Sister Maria Fidelis

I, Sister Maria Fidelis was born on October 18, 1951, the feast of St. Luke, in a clinic room on the second floor of my grandfather’s house, who had a clinic in Hirado, Nagasaki Prefecture. At the time of my birth, I had two elder brothers and a sister three years older than me. When I was born, my sister was playing in the yard with a helper when she heard the baby’s birth and went around to everyone she met saying, “The baby was born from the roof.” I was often teased, “You were born from the roof.” I was blessed with the opportunity to play in the waiting area and medicine room of this clinic and meet the neighbors who came as patients, especially the poor-feeling people who were taught that as Christians they had met persecution and lost everything to defend their faith. I grew up and lived here until I graduated from high school.

When I was 23 days old, I was baptized without my family being present. It is true that I was baptized, as my name is listed as Maria in the baptismal register of the church. My father was baptized as a Protestant from Buddhism as an adult and later converted to Catholicism, where he found the truth after a serious search. My mother, when she married and had her first son, thought it would not be good for our family to be divided, so my eldest brother and my mom were baptized together. None of her relatives were Catholics. In the church at that time, it was said that if the child born was not baptized early, the child would be taken by the devil, and the lady sent to my mother from the church disappeared with me for about an hour. My father was on a business trip and my mother was on leave after childbirth, so she was grounded. It was a long time for her, and she felt uncomfortable and on edge. I once heard my parents being verbally abused and persecuted by their relatives because they had joined the Catholic faith. I was saddened at the time, but I can only thank my parents for planting the seeds of faith in me.

My hometown, Hirado City, located at the westernmost tip of the mainland Japanese archipelago, is a port city with a long tradition of prosperity as a stage for trade with overseas countries, mainly in East Asia, since the time of the Sui Dynasty envoys, and as an international city with ties to Western countries such as Portugal and the Netherlands during the Age of Exploration in the 16th century. It also had ties with the Asian missionary Francis Xavier and was one of the places where the seeds of the Catholic faith were planted. Later, when the persecution of Christianity began, the area became a refuge for those who met persecution as Christians and lost everything to defend their faith, and many of them were poor. Perhaps because of this, or perhaps because of the strong image that joining the Christian faith equals poverty, the opposition of the people around them to my parents was extraordinary.

From the time I was in elementary school, I had decided to become a doctor like my grandfather, and I followed that path until my sophomore year of high school. However, during my sophomore year of high school, for some reason, “Through Mary to Christ” became etched in my mind. I thought it must have been one of the many books I enjoyed reading, but I could not find the passage anywhere. When I think of my religious vocation, I don’t even know when I first realized that the path of a sister was available to me.

People around me including my family could not believe that I would so easily change my mind about becoming a medical doctor, which had been my goal since I was a small child, and in line with my parents’ wishes, it was decided that my career decision would be withheld until I turned 20, and I was encouraged to study to become a homemaker and move to Tokyo to earn time at a college run by the Salesian Sisters. The study itself was interesting and I was blessed with friends. During that time, I experienced being a surrogate mother for the baptism and confirmation of several of my classmates and juniors. It was around this time that my father introduced me to a Franciscan priest he knew, and I began attending Seta on a regular basis. I had no contact with the Congregation or the sisters, so I had only a vague idea that I wanted to become a Sister, but my desire to become a Sister became stronger and stronger.

I was not sure which congregation I wanted to join, so I said, “I want to be involved with the sick.” There seemed to be many sisters in that field, and he gave me one name after another. I decided on the spot to join the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Francis Hospital, which was the first one the priest mentioned. During school vacations, instead of going home, I visited convents in Tokyo, Himeji, and Nagasaki.

After graduation, I took a job in the office of St. Francis Hospital in Nagasaki, where I received my first salary in my life and worked there until I was admitted to membership the following year. At that time, I met Sister M. Vianney, who was already working as a nurse, and we attended Mass every morning, even while sleeping, and shared a full meal together in the cafeteria. I became a member of our Congregation on February 11 at the age of 22 and have gone through each step of the process until today.

When I made my First Vows, I was sent to the office work of St. Mary’s Hospital in Himeji, and toward the end of my temporary vows, I was sent to the office wok at Easter Village in Ashikaga. After making my Final Vows, it was suggested that I obtain a pharmacist’s license, and I was able to enroll in a university within walking distance from our Tokyo Convent. As a result, I passed the national exam and was able to serve as a pharmacist at St. Mary’s Hospital for several years. At St. Francis Hospital, I was appreciated that I managed to be of service even when there was a shortage of Pharmacists. I have been sent to administrative positions for quite some time in the formation and administration of the Sisters in the province, as well as in the apostolate.

Next year will the 50th anniversary of my First Vows. Recently, I have been looking forward to the next successor.

On this occasion of this opportunity to share my story, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the Congregation and the love of God who has accepted me, nurtured me, and given me the opportunity to serve you.

February 20th, 2025 at Himeji Convent
Sr. Maria Fidelis Furukawa Masako