The morning of Monday, 6 August 1945, while it was still Sunday evening in New York City, the first atomic bomb was dropped by the US Air Force on the peoples of Hiroshima. On Thursday morning, 9 August 1945 the second, and far more powerful, atomic bomb was dropped by the US Air Force on the peoples of Nagasaki. On Sunday, 2 September 1945 the Emperor of Japan surrendered unconditionally. The nuclear bombing of the city of Hiroshima and the nuclear bombing of the city of Nagasaki remain the only two instances of the deliberate use of nuclear weapons in war.
The Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary (here) at 325 E 33rd St, New York, NY 10016 will be open to all, including friends, groups, communities and families with children, for prayer and hospitality between the evening of Saturday, August 5, (the 6 in Japan) and the evening of Tuesday, August 8 (the 9 in Japan) in consideration of the many current conflicts in the world. The Vigil is one of the many fruits of the Prayer for Peace that was initiated by Pope John Paul II in Assisi in 1986, and has continued every year since. The Prayer for Peace in 2023 will be held in Berlin.
The nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) articulates humanity’s commitment to nuclear disarmament through further conversations to understand and to spell out the ways and means of moving towards and then achieving the eradication of nuclear weapons. The NPT became international law in 1970 and it has been ratified by 190 governments. The Catholic Church has been consistently supportive of the abolition of nuclear weapons. Greater commitment and work are needed to reach that objective especially while the production and use of “conventional” weapons has grown drammatically. All countries, and notably the USA, are ‘modernising’ the arsenal of nuclear weapons, to be far more powerful, ‘modernising’ also the means of aiming and delivering those weapons. Ironically the main traders of weapons are the so-called Christian countries.
The New START treaty, the last remaining nuclear weapons treaty between the U.S. and Russia, which took effect in 2011, is set to expire in February 2026.
The vigil is organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio with the help of parishioners, volunteers and collaborating organizations. For more information, please contact Susan Cangiano 917 817 3919 - [email protected] or Thomas Murphy 646 209 2755 - [email protected]. If you want to let us know when you are coming please use this form (here). Feel free to join by sending your prayer at [email protected]. All prayers will be read in the Chapel.
May God bless us all with the Gift of Peace.
the prayer will start on 5th evening to 8th evening.
