During the morning worship service, we will commemorate the 79 years since the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945.  From that distant tragedy, a lasting connection between All Souls Church and Hiroshima was created by the power of children’s artwork to create hope in the midst of despair.  We know this story and its message as the Hiroshima Children’s Drawings.

Following the service on August 4, the All Souls Heiwa Peace Project will host a viewing of the documentary film Pictures from a Hiroshima Schoolyard in the Eaton Room.  This film so beautifully captures the enduring story of peace and reconciliation.  We also invite you to visit the drawings that are on display on the lower level of the Church.

We will remember Hiroshima with a virtual commemoration on August 5 from 6:45 to 9:00pm.

Please consider joining our partners at the Hiroshima Nagasaki Peace Committee of the National Capital Region (HNDC) on Zoom.

As HNDC Chair writes: “As we pause in our busy lives to reflect on the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nuclear experts inform us that the danger of nuclear war has never been closer. The Doomsday Clock is set to 90 seconds to midnight, the closest ever. The war in Ukraine continues to rage and intermediate range missiles are being deployed, while arms control agreements are a relic of the past. In Israel/Palestine, Gaza lies in ruins with tens of thousands dead, while Israel possesses several hundred nuclear weapons. World-wide over 10,000 nukes threaten to end human civilization.”