Nanzan Church
In the four dioceses, Niigata, Tokyo, Nagoya, Nagasaki, some 20 parishes are entrusted to the Society. In most of these, kindergartens are a valuable means of contact with the local communities. The largest parish, one of the largest in Japan, is Kichijoji Parish in Tokyo, with more than 5,000 parishoners.
There is a community of six priests serving in the parish. In the diocese of Nagoya six parishes are cared for by the SVD. In recent years Nagoya has seen a sudden increase in the number of non-Japanese Catholics, and Masses in Spanish, Portuguese, and Tagalog are regularly scheduled in the parishes, calling for the combined efforts of Japanese and foreign missionaries in pastoral work.
In Nagasaki diocese Nishimachi Church is a complex of parish, kindergarten, grade-school, junior and high-schools, and is a strong influence in the local society. In the diocese of Osaka, also, an SVD member is caring for the pastoral needs of the many Vietnamese resident there.