A number of different masculine and feminine religious congregations and institutes carry out activities in the diocese of Sendai, the epicenter of the earthquake/tsunami that struck the coast of northeastern Japan a few days ago, devastating a large segment of that region. The Daughters of St. Paul have 13 communities and 140 sisters in the country, including a community of 7 sisters and a book center in Sendai.
Sr. Francisca Matsuoka, FSP General Councilor from Japan, writes: “When the earthquake/tsunami struck, six sisters were at home, all of them rather advanced in age. The superior of the community was in Tokyo just then, participating in a meeting for the circumscription’s local superiors. She was unable to return to Sendai because public transportation was not operating. Like the rest of the population, the sisters of Sendai were terrified and this has had repercussions on the health of some of them. The walls of their house withstood both the quake and the tsunami, thanks be to God, even though everything inside the house was damaged. The sisters have no water or gas.
To get water these days, they have to stand in line for 3 hours or more. It is impossible to buy food so up to now they have been eating what was already in stock in their pantry. Friends and collaborators have also been coming by on foot or by bicycle to drop off food for them. Everyone is trying to help out his/her neighbor… . The sisters say they still have no idea of what happened to the book center, which is located near the cathedral in downtown Sendai, several miles away from their residence. Right now, they are worried about the possibility of radioactive contamination as a result of the explosions in the Fukushima nuclear reactor compound.”