In 1973, Our Lady appeared three times to Sr. Agnes Sasagawa in the convent of the Institute of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, Setai Hoshikai (Handmaids of the Holy Eucharist) in Yuzawadai on the outskirts of Akita, Japan. The Blessed Mother stressed the need for reparation, sacrifice and daily Rosary for the Pope, bishops and priests. She also warned of the serious consequences of unrepentant sin.
Between 1975 and 1981, the wooden statue of Our Lady in the convent cried 101 times. This was witnessed by about 500 persons, including Sr. Agnes, the other sisters, and Bishop Shojiro Ito, Bishop of Niigata. Bishop Ito organised rigorous scientific investigations and, on Easter Sunday, April 22, 1984, issued a pastoral letter proclaiming the events of Akita to be supernatural and authorising, throughout his entire diocese, the veneration of the Holy Mother of Akita.
A beautiful chapel was built on the grounds of the convent of the Handmaids of the Holy Eucharist; it was dedicated to Mary Redemptoris Mater, “Mother of the Redeemer” on May 1, 2002/ The wooden statue of Our Lady that cried is housed in the chapel and pilgrims are free to visit and pray before the statue.
Here at Marian Valley, this chapel of Our Lady of Akita was blessed and opened by Rev. Father Thomas Casanova CCS on September 15, 2019; the 38th Anniversary of Our Lady of Akita’s final weeping. The chapel has eight sides representing the seven traditional sorrows of Our Lady and her present sorrow – ‘the thought of the loss of numerous souls’.
The tower is modelled on the Basilica of the Twenty-Six Holy Martyrs of Japan (Our Cathedral) in Nagasaki, Japan. The rays emanating from the cross are designed to represent a monstrance; the Blessed Sacrament is an essential part of the Akita story. The circle at the centre of the cross is filled with red glass, symbolising the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Precious Blood of Jesus and the blood of the Japanese Martyrs.
In her second message, Our Lady said, “Recite the prayers of the Handmaids of the Eucharist (Eucharistic Prayer of Akita) with awareness of its meaning: put it into practice; offer reparation (whatever God may send) for sins”.