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Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate  United States Province

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Sacred Heart Remembers Hiroshima & Nagasaki and Says NO to Nuclear Weapons August 17th, 2026

(Contributed by Fr. Jack Lau, OMI)

From August 6th, (the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima), Sacred Heart began ten days of prayer for peace in solidarity with the Oblate community in Japan. The observance will continue through August 15, the  Feast of the Assumption. This past Sunday at Sacred Heart we were joined by Pax Christi North California and had a grand Eucharistic Celebration (our choir even sang in Japanese) followed by the making of lanterns and the blessing in the Peace Garden.
The church was full and the tone for the gathering was set. In the congregation for the first time was the grandson of a survivor of the blast. His grandparents were farmers and lived outside the city proper. What spoke to him was the Camphor/Kusunoki tree in the center of our Peace Garden. The Camphor/Kusunoki tree is a sign of hope, for it was the first tree that put out new leaves after the blast and fire. The U.S. government said nothing would grow for 75 years!
To see this man connect with this tree from his family’s city was a mystical experience. After mass, many people also came for the crafts and the refreshments, which included miso soup with rice.
Later in the afternoon many of us gathered to attach our lanterns on the wire that was connected to the Peace Poles. (May Peace Dwell on the Earth). The pictures tell the story.

PRAYER CARDS: https://bit.ly/3TA6IBq

 


10 Days for Peace August 4th, 2026

(Contributed by Fr. Brad Rozairo, OMI)

It’s That Time of the Year in Japan…

As the month of August begins, I am reminded of the “Ten Days for Peace”. In February 1981, the late Pope Saint John Paul II delivered his ‘Appeal for Peace’ at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, stating: ‘War is the work of human hands. War is the destruction of human life. War is death.’ This appeal was an invitation to all people throughout the world to work towards the abolition of nuclear weapons and to strive for peace.
 
In response to Pope Saint John Paul II’s appeal, the Catholic Church in Japan designated the period from 6 to 15 August as the “Ten Days for Peace”. This is a special period during which we are invited to reflect on our responsibility for peace and to take action for peace especially today as we live in a fragile world.
 
Every year, the “Ten Days for Peace” takes me to Hiroshima. From my own experience, this special period serves as an opportunity for Christians as well as for people of other faiths across Japan to pray and to engage in peace activities. On August 6th , people from all over Japan and also from abroad visit Hiroshima to remember the unforgettable past and to pray for peace. In spite of the sweltering heat, the place gets crowded with people.
 
…”Let all the souls here rest in peace, for we shall not repeat the evil.”

READ FULL ARTICLE: https://bit.ly/4wNRFCA 

No More Hiroshima. No More Nagasaki August 5th, 2020

By Fr. Brad Rozairo OMI

This August will mark the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In this 75th year after the bombing, these two cities have established the Nuclear-Free World Foundation, a body to support people and groups around the globe striving for the abolition of nuclear weapons. Let us hope and pray that this year will be a turning point for opening a path for a world without nuclear weapons.

Read the full article.


2012 Peace Program in Hiroshima September 7th, 2012

This report of the Commemoration of the Atomic Bomb in Hiroshima was submitted by Brad Rozairo OMI in August.

The atomic bomb anniversary was solemnly remembered in Hiroshima. Every year the host diocese of Hiroshima conducts a series of programs both at the memorial cathedral and in other places like the peace memorial park. I was there to witness some of the events on Aug. 5th & 6th.

The program proper began on 5th in the afternoon with a symposium on the prospect of ending nuclear generation. Bishop Tani, the head of the Commission for Justice and Peace, was the main speaker. The symposium also featured comments from a Korean resident of Japan who survived the bomb and from mothers who had been forced to flee Fukushima due to last year’s nuclear accident.

In the evening around 500 people joined the peace march. We marched up the main street from Hiroshima peace memorial park to the memorial cathedral. This year I noticed during the march there was a group of noisy pro-nuclear activists who were trying to make their voices heard. But that did not disturb the peace march. It was good to see the youth from different dioceses with banners and placards that read “No to nuclear energy”, “World peace” etc. joining the procession. Some had peace messages imprinted on their T-shirts! Some young men carrying guitars invited everyone to join them sing peace songs in a loud voice. (I think we were noisier than the pro-nuclear activists!). For me to join the peace march and to get soaked into that atmosphere itself was an experience. After the peace march reached the cathedral, a mass for peace was celebrated. The main celebrant was Bishop Maeda of Hiroshima.

On the 6th, the day Hiroshima was bombed, at 6:15 in the morning there was an inter-religious prayer service held at the peace memorial park. Clergy representing different religions offered incense and recited prayers for the victims of the A- bomb. At 8 am a “Memorial mass for the Victims of Nuclear Weapons and all Wars” took place at the cathedral.

Personally, for me to be in Hiroshima especially on 6th Aug. is something special. Every year when I go there I take time to listen to the stories of the A- bomb victims, watch some screen play on the bombing, listen to peace songs sung by different choirs and pray for peace. People offering flowers at the memorial monument, the smell of incense, the sound of gong etc. puts you into a mood that can not be explained by words. To be in that place the whole day and to be immersed in that atmosphere is a profound experience. I think I’ve got a special place for Hiroshima in my heart. That may be because I come from a war-affected country.


Nobel Laureates Urge End of Nuclear Weapons November 17th, 2010

The Dalai Lama and other Nobel Peace Prize laureates from the last four decades gathered last week in Hiroshima to urge the end of nuclear weapons. The Nobel laureates issued an appeal on November 14th for China, the United States, Egypt, Iran, Israel and Indonesia to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) without delay.

Read the story by IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis…

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