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Anniversary dates:
August 6 and August 9
In response to the email we sent on August 6, 2008, people across the country responded with ways they have been remembering the 63rd anniversary. Their insights are still relevant this year and on every anniversary:.
- Blog entry by Katherine Murray in Indianapolis, Indiana
- "Nuclear Arms Are No Longer 'Necessary Evils'" Interview with Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gakkai International (a Buddhist organization)
- The weekly prayer and reflections page on the website of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, Milwaukee Province, featured a prayer on "Transfiguration" by Lillia Langreck, from her book Sparks from the Sacred Fire.
- In your congregation or community this August, we invite you to remember the devastating atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Please find below links to various prayers, materials for study, and calendars of vigils and remembrances in communities across the country.
Nuclear weapons are a prominent feature in current news stories as negotiations with Iran and North Korea continue. This year, the Bush administration once again tried for funding to develop new “reliable replacement warheads” - but again Congress zereod out the request. This August, remember the only times that nuclear weapons have been used in war and say “never again.”
Prayers and other Resources for Worship or Prayer Service
From several different traditions
Prayers for Peace from different religious traditions in “Breaking Faith with Nuclear Weapons” (p. 16) by Faithful Security.
Christian Resources – Note: Some of these are "dated" 2007 or earlier, but they are still good resources.
- "Litany for Hiroshima and Nagasaki Memorial Sunday" by Susan Mark Landis from the Mennonite Church USA Peace and Justice Support Network.
- Various prayers and resources from the Presbyterian Church (USA).
- "In Remembrance: Litany for Hiroshima Day of Remembrance August 6, 2006, Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time" (PDF) from the United Church of Christ.
- "Worship Planning Helps for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, August 3, 2008" and "Remembering the Atomic Bombing," various worship and educational resources from the United Methodist Church.
- "Hiroshima And Nagasaki - Memories And Questions: Congregational Resources For The Anniversary Of The Atomic Destruction Of Two Japanese Cities" by Gaillard T. Hunt, CSS Publishing.
Resources for Group or Individual Study
Video: "White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki."- “Breaking Faith with Nuclear Weapons” by Faithful Security, published March 2006.
- “Faith Seeking Peace” curriculum session on “Weapons and the World” by Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND), published March 2006. Participant Guide and Facilitator Guide.
- “Weapons of Terror: Freeing the World of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Arms” is a Report of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission chaired by Hans Blix, published June 2006. Note: this is a large file (3.4 MB) PDF.
- Audio: “Remembering Hiroshima” by National Public Radio, 2005.
In your congregation or community this August, we invite you to remember the devastating atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Please find on this page links to various prayers, materials for study, and calendars of vigils and remembrances in communities across the country.
Hands-on Activities
Flyers
- Flyer with message including: "Urge all candidates running for Congress to agree to work to cut the size of the nuclear arsenal by 50 percent." From the Friends Committee on National Legislation
Prayer Vigils and Remembrances Around the Country
- Nevada Desert Experience
- Pax Christi New Mexico offers an annual Prayer Vigil event at Los Alamos.
