ボリビア多民族国サンフアン移住地におけるカトリック教会の創成と発展 : 南米の日本人移住地における「キリシタン移住者」の信仰生活

In 1955, a solid Catholic community of Japanese settlement was formed in Bolivia. The name of the settlement is“ San Juan”. After the beginning of this settlement, Nagasaki immigrants who were descendants of Hidden Christian in the Edo period had been played a central role in the Catholic community. This paper aims to outline the settlement history through Historical and Cultural Anthropological approach. Let us briefly view the outline of the history as follows below.In 1955,sixteen families,which include three Catholic families,went to San Juan as the first Japanese immigrants.They continued to preserve their Catholic faith,even during the difficult times at the beginning of settlement ,and in 1958,they built a small church.After building this church,they asked the Japan Catholic Migration Commission to dispatch to San Juan a priest with Japanese language ability.By 1960 to 1961,a Spanish priest who spoke Japanese fluently and held Catholic believers in a leading position was sent from Japan to San Juan as by the request of the Nagasaki immigrants.In 1961,the priest and the Catholic believers of San Juan built a blick church at the center of the settlement.In the 1960s,many Buddhists converted to Catholicism,and the Catholic community of the settlement developed greatry.After 1968,members of the commyunity visited Cotoca-a sacred sites where a wooden statue of Virgin Mary was found in the primeval forest-every year.In 1995,they also visited some other world famous Catholic sacred places such as Fatima, lourdes,Vatican and Jerusalem.Their faith grew stronger with these pilgrimage experiencesAt the same time,a Japanese priest and many sisters have also made a great contribution for this community.Nowadays,a priest,a brother and five sisters who grown up at this settlement are working all over the world