The inaugural conference of Western Pacific Rim Patristics Society was held at the University of the Sacred Heart, Hiroo 4 Chome, 3-1 Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo, 150-8938, Japan, from Saturday morning, 25 September 2004 to Sunday afternoon, 26 September 2004. Associate Professor Kazuhiko Demura of Okayama University was conference coordinator in liaison with Associate Professor Kazuya Kato of University of the Sacred Heart. The theme for this conference was Patristic Exegesis and Hermeneutics. Professor Charles Kannengiesser, emeritus of Notre Dame, Indiana, delivered the opening address, entitled "Newness and Tradition in the Christian Reception of the Hebrew Scripture."

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A further 10 small group sessions were held with a total of 27 papers delivered. The university's Institute for the Research of the Christian Culture put on an evening concert on the Saturday "Gregorian Chant and the Tenrei-Seika (Japanese Liturgical Songs)". This was followed by the conference dinner in the university dining hall. After the conference on the Sunday afternoon the inaugural cultural excursion was a tour of some sites of Tokyo. Heartfelt thanks to the convenor and local representatives for setting a high standard for future conferences to follow.