Observations: Monolingual clergy in a multilingual Japanese Church

Most of Japan’s Catholics are not Japanese. They have come to alleviate a shortage of native workers. While the Church has tried to respond to their pastoral needs, little has been done to integrate them into the life of the Church as a missionary presence. There is a tendency on the part of local clergy to treat foreigners as a pastoral problem to be handled rather than as a missionary opportunity that requires a vigorous response. Father William Grimm, who lives in Japan shares some thoughts on this.