Imaichi community (Japan) without direct damages

Fr Jose Llamas from the parish of Imaichi (that is an small district in Asahi, inside of the southern city of Osaka, not in the north as we explained in previous news), has established communication with the Chairwoman of the group of layclaretians. She told him that has relatives in the earthquake zone, but the tsunamis didn´t reached them, so that all of are well apart from the hardships that the situation demands. Other members of the group do not have family there. The group is formed by 13 persons quite elderly.
We thank P. Josep for his quick reply and his service of dialogue with that community.

Letter from Hirakata

"Thank you very much for conveying your prayers for the Japanese people. The natural disaster was unprecedentedly enormous. Tsunami was as high as 23 m in some parts. Now some 23,000 people are living in the "escape- from-difficulties" places and the total number of casualties plus missings now exceed 22,000. Kansai area where we live were free from the casualties. All Japanese are united to help them. The parish of Hirakata could raise the help-fund of some 840,000 yen last Sunday at the church. Many NPOs are raising the funds on the streets. The people know that years of assistances, governmental or not, to the devastated areas are necessary.


Thank you very much again for your thoughtfulness."

Mr.Tomoaki Naganawa

Our layclaretians comunities in Japan.

We have two communities in Japan: "Barbastro Martyrs" in Hirakata and the layclaretians from Imaichi.

We have received the first news from our brother Tomoaki Naganawa at Hirakata. In their zone (near Osaka) the earthquake and the tsunami have had a little impact. It seems that the community of Imaichi has had no direct damage, but this is not confirmed yet. Imaichi is about 250 kms from the epicenter and about 170 km from Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Although they have been not directly affected, Mr. Naganawa tell us that it has been a great shock for the Japaneses. He says it may have been about 10,000 people missing, and anywhere there are people who dosen´t know any notice about the situation of some member of their family