| CURIA GENERALIZIA MARIANISTI October 25, 2005 Death Notice No. 17 (To all Unit Administrations): The Region of Japan recommends to our fraternal prayers our dear Brother, TOKUICHI JOSEPH TOMONAGA, priest, who died in the service of the Blessed Virgin Mary on October 20, 2005, in Tokyo, in the 94th year of his age and the 76th year of his religious profession. Joseph Tokuichi Tomonaga was born on August 15, 1912 in Tabira-cho in Nagasaki Prefecture. He was the sixth of the ten children of Peter Suketaro and Agnes Tomi Tomonaga. He entered the postulate in 1925, professed first vows in 1930 and made perpetual vows in 1935. He studied philosophy and theology in Fribourg, Switzerland and was ordained to the priesthood there on July 27 in 1941. That was right in the midst of World War II and he found himself unable to return to Japan. He remained in Switzerland and taught at Villa St. Jean in Fribourg. He finally returned to Japan in 1946 and, after serving as chaplain at Sapporo Kosei School and then at Tokyo Gyosei School, was appointed in July of 1953 as the Provincial of the Province of Japan. Following his ten-year tenure as Provincial (two terms), he became the Director of the Nagasaki Kaisei Postulate. He was renamed as Acting Provincial in March of 1967, a post he held until October of that same year. He then became the chaplain at the FMI Convent in Chofu. In 1969 he returned to Gyosei School where he ministered until his reappointment as chaplain to the Marianist Sisters in Chofu in 1981. From 1984 until 1993 he served as the Director of the Mariazan Community and Retreat House in Kannami. He retired from the “front-lines” of active service in 1993 and subsequently devoted himself full-time to the ministry of offering spiritual direction to the laity and guidance to various prayer groups. From 1995 to 1998 he served as chaplain to the Carmelite Sisters in Fukuoka Prefecture. After that assignment he returned once more to Gyosei in Tokyo where he spent much of his time in prayer. Father Tomonaga was a multi-talented individual – sports, painting, music, and languages. In the area of sports, he could aptly be labeled an “all-around athlete.” Not only did he like tennis, baseball, soccer, jogging, mountain climbing, etc., but he towered above the other members of the Province in such activities. During his years of ministry in the Tokyo area, it was his yearly practice to climb Mt. Fuji, which ranks in the class of 3,000-meter mountains. He was also quite a painter. Although it couldn’t be said that he enjoyed oil painting like one of those weekend artists, the backgrounds that he painted for theatrical performances and especially for the elaborate Christmas Crèches that he created each year brought delight to all who saw them. He was deeply devoted to Mary and Marian devotion. Not only did he himself pray, but he also encouraged others to do likewise. In his later years he became enthusiastically involved in the Charismatic Movement and directed several prayer groups. One of the special talents of Fr. Tomonaga that could be mentioned was his ability as a “diviner.” He was able to guess with great accuracy the direction, the depth and the volume of water in water veins underground. Many, many were grateful to him for the wells that were dug on the properties of religious institutes and churches throughout Japan. Finding it increasingly difficult to get around, Father Tomonaga moved
to Chaminade in April of 2003 where he had the use of an elevator.
In early 2005 his appetite began to decrease and swallowing food became
more and more of a problem for him. He experienced several bouts with
pneumonia as a result. A decision was made to feed him intravenously.
His blood pressure began to drop about that same time. He was called
to the Lord on October 20 at 8:10 in the evening. |