Justice and Peace Issues
Many events and commemorations will take place on August 6th through 9th to mark the 80th anniversary of the dates when the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.PRAYER SERVICE
On the evening of August 6th, women religious across the country will join in a virtual prayer service to commemorate these tragic events of August 6 and 9, 1945. The Prayer Service is organized by the Franciscan Peace Center, a ministry of the Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, Iowa, and Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration on the anniversary of these bombings that resulted in the deaths of over 200,000 people and marked a somber chapter in human history.Despite the devastating humanitarian impact of these bombings, the threat of nuclear weapons remains ever-present. Today, the world’s nuclear-armed states possess a combined total of approximately 12,100 nuclear warheads, posing a significant risk to global safety and peace.This prayer service will serve as both a remembrance and a call to action. It also highlights 80 years of advocacy by Catholic women religious against nuclear weapons production and use. It will unite people of faith in a period of prayerful reflection and commitment to peace as we strive to create a world free from the threat of nuclear weapons. The virtual prayer service which takes place via Zoom at 7 p.m. ET will be recorded. Here is the link to register:
100 DAYS OF PRAYER, FASTING AND ADVOCACYThis prayer service also responds to a call from the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) for “100 Days of Prayer, Fasting, and Advocacy” – a collective spiritual witness running from May 29 (Feast of the Ascension) through September 5. Holy Union Sisters and Associates will be participating on August 6, the Feast of the Transfiguration and the anniversary of the bombings in Japan.These words introduce the Prayer that Holy Union Sisters will use on August 6:August 6, the 70th day in this time of prayer, fasting and advocacy, has been chosen by Holy Union. It is also the Feast of Jesus’ Transfiguration and the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. As the world was transfigured by death and destruction on August 6, 1945, so it will be transfigured by the coming to fulness of the Kingdom of God, as Jesus’ transfiguration promised us.NUCLEAR PRAYER DAYVoices for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons is sponsoring events in Washington D.C. and around the country. Click on this link to learn more:
The group sponsors anti-gun Lenten programs focusing on fasting and prayer. Other times of the year the sisters promote campaigns to wear orange, a symbol of the anti-gun movement. Fasting against gun violence is a spiritual practice promoted by the sisters, who would like to see it become a part of American parish life.
Nuns Against Gun Violence says that in fasting, those who participate are offering “a small sacrifice in solidarity with all those suffering from gun violence.” Last Lent, members began their fast on Ash Wednesday with a noon online prayer, Scripture reading, silence, and a reflection, a practice they will continue.
Fasting is “a public prayer that purifies not only the one fasting but the entire community, preparing us to stand our ground against the powers and principalities,” the group noted in a 2024 press release. Whether via prayer, social action, or both, the sisters remain committed to overcoming the apathy and indifference about what they see as a clear and present danger in our midst. In its appeal for their Lenten fast against killings, Nuns Against Gun Violence asks those participating to do more than pray. “The loss of life and continuous toll of grief and trauma on individuals, families, and communities compel us to take action to change our society to protect life,” the group noted.
By combining prayer with action, Nuns Against Gun Violence’s hope is that, one day, prayers will no longer be needed to mark the deaths of youths and that the listing of victims in any routine week in America will be empty. The sisters have a long way to go.
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