Hello!

I am Renzo De Luca, a Jesuit father ordained 2 years ago. I was born in Argentina 35 years ago, and I entered the Jesuits when I was 17 years old, in 1981. In 1985 I went to Japan as a Missionary, and after 2 years of study of Japanese, I did my studies of Philosophy and Theology in Sophia University in Tokyo. Till I came to Manila for my Tertianship, I was working in Nagasaki, where I am the vice-director of the Twenty-six Martyrs Museum.

In the Museum we have in exhibition many documents, relics, maps and so on of the time when Paul Miki and other 25 people became the first Japanese Martyrs and Saints. They were killed in 1597, so last year we had the big celebrations for the 400th. Anniversary.

Some of the highlights of our stuff includes original letters of St. Francis Xavier, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Francis Borgia, some of the Japanese Martyrs, as Nakaura Julian, bone relics of the Japanese Martyrs, printed material of the time, etc.

In the same place of the Museum we have also the Twenty-six Martyrs Shrine and the Martyrs' Monument, made in bronze by Yasutake Funakoshi, famous Japanese sculptor. The Shrine and the Monument are pilgrimage spots for all Japan, and we have also many foreigners' groups coming to visit, pray, celebrate Mass and so on.

My work in the Museum is divided between guiding groups and explaining the history of the Martyrs and Christianity in Japan, and filing material into the computer, planing to do a more accessible data-base of the material we have at hand. If you are interested in our museum, you can visit our web page.

One of the dreams I had when I came to Japan was learning the Language, which I did, even if I still have a lot to improve in it. Through the Japanese Language I could feel in touch with many things of the Japanese culture that are not accessible without it (for those who would like to see what modern Japanese looks like, you can see the Japanese version of this introduction).

Some of my dreams for the future include to work in a group researching the history of the Church in Japan, giving the Museum more access to the internet, and deepening my personal studies in Japanese History.