“Through the Immaculata, work for the Salvation of souls.”
—St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe
Our Apostolate
Inspired by the witness of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Seibo Maria Mission of Japan seeks to evangelize in Japan!
Following the zealous example of our co-patrons, St. Maximilian Kolbe and St. Francis Xavier, who brought the Catholic Faith to Japan, Seibo Maria Mission of Japan is a non-profit organization whose members seek to evangelize the Japanese people by first introducing them to Our Lady, the first missionary of Christ and the Mediatrix of All Graces through her Miraculous Medal, which was instrumental in the conversion of the agnostic Jew, Alphonse Ratisbonne. This story touched St. Maximilian so much that he began his mission of distributing the Miraculous Medal to everyone he met.
Distributing Miraculous Medals
Here Father Elias Mary Mills FI, while leading a Catholic pilgrimage in 2019, is explaining in Japanese to the ladies working at the Unzen Orange Gelato Shop in Nagasaki, Japan, what the Miraculous Medal is that he had just given them. The many medals that were distributed on this pilgrimage were graciously accepted, thus the inspiration came to strike a medal in Japanese script for the Japanese people, along with printing accompanying material explaining the medal and graces available to those who accept it and pray with faith and confidence to Our Lady.
20,000 Japanese Miraculous Medals were produced to be distributed!
A young American Catholic lay woman designed a Japanese Medal. A Catholic Priest in Japan translated the inscription. A generous donor paid for a die to be cut in Italy and 20,000 medals were produced.
Following in the footsteps of Kolbe, a translated Japanese pamphlet!
With the help of a Franciscan Friar, a Japanese Catholic lay woman and a Catholic Priest of Japanese descent all living in the U.S., a pamphlet was translated to go along with the medal.
Our pamphlet also includes a fold with links to the Baltimore Catechism, the History of Catholicism in Japan, the Vatican Website, where to find the closest Catholic Church, the Miraculous Medal Website and St. Maximilian Kolbe’s Monastery in Nagasaki.
Taking to heart the great missionary St. Francis Xavier’s words…
“At times I have failed to place an image of Our Savior’s Mother beside His cross. At such times, I have always found the people rebellious to the gospel.”
— St. Francis Xavier
Our goal is to introduce as many souls as possible to Jesus and Mary Immaculate by distributing Our Lady’s Miraculous Medals throughout Japan!
Off to a great start - so far 3,000 have been distributed!
Two pilgrimages to the Catholic Shrines in Japan in 2023 have given us an opportunity to travel and distribute medals to the Japanese public. Those who have received medals have been so gracious and appreciative of this gift to them from Heaven. Here Brother Didacus Gottsacker fbp, and Father Elias Mary Mills FI, are conversing with store owners in Nagasaki after giving them and those around them medals. We now pray for them all for Our Lady to lead them to Jesus Christ!