St Francis Xavier Chapel "Maryknoll" Japanese Catholic Center, 222 S. Hewitt Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Our Lady of Akita - Japan
The Statue of Our Lady of Akita
Brief Overview:
The statue of Our Lady of Akita was carved in 1963 by Mr. Saburo Wakasa, a wood sculptor living in Akita City, Japan. The statue is at the chapel of Seitai Hoshikai, called Our Lady of Akita, in Akita, Japan
On the morning of January 4th, 1975, tears started to flow from the statue. The "lacrimations" (shedding of tears) started that day and continued, sometimes on consecutive days and sometimes at intervals for a total of 101 times. This persisted until September 15th, 1981—the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.
Every time the statue wept, the sisters would pause to gather in front of the statue to recite the Rosary. Afterward, a priest would wipe away the tears. The cotton swabs used were later sent to the forensic labs of Akita University and Gifu University for testing and were certified to be comprised of "bodily fluid."
History of Our Lady of Akita
On June 12, 1973, Sr. Agnes Sasagawa was praying in her convent in Akita, Japan, when she saw brilliant rays of light that emanated from the tabernacle. The same miracle happened again over the next two days. On June 28, a cross-shaped wound appeared on the palm of Sr. Agnes' left hand. It bled profusely and caused her much pain.
On July 6, while she was praying, Sr. Agnes heard a voice come from the statue of the Virgin Mary that was in the chapel. It was the first message. The same day, some sisters discovered drops of blood that were flowing from the right hand of the statue. This flow of blood occurred four times. The wound on the hand of the statue remained until September 29. But that same day, the statue began to "sweat", especially from her forehead and neck.
On August 3, 1973, Sr. Agnes received a second message, and on October 13 of the same year, the third and final message.
On January 4, 1975, the statue of Our Lady began to cry and continued crying on different occasions for 6 years and 8 months. The last time was on September 15, 1981, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. There were a total of 101 lacrimations (shedding of tears).
The name of the visionary, Sister "Agnes", means lamb. She was healed of deafness, which was verified with no medical explanation. This miracle was a sign of the authenticity of the visits of Our Lady.
Ecclesiastical Approval of the Statue's Tears and the Messages
On April 22, 1984, after eight years of investigation and consultation with the Holy See, the messages of Our Lady of Akita were approved by the bishop of the Diocese of Niigata, Japan, Bishop John Shojiro Ito. He declared that the events of Akita were of supernatural origin and authorized the veneration of the Holy Mother of Akita in the whole diocese. In the Japanese town of Akita, a statue of the Madonna has shed blood, sweat, and tears according to the testimony of more than 500 Christians and non-Christians, including the Buddhist mayor of the town. A religious, Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa has received the stigmata and messages from Our Lady.
In June of 1988, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, imparted the definitive judgment regarding the events and messages of Akita, judging them to be trustworthy and worthy of faith. The Cardinal observed that Akita is a continuation of the messages of Fatima.
For more information please visit:
https://seitaihoshikai.com/us/
https://www.piercedhearts.org/hearts_jesus_mary/apparitions/akita.html#Approval