Catholic Shiomi Church (Mary of Ant Town)

The church's origin is the church built in Ant Town in Sumida Park in 1951. According to the Tokyo Archdiocese News of 1975, through the good offices of Cardinal Frings and Archbishop Doi, a chapel was built on No. 8 Reclaimed Land in 1960 (Shōwa 35) from the old timber of Senzoku Church, and the church moved together with the people of Ant Town and began anew as "Edagawa Church". The archdiocese gives June 1960 as the month of its founding. Its first name was "Catholic Edagawa Church (Ant Town Church)", and it was a branch church of Tsukiji Church. The "Arinko Nursery" for children was also attached to it; the nursery closed in 1977.

In 1984 the sale of the land to the church by Tokyo Metropolis was concluded. The diocesan newspaper still wrote "Edagawa Church" in November 1985 and "Shiomi Church" in November 1986, so the change of name probably came in between, around the dedication of the new church building. The present church was dedicated on 1 June 1986 and given the name "Mary of Ant Town" (蟻の町のマリア). The archdiocese calls that day "Pentecost Sunday", but Pentecost Sunday in 1986 fell on 18 May. Wikipedia's article on Satoko Kitahara gives 1 June 1985.

The cross raised in Ant Town in 1951 now hangs at the entrance of the church. The cross from the roof of the 1960s church stands on a small mound in the back garden. A Mass marking the anniversary of Satoko Kitahara's death is held every year, and on 24 May 2026 a Mass was held for the 75th anniversary of the raising of the cross in Ant Town and the 40th anniversary of the dedication of Shiomi Church. The parish had 394 members (as of 31 December 2019).