Hospital Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis

Sister M. Angela Yamada


This year I celebrated 60 years of profession as a Hospital Sisters of St. Francis. I am one of the first class of Japanese sisters of the Japan Provincial.

I recollect my religious life

I was born in Tokyo. While I was working for a bank, I read the magazine “Knights of the Mother of God” catholic monthly, printed by the Conventual Franciscans and I noticed that the publishing company was looking for a clerk. I inquired of whether I could help, and without resigning from the bank, I assisted this company after my working hours.  

One time I became very sick, and was hospitalized. The Salesian sisters visited me in the hospital, because my younger sisters went to the kindergarten of Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. My condition was very serious. The doctor said that I might die, so I was baptized on my “deathbed” by a Salesian Sister. Thanks to the prayers of the  Salesian Sister I recover. After 2 ,3 months I was out of the hospital, I returned to work, and I also continued assisting the publishing company.

Seeing the Salesian Sisters, I began to consider religious life, and after a while talked to the Conventual Francis priest who I had met before. As he often toward between  Tokyo and Nagasaki, he knew the St.Francis Sanitarium in Nagasaki.and he introduced me to our community, at the time who would be my classmate already worked in this sanitarium.

As my family was not Catholic, they opposed strongly to my entering the Community. However I talked to my mother about admission to religious life again, and then went to Himeji and entered the community.

When I entered, we lived with the missionaries from U.S.A. We had to talk in English with them. When we didn’t understand in English, we made ourselves understood in broken English with the help of some gestures. We made many mistakes but these are pleasant memories.

I pronounced my first vows in 1953. After first vows, my family who resolutely opposed my entering the Community was baptizes.

Though I was baptized by a Salesian Sister, I did not enter Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, but by I working the publishing company I knew St. Francis. I have been 60 years a Hospital Sisters of St. Francis.

What God does is truly a mystery.