[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 27623]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO REVEREND MASANORI SHOBO OHATA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 6, 2005

  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to acknowledge and 
honor the Reverend Masanori Shobo Ohata as he formally retires from the 
Buddhist Churches of America and from the San Jose Buddhist Church 
Betsuin.
  Reverend Ohata has served as a member of the Board of Trustees for 
the Institute of Buddhist Studies since 1982. The Institute of Buddhist 
Studies is the graduate school and seminary of the Buddhist Churches of 
America. It is the first nonwestern religious seminary to be affiliated 
with the Graduate Theological Union, an interfaith consortium of 
seminaries dedicated to study and dialogue in a religious and cultural 
pluralism.
  Reverend Ohata has also served as a member of the Board of Trustees 
for Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) Endowment Foundation since 1998. 
He was involved with the inception of the Endowment Foundation in 1983. 
The Foundation has provided over 11 million dollars of direct benefit 
to vital programs of the BCA which include ministerial welfare, 
education and administrative support.
  Reverend Ohata has also served as a Sanyo (advisor) to the Bishop of 
the Buddhist Churches of America and has advised five consecutive 
Bishops beginning with Bishop Shinsho Hanayama, whose term ended in 
1968, through Bishops Tsuji, Yamaoka, Watanabe and Ogui.
  Reverend Ohata's contributions to the community are clearly 
demonstrated in his compassion and understanding. An immigrant himself, 
Reverend Ohata is a strong believer in the unifying powers of 
diversity, faith, tolerance and understanding. He has shared this 
strength through roles within the community.
  The San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin sits in the heart of my district 
and opens its doors to people of every ethnicity, faith, nationality, 
culture and creed in the spirit of sharing and community. Yearly Obon 
festivals bring hundreds of people into the halls of the Buddhist 
church for good food and increased understanding among San Jose's 
extremely diverse communities of neighbors and friends.
  Although Reverend Ohata is formally retiring, I am certain that his 
legacy will continue throughout the sidewalks of San Jose's Japantown 
and within the vibrant and diverse communities he has touched.

                          ____________________