Profile and History of Kameari Catholic Church
Name : Kameari Catholic Church
Dedicated to : St. Francis of Assisi
Date of Establishment : May 31, 1971
Pastor : Fr. Philip Ikuyoshi Fujisawa, OFM.Conv
Number of Parishioners : 392 (as per December 31, 2007)
Sunday Mass (All in Japanese) : Saturday (19:00, Started with Pray The Rosary at 18:30),  Sunday (09:30)
Weekdays Mass (All in Japanese) : 06:25    1st Friday (18:30)
Sunday School : "Mugino-Mi Church Sunday School" Sunday Mass 09:30～12:00
Class : Elementary Grade 1,2 / Grade 3,4 / Grade 5,6
           Middle and High School Students
For Children of Parishioners : Having finished kindergarten to
High School Students - Children living in neighborhood
Bible Study : Please ask us for further information
Volunteer Activity : Please ask us for further information
Other Activities : Please ask us for further information
Address : 4-3-20, Towa, Adachi-ku, Tokyo 120-0001
Telephone : 03-3606-1757
Fax : 03-3629-0242
Website : http://catholickameari.com/
Facilities for the Handicapped : Slope (or Barrier Free), toilet
Directions : * 15 Minutes walk from North Gate of JR Kameari Station, Joban Line.
* Take bus No.28 bound for Mutsugi Toju from North Gate of Kamerai Station, Joban Line
* Take bus No.23 (Bus stop No.6) bound for Katsushika-shako from West Gate of Ayase Station, 
   Chiyoda Line. Both buses get off at the bus stop of Towa 2-chome.
   From the bus stop Towa 2-chome, only 3 minutes walk to Kameari Catholic Church
* By car, parking available for 15 cars.
* See Google Map (Use North Exit Kameari Station, Joban Line)
Parish History : The Church is located in the North-East of Adachi Ward at Towa area, a Downtown of Tokyo.
On the occasion when the religious house and the kindergarten were established by the
Conventual Franciscan Missionary in December 1955, Catholic Kameari Church had been started using the auditorium for both Franciscan Missionary and kindergarten as the Chapel of the Church.

On August 1957 (Showa 32) it had become the sub-parish under Mikawashima Church in Arakawa Ward.

On March 1958 the kindergarten has officially been authorized as an educational foundation of Nikawa Gakuin St. Francisco Kindergarten.

In 1971 the sub-parish has become independent as Kameari Parish.

First the chapel was at the Auditorium of  Franciscan’s kindergarten. Then become a prefabricated house and  an awaited chapel of the Church though it is small, finally was established in 1991, together with the religious house  of the Franciscan Missionary.

The founder of the Conventual Franciscan Missionary (Friars Minor) is St. Francisco of Assisi, who used to be called as The Poor of Assisi. 
His Community has been approved in 1209. Traveling Italy and around Europe, St. Francisco had taught 
the life of repentance and conversion to God to those Christians who were about to forget the 
spirit of Gospel, and then explained to practice love, peace and justice concretely according to the 
Gospel. The starting point on his new life was to live in repentance. His charismatic way of life had 
been supported by two pillars which were to live as a little humble man and in fraternity with all 
the creatures.
The first missionary of Conventual Franciscan  Missionary who had started the mission in Japan was 
Fr. Maximilian Kolbe who laid down his life for another in the dehumanizing and brutal world of 
the Nazi death camp in Auschwitz.
Fr. Maximilian Kolbe canonized by John Paul II in 1982. He is called as the Saint from Auschwitz.
Fr. Kolbe took Brother Zeno Zebrowski and Brother Hiralio with him when he had arrived at Nagasaki in 
1930 for the first time. He had initiated a group of piety “The Knights of St. Mary” at Nagasaki 
as he had started it during his study in Rome.
He had built the Franciscan monastery named  “The Garden of Immaculate Mother” at Nagasaki and stayed 
there for 6 years publishing countless catechetical and devotional tracts and a monthly magazine for 
evangelization of the Words of God.
The characteristic of is mission activities is very Franciscan‘s way and has strong Marian devotion.
The Catholic Kameari Church has been dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi and has driven mission activities 
with religious life along the spirit of St. Francis.
In 2001 the Church has celebrated 30 years anniversary and also 10 years anniversary of the consecration 
of the present chapel. With only  30 members of the Church has been started and now grown up to 
390 people who are walking as the family of St. Francis of Assisi toward Jesus, the Lord.
(Reference: Catholic Tokyo News in March 2004, by Mr. Susumu Nishimaki).

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