Mater Dei's Japan

"Shrines and Martyrs of the Rising Son"

Join Mater Dei and Fr. Joe Baker, on this extraordinary pilgrimage tracing the spiritual history of Christianity in Japan! Pilgrims will travel through places made holy by martyrdom, missionary zeal, and quiet perseverance. Beginning in Nagasaki, the birthplace of Japanese Catholicism, pilgrims walk in the footsteps of the Twenty-Six Martyrs, the Hidden Christians, and St. Maximilian Kolbe, whose life of sacrificial love continues to inspire the Church.

The journey continues through Hirado, Unzen, and Shimabara, where early missionaries and faithful believers endured persecution, offering their lives in witness to Christ, dying in horrendous ways so that the Church could survive in Japan. In Hiroshima, pilgrims will pray for peace and reconciliation at sites that call the world to repentance and hope. Traveling onward to Kyoto (Japan’s capital of culture), Mt. Fuji (Japan’s majestic natural beauty), and Tokyo (one of the world’s largest cities), the pilgrimage reflects on how faith endures within modern society.

The journey culminates in Akita, a Marian pilgrimage site calling the faithful to prayer, repentance, and Eucharistic devotion. Throughout the pilgrimage, daily Holy Mass, prayer, and reflections invite pilgrims into deeper conversion, renewal, and trust in God’s providence.

• Japan’s Most Complete Catholic Pilgrimage Route Travel from Nagasaki—the cradle of Japanese Christianity—to Akita, covering the most important Catholic and cultural sites in Japan in one seamless journey.
• Daily Masses at Historic & Holy Sites Holy Mass is celebrated at renowned churches, martyrdom sites, and Marian shrines, all arranged for you so that you can experience a true, prayer-centered, Catholic pilgrimage.
• Walk Where Saints and Martyrs Walked Visit the Twenty-Six Martyrs Memorial, Unzen Martyrdom grounds, Urakami Cathedral, and sites connected to the great St. Maximilian Kolbe.
• Pilgrimage to Hiroshima & Nagasaki Reflect on faith, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Also places to reflect on the gift of interior peace and hope.
• Marian Devotion at Akita Journey to one of the most significant Marian sites in Asia, and one of the newest recognized Marian apparitions, with a message of prayer and true faith in the Eucharistic.
• Carefully Balanced Spiritual & Cultural Experience A well-paced itinerary combining worship, prayers, reflections, cultural discovery, and comfortable accommodations.
• Organized inclusions so that you can enjoy your pilgrimage Solid Catholic Priest as Chaplain, Mater Dei’s spiritual program (with Masses, Rosaries, Chaplets, meditations and more), Group transportation (airlines, buses, and trains), bilingual guides, professionally escorted from Chicago O’Hare, 4-star hotels, 22 meals, and so much more! Everything carefully organized to ensure comfort, reverence, and peace of mind throughout the entire journey.
• Experience one of the world’s fastest bullet trains The Shinkansen system features incredible fast speeds, punctuality, and safety. With top operating speeds reaching 320 kilometers per hour on some lines and average delays measured in seconds, all while maintaining zero fatal accidents for decades! 

CHAPLAIN: Fr. Joe Baker, Roman Catholic Priest from the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin, and Pastor of the St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish. 

TOUR DIRECTOR: Juan Landa, Mater Dei's President.

DEPARTURE CITY: Chicago O'Hare International Airport - Other airports may be available.  

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