Japanese pilgrims in Palermo to commemorate Don Giovanni Battista Sidoti

Last Updated: December 1, 2023

On Thursday, December 7, a group of Japanese Catholic pilgrims will be in Palermo to commemorate Don Giovanni Battista Sidoti, a missionary born in Palermo in 1667 and died in Tokyo in 1714. The pilgrims are part of a pilgrimage organized to mark the 400th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Blessed Girolamo De Angelis in Edo on December 4, 1623. The group has already visited Enna, Santo Stefano di Quisquina, and Chiusa Sclafani. In Palermo, they will visit the places where Sidoti lived and studied, including the Clericorum Seminarium, the Jesuit College, and the cathedral. The Archbishop of Palermo will preside over a Eucharist at the cathedral, and the pilgrimage is also in preparation for the beatification of Don Giovanni Battista Sidoti and his two servants, Chōsuke and Haru.