On February 5, 1597, 26 missionaries and lay people were publicly executed under the orders of Japan’s ruler at the time, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He staged this execution as a warning towards the Japanese Christians to give up their faith.

By 1614, through an edict, Christianity was officially banned in Japan, driving the Catholic Church underground. For the next 250 years, a brutal crackdown towards the Catholics followed. These Christians in hiding became known as the “Kakure Kirishitan”-the Hidden Christians.

…Then in 1865, something miraculous happened. A small group of Hidden Christians went to the newly opened Oura Church and confessed their faith asking “Where is the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary?”

What was the secret of the Hidden Christians endurance? Why was the Faith able to survive in Japan despite over 2 centuries of severe persecution?

From a tragic yet compelling history of martyrdom to the fateful dropping of the atomic bomb in 1945; come with me to the Far East in Japan, in this new segment of “In search of the Virgin Mary,” as I dive into an immersive experience in the city of Nagasaki, as I check out Japan’s Catholic story- at once brutal, mystical and still very much alive.

If you have doubts, if your faith is now lukewarm, go and learn about Nagasaki. Go back to the roots, and look for the grains that have been bestowed upon us by the early Christians.

This is the story of Nagasaki: Our Lady’s indestructible city.

A big shout out to Ms Weng Baltazar and to A-List Travel Solutions Corp for organizing an amazing Nagasaki pilgrimage tour.

A big thanks also to Mr. Kazuo Miyata, director of the 26 martyrs museum in Nagasaki for giving us a compelling and detailed background of the history of Catholicism in Japan.

Big Shout out to my co workers
Brendan Johnson,
Sarah Vanzumeran
and Matthew St Louis for providing the voiceovers of Father Bernard Petitjan, Isaberina Sugimoto Yuri and Jinzaburo Moriyama

This video was made for YOU. Yes, you! For those who cannot at this moment travel to these holy places where Our Lady manifested herself, she wants to come to YOU. Whether you are on your bed, sofa, at work etc. Share this vlog with someone who you might know is going through a rough time or in need of encouragement. Share it with your loved ones this weekend. We are all I need of it 🙏 God Bless #nagasaki #nagasakiday #nagasakilovers #japan #travelvlog #mothermary #mothermaryprayer #blessedmother #blessedmothermary #ourlady #ourladyofjapan #martyrs #traveling #catholicchurch #catholicfaith #catholic #church #saintlorenzoruiz ​⁠‪@FatherDavidMichael‬ ​⁠‪@FrMarkGoring‬ #sanlorenzo #sanlorenzoruiz ‪@BroAdrianMilag‬