New Springtime in a Young Church

BY BISHOP BILL MUHM

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This past spring, I visited every military installation in Japan and Korea with a Catholic chapel community. Later in the Spring, I led the Air Force Priests Retreat in Florida and confirmed AMS Catholics in Grafenwöhr, Ramstein, Stuttgart, Ansbach, Hohenfels, Wiesbaden, Germany; Brunssum, Netherlands; SHAPE, Belgium; Vicenza and Aviano, Italy; and Lakenheath, Alconbury, and Croughton, England.

Most AMS Catholic communities are anchored by a core group of loyal military retirees who provide long-term stability, memory, and generous offering fund donations. I found one notable exception to this general rule. At Naval Air Facility Atsugi, a small base about one hour SW of Tokyo, the chapel occupies the oldest and most culturally significant building on base. This former martial arts dojo predates World War II. Legend says that when General MacArthur first arrived in Japan in 1945 to establish U.S. occupation, he landed at Atsugi Air Field before embarking on a windshield tour of the base. According to legend, he saw the martial arts dojo, pointed to it, and said, “That’s going to be the chapel.”

The chapel is historic, and believers have worshiped there for many years. However, most military retirees have joined other nearby military Catholic chapels. The remnant is a small but vibrant congregation of single Catholic service members and young active-duty families. The Coordinator of Religious Education at Atsugi is Stephanie Fries, wife of Geoff, a Navy helicopter pilot. The volunteer President of the Catholic

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PHOTO PAGE 14: SLIPS OF PAPER WITH CHILDREN’S SINS WRITTEN ON THEM ARE BURNED AT A FIRST PENANCE LITURGY AT NAVAL AIR FACILITY ATSUGI, JAPAN IN MARCH 2021. CATHOLIC CRE STEPHANIE FRIES IS AT LEFT. FRANKIE ATKINSON, A NAVY HELICOPTER PILOT, STANDS IN THE DOORWAY. CONTRACT PRIEST FATHER KIZITO MAWAYIRA IS AT RIGHT. PHOTO BY JOHANNA MIYOSHI.

Advisory Council is Rae Atkinson, wife of Frankie, another Navy helicopter pilot. Along with several other young active-duty families, they have generously organized and led the community, supported by Father Kizito Mawayira, a part-time contract priest from Uganda who is assigned full-time to a nearby offbase Catholic parish. Father Kizito is very grateful for the faithful lay leadership.

Young Catholics bring energy and creative new ideas. One example is the First Reconciliation service that took place in early March 2021. Stephanie suggested to Father Kizito that the children write their sins on small slips of paper, which were then burned in a “sin burning” ceremony on the front porch of the historic chapel.

As Pope John Paul II said, “The Church at the dawn of the Third Millennium is young; this is a new Springtime for the Church.” As the Church goes out to the farthest byroads of the modern world to preach the Gospel, young AMS lay Catholics are at the forefront. Thank you for your prayers and support for all of us at AMS. V

PHOTO PAGE 16: BISHOP MUHM, FATHER KIZITO MAWAYIRA, AND MEMBERS OF THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY AT HISTORIC CHAPEL OF NAVAL AIR FACILITY ATUSGI JAPAN ON 14 MARCH 2021. PHOTO BY MCSN RAFAEL AVELAR, USN.

PHOTO BELOW: BISHOP MUHM (LEFT) TALKS WITH GYSGT JORGE A. MARTINEZ, JR., USMC, INSTALLATION LOGISTICS CHIEF AT CAMP FUJI, JAPAN ON 15 MARCH 2021.