I saw a truly amazing relic of the Nagasaki bombing yesterday.

[unhappycamper]

Yesterday New England Veterans For Peace gathered together for a day long retreat for a day of brainstorm what we can do to stop the occupations, non-violently. Thirty one chapter representatives from Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts VFP chapters were present as well as a representative on the national Executive committee.

We take our mission seriously as evidenced by mission statement:

OUR MISSION:

Veterans For Peace, Inc. (VFP) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational and humanitarian organization dedicated to the abolishment of war.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

We, having dutifully served our nation, do hereby affirm our greater responsibility to serve the cause of world peace. To this end we will work, with others

(a) To increase public awareness of the costs of war

(b) To restrain our government from intervening, overtly and covertly, in the internal affairs of other nations

(c) To end the arms race and to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons

(d) To seek justice for veterans and victims of war

(e) To abolish war as an instrument of national policy.

To achieve these goals, members of Veterans For Peace pledge to use non-violent means and to maintain an organization that is both democratic and open with the understanding that all members are trusted to act in the best interests of the group for the larger purpose of world peace.

Aufer A Nobis
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Archbishop of Nagasaki to Come to New York
Nagasaki statue that 'survived' A-bomb, going to New York
Hisashi Yukimoto

Tokyo (ENI). The remains of a statue of the Virgin Mary that survived the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki is to be exhibited in New York ahead of an international conference aimed at curbing arms proliferation, says the Roman Catholic Church in the Japanese city.

The wooden statue of the mother of Jesus, which stood in Urakami Cathedral in the western Japanese city, was almost completely destroyed by the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki by the U.S. Air Force in the last days of the Second World War on 9 August 1945. Only Mary's head remained intact. The cathedral itself was reduced to rubble.

"It (the head) will be shown while prayers are said during a Mass (in New York}", Midori Shikayama, an official of the Nagasaki archdiocese's public relations department, told Ecumenical News International.

Shikayama explained it will be the first time the statue has visited the United States when it is shown during the Mass at St Patrick's Cathedral in New York City on 2 May. The following day a 26-days-long U.N. conference reviewing the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons begins.

The service will form part of the visit to New York by Nagasaki's Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami, an A-bomb survivor. The visit is due to begin on 30 April to coincide with the U.N. conference.

Earlier this month a Nagasaki delegation came to New York City and brought with them a relic of the Nagasaki bombing, which was the first time the Madonna of Urakami has left Nagasaki since the bombing. After a public viewing at St Patrick's cathedral on May 2, 2010 the delegation visited a number of United Nations events, and for some unknown reason ended up at the House Of Peace in Ipswitch, Ma (where we were having our retreat).

During a ceremony the delegation put up a small table with linen cover, a small vase of lilacs on the floor and two simple vigil lights. The relic was brought into the room in a custom padded shipping box, was opened and the Madonna of Urakami was placed upon the table. The head of the statue was around 13 ~ 15 inches high and 6 ~ 8 inches wide. A grandson of one of Nagasaki survivors gave us a heartfelt speech and others read various pieces of poetry.

It was just an amazing moment starting into the relic and looking at the burned out eyes of Madonna of Urakami. It is a haunting reminder of the follies of nuclear war.

I have some pictures on my camera but am having difficulty (I'm working on it) getting them off my camera card and onto a photo hosting site. Apparently my photobucket account was locked out for non-use. (I'm working on that, too.)

I know this is a rather poor report but in defense I am still trying to process what I saw. It was amazing.

[hlthe2b]

1. that is a powerful symbol

My brain can process that it might have survived the attack, but it is still amazing, nonetheless.

[unhappycamper]

2. Here's another link about the Madonna

http://www.madonnagasaki.org/en/index.html

October 1945 - Nagasaki.
Kaemon Noguchi, a discharged Japanese soldier and Catholic priest entered the ruins of Urakami Cathedral to pray. He hoped to find a tangible memento of the church of his youth, to take it to his Hokkaido Trappist Monastery.

After more than an hour of searching the debris, Noguchi sits back and prays again. Then, suddenly, he notices the eyeless features of the Madonna, staring at him blindly from the dust.

Overwhelmed, Noguchi takes the scorched wooden image with him to his monastery, where he keeps it for 30 years.

[hlthe2b]

3. Fascinating... Thank you.