Oishi Shige
Key Associate of Father de Rotz
Oishi Shige
Oishi Shige and the Women of the Aid Center
After his assignment to Shitsu Church in 1879, Father de Rotz (1840–1914) sought associates to set up his social activities for the people of Sotome. An early collaborator was Oishi Shige(1850–1921), who studied and then taught fabric production and dyeing to women she invited to her father’s house. After being dispatched to the Convent of the Sisters of Saint Maur in Yokohama for two years to learn about religious instruction, she returned to Sotome in 1883 when the Shitsu Aid Center was finished. She was chosen to be one of the people in charge of the management of the center and became one of the founders of the Saint Joseph Society, where she later also became director.
Following the teachings of Father de Rotz, she lived as an independent teacher and devoted her life to the education and development of young women.