Tokyo Archdiocese creates shrine dedicated to Year of Mercy

The Archbishop of Tokyo on Sunday dedicated a shrine inside the cathedral that includes relics of two famous Polish apostles of Divine Mercy as a perpetual commemoration of the Year of Mercy.  During a Mass on Nov. 13 marking the close of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Archbishop  Takeo Okada declared that St. Mary's Cathedral would be the archdiocesan Shrine of the Divine Mercy.  Following Mass, Archbishop Okada enshrined the relics of Sts. Maria Faustina Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament and Pope John Paul II in the cathedral.  The relics were sent from the Archdiocese of Krakow, Poland, last December.  Before being enshrined, the relics toured dioceses throughout the country during the jubilee year, which also marked the 35th anniversary of St. John Paul's visit to Japan.  In giving his blessing at the ceremony, Archbishop Okada said, "I pray that all who trust in the Divine Mercy may grow spiritually here."

The cathedral has two other major relics, one is of St. Francis Xavier, the first Catholic missionary to Japan, and the other is of the Biblical Magi, both of which were given by the Archdiocese of Cologne, Germany.  (Source: UCAN)