Eucharistic Prayer of Akita

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus,
TRULY present
in the Holy Eucharist,
I consecrate my body and soul
to be entirely one with Your Heart,
being sacrificed at every instant
on all the altars of the world
and giving praise to the Father,
pleading for the coming of His Kingdom.
Please receive this humble offering of myself.
Use me as You will for the glory of the Father 
and the salvation of souls.

Most Holy Mother of God,
never let me be separated
from your Divine Son.
Please defend and protect me
as your special child.

Amen.

"Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates."

Our Lady of Akita to Sister Agnes Sasagawa
August 3, 1973

The events which took place at the "Setai Hoshikai" (Institute of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist) in 1973 have had growing significance to the faithful in the early 21st century, as the Church has seemingly experienced trial after trial which arguably relate very closely to the messages received by Sister Agnes Sasagawa.  

Sister Agnes was raised Buddhist, but suffered greatly of medical affliction from her birth.  She was sent to live with the nuns at Setai Hoshikai on the outskirts of Akita, Japan.  One of her caretakers gave her water to imbibe from the spring at Lourdes, and her health markably improved.  Later, however, she was stricken completely deaf, yet it seems this was only a preparation for the incredible gift she was about to receive from Heaven.  

Sister Agnes entered the consecrated life as a nun, and in 1973, began experiencing phenomenon associated with the supernatural.  Of note, she began receiving messages from the Blessed Virgin, yet not in the typical manner of a visible apparition.  Indeed it was during contemplation of a wooden statue of the Blessed Mother that she not only began hearing (interiorly) the voice of Mary, but witnessed a flow of tears emanating from the wood.  Images and film of the weeping statue were broadcast on Japanese national television, and gained further repute after it was learned that Sister Agnes was suddenly healed of her deafness.  

The messages began on July 6, 1973, and occurred again on August 3 and October 13 (a date associated with Our Lady of Fatima).  The content of the prophetic messages was sobering and dramatic, but have gained considerable relevance among those who study the events at Fatima, the Akita messages, and current events.  It should be noted, however, that although the "the supernatural character of a series of mysterious events concerning the statue" were found to be credible by the local ordinary (Bishop John Shojiro Ito), the case submitted to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has not received a formal judgment from Rome.  

It also should be noted that there is no explicit approval of the local ordinary regarding the content of the messages, although it is inferred by the "approval of events" that they contain nothing contrary to the Catholic faith.  The convent website (where Sister Agnes resides to this day) makes no mention of the messages, only the weeping statue.  Nonetheless, as a locally approved private revelation, there is no injunction against studying the messages while the case remains with the CDF.   



Approval Timeline 

• 1975: Bishop Ito begins initial consultation with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).
• 1976: Ito creates an inquiry commission which arrives at the conclusion that it is "not in a position to prove the supernatural events."
• 1979: On the basis of new CDF norms for examining "presumed apparitions or revelations", which had been published the previous year, Bishop Ido requests a CDF intervention to create another inquiry commission.
• 1981: The CDF, being "unfavorable to the events," responds that it will not initiate a new examination.
• 1982: Bishop Ito, asserting that the 1981 CDF response "contained some misunderstandings," sends a "complete dossier, augmented with the new facts" to the CDF.
• 1983: Ito meets with CDF officials while the case remains under examination.
• 1984: On April 22, Bishop Ito, noting that the case had been under examination for eight years, writes that he does not find in the events "any elements which are contrary to Catholic faith and morals." He asserts "the supernatural character of a series of mysterious events concerning the statue" in the convent, authorizes "the veneration of the Holy Mother of Akita" within the Diocese of Niigata ("while awaiting [a] definitive judgment on this matter" pronounced by the Holy See), and clarifies that the events were a private revelation and not necessary for salvation like public revelation.
• 1988: Ito meets with Cardinal Ratzinger, head of the CDF, in June. Ratzinger gives his verbal approval to Ito's 1984 letter, but without rendering "judgement about the credibility of the events."

Source: Wikipedia