Latest news with #JamesNolan
LeMonde
09-08-2025
- General
- LeMonde
Nagasaki's restored bell rings for first time in 80 years since atomic bomb
Twin cathedral bells rang in unison Saturday, August 9, in Japan's Nagasaki for the first time since the atomic bombing of the city 80 years ago, commemorating the moment the atrocity took place. On August 9, 1945, at 11:02 am, three days after a nuclear attack on Hiroshima, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki. After heavy downpours Saturday morning, the rain stopped shortly before a moment of silence and ceremony in which Nagasaki mayor Shiro Suzuki urged the world to "stop armed conflicts immediately." "Eighty years have passed, and who could have imagined that the world would become like this? A crisis that could threaten the survival of humanity, such as a nuclear war, is looming over each and every one of us living on this planet." About 74,000 people were killed in the southwestern port city, on top of the 140,000 killed in Hiroshima. Days later, on August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered, marking the end of World War II. Historians have debated whether the bombings ultimately saved lives by bringing an end to the conflict and averting a ground invasion. But those calculations meant little to survivors, many of whom battled decades of physical and psychological trauma, as well as the stigma that often came with being a hibakusha. On Saturday, the two bells of Nagasaki's Immaculate Conception Cathedral rang together for the first time since 1945. The imposing red-brick cathedral, with its twin bell towers atop a hill, was rebuilt in 1959 after it was almost completely destroyed in the monstrous explosion just a few hundred meters away. Only one of its two bells was recovered from the rubble, leaving the northern tower silent. With funds from US churchgoers, a new bell was constructed and restored to the tower, and chimed Saturday at the exact moment the bomb was dropped. Martyrdom, torture Nearly 100 countries were set to participate in this year's commemorations, including Russia, which has not been invited since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Israel, whose ambassador was not invited last year over the war in Gaza, was in attendance. This year, "we wanted participants to come and witness directly the reality of the catastrophe that a nuclear weapon can cause", a Nagasaki official said last week. An American university professor, whose grandfather participated in the Manhattan Project, which developed the first nuclear weapons, spearheaded the bell project. During his research in Nagasaki, a Japanese Christian told him he would like to hear the two bells of the cathedral ring together in his lifetime. Inspired by the idea, James Nolan, a sociology professor at Williams College in Massachusetts, embarked on a year-long series of lectures about the atomic bomb across the United States, primarily in churches. He managed to raise $125,000 from American Catholics to fund the new bell. Many American Catholics he met were also unaware of the painful history of Nagasaki's Christians, who, converted in the 16 th century by the first European missionaries and then persecuted by Japanese shoguns, kept their faith alive clandestinely for over 250 years. This story was told in the novel Silence by Shusaku Endo, and adapted into a film by Martin Scorsese in 2016.
Yomiuri Shimbun
24-05-2025
- General
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Nagasaki Cathedral Receives U.S.-Donated Bell to Replace Previous One Damaged in A-Bombing
The Yomiuri Shimbun Visitors look at a new bell donated to Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki on Saturday. The bell replaces the previous one damaged in the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing. NAGASAKI — Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki has received a bell to replace one damaged due to the U.S. atomic bombing of the city. The new bell was completed under a U.S. project and is on display at a museum ahead of its installment. Urakami Cathedral was destroyed along with its twin towers when the atomic bomb exploded about 500 meters away on Aug. 9, 1945. The south tower bell was found nearly intact, while the north tower one was severely damaged. The south tower bell is now in the cathedral's replacement building that was completed in 1959. The donated bronze bell is almost the same size as its predecessor, measuring 66 centimeters in height, 80.7 centimeters in diameter and weighs 224 kilograms. Prof. James Nolan Jr. at Williams College launched the project to create and donate the bell by soliciting support from Catholics in the country. The 62-year-old professor is the grandson of James Nolan, who participated in the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb. The donated bell is on display through June 1 along with the damaged original. It is scheduled to be installed in the cathedral's north tower in July.
RTÉ News
05-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Kidney charity to benefit from Punchestown curtain raiser
Sarah Costello, whose father and uncle received life-saving kidney transplants, will ride in a charity race at the Punchestown Races tomorrow and James Nolan, also a kidney transplant recipient, who is organiser of the charity event that will surpass €2million in funds raised this weekend.
Boston Globe
27-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Eastern Mass. boys' lacrosse: Here are 10 players you don't want to miss this season
Charlie Carroll, Marshfield — The 6-foot-1-inch middie earned Related : Luke Kelly, St. John's Prep — One of 22 seniors on the roster for the four-time defending Advertisement Luke Kelly (right) is one of 22 seniors on the St. John's Prep team this spring. Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe Tommy Farrell, North Andover — Already over 150 points entering his second year as a captain, the Fairfield-bound junior attack leads a prolific offense that is stocked with returning playmakers. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Nolan Jennings, Burlington — The senior midfielder is the reigning Middlesex Freedom MVP and he's surrounded with talented attackmen including senior Jason Kane and sophomore Daniel Hanafin. Related : Ben Lusby, Medfield — A long-stick midfielder with a gear shift that can spark Medfield's transition game, Lusby scored 26 goals last season, including three hat tricks in the state tournament, while leading James Nolan, Wellesley — The Bay State Conference co-MVP has the potential to shift between midfield and attack. The 6-1 junior led Wellesley with 77 points (46 goals, 31 assists) last season. James Nolan powers Wellesley's attack, finishing with 77 points last season. MARK STOCKWELL FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE Logan Poulin, Nauset — Not only one of the best middies in the state, the Vermont-bound senior is also elite at the faceoff-X and a proven winner who just helped Willy Robinson, Scituate — Showing a penchant for dramatic goals as a junior, the senior middie returns as the leader of a Sailors program that advanced to the Division 3 state final last June. Nico Smith, Mansfield — After posting a program-best 19 wins, Mansfield returns most of its key pieces this year, including the reigning Hockomock League MVP, who led his team with 62 goals and 34 assists. Advertisement Mansfield's Nico Smith totaled 96 points last season in earning Hockomock MVP honors. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Others to watch : Nate Burns, Sr. (Hopkinton); Will Carey, Sr. (Masconomet); Tristan Clayton, Jr. (Acton-Boxborough); Carson Eutsay, Sr. (Catholic Memorial); Colin Fuller, Sr. (Newburyport); Brayden Mattera, Sr. (Walpole); Jake McGuirk, Jr. (Norwell); Finn McKeon, Sr. (Westford); John Olenik, Sr. (Medfield) Alex Peck, Sr. (Natick); John Revegno, Sr. (Duxbury); Jack Weissenburg, Sr. (St. John's Prep)
