The June 1st 1976 issue of PAC reports on the visit of Provincial Fr. Joseph Stefanelli to Japan. During this visit he Approached the Marianist Sisters about sending one or two Japanese to Korea to initiate a native Korean Province of the Daughters of Mary. The Japanese Provincial was in Rome but the Sisters were definitely interested. Fr. Mifsud had already spoken to the Sisters and he continued to explore possibilities. Bro Vianney and Fr. Jim Mifsud had discussed this possibility before.
Providential circumstances to come to Korea arose in early February 1979. At that time I was teaching at Sogang University. The University had a small apartment at the back gate of the school. I found out that the Good Shepherd Sisters were moving out of that house. I wrote a letter to Sister Gabriel and to the Japanese Provincial Sr. Yamada. There were many advantages for a team to move into that house at a low price, access to the Jesuit Priests for Mass, and access to my office for planning purposes. The house had four bedrooms that could be rented out to college girls. The previous cook was Donata Kim who spoke Japanese would do housework.
The Japanese Sisters answered immediately. Two Japanese sisters would be coming in March 1979 to meet with Cardinal Stephen Kim to make final preparations for the foundation in Korea. On May 17 1979 Sisters Emmanuel Ohori and Assumpta Takao (photo - Ohori left, Takao right) arrived as foundresses of the FMI (Marianist Daughters of Mary). The Sisters moved into the small apartment at Sogang University. Later in the day the sisters visited the Seoul Formation Community for a welcome.
Two months later I wrote a letter dated June 24, 1979 to Fr. Mifsud who was in the States for the summer. I gave him news about the Sisters. Srs. Takao and Ohori were both taking Korean lessons at Yonsei University. The Sisters had three girls boarding with them; two high school students taking night classes and a graduate student of Sogang University.
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