On August 6, 1946, history records an entire city vanished in the flash of a single bomb. Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity invite you to pause and reflect with us on this seventy-fifth anniversary when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. See through the eyes of artist Masako Takahahi. Read The Miracle of Hiroshima from a blog post of St. Julianna Parish, Chicago, Illinois. Last, listen to the heartfelt message sung by The Byrds.
Masako Takahahi’s Images
We share one artist’s reflection of this sad day . Here are paintings of Masako Takahahi. They speak for themselves. Link: https://www.masakotakahashi.com/hiroshima-paintings
Masako was born in Topaz Internment Camp, Utah. Her parents were of Japanese and American origin. Exposed to many different cultures in her life, she maintains an art studio in Mexico and in San Francisco.
A Story- The Miracle of Hiroshima
Next, we offer a post originally shared by Fr. James Wallace, pastor of St. Juliana, Chicago, IL, entitled The Miracle of Hiroshima.
On August 6th, 1945, the Enola Gay dropped “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, killing instantly 140,000 people and completely obliterating everything within a mile and a half radius. Buildings ten miles away were brought down from the blast. Over 200,000 more would die shortly thereafter from radiation. The atomic bomb destroyed just about everything and everyone. Just about.
Only eight blocks from the epicenter—less than half a mile—was the church of Our Lady of the Assumption. The church was undamaged. Even more miraculously, the nearby rectory was undamaged as well, including the eight priests inside. None of the priests suffered any effects of radiation. Over the next thirty years the priests would be examined more than 200 times by scientists. Dr. Stephen Rinehart, of the U.S. Department of Defense, widely recognized as an international expert in the field of atomic blasts, spoke of the miracle: Click here to complete the story.
A Song: Come and Stand at Every Door by The Byrds
Lyrics: “I come and stand at every door But no one hears my silent tread I knock and yet remain unseen For I am dead, for I am dead I’m only seven, although I died In Hiroshima long ago I’m seven now as I was then When children die they do not grow My hair was scorched by swirling flame My eyes grew dim, my eyes grew blind Death came and turned my bones to dust And that was scattered by the wind I need no fruit, I need no rice I need no sweet nor even bread I ask for nothing for myself For I am dead, for I am dead All that I ask is that for peace You fight today, you fight today So that the children of this world May live and grow and laugh and play”
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Article Comments:
Sister Kathleen 08/05/2020 @ 2:36 pm
Thanks for calling this tragic lesson to mind again. We can’t hope to learn from history we don’t know, from lessons we have forgotten. The paintings are particularly haunting and a call to prayer for the peace called for in the song. Thank you for being a reminder!