The Filipino community of Ichikawa Catholic Church emerged after the English Mass was formed in October 2004, and is probably the newest addition to the growing Filipino Catholic community in Japan.  In July 2005, the English Mass Community (EMC) was formally inaugurated to serve the International community of Ichikawa church and to represent our church in the Filipino Catholic Community in Japan. EMC’s framework is composed of the administrative officers, leaders of the 3 committees (Liturgy, PR & Events, and Food Preparation), and members of each committee. Presently, there are about 25, all-women members, who are mostly working housewives and mothers, with some of us taking active roles in volunteer works and cultural exchange.

   We fondly call ourselves, “Amazonas” to project our bold determination to bring more Filipino residents, who have integrated into the Japanese society, to the church and revive our Catholic faith and tradition; to build a network of Filipino residents, so that we can provide vital information to help them adjust to the Japanese society.  We are also determined to build mutual understanding and productive relationship with the Japanese community.  Moreover, we try our best to help the less privileged in our country by organizing donation campaigns and charity concerts.  Last year, we held our first charity concert with the cooperation of Himig Koenji Choir and raised \113,000 for donation to the Philippines.

   EMC members believe that by sharing our God-given talents and by working together, we can contribute to peace and understanding in our community.