The Nagasaki Immaculate Conception Cathedral, devastated by the U.S. atomic bombing in 1945, was rebuilt in 1959.
This Saturday, a poignant moment in history will be marked in Nagasaki as the bells of Immaculate Conception Cathedral, silent for 80 years, will echo together for the first time since the U.S. atomic bombing in 1945.
At exactly the time the bomb was dropped, a gathering will commemorate this tragic event that leveled Nagasaki, claiming around 74,000 lives, and Hiroshima, claiming a further 140,000.
Post the bombing on August 9, 1945, and following similar devastation in Hiroshima three days prior, Japan surrendered on August 15, marking the end of World War II.
The Urakami Cathedral, known commonly as Nagasaki Cathedral, owes its existence to Catholics in the U.S., who funded its reconstruction after the original was obliterated. Only one of the cathedral’s two bells survived.
Recently, a second bell, funded by James Nolan—a sociology professor from Williams College in Massachusetts, whose grandfather was a part of the Manhattan Project—was constructed and will be rung for the first time this Saturday.
This year’s commemorations are set to host representatives from nearly 100 countries, including Russia and Israel, as the city seeks to underscore the real and devastating consequences of nuclear conflict.
James Nolan’s fundraising initiative to restore the cathedral’s bells indicates a commitment to recognizing past atrocities and working towards peace.
The restored Immaculate Conception Cathedral stands not just as a reconstructed edifice, but as a symbol of peace and human connection across time and continents.
At exactly the time the bomb was dropped, a gathering will commemorate this tragic event that leveled Nagasaki, claiming around 74,000 lives, and Hiroshima, claiming a further 140,000.
Post the bombing on August 9, 1945, and following similar devastation in Hiroshima three days prior, Japan surrendered on August 15, marking the end of World War II.
The Urakami Cathedral, known commonly as Nagasaki Cathedral, owes its existence to Catholics in the U.S., who funded its reconstruction after the original was obliterated. Only one of the cathedral’s two bells survived.
Recently, a second bell, funded by James Nolan—a sociology professor from Williams College in Massachusetts, whose grandfather was a part of the Manhattan Project—was constructed and will be rung for the first time this Saturday.
This year’s commemorations are set to host representatives from nearly 100 countries, including Russia and Israel, as the city seeks to underscore the real and devastating consequences of nuclear conflict.
James Nolan’s fundraising initiative to restore the cathedral’s bells indicates a commitment to recognizing past atrocities and working towards peace.
The restored Immaculate Conception Cathedral stands not just as a reconstructed edifice, but as a symbol of peace and human connection across time and continents.
