Fr. John Futoshi Matsuo

Ordained | August 6, 2022

Where are you from?

Fukuoka, a city located in the Southwest Japan.

Tell us more about your journey and how you became connected to the Augustinians.

When I was 14, my family moved to an Augustinian Parish in Fukuoka, so that was the first time I met the Augustinians. I’ve attended church since I was young but this was the first time I saw priests up close and witnessed how they lived together. Their lifestyle just fascinated me. In high school, one of the American friars, a parish priest called Fr. Tom Dwyer, was very kind, very gentle to everyone. He gave my mother a role in the parish creating newsletters and as a result she became more active in church. He’s like a savior to me; he made my mother a good Catholic and he invited me to attend vocation retreats.

I went to a couple of vocation retreats, but the trip that stands out the most was when a friend of mine, who was also a Jesuit priest, invited me to go to Korea for a pilgrimage. So I travelled with him and met with Korean Christians for the first time in my life. One of them was an old man who was able to speak Japanese because of the Japanese occupation in Korea. The Japanese occupation was a terrible and brutal period for the Korean people and Southeast Asia in general. That was in the front of my mind during my time there but one of the first things that man said to me was “I was taught Japanese, and because of that I can speak with you.” And he was always smiling, just all the time smiling, and he generally looked very happy and was so welcoming to me. And I was just amazed at his attitude; I didn’t really expect that.

When I came home later, I reflected on our conversations and why it was possible for us to bond and have such a nice time together. We were different ages, had different cultures, nationalities, so what did we have in common? Only Jesus. Yes. We were both Christians, both Catholics, and that’s the only thing we had in common, and yet that was enough! That experience made me begin to think about my faith more seriously and led to a period of soul searching and reflection. After the trip I wanted to do something else with my life, something meaningful.

I was a programmer at the time but I wanted to do something for people, to work with them more closely. The assistant pastor of my parish, a Japanese Augustinian friar, told me that if I was interested in studying theology, he recommended I go to Catholic university in Tokyo. I didn’t answer immediately and told him I’d think about it. A week later, I went to see him and I suddenly asked, “May I join the Augustinians?” I don’t know remember how I came up with the idea, it’s almost like God nudged me and the spirit answered the question on my behalf. I was accepted, that was the more surprising part! And since then I’ve been able to live this beautiful life with lots of help from my brothers who encourage me along the way.

What is your favorite thing about your culture/country?

The food! Japanese food is amazing. Pork ramen is my favorite dish; in fact, it’s a specialty of my hometown Fukuoka. It’s what we are known for.

Below A colorful scene inside a train in Fukuoka

Tonkotsu or pork bone ramen is primarily sold as Hakata Ramen in Fukuoka City

What facet of your culture do you think can enrich the Order for the better?

Our respect for silence. We admire silence because it gives us an opportunity to listen deeper, which helps us serve people better. The space that silence inhabits is not emptiness, it’s actually full of meaning and that’s something the Japanese know inherently.

After the tsunami in 2011, I had the opportunity to work as a volunteer in the region affected for a short period of time. I was able to listen to the stories and the people said that they’re so happy with the volunteers’ presence, because otherwise they cannot really express how they feel, what they think and what they’ve been through.

They cannot really express the most difficult part of their experience; it’s something that they cannot put into words. But just something as simple as our presence was appreciated and was comforting to the people. And that is how we can to contribute to the Church, to the Augustinians, by sharing this very Japanese concept of occupying space. Not necessarily to verbally express our ideas, but to use the power of presence.

Share a favorite song lyric in Japanese.

From the song “Ue o Muite Arukō” by Kyu Sakamoto: Happiness lies beyond the clouds, above the sky