Livro em inglês escrito por um dos padres que sobreviveram ilesos à bomba atômica lançada em Hiroshima
Sacred Heart UniversityDigitalCommons@SHULibrary Special
Collections University Library1953Te Rosary Of HiroshimaHubert F.
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BLUE ARMYis t hfulfillmentoff OurLady' *rquet Consecration
DoyouweartheBROWNSCAPULARalways? ( Par t i alindulgenceeveryt i mei
ti skissed)LetyourSCAPULAR-signofyour"cont ract "withthe
ImmaculateHeartofMar y- r emi nd youofHerfollowingrequest satFat i
ma: Sacrifice DoyouextendyourMORNINGOFFERINGthroughouttheday? (APar
t i alindulgencei sgrantedto:1)Thatindividualamongthe
faithfulwho,inCARRYINGOUTHISDUTIESandbearingwiththe t r i al
soflife,r a i s e shi smindinhumblet rusttoGod,adding-even
mentally-somepiousinvocation; 2) Thatindividualamong
thefaithfulwho, ledby aspi ri toffaith,me r
-cifullyexpendshimselforhisgoodsintheservi ceofneedybret hren; 3)
Thatindividualamong thefaithfulwho, inaspi ri tofpenance,freely
abstainsfromsomethinglicitandpleasingtohi msel f. )
Throughouttheday,wheneverworkorsufferingi sofferedtoGod,a
perfectformulagiventousbyOurLadyofFatimai s :"OmyJ es us , i ti s
forlove ofThee, inreparat i onfortheoutragescommittedagainst t hel
mmacul at eHeart ofMary, andfortheconversionofpoorsi nner s. "
Prayer DoyousayfivedecadesofHerROSARYeveryday?
(Plenaryindulgenceoncedailywhensaidincommon) Reparation
HaveyoumadeanefforttomaketheFIVEFIRSTSATURDAYS? (Tothosewhomaket
heFiveFi r s tSaturdaysOurLadypr omi ses; "1 pr omi se toassi
statthehour ofdeathwithallthegr acesnecessary forsal vat i on. .
.") HaveyouadoredOurLordintheBLESSEDSACRAMENT? (Pl
enaryindulgenceforatl eastahalf-hourofadorationbeforethe Bl
essedSacrament) tPARI AN ;caLL 'BX I2310 C' J T TheRosaryof
Hiroshima HUBERTP.SCHIFFER.S.J. Publ i shedby-Bl ueAr my Washi ngt
on,N.J. iEdi t i on TenCent s \. Thishaol^befogsfo{Ao. / for
iancofte. c ion Saered}u&ftUwersi-ty Giftofihig
Fourth\frorld'Foundo.Ho* Thenamesofthosewhosignthispledgeare
copiedonmicrofilm,flowntoFatima,andburied beneaththetreeinthe
CovadaIria.Thereare no duesordonationsofanykindrequired.FREE
copiesofthispledge,togetherwiththemorning
offeringmaybeobtainedbysendinga:sramrW*
self-addressedenvelopetoyournearest\ Center, or to BLUEARMYofOURU
WASHINGTON, N.J. 0/ MARIAN COLL BX 2310 .R7 S33 The rosary of
Hiroshima whowilllaytheirlotusflowersuponthem
tochangethewoundsofhateintothescars *of "love."
MOSTREV.BISHOPFULTONJ.SHEEN ImprimiPotest: NihttObttat: Imprimatur:
August8,1953 JOHNJ.MCMAHON,S.J. Provincial ANDREWA.MARTIN
CensorLibroruni *CHRISTOPHERJ.WELDON Biibo?ofSpringfield
COPYRIGHT,1953,BrTHEAUTHOR MORNINGOFFERING / f l
%MYGod,inunionwiththeImmaculate HeartofMary(herekissyourBrown
Scapular*}IofferTheethePreciousBlood ofJesusfromal ltheal
tarsthroughoutthe worl d,joiningwithIttheofferingofmy
everythought,wordandactionofthisday.
OmyJesus,Idesiretodaytogainevery indul genceandmeritI canandI
offerthem, togetherwithmyself,toMaryImmaculate
...thatshemaybestappl ythemtothe interests ofThymost
SacredHeart.Pre-ciousBloodofJesus,Saveus!Immacu-l
ateHeartofMary,Prayforus!Sacred HeartofJesus,Havemercyonus! t"Pl
enaryindulgenceundertheusual conditionsonceaday" *500daysindul
gence Thisofferingis saidbythemillionsof members oftheBlue
Armythroughout theworld, eachmorning...to'j'fill
therequestofOurLadyofFatima* thesanctificationofdailydutiesas.
conditionfortheconversionofRussia. WORLDPEACE PROMISEDFROMHEAVEN
WhenOurBlessedMotherappearedatFatima, shesolemnlydeclared:
"Ifmyrequestsforprayerandpenance are granted,Russia willbeconverted
andtherewill bepeace intheworld.Iftheyarenot,Russia willspread
itserrorsthroughouttheworld, pro-vokingwarsand persecutions;many
good people
willbemartyred;manynationswillbeannihi-lated...but,finally,myImmaculateHeart
willtriumph." TheexplosionofthefirstatomicbomboverHiro-shimahas
initiateda new era.Inone frightfulsecond
aproudcityofhalfamillionsouls"waswipedout
fromthefaceoftheearth.Nothingremainedbut
an"atomicdesert,"andtheword"Hiroshima"be-cameasymboloftotaldestruction.
Tobe a survivorofthefirstatomic bombinhuman
history,andtohavefeltitstremendousconcussion
withinthemostdeadlyone-mileradius,givesmethe
notenviable"advantage"offirst-handexperience.
ExpertshavetoldmethatI"oughtto bedead."The
expertswerealmostright,formyfellowJesuits
carriedmeoutoftheburningcity"foradecent Christianfuneral."
Theatombombhasnotonlybroughttotalde-struction,butitmaywellbringacontinuingthreat
andterroruponmankind,a spirituallydividingeffect
worsethanthephysicaldestruction.Weall,living in
thisatomicage,havetheresponsibilitytodosome-thingaboutit.Weallwanttopromotearealpeace.
Butistherearemedy? WesurvivorsofHiroshimabringyouamessage:
thebellsofSt.Mary'satHiroshimaringamessage offaith,andofhope.
Atom-bombedHiroshima'sanswertoOurLady's pleaisa
crusadeofprayer.Thefifteenstainedglass
windowsoftheMemorialShrinewillshowthe
mysteriesoftherosary,theprayerwhichdailyunites
millionsofheartsallovertheworld.
Doyouknowanythingmoremovingthanafive-year-oldlayinghislittlehandintoyoursandgoing
withyou,hiseyesshiningwithconfidenceinyour
goodness?Weadultshavetoooftenforgottenthat Godis
ourCreatorandFather.Weprefertogoour
ownwaysinsteadofacceptingGod'sguidance.And l
ithen,werunintotrouble.Wethenhavetosolve "theproblemoftheatombomb."
Howwouldyoufeelasahumanfatherifyour
childrenwouldwhisperorchattertogetherandthen
lookintoeverycornerfora"solution"totheirdif-ficultieswithoutevercomingtotellyouaboutthem?
Wetallneedanddesperatelywantworld-peace.
Andwhatdowedotoattainit?Internationalcon-ferences,economicmeasures,defenseproduction,
civildefensetraining.Wedoalmosteverythingwe
canthinkof,exceptthemostimportantthing: PRAYER.
Prayerismorepowerfulthantheatombomb.It
promotesanddeepensthespiritofhumanbrother-hood.Americans
andJapanese, GermansandFrench,
ChineseandBritish,BuddhistsandChristiansthey
allneedtorealizethatGodisourcommonCreator
andFather.Fromthisrealizationtothe"United Nations"isonlyonestep.
TheShrineforWorld-Peaceintheheartof
Hiroshimastandsasasymbolofthisunity.Letus
hopethatthechildrenwhoarenowplayinginits shadowwillgrowupinto a
worldofpeacewhichwe have
preparedforthem.ThereinHiroshima,Ameri-cansandJapanese,pilgrimsfromAustraliaand
Korea,ItalyandCanadaarekneelingsidebyside
prayingtogetherforpeace.Thiscommonprayer
willreflectitselfincommonworktorpeace.
Butthisisonlyabeginning.Ouratomicagewill
notbesafeaslongasprayersaresaidonlyatHiro-shima.Noteventheprayerstherecontinueddayand
night,willhelpyouifyondon*tpray,too.
WhatweneedtodayisaCrusadeofPrayer,the
spiritofprayereverywhere,arenewalofourdeepest
trustandconfidenceinGod' sprovidence.
OurBlessedMotherpromisedthatwhenweheeded
herpleaforprayerandChristianaction,theworld
wouldhavepeace.Wemayfeelthatourhumble
effortscannothavesuchatremendouseffectupon
theworld,butletusthinkforamomentaboutthe
powerofariver,sweepingeverythingbeforeit.
Thatriverismadeupoftinydropsofwater,and
becausenumberlesstinydropsofrainhavefalleninto
it,theriverhasbecomeaforcethatcarriesheavy
shipsandchangesdesertsintofruitfulfarmsand gardens.
So,too,willthePerpetualRosaryCrusadethe
recitationoftherosaryforpeacebycountlesspersons
allovertheworldbecomeanimmenseandirresistible
spiritualforceforpeace.Inthisuniversethereis
nothingelsethatformsacommongroundforthe
peoplesoftheworldexcepttheloveofGod,charity,
andthespiritofprayer.OurBlessedMother'srosary
isabondwhichunitestheheartstringsoftheworld.
WeofHiroshimainviteyoutojoinaworldwide Crusade-
ofPrayerforpeace,combiningallour
prayerswiththepowerfulprayersofChrist'smother
inheaven.Isthereamotherlyheartonearththat
doesnotyearnforpeace?How,then,couldour
BlessedMotherinheavenrejectthepleaofherchil-drenineverycountryimploringherlovingheartto
prayandworkwithusforworldpeace?
BishopFultonJ.Sheensaidinoneofhisradio addresses:
"Fatimaisnotawarning//isahope!
Whilemanliftsthelittleatomwhich'hesplits
toannihilateaworld,Maryswingsthesunlike
atrinketonherwristtoconvincetheworld
thatGodhasgivenherthegreaterpowerover
nature,notfordeath,butforlightandlifeand
hope...ThereneednotbeWorldWarIIIand
therewillnotbeoneifwesettheWoman againsttheAtom." THEATOMBOMB
At2:45A.M.onAugust6th,1945,aB-29took
offfrom.theislandofTiniantodropthefirstatomic
bombonJapan.OverIwoJimaitmetwithanin-strumentplaneandaphotographyship.Three
weatherplaneshadtakenoffanhouraheadtoscout
theskyoverthreeJapanesecitieschosenaspossible
targets:Hiroshima,Nagasaki,andKokura.
Thebigflightwason.SoonthefirstA-bomb
wouldexplodeonlyeightcityblocksfromtheJesuit
ChurchofOurLady'sAssumptionwhereIwas stationedinHiroshima.
Thebombexplodedoverthecityat8:15inthe
morning.Itcameasacompletesurprise,outofa
blueandsunnysky.Suddenly,betweenonebreath
andanother,inthetwinklingofaneye, anunearthly,
unbearablebrightnesswasallaroundme;alight
unimaginablybrilliant,blinding,intense.Icould
notsee,orthink.Foroneshortmomenteverything
wasatastandstill.Iwasleftaloneswimmingin
thisoceanoflight,helplessandfrightened.The
roomseemedtocatchitsbreathindeadlysilence.
Suddenly,aterrificexplosionfilledtheairwith
oneburstingthunderstroke.Aninvisibleforcelifted
mefromthechair,hurledmethroughtheair,shook
me,batteredme,whirledme'roundand'roundlike
aleafinagustofAutumnwind.
(Upintheair,theB-29'sco-pilotscribbledinhis
log:"Theflashwasterrific.About25secondsafter
theflashwefelttwoverydistinctslapsontheship. 10
Wethenturnedtheshipsothatwecouldobserve the results, andthere
infrontofoureyes waswithout
adoubtthegreatestexplosionmanhaseverwit-nessed:thecitywasnine-tenthscoveredwithsmoke
ofaboilingnature,whichseemedtoindicatebuild-ingsblowingup,andalargecolumnofwhitecloud
whichinlessthanthreeminutesreached30,000and thenwenttoatleast50 -
60,000feet.Iamcertain theentirecrewfeltthatthisexperiencewasmore
terrifyingthananyhumanbeinghadeverthought
possible.Itseemedimpossibletocomprehend.Just howmany
Japanesedidwekill ?Ihonestly havethe
feelingofgropingforwordstoexplainthis,orI
mightsay'MyGod!Whathavewedone?'IfI
liveahundredyears,I'llneverquitegetthesefew minutesoutofmymind.")
Thelightwassuddenlygone.Allwasdarkness,
silence,nothingness.Iwasnotunconscious,because
Iwastryingtothinkwhatwashappening.Ifelt
withmyfingersinthetotalblacknessenveloping
me.Iwaslyingwithmyfacedownonbrokenand
splinteredpiecesofwood,someheavyloadpressed
onmyback,bloodwasrunningdownmyface.I
couldseenothing,hearnosound.ImustbedeadI thought.
ThenIheardmyownvoice.Thatwasthemost 11
frighteningexperienceofall,becauseitshowedme
Iwasstillalive,andconvincedmethatsomehorrible
Catastrophehadoccurred. Anexplosion?Heavens,thatwasaBOMB!A
directhit!
Ittookonlyasecond:aflashfearfullyfrighten-ingandHiroshima,homeofhalfamillionpeople,
waswipedofftheearth.Whatwasleftwasonly
darkness,blood,burns,moans,fireandspreading terror.
FourJesuitpriestswerestationedatthechurchof
OurLady'sAssumption:FatherHugoLassalle,
SuperiorofthewholeJesuitMissioninJapan,and
FathersKleinsorge,Cieslik,andSchiffer.Wespent
thewholedayinaninfernoofflamesandsmoke
beforearescuepartywasabletoreachus.Allfour
werewoundedbutthroughthegraceofGodwe survived. Ni
nedayslaterpeacecame.ItwasAugust15, thefeastofourBlessedMother'
sAssumption. Ontheothersideoftheworldmorethanayear
lateroccuredaseriesofeventswhichonthesurface
appearedtohavenoconnection,butwhichhavesince
provedtobethemostpowerfulsingleforceinpre-ventingarepetitionofthehorribleexperienceof
HiroshimaandNagasaki. 12
InPlainfield,NewJersey,U.S.A.,apriesthadjust
finishedofferngaRequiemMasswhenhecollapsed
atthefootofthealtar,thevictimofanextremely seriousheartattack.
Doctorsgavehimonlyafewweekstolive.But
thepriest,Rev.HaroldV.Colgan,PastorofSt.
Mary'sChurch,Plainfield,completelystartledthe
doctorsafewdayslaterwhenhewalkedfromthe
hospitalacompletelycuredman,inresponsetohis
ferventprayerstotheMotherofGod.
HepromisedtheBlessedVirginMarythatifShe
wouldobtainfromGodhiscompletecure,hewould
spendtherestofhislifespreadingdevotiontoher.
HehasfulfilledthispledgebystartingtheBlue
ArmyofOurLadyofFatima,whichhasspreadto
some25millionpersonsin57nationsoftheworldin
observanceof-theopeningquotationinthisbooklet
andtherestofthemessagegivenbytheBlessed
VirginMaryatFatima,Portugalin1917.
Recognizingthatprayerismorepowerfulthan
theatombomb,FatherColgan,whohassincebeen
elevatedtotherankofRightReverendMonsignor,
thoroughlystudiedtherequestsofOurLadyof
Fatimaandtheninsistedthateachofherrequestsbe
fulfilledbythepersonsigningtheBlueArmyPledge.
BlueArmymemberspromisetosaytheRosary 13
everyday,toconsecratethemselvestotheBlessed
VirginMary,andshowtheirconsecrationby wearing
theBrownScapular,andproperlytofulfilltheduties
oftheirstateinlife,offeringthesacrificesand
penancesinvolvedtoGodinreparationforsin.
TheBlueArmyalsourgesthefirstSaturdayde-votionsannouncedinFatima.
HISTORYOFFAITH Sincetheseventeenthcentury,Japanhadchosento
shutoutChristianityfromherislands.Beforethe
atombomb,in1945,therewerehundredsofBud-dhisttemplesandmanyBuddhistmonasteriesin
Hiroshima.Mostofthepeoplehadnoknowledge
of,orinterestin,theChristianfaith.Manywere
openlyhostile.OurHiroshimamissioncountedonly
twohundredCatholics,abouthalfofwhomlivedin
thevillagesaroundthecity. St.FrancisXavierlandedinJapanonAugust15,
1549,thefeastofOurLady'sgloriousAssumption.
Soonhundredsofthousandswerebaptized,including
feudallords,samurais,andmanyBuddhistbonzes.
LettersofthefirstJesuitmissionariesshowtimeand
againhowtheseJapaneseconvertscombineddeep
understandingofChrist'sPassionwithreverencefor
HisMother,andhowtheylovedtosaytherosary. 14
Xavierhadreasontobeproudofhisconverts:
"AmongallthenationsoftheFarEastthatIknow,
theJapanesearebestdisposedtowardsourChristian wayoflife."
Threehundredyears ofcruel persecutioncouldnot
completelydestroytheseedsXavierhadplanted.All
theearlyJesuitandFranciscanmissionarieswere
killed,everyknownChristianwasmartyred.But
sevengenerationslaterwhenmissionarieswereable
toreturntoJapan,theyfoundover60,000Catholics
hiddeninthemountainsorinsmallfishingvillages.
TheystillsangtheAveMariainLatin!Theystill
practicedthedailyrecitationoftheRosary. Notonly
that,theytestedthetruefaithofthe new
missionarywiththesethreequestions:"Areyou
married?AreyouunitedwiththePopeinRome?
DoyoupryyourrespectstotheMotherofChrist?"
Onlythendidtheytellhim:"Father,ourheartsare
thesameasyours.Wehavekeptthefaithofour fathers." CHI LDRENPLAYI
NTHE "GARDENOFLI GHT" Therecanhardlybeadoubtbutthatmuchabrupt
goodwillhasbeenbuiltupbythequietexampleof 15
Christiancharityduringthetragicweeksafterthe
bombing.TheJesuitnovitiateinthenorthernout-skirtsofHiroshimabecameacenterformedicalfirst
aidandall kinds ofassistance.Thepeople willnever forgetthe
heroicsacrificesofthe HelpersoftheHoly
Souls.Whenthewholeworldseemedtocollapse,
theSisterswhohadlosttheirconventandalltheir
belongingsworkeduntiringlytohelpthewounded.
AndwhenkindG.I.'svolunteeredtobuildasmall
conventfortheSisters,theyimmediatelyopeneda
kindergartenandadaynurserytohelpthepoor mothersintheneighborhood.
In1947, JapaneseSisterswere calledtoHiroshima
toopenanorphanage.Therewasacryingneedfor
suchahomeforthousandsofchildrenwerewander-ingaroundhomeless.Theysleptinholes,under
bridges,orinemptyfreightcars.Unkempt,un-washed,fullofliceandclothedinrags,theylooked
andactedlikealleycats.Stealingfoodwastheonly way to
survive,andtheybandedtogethertostilltheir
continuoushunger.Officialsdidnotknowwhatto
do.Thefewexistinginstitutionswerebyfarnot
sufficienttotakecareofsomanythousands.
Aftermyrecoveryfromnear-deathundertheatom
bomb,IwascommissionedbyFatherLassalletobe-ginnegotiationswithStateandCityofficialsabout
16
thepossibilitiesofopeningahouseforthesechil-dren.Allwehadatthattimewashope;therewas
nohouseavailable,nopersonnel,nomoney.
ThencameMotherElizabeth.Shewasatiny,
smilinganduntiringJapanesenunfromBeppu's
"GardenofLight"whohadpromisedtohelpus builda
children'shome.MotherElizabethisacon-vert.Overa quarterofa
centuryagosherenounced theShintoreligiontobecomeafollowerofChrist,
whoseSacredHeartishergreatestlove.Forfifteen
yearsshebeggedherparentsforpermissiontobe-comea
Catholicbeforetheyfinallyheededherpleas.
Thedaughterofawell-to-doTokyofamily,Mother Elizabethgaveup a
lifeofeaseandcomforttobring
happinesstoJapan'shomelesschildren.Hergrand-fatherwasaShintopriestandherfather,adoctor.
Abrother,MikihikoNagata,isauthorofthebest-sellerFather
oftheEmperor.Abrother-in-lawwas,
formanyyears,physiciantotheImperialfamily,but
recentlyresignedbecauseofhisage.
WhenAustraliantroopsstationednearHiroshima
heardaboutourplans,theystarteda"Christmas
raffle"andwithinafewweeksthesegreat-hearted men,ledby
theirchaplains,"chippedin"sothatthe
ChristChildhadapresentoffourthousanddollars
forHistinyHiroshimaorphans.TheMitsubishi 17
factoryofferedtosellalargetwo-storybuildingfor
thereducedpriceof$4,000.AmericanG.I.'smean-whilehelpedtheorphansintheirareaswiththe
resultthattheJapanesemoreandmoreadmiredthese
kindheartedambassadorsofgoodwill.TheJapanese
doctorsBuddhists,butwithalltheuniversalcharity
oftheirprofessiondonatedtheirtimeforphysical
check-upsandattendancetosickchildren.Buddhist
templestookupcollectionsoffoodandmothersfrom
theneighborhoodcamewithtearsintheireyesto offerusedclothing.
ItwasinDecemberof1947,thattheHiroshima
"GardenofLight"begansheddingitsbeamsofcom-passiononhomelesschildren.
Iwillneverforgetthedaywhenwebroughtthe
firstgroupoftwelvesmallchildrenintotheold
factory.Itwasacoldafternoon,andwehadneither
glassnorboardstocoverthebombedoutwindows.
Thechildrenapparentlydidn' tmindtheseminor
details,theywereusedtolivingandsleepingunder
theopensky;theyplayedinandaroundthehouse
andwerequitehappy.Intheevening,wesquatted
inalargecircleonthefloorandhadourfamilymeal.
ThenMotherElizabethbegantotellalongbed-time story.
Dayafterday,theSistersbroughtmorechildren 18
in.Manyofthemweresickandhadstomachtrouble.
Soonwehadtogobeggingformorefoodand
blankets.Sincefoodwasstrictlyrationedforevery-bodyincludingmissionariesandSistersandwasfar
notenough,anybodywhogavefoodmadeapersonal
sacrificeandhadtofastsomuchthemoreforit.
Andtherewereotherproblems.Everydropof
waterneededinthehousehadtobecarriedadistance
ofseveralhundredyards.Thewatercarryingbecame
especiallytryingoncoldwintermornings,andduring
therainyseason.Itwassixmonthsbeforewehad
enoughmoneytodigourownwell,andthecostwas
onlyThirty-FiveDollars.Thatamountwasakint o
asmallfortuneinthebombed-outcity,however.
Formanymonthseveryonesleptonthefloor,be-causewehadnobeds.Imagineahousewithout
windows,runningwaterorfood.Wehadtolive
fromhandtomouthliterally.Ourflockoftwelve
orphansbegantogrowtofifty.Formanypioneering
monthswedidn'tneedapantryastherewasnothing
toputinone.Wedidnotevenhaveakitchen.The
cookingwasdoneinourbackyardintheopen,with
anumbrellaoverthecookwhenneeded.Army blanketsservedasovercoats.
Itwasahardtime,butahappyone..Surrounded
withlovingcarethelittleoneswereforgettingthe 19
terrorofthelongyearsofwarandthehorrible
aftermathofthedroppingoftheatom:bombon
thecity.Whatwecouldofferthechildrenwasonly
aroofovertheirheads,andlove.Fortunately,the
childrenlikedthe"GardenofLight"andcalledit "home." The work grewso,
and the needwas soself-evident,
thatMayorHamaiofferedtheSisterseightthousand
squareyardsoflandiftheywouldopenanother
institutionindowntownHiroshima.TheJapanese
governmentappropriatedseventy-fivepercentofthe
necessaryfundsforbuildinga newstructure,practic-ally designedto be
extendedintoa children'shospital
inthenearfutureandsoonthenewbuildingwent up.
Othersmaytermtheseunfortunatechildren
orphans.MotherElizabethwillhavenoneofthis.
Theseareherchildren,andsheistheirmotherin
nameanddeedandlove.Thechildrenshare
MotherElizabeth'sdistastefortheword"orphan."
Infact,mostofthemdonotevenrecognizeitas
awordthatmeansthemselves.Oncesomeofthem sawa
motionpictureaboutotherwarorphans.After
theshowtheybeggedMothertobringthepoorun-fortunateorphanstotheirhomewheretheycould
havearealmother.Allthisissuchjoy totheSisters 20 that:
theyarereluctanttospeakofthetremendous
amountofhardwork.Buttheyarenotreluctantto
work.Moneyisstillveryscarceandeverypenny must be
madetodoasmuchaspossible. Today,nearly250childrenareliving,learning
andplayinginthenew"HikarinoSono"(Garden
ofLight)intheheartofHiroshima,andinthe children's home atBeppu.The
originalfactorybuild-inginHiroshima'ssuburbhasbecomea
largekinder-garten.* ANAMERICANSCHOLARSHIP
BecauseofMotherElizabeth'soutstandingsocial
servicework,shewasselectedin1949byMiss
DorothySullivan,afacultymemberoftheCatholic
UniversityinWashington,D.C,tobetherecipient ofa scholarshipinSocial
Workestablishedby Bishop O'Hara.DuringtheyearthatMotherspentasa
studentattheCatholicUniversity,shehadlittle
timetoaskforhelpandconsequentlyshereturned toherlittle flock
"wiserbutpoorer." UponherreturntohernativelandMother'spopu
larityasalecturerandradiospeakerledthepeople torequestthatshe
beJapan'sfirstwomanrepresenta-tivetotheNationalHouseofRepresentatives.Her
refusalledthemtoaccuseherofnotlovingher 21
countryuntilsheexplainedwhyanuncouldnot acceptsuchanhonor.
Inadditiontoalltheotheractivitiesinwhich
MotherElizabethisengaged,shealsohasplansfor
aSchoolofSocialServicewhereoutstandingstudents
canbetrainedtousetheirinfluenceinbringing
ChristiancharityintoofficesoftheGovernmentand
socialwelfareinstitutions.MotherElizabethfirmly believesthis tobe
the only foundationfortruepeace.
Therearealreadytoomanygroupsofyoungpeople
inJapanwhoaretrainedtospreadhatredofGod
andnationsinthemindsofpeople,especiallythe
children.Therearemanycapableteacherswhoare
willingtoprovidetheirservicesifsucha schoolcan
beestablished.MotherElizabethknowsthatifGod
willsittheschoolwillbeprovidedandanotherof
herprayerstotheSacredHeartwillbeanswered.
THREEIMPERIALPRINCESPRAYFOR PEACEATTHEMEMORIAL CATHEDRAL
TheJapanesePeaceTreatywassignedatSan
FranciscoonSeptember8,1951,thefeastofOur Lady'sNativity.
Twoweekslater,theEmperor'sbrother,Prince 22
Takamatsu,traveledtoHiroshimatoattenda solemn
ceremonyatHiroshima'sMemorialShrine forWorld-Peace.
OntheafternoonofSeptember21,1951,the ImperialPrincewas
welcomedbyFatherLassalleand
FatherGoossens.Otherprominentmembersofthe
welcomingcommitteeweretheGovernorofthe
province,theMayor,theChiefBuddhistAbbot,and
thePresidentoftheUniversityofHiroshima.After
areceptionceremony,thePrinceandhisentourage
enteredtheshrine,whilet:.eorchestraandchoirof
theMusicAcademyplayedandsangtheJapanese
nationalanthem.Asolemnbenedictionofthe
BlessedSacramentfollowed,atwhichFathersLas-salle,ArrupeandKleinsorgeofficiated.FatherLas-sallethenaddressedthePrinceandthankedhimfor
hiskindness.ThePrince,answeringinaheart-to-heartaddress,praisedtheideaofthisMemorial
Shrineasoneofthemostefficaciousmeansforpro-motingworldpeace.
Aftertheceremony,thePrinceexpressedgreat
interestintheCatholicArtandMusicAcademyand
FatherGoossensexplainedthecoursesinmusic, dramatics,
dancing,painting, flower arrangement,etc.
ThePrincechattedinformallywiththestudentsand
askedmanyquestions.Heespeciallywantedtosee 23
FatherLassalle'sroomandwassurprisedtolearn
thatFatherLassalleandsomeotherJesuitshad
adoptedtheJapanesecustomofsleepingonstraw matsonthe floor.
OnOctober29,1951,PrinceMikasa,alsoa
brotheroftheEmperor,visitedOurLady'sshrine.
ShortlythereafterPrincessChichibucamefora similarvisit.
ManypilgrimagesmadeupofAmerican,Aus-tralianandotherU.N.servicemenondutyinJapan
orKoreahavealreadycometokneelandprayfor
peaceatOurLady'sMemorialShrine. I NXAVIER' SFOOTSTEPS
ThefeastofourBlessedMother'sAssumption
intoHeavenhastwicealreadymarkeda
mostimport-antprogressinthe400-yearhistoryoftheJapanese
mission.WehopeandpraythatunderMary's motherly
guidanceandprotectionthe wordsofPrince
Takamatsu,theEmperor'sbrother,maybeverified intheyearsto come:
"PeacecameonAugust15,1945theexactdate that St. Francis
Xavierstartedpreachinginthisisland state(Aug.15,1549).Weare now
onthethreshold ofa newworldhistory.FourhundredyearsafterSt.
FrancisXavier,Japanhasagainstartedasanew 24
countryapeaceful,culturalstate...Thefaiththat
St.FrancisXavierbroughttoJapanisnotdead,but
stillalive.Notonlythat,itwillliveforever...We
Japanesearenowfirmlydeterminedtofollowthe
footstepsofSt.FrancisXavier.WepraytoGodto
protectusandhelpusworkinthatcause."
ThededicationofOurLady'sshrineatHiroshima may
openanewgreaterafortheChurchinJapan. ASYMBOLOFWORLD-PEACE
ThebellsofSt.Mary'satHiroshimaringamess-ageoffaith,andofhope.Theyrangoutforthe
firsttimeonEasterSunday,1953.
ThefournewbellsoftheMemorialShrinearea
giftoftheWestGermanSteelWorkers'Union.
Some20,000GermanCatholicstookpartinthede-parturefestivitiesbeforethebellsleftGermany.
Amongthespeakersonthatoccasionwerethe
Minister-PresidentofNorthRhine-Westphaliaand
theJapaneseAmbassadortoWesternGermany.In Hiroshima,the
Japanesereceivedthesesymbolicgifts
withspecialceremonies.Thebellswereconducted
inasolemnprocessionfromtherailroadterminalto
theMemorialShrine.Duringtheprocession,a sound-truckplayeda
tape-recordingofthepealingof
thebellsatthedepartureceremonyinGermany,and 25
atthesametimethearrivalofthebellswasjoyfully
announcedovertheHiroshimaradiostation.
Recently,theCityCouncilofColognehaspre-sentedHiroshimawithapipeorgantobeinstalled
inthenewshrineofourBlessedMother.Withthe
organgoesaplatjuereading:"CologneandHiro-shima,boundthroughcommonsuffering,workand
prayforworldpeace."ThecityofBonn,capitalof
theFederalGermanRepublic,hasdonatedthetaber-naclefortheMemorialShrine.Thewallsandthe
doorsofthetabernacledepicttheFallofMan,the
DelugeandtheruinsofHiroshima.Abovethem,
pointingupward,istheprotectivehandoftheRe-deemerandtheinscription:"PaxChristi."
Atom-bombedHiroshima'sanswertoOurLady's
pleasatFatimaisacrusadeofprayer.Fifteen
stainedglasswindowsshowthemysteriesofthe
rosary,theprayerwhichdailyunitesmillionsof
heartsallovertheworld.TheShrineisa symbolof thisunity.
Butthisisonlyabeginning.Theprayerssaidat
Hiroshimacontinueddayandnight,canavailonly ifyoupraytoo.
OurJapanesefriendsunitetheirprayerswithours.
Theylovetorecitewithusthecentury-oldprayerto Mary,theQueenofPeace:
26 "Remember,OmostgraciousVirginMary,that
neverwasitknownthatanyonewhofledtothy
protection,imploredthyhelporsoughtthyinter-cessionwasleftunaided.Inspiredwiththisconfi-dence,I
fly tothee, OVirginofVirgins,myMother.
TotheeIcome,beforetheeIstand,sinfuland sorrowful.OMotherofthe
WordIncarnate,despise notmypetition,butinthymercy,hearandanswer
me." Thisspiritofprayercanandwillbringpeace.
FatherPeytonhassaidsowell:"Thefamilythat
praystogether,staystogether."Isn'tthattruealso
.inthefamilyofnations? ThisistheMassageofHiroshima:Prayerinevery
heart,prayeroneverylip,prayermovingthework
ofeveryhandthroughouttheworld.Itisthisspirit
ofprayerthatwillbringuspeaceinthisworld.
Willthiscometrue?Theanswerisuptoyou. ALIVINGMEMORIAL
WhenHiroshima'sMayorwasinformedaboutthe planto builda
MemorialShrineforperpetualprayer,
hepromisedatoncethatplansforreconstruction
wouldprovideadequatespaceandsurroundings.The
largestTokyonewspaper,Asahi,sponsoredanation-widecontestforarchitecturaldesignswhich,itsaid,
27 "shouldbemodern,inJapanesetaste,monumental andreligious."
Finally,inaspecialsolemnActofMay11,1949,
theJapaneseParliamentnamedHiroshimaa"Na-tionalSymbolofPeace,*'toberebuiltasaspiritual
andculturalcenterforthewholearea. AGENEROUSAMERICANBENEFACTOR
OurLady'sMemorialShrineforWorld-Peacehas
beenbuiltthroughthegenerosityofanAmerican
benefactor.Godonlyknowshowmuchthegiftof
thiszealouslaymissionaryhashelpedtobringthe Peace ofChristto
Japan.The cross onthecathedral's
belltoweristhehighestspotinallHiroshima.
ThecornerstonewasblessedbyaJapaneseJesuit,
Rt.Rev.MonsignorOgihara,onthefifthanniversary
oftheatomicbomb,August6,1950.Onthesixth
anniversaryin1951,ArchbishopMaxmiliande
Fucrstenberg,ApostolicDelegatetoJapan,sangthe
firstsolemnRequieminthehalf-finishedshrine.
ThecrusadeofprayerforworldpeaceatHiro-shima'sMemorialShrineissponsoredinJapanbya
committeeofJapaneserepresentingallfaithsand
manywalksoflife.Thehonoraryheadofthecom-mitteeisPrinceTakamatsu,youngerbrotherofthe
Emperor.PrimeMinisterYoshidaisthepresident, 28
andthethreevice-presidentsaretheSupremeAbbot
oftheBuddhistSotosect,theSupremeAbbotofthe
BuddhistShingonsect,andChiefJusticeTanakaof
theSupremeCourtofJapan,onlyCatholicmember.
In1950,theMayorandtheCityCouncilcommis-sionedme,alsoMotherElizabethandSisterDolores
fromthe"GardenofLight"Children'sHome,to
presenttoArchbishopPatrickO'BoyleofWashing-ton,D.C,acrucifixasasymbolofgoodwilland
gratitudeformaterialandspiritualaidfrom America.
Trulysymbolicwasthisgift,forthecrucifixwas
carvedfromthewoodofagiantcamphortreeon
thegroundsofafamedBuddhisttemple,Koku-Tai-Ji,whereareburiedthefeudallordsofmedieval
times.Thegreattreediedintheatomicblast;but ofits woodis
carvedthesymbolofresurrection,faith andprayer. THEHOLYFATHER'
SBLESSING
TheHolyFatherPiusXIIhasgrantedhisApos-tolicBlessing"toallwhocontributespirituallyor
materiallytothisMemorialShrineforWorld-Peace"
andwroteinhisanswertoFatherLassalle'sreport:
"Wearefollowingwithpaternalinteresthow
thedevastatedcityofHiroshimaisrisingfromits 29
ruins,andthepleawhichthechiefBuddhistmonks
havemadeforaCatholicMemorialShrinewhere
prayerswillalwaysbeofferedforwoildpeace.Go
forward,acceptthischallengewithgreatcourage
andinvincibleconfidenceinGod." WHATYOUCANDO
Regardlessofwhereyouliveintheworld,you
canparticipateintheCrusadeforWorldPeace
throughyourprayersandsacrifices.
Makeupyourmindnowthatyouwillrecitethe
Rosaryeveryday,thatyouwillconsecrateyourself
totheImmaculateHeartofMaryandwearHer
brownscapular;thatyouwilloffertoHeavenin
reparationofsin,thesacrifices-andpenancesin-volvedintheproperfulfillmentofthedutiesof
yourstateinlife. FormoredetailedinformationabouttheBlue
ArmyofOurLadyofFatima,writeto:, BlueArmy,
Washington,NewJersey,U.S.A. 30 PRAYEROFST.FRANCISASSISI FORPEACE
Lord,makemeaninstrumentofThypeace! Wherethereiihatred,letmesowlove;
Wherethereisinjury,pardon; Wherethereisdoubt,faith;
Wherethereisdespair,hope; Wherethereisdarkness,light;
Wherethereissadness,Joy. ODivineMaster,grantthatImaynotsomuch seek
Tobeconsoled,astoconsole; Tobeunderstood,astounderstand;
Tobeloved,astolove. Foritisingivingthatwereceive.
Itisinpardoningthatwearepardoned.
Itisindyingthatweareborntoeternallife. Thisprayer
inJapanesegreetsthepil-grimwhokneelstopraytherosaryat
MEMORIALSHRINEFORWORLDPEACE 148NOBORICHO HIROSHIMA 31
