is fixed on April 9th at St Viator School, regardless of when the Easter is on that year, and this year it was held before the Easter, so we added the Gospel reading about the Palm Sunday and ended up till Passion of the Lord.
日本はキリスト教国ではないので、復活祭の日に関わりなく始業式があります。ヴィアトール学園も4月9日を前期始業式と定めています。今年は9日がご復活の前だったので、枝の主日の聖書朗読を加え、ご復活の箇所を省きました。

Laying emphasis on Passion of the Lord, we adopted the Gospel reading as we do in church on Palm Sunday or Good Friday, with Fr William as Jesus, a student as a narrator, a teacher as Pilatus, and all the students participating as a crowd. The words like "Crucify Him." are a little shocking to the students.
主のご受難がメインとなるよう、枝の主日や聖金曜日にする聖書朗読を行いました。イエス役のウィリアム神父、司会者、ピラト役の教員と残り全員の生徒が群衆役となって進める朗読です。『十字架に架けろ！』のセリフは少しショッキングであったようです。

Mr Kimura, an associate member and the Chair of the Religion Department, explained the Gospel reading about Passion of the Lord in his talk after the readings. We welcome Jesus, but once we learn He cannot do anything in favor of us, we betray Him and shout, "Crucify Him!"
その後宗教部長がご受難の聖書朗読を説明します。イエスは喜んでエルサレムに迎え入れられたが、自分たちの期待に応えてくれないとわかると、群衆はイエスを『十字架に架けろ』と叫ぶのです。

The prayers of the representatives of the students, the newcomers, and the teachers followed it.
新入生代表、生徒代表、教職員代表の祈りが続き、式は終わります。

Mr Nishio and Mr Oshima, both associate members, served around the Altar and assisted Fr William.

Entrance Ceremony with Benediction 2022入学式・聖体賛美式 ４月８日

On April 8th, St Viator School held the Entrance Ceremonies, one in the morning for the new senior high school students and the other in the afternoon for the very newcomers.
4月8日に洛星で入学式がありました。午前中は高校入学式、午後は中学入学式です。

Before the Entrance Ceremonies, we have Benediction, and this time Fr William, the school chaplain of St Viator Rakusei High School, celebrated the Benediction Ceremony twice. He prepared two homilies, a little difficult one for the senior high school student and an easy one for the newcomers, most of whom had no Catholic experience before this.
洛星では、入学式に先立って聖体賛美式を行います。洛星のチャプレンのウィリアム神父様が司式してくださいました。高校生と中学生ではカトリック体験に大きな差があるので、すすめの言葉も2つ作って下さいました。

The prayer of the new students is normally said by all the new students together, but because of Covid, we avoided the risk of droplet infection and had only the representative of the students said it.
新入生の祈りの言葉は、例年なら新入生全員で唱えますが、新型コロナ感染防止のため、総代が一人で唱えました。

We hope they will have good school lives here at St Viator High School.
楽しい学校生活を送ってもらいたいものです。

Mr Oshima, our associate member, assisted Fr William. And this was the first big Christian event for another associate member Mr Kimura, who is the head of the Religion Department from this school year. Mr Nishio, who is also our associate member, assisted Fr William, because he is now the Head of the teachers of the newcomers. Our youngest associate member, Ms Hashimoto, played the organ.