50 YEARS AGO
In 1948, not long after the Second World War had ended, two Irish priests
arrived in Tokyo. Fathers Doyle and O'Brien belonged to the Society of St.
Columban and had been sent to Japan to look at the possibilities for mission work here.
Archbishop Doi of Tokyo sent the two priests to Seibo Hospital, where they worked as
chaplains, while they looked for a suitable site to start a new church. In the autumn of
1948, land was bought at the present location, and work was started on the priest's
house and a temporary chapel. Fr. James Doyle was appointed the first parish priest
and on the 9th of April, Palm Sunday 1949, mass was first Celebrated in the temporary
chapel. With the establishment of a parish council on the following Easter Sunday
and the official blessing ofthe chapel by Archbishop Doi and Cardinal Gilroy on the 9th
of June, the establishment of St. Patrick's parish was complete. The initial parish
community was made up of parishioners of the Cathedral parish who lived in the area,
people who had been attending mass at Seibo hospital, and many newly baptized
Catholics.
A kindergarten was begun in October of 1949, and the temporary chapel was
used as classrooms for the children during the week. The construction of the present
church began in 1955 and on completion was blessed by Archbishop Doi on the lst of
July 1956. With the building of the new kindergarten building in 1968, the church
grounds took on their present appearance.
Over the past 50 years there have been 13 parish priests, and another 25
priests assisting in various ways at Toshima. And of Course there have been many
thousands of parishioners who have contributed through their prayers, their time and
their efforts to the Toshima community.
10 years ago, on the 8th of January 1989, a weekly English mass was started
by Fr. Murphy. It was first held in the small chapel with not quite 20 participants.
Over a year later, numbers had grown so much that it was necessary to transfer the mass
to the main church. The English Mass Community is now an important part ofthe life
of St. Patrick's parish, and contains people from over 20 different countries.