News/Updates
Welcome to the News and Updates section of the Vincentian Family in Japan website.
Here, we share stories that bring to life the spirit and mission of St. Vincent de Paul and the Vincentian Family — priests, brothers, sisters, and lay collaborators — serving together in Japan.
This space is dedicated to highlighting the ongoing works of charity, collaboration, and mission among our communities: reports from parish activities, outreach programs, solidarity actions, gatherings, and reflections that inspire hope and faith.
Through these updates, we wish to celebrate the presence of the Vincentian Family in Japan, strengthen our bonds as one family in Christ, and witness how God continues to work through us in service to the poor and those in need.
+ October 19, 2025 – World Mission Sunday
The entire Vincentian Family in Japan joins in deep sorrow and profound gratitude to God for the life and ministry of Rev. Fr. Mario Colina, C.M., who returned to the Lord on October 19, 2025, the day the universal Church celebrated World Mission Sunday. His passing on that significant day stands as a divine reminder that Fr. Mario lived his priestly life as a missionary to the very end — a priest whose heart was entirely directed toward the works of the mission.
A Missionary Journey in Japan
Fr. Mario Colina arrived in Japan in 1981, sent by the Congregation of the Mission – Philippine Province to serve the growing needs of the Daughters of Charity (DC) and to assist the Vincentian mission in the Archdiocese of Osaka. Following the departure of Fr. Michael Gimarino, C.M., he was appointed interim Provincial Director of the Daughters of Charity in Japan while awaiting the arrival of Fr. Victoriano Torres, C.M., who at that time was completing his Japanese language studies.
During his years in Japan, Fr. Mario’s ministry extended beyond his primary role as spiritual director of the Daughters of Charity. In 1993, he transferred his residence from the Kobe House to the Osaka Catholic Seminary in Tamatsukuri, where he was appointed Assistant Director of the Archdiocesan Office for Migrant Concerns. He served also as chaplain for the Osaka International Cooperation Center, an organization that had grown from the early “Sama-sama” community of Filipino migrants whom the Vincentians had first accompanied in Kobe.
Through these ministries, Fr. Mario became a spiritual father to many — Filipinos, Japanese, and other foreign nationals — who found in him a pastor who listened, encouraged, and led with quiet faith. His ability to communicate across cultures, his simplicity of life, and his deep compassion for those who struggled far from their homeland made him a beloved figure not only among Filipino Catholics but also among the diverse migrant communities of Osaka.
CM Priests in Japan Extend Solidarity Efforts to Earthquake and Typhoon Victims in the Philippines
In a moving gesture of compassion and missionary spirit, the Congregation of the Mission (CM) priests in Japan have extended their heartfelt solidarity to the victims of the recent earthquake and typhoon that devastated parts of the Philippines.
Among them, Fr. Roed, C.M., took immediate action following the earthquake that struck North Cebu last September 30. Moved by the cries of those in need, he quickly organized a fund drive with the help of his parishioners in Iwata, Kakegawa, and Fuji gathering resources to provide emergency relief. He personally brought aid to the affected communities in North Cebu, reaching families who had lost their homes and livelihoods.
Only a few weeks later, tragedy struck again when Typhoon Kalmaegi caused massive flooding in Cebu, claiming 232 lives on November 5. CM priests led another relief effort — mobilizing the faithful and Filipino communities connected to them across various parishes in the Diocese of Yokohama.
At present, Fr. Roed continues to send help and has prepared cargo boxes filled with household goods and clothing for the benefit of families who lost everything. His tireless efforts are a living expression of the Vincentian mission — to make God’s love visible through concrete acts of mercy and service to those in suffering.
“Our solidarity is more than sending aid,” Fr. Roed shared. “It is our way of standing beside those who suffer. The pain of our people in the Philippines is also our pain here in Japan.”
The ongoing relief initiatives of the CM priests and Filipino parishioners in Japan stand as a powerful testimony that charity transcends borders. Inspired by St. Vincent de Paul, they continue to live out the Gospel through compassion in action — bringing light, hope, and healing to those most in need.