UUA President Prepares to Visit Japanese Partners

By Eric Cherry

From March 3 - 12, 2012 Rev. Peter Morales, UUA President, will travel to Japan to visit with a number of historic interfaith partners. These include:

  • Rissho Kosei-kai (RKK) - a 6-million member lay-Buddhist organization headquartered in Tokyo. RKK Dharma Centers in Hiroshima, Kamaichi, and Sendai will also be visited.
  • Tsubaki Grand Shrine - one of Japan's oldest Shinto shrines located in Suzuka.
  • The Konko Church of Izuo (a member of the Konko-kyo movement) located in Osaka.
  • Dojin (Universalist) Christian Church - a Tokyo congregation that descends from Universalist missionary efforts in Japan beginning in the late 19th century.
  • The Tokyo UU Fellowship - an English-language based UU community in Tokyo.
  • Ittoen - an intentional community with Gandhian ideals located in Kyoto.

The visit also provides Rev. Morales with an opportunity to extend congratulatory greetings to Rissho Kosei-kai during its annual "Founding Day." The event will begin at approximately 6:3opm Eastern Time on Sunday, March 4th. And, Rev. Morales's speech will begin at approximately 8:30pm. Tune in for a live broadcast of his speech, and potentially other parts of the event on the UUA website.

At the end of the trip, Rev. Morales will visit RKK Dharma Centers that were deeply impacted by the 2011 Earthquake/Tsunami and attend the Memorial Service for the Great Eastern Earthquake in the Sendai region.

Updates from the trip will be posted here and on Rev. Morales's blog Beyond Belief.

About the Author

Eric Cherry

Eric was the Director of the UUA’s International Office since August 2007. Prior to this Eric served for 12 years as a parish minister with UU congregations in Burlington, Iowa and N. Easton, Massachusetts. Eric has long been involved in the UU Partner Church movement, serving as the English...

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UUA President Speaks at Rissho Kosei-kai Anniversary

As part of a week-long visit with interfaith partners in Japan, Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) President Peter Morales spoke during the annual "Founding Day" event for Rissho Kosei-kai (RKK) on March 4, 2012. Rissho Kosei-kai generously simulcast Rev. Morales's speech during the anniversary event for the benefit of Unitarian Universalists (UUs) in the United States. We thank them for providing this recording of Rev. Morales' speech.