One of the regrets I have for visiting Japan several times after I had returned home after my post-graduate studies in 1999 is not being able to see an old friend again before he passed away. Friends have informed me about his having a stroke when I visited in 2008 but being busy in Saitama prevented me from looking for him. I was told he transferred to Totsuka Church after a long stay at Sacred Heart Cathedral or Yamate Church (Yamate Katoriku Kyokai as I used to say to the taxi drivers who brought me there when I was running late for Mass or a meeting.).
There is a nice article about him online from the Midwest Augustinians:
https://www.midwestaugustinians.org/news/2018/6/21/we-remember-fr-alfred-m-burke-osa-1930-2018
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| Fr. Burke had that winning smile and calmness that made you feel comfortable whenever you're with him. |
I came to know what he was really made of and what he stood for in a couple of occasions when the Japanese immigration bureau together with the local police held a stakeout around Yamate Church. They likely got a tip that there were many illegal aliens going to the church on Sundays and they probably thought they might be able to pick up (arrest) a few those days. I witnessed Fr. Burke talking to one of the Filipinos who aired their concern. It was clear from their expressions that they feared being arrested. Fr. Burke calmly instructed them to proceed to the church basement where we usually had food and other stuff for churchgoers on a Sunday. He told them to stay there and that they were welcome to spend some time there until he called for them when it was clear outside.
Few Filipinos probably knew or know about how Fr. Burke protected those who were the least of us in Japan. Yokohama being a major port meant there were many foreign ships docking there. "Bilog" as they were called usually entered Japan via its seaports. Many were seamen or crew of maritime vessels. Yokohama and Tokyo are major ports in Japan where many jumped ship to try their luck there. Many engaged in various employments including odd jobs where their employers did not mind that they were illegally staying in Japan.
The last time I saw him was when I visited Yokohama in 2001, 2 years after I returned home after finishing my doctorate studies in Japan. One of my regrets is not being able to visit him and talk with him one more time before he passed away. I guess that's an example of procrastination getting the better of us?
It's the first Sunday of Advent and attending online Mass from Yamate Church only made me sentimental as it reminded me of the more than 3 years there and the many friends I made and still regard as so. I do hope everyone's safe from the pandemic.
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