Nagoya, Japan, Aug 13, 2013 / 01:02 am
The Feast of the Assumption is an important celebration for Catholicism in Japan because of its link to both death and eternal life, according to an Australian missionary priest in Nagoya.
"The Catholic communities spend this day in paying tribute and attending Mass, and the names of all the deceased in the family are read aloud, causing the ceremony to sometimes go on for hours," said Fr. Keith Humphries, a member of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart who operates the Mikokoro Center in Nagoya.
The feast of the Assumption, a holy day of obligation, falls on Aug. 15, this Thursday. The date coincides with the Japanese commemoration of the nation's announcement of surrender in World War II.
The Japanese surrender came after the U.S. used atomic bombs on two cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing as many as 246,000 people. The anniversary of surrender is observed in Japan as a day of mourning for war dead and praying for peace.