The Odd Story of Priest Abuse Victim Hiroshi Sugiura

 

Sugiura

Little Pebble Dohsyuku-kai Part 1

Hiroshi Sugiura, also known to his faithful as Father Jean-Marie Thornbush Little John, met me at his Nagoya church. While definitely flamboyant in speech, he is shy with strangers unless he talking about the “church” he founded in 2003, Little Pebble Dohsyuku-kai. Before 2005, when Sugiura opened the “Mother-house” in Akita, he founded the original commune in Nagoya, Amakusa and All Martyrs of Japan Community, founded in 2003.

Background

Sugiura began his journey with his commune church as a member of the Order of Saint Charbel in Nowra, New South Wales, Australia. This “church” was founded by German immigrant to Australia William Kamm. Kamm, also known as "The Little Pebble" was born 1950 in Cologne, West Germany, "The Community" named after the Maronite saint Charbel Makhlouf. The Order of St Charbel is considered as a Christian sect and a fringe religious grouping. His religious order claims to be part of the Roman Catholic Church, but the Maronite Church and the Holy See do not regard the group as being part of Roman Catholicism. Both Popes Benedict XVI and Francis have renounced any Catholic affiliation and have declared Kamm and his followers as heretics.

On 14 October 2005, Kamm was sentenced to five years in prison with a non-parole period of three-and-a-half years for a string of sexual attacks including aggravated sexual assault on a 15-year-old girl. He claimed that she was one of his 84 mystical wives. The assaults occurred when the girl was living within Kamm's Order of St Charbel, a community (living in a compound) near Nowra, New South Wales. Kamm claimed to have received advice from the Virgin Mary that the girl should be chosen as one of 12 queens and 72 princesses who would all become his wives, with whom he would spawn a new human race after the world was cleansed and burnt by a ball of fire. Kamm's letters and diary entries to the 15-year-old girl, which were made public during the court session, display an explicit sexual style and were major evidence in his prosecution.

Kamm was also found guilty in May 2007 of aggravated sexual assault and aggravated indecent assault in relation to another 15-year-old girl. In August 2007, after losing an appeal on his original sentence, Kamm was re-sentenced to a total of 15 years imprisonment with a non-parole period of 11 years. He was due to become eligible for release on parole on 13 April 2013, but was refused. In November 2014 parole was granted. Upon his release, the New South Wales government applied for an Extended Supervision Order in the Supreme Court of NSW. His lawyer, Omar Juweinat opposed the application which resulted in six years of litigation. In 2021, the Supreme Court upheld the appeal and allowed Kamm to return to his property.

In August 2001, Sugiura was excommunicated by Kamm. Sugiura says it was because Kamm did not like the theological questions he would ask during community meetings. Sugiura still, however; recognizes Kamm as the “Little Pebble” sent by God. Sugiura explains, “One must be obedient to superiors even when they are wrong. It is a sin to act otherwise. Kamm is still the prophet sent by God to heal the world.”

Return to Japan

Sugiura returned to Nagoya and moved in with his parents. He found work at a book shop and began seeing a priest near Nagoya Port. Sugiura discussed with the priest the fact that as an altar boy at his parents' parish he was sodomized repeatedly by a priest over the course of 2 years. He did not name the priest to the spiritual advisor. Sugiura had forgiven the priest years before. But now after discussing the abuse wanted to find the priest. He searched the name in the online directory of clergy on the Diocese of Nagoya website. Finding where the priest was then assigned, Sugiura paid him a visit.

The church is located near the Higashiyama Zoo. Sugiura met the priest st the church office. The priest had aged of course, but still had the same sing-song voice. He relayed to the priest the painful memories and the pain he still felt. The priest nodded his head in understanding. Sugiura forgave the man, hugged him and walked out. Sugiura relayed, “All at once when I walked to the subway station I was wrapped in light and Mother Mary relayed to me my misistry. And so here I am now. Where I began it all in Nagoya, Amakusa and All Martyrs of Japan Community.”

It all makes sense

In 2003 when Sugiura opened Amakusa and All Martyrs of Japan Community, he reflected on his spiritual journey. He entered the Society of the Atonement after graduating from high school in 1997. However, he was urged to leave after a year. After that, he became a seminary student at Nanzan University’s Department of Christian Studies at Divine Word Seminary in Nagoya and entered the prenoviate, in the Society of the Divine Word missionary order, which runs the university and seminary. Sugiura explains, “Again I was asked to leave after a year. So I took a year off and reentered, but this time as a theologian the Nagoya Diocese studying for the diocesan priesthood. I was dismissed after a retreat where I espoused his theological beliefs. Despite this, I was repeatedly loyal to Jesus and Mother Mary.”

He then smiles and exclaims loudly, “It all makes sense now. I take what I learned that is truthful and loving and make it into the spirituality of Little Pebble Dohsyuku-kai. It has been a transformation not a journey. I have had this peace since 2003.”

Sugiura explains, “When people initially gathered here seeking my light and sermons, not a single one of them was fundamentally good enough to take the monastic vows. I realized that rather than building a monastery, it would be better to create something much more basic for these people. It is upon this realization that I received inspiration from heaven, and the Dohsyuku-kai is what I eventually built. When Fr. Peter the Rock (Hiromi Kaneda) became fluent in theology I handed direction in Nagoya to him, and founded our Mother-house in Akita.”

“I moved to Akita on September 29, 2005. A farm house inherited from my dad when he died. He had inherited it from his brother when he died in 2002. I personally had no desire to build all of this, nor did I plan it. I was simply told by God to found the group according to the principles He bestowed on me.” Thus it all makes sense to Sugiura.

Kiminori Ito