In the Catholic Church, it is common for babies to be baptized so that, when they grow up, they can confirm the decision their parents initially made to follow Christ. In other cases, children raised in non-Catholic families may freely choose to embrace the faith as adults.
However, one story has recently gone viral because of the heartfelt way an eight-year-old Japanese girl asked her family to have her baptized. Even more striking, her conviction led her mother to decide to be baptized as well.
Minami Kimura, a second-grade student, told her parents in May of last year that she wanted to become a Christian.
Although she does not come from a religious family, she has attended the Catholic school Shirayuri Gakuen in Tokyo since kindergarten. It was there, at the age of three, that she first encountered Jesus Christ, the Church, and the Bible.
Minami’s teachers note that while all students learn about the faith, they rarely show an immediate interest in baptism. However, Minami consistently demonstrated a deep love and curiosity for the Catholic faith and for Jesus.
“I don’t remember much because I was very young, but I felt like Jesus was a member of my family,” Minami told Asami Ohmoto of the Union of Catholic Asian News website.
As she received religious instruction and participated in catechism classes, Minami deepened her relationship with Jesus and surprised both her parents and teachers by asking to convert to Catholicism.
Jesuit priest Father Kiyoshi Shibata, from Kojimachi Parish, accompanied Minami in her catechesis and said that the girl “has always had the story of Jesus in her heart since kindergarten.”
When he asked her why she wanted to be baptized, Minami replied, “I’m like this now.” Then she raised her hands high and said, “I want to be baptized because it will bring me closer to God.”
The priest also asked if there was anything in particular that drew her to the faith. She simply answered:
“The way of being of Jesus.”
Maiko, Minami’s mother, said she was surprised by her daughter’s conviction. This prompted Maiko to learn more about Catholicism and led her to desire baptism as well.
She attributes her daughter’s strong foundation of faith to the Catholic school.
“Children are taught to be grateful for everything and that ‘Jesus is our friend.’ This teaching—that Jesus is our friend—was naturally absorbed by my daughter, and I feel that it became the core of her faith,” she said.
Maiko and her husband wanted to give their daughter a “solid foundation” to guide her in life. They believe that baptism is more than just a formality—it is a necessary step to help her along that path.
Minami and her mother, Maiko, were baptized at Kojimachi Parish in Tokyo on Easter.