St Francis Xavier Chapel "Maryknoll" Japanese Catholic Center, 222 S. Hewitt Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Formerly known as "Maryknoll"
Mission Statement
We of Saint Francis Xavier Chapel, as members of the Body of Christ, are called to announce in word and in deed the Good News of the Lord Jesus, through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
We recognize our community's call to holiness based on mutuality, reciprocity, and interdependence and its ministry focusing on Japanese Catholics while also welcoming all in our greater community.
Fr. Doan Hoang's Message for March 8, 2026
Dear brothers and sisters,
Water is the major theme of the gospel. Jesus asked for a drink then offered the woman or living water. The term was deliberately ambiguous. Ordinary people, of course, didn’t have running water in their homes. That why they all have to come to a well nearby to draw water. The woman interpreted the term “living water” to mean a fountain water or a spring. She had no idea that the living water Jesus was talking about was the water that would lead to eternal life. Life, as we all know, depends on water. Recently in the news they have been talking about whether there was water on the planet Mars and if so, how recently it existed there. The main issue, of course, is if the water was there at one time, then life could have existed there too. There is no life without water. Similarly, we Christians see our own beginning in the life of grace starting with the water, the water of baptism.
Another feature of today’s gospel is to notice this woman gradually coming to know Jesus in fuller and deeper way. She initially addresses Jesus as “sir,” a polite title, then she recognizes him as a prophet, then she begins to believe he is the Christ, that is, the Messiah. In her excitement she forgot about the water she came to get and ran into the town to tell everyone about him. The town’s people concluded that he was even more than the Jewish Messiah, the savior of the Jews, but he was truly the savior of the world.
Everything in today’s gospel started with a conversation between Jesus and the woman. And so, we will never get to know the Lord if we don’t take time to talk with him. He comes in ordinary ways and shows up the mystery about himself in such simple things as water, bread and wine which is the most needed for our human life on earth. The important thing is to make time to listen, to respond, and to have conversation with God. We need such a prayer in our daily life. We never get to know anyone in life without spending time with them, and so, if the Lord is important to us, we need to set time aside to spend with him too.
親愛なる兄弟姉妹の皆様、
水は福音書の主要なテーマです。イエスは水を求め、その女性に「生ける水」を差し出しました。この表現は意図的に曖昧にされています。当時、一般家庭に水道は通っておらず、皆が近くの井戸まで水を汲みに行かなければならなかったのです。女性は「生ける水」を泉や湧き水と解釈しました。イエスが語る生ける水が永遠の命へと導く水であるとは、彼女には思いもよらなかったのです。生命は、周知の通り水に依存している。最近のニュースでは火星に水が存在したか、存在したならいつ頃まであったかが議論されている。もちろん核心は、かつて水があったなら生命も存在し得たという点だ。水なくして生命はありえない。同様に私たちキリスト教徒は、水、すなわち洗礼の水から始まる恵みの生命に自らの始まりを見出すのである。
今日の福音書のもう一つの特徴は、この女性が次第にイエスを深く、より完全な形で知っていく過程に注目することです。彼女は最初、イエスを「先生」という敬称で呼びかけ、次に預言者として認め、やがて彼がキリスト、すなわちメシアであると信じ始めます。興奮のあまり、汲みに来た水を忘れて町へ駆け込み、皆にイエスのことを伝えました。町の人々は、イエスがユダヤ人のメシア、すなわちユダヤ人の救い主であるだけでなく、真に世界の救い主であると結論づけた。
今日の福音書のすべては、イエスと女性の対話から始まった。だから、私たちが主と話す時間を取らなければ、主を知ることは決してできない。主はごく普通の方法で訪れ、水やパン、ぶどう酒といった、この地上での人間生活に最も必要な単純なものの中に、ご自身の神秘を現すのだ。大切なのは、神に耳を傾け、応答し、対話する時間を作ることである。私たちの日常生活には、このような祈りが必要です。人生において誰かを深く知るには、その人と時間を共にしなければなりません。ですから、主が私たちにとって大切であるならば、主と過ごす時間を特別に設ける必要があるのです。
in-church masses Schedule
Sunday: 8:30 a.m. Japanese Mass
10:00 a.m. English Mass
Saturday: 5:00 p.m. English Vigil Mass/
Weekday Masses are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 12:05 p.m.
Weekday Masses are subject to change due to funerals or illness.
First Saturday Devotion: 9:00 a.m., Mass followed by Rosary and Divine Mercy. Confessions are available after the Mass.
Donations
Thank you for your continued support! We are grateful to all who donate to SFXCJCC. We are open for weekend and weekday Masses. And are slowly opening our facility to our ministries and groups.
We are still in need of your financial help! Would you please continue making your Sunday Collection contributions or donating to St Francis Xavier Chapel?
You can mail checks to the office:
SFXCJCC
222 S Hewitt Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
To donate by credit card, click the button below.
Get Involved
Are you passionate about what we're doing? Let us know! We are always looking for volunteers to help us make our vision a reality. We'll help you find a way to volunteer that best suits you. We're excited to have you join the team!
Thank you!
Whether you help through monetary donations, volunteering your time, or spreading our mission through word-of-mouth, thank you. We couldn't accomplish our goals without the help of supporters like you. .