Mary’s heart was of more immediate concern than her syndrome: She had severe cases of atrioventricular septal defect and patent ductus arteriosus. Her prognosis was poor and uncertain. But the pediatric cardiologist nevertheless took care to tell us that, in Japan, Down’s children were known as tenshi — “angels.” Given her vulnerability, Mary was baptized in the intensive care unit the day after she was born. Father Jerome Donnelly, an American Franciscan who had been a missionary in China until expelled by the victorious Communists in 1949, was the baptist. A small group of Japanese nuns and nurses enveloped us. The water of Baptism came in three small drops squeezed gently from a wad of cotton wool — in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The tiny congregation greeted their new sister with a Lourdes hymn sung in Japanese among the incubators. We were on the other side of the world from our families and almost all of our friends. But through Mary’s welcome into the family of the Church, we felt embraced and supported. ‘Hidden Christians’ The Japanese Catholic community in the hospital brought us a link to the extraordinary perseverance of the “hidden Christians” who had preserved their faith through By Philip Parham When our first child, Mary, was born, my wife Kasia and I were both only 25. So it was unusual and unexpected that Mary had Down’s syndrome. She arrived in Tokyo, Japan, at the Seibo Byoin (the Hospital of the Holy Mother), which was run by Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. Philip Parham and his eldest child, Mary, born in a Tokyo hospital 38 years ago and now thriving. The water of life 28 Marian Helper • Fall 2024 • Marian.org The Sacraments Father Chris Alar, MIC, explains why Baptism is needed for salvation.
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