She wanted to pray to Our Lady like Christians do

Father Lothar, a missionary in Japan, told this story: It was the tragic day of May 13, 1981. That night Noriko Akagawa, a young Buddhist bank clerk in Asahigawa, had a strange dream. She saw Pope John Paul II enter her home, and he said to her: or “Trust and have courage!”

In the morning, she turned on the news on the radio. When she heard the words, "Pope John Paul II was the victim of an attack on Saint Peter's Square," Noriko was stunned. "If only I knew how to pray," she thought. But no one had ever taught her how to pray. She wanted to pray to Our Lady like Christians do.

The next day she read my statement in the local paper: "This horrible attack on the Pope affects me deeply. That is why I invite everyone to an hour of prayer, tomorrow evening, at the mission church." Noriko knew immediately what she would do. "I want to participate in this hour of prayer." This first encounter was for her a new beginning. After a year of preparation, Noriko asked to receive baptism on July 17, 1982. Remembering her dream, she remarked: “The star that led me to Jesus is Pope John Paul II.”

Betendes Gottesvolk, #132

Recueil Marial (Collection of Marian Stories) 1986