Latest news with #JamesNolanJr
The Independent
18-07-2025
- General
- The Independent
Nagasaki cathedral blesses a bell that replaces one destroyed by the US atomic bomb
A Nagasaki cathedral has blessed the final piece to complete its restoration nearly 80 years after being destroyed by the second U.S. atomic bomb dropped on Japan: a reproduction of its lost bell restored by a group of Americans. The new bell was blessed and named 'St. Kateri Bell of Hope,' by Peter Michiaki Nakamura, archbishop of Nagasaki, at the Urakami Cathedral in a ceremony Thursday attended by more than 100 followers and other participants. The bell is scheduled to be hung inside the cathedral, filling the empty bell tower for the first time, on Aug. 9, the anniversary of the bombing. The U.S. bomb that was dropped Aug. 9, 1945, fell near the cathedral, killing two priests and 24 followers inside among the more than 70,000 dead in the city. Japan surrendered, ending World War II days later. The bombing of Nagasaki destroyed the cathedral building and the smaller of its two bells. The building was restored earlier, but without the smaller bell. The restoration project was led by James Nolan Jr., who was inspired after hearing about the lost bell when he met a local Catholic follower during his 2023 visit to Nagasaki. Nolan lectured about the atomic bombing in the southern city and its history about Catholic converts who went deep underground during centuries of violent persecution in Japan's feudal era, to raise funds for the bell restoration. 'I think it's beautiful and the bell itself is more beautiful than I ever imagined,' Nolan, who was at the blessing ceremony, said after he test-rang the bell. He said he hoped the bell "will be a symbol of unity and that will bear the fruits of fostering hope and peace in a world where there is division and war and hurt." A sociology professor at Williams College in Massachusetts, Nolan is the grandson of a doctor who was in the Manhattan Project — the secret effort to build the bombs — and who was on a survey team that visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki shortly after the bombings. Nolan, based on materials his grandfather left behind, wrote a book 'Atomic Doctors,' about the moral dilemma of medical doctors who took part in the Manhattan Project.
Washington Post
18-07-2025
- General
- Washington Post
Nagasaki cathedral blesses a bell that replaces one destroyed by the US atomic bomb
TOKYO — A Nagasaki cathedral has blessed the final piece to complete its restoration nearly 80 years after being destroyed by the second U.S. atomic bomb dropped on Japan: a reproduction of its lost bell restored by a group of Americans. The new bell was blessed and named 'St. Kateri Bell of Hope,' by Peter Michiaki Nakamura, archbishop of Nagasaki, at the Urakami Cathedral in a ceremony Thursday attended by more than 100 followers and other participants. The bell is scheduled to be hung inside the cathedral, filling the empty bell tower for the first time, on Aug. 9, the anniversary of the bombing. The U.S. bomb that was dropped Aug. 9, 1945, fell near the cathedral, killing two priests and 24 followers inside among the more than 70,000 dead in the city. Japan surrendered, ending World War II days later. The bombing of Nagasaki destroyed the cathedral building and the smaller of its two bells. The building was restored earlier, but without the smaller bell. The restoration project was led by James Nolan Jr., who was inspired after hearing about the lost bell when he met a local Catholic follower during his 2023 visit to Nagasaki. Nolan lectured about the atomic bombing in the southern city and its history about Catholic converts who went deep underground during centuries of violent persecution in Japan's feudal era, to raise funds for the bell restoration. 'I think it's beautiful and the bell itself is more beautiful than I ever imagined,' Nolan, who was at the blessing ceremony, said after he test-rang the bell. He said he hoped the bell 'will be a symbol of unity and that will bear the fruits of fostering hope and peace in a world where there is division and war and hurt.' A sociology professor at Williams College in Massachusetts, Nolan is the grandson of a doctor who was in the Manhattan Project — the secret effort to build the bombs — and who was on a survey team that visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki shortly after the bombings. Nolan, based on materials his grandfather left behind, wrote a book 'Atomic Doctors,' about the moral dilemma of medical doctors who took part in the Manhattan Project.
NHK
15-05-2025
- General
- NHK
Bell donated by US Catholics to atomic-bombed Nagasaki cathedral shown to media
A new bell donated by US Catholics for an atomic-bombed cathedral in the Japanese city of Nagasaki was unveiled to the media on Thursday. The bell was made under an American project to replace one destroyed at Urakami Cathedral in 1945 ahead of the 80th anniversary of the city's atomic bombing. The cathedral originally had two bells, each hanging in a separate tower. The rebuilt cathedral only has the surviving bell, which was recovered from the rubble. On Thursday, the Catholic Archdiocese of Nagasaki revealed the donated bell, which is a faithful replica of the original bronze one. At a news conference, Nagasaki Archbishop Nakamura Michiaki said the sound of the new bell ringing into the future will be of great significance not just for Catholics but also for Nagasaki and the United States. He said he believes the new bell will provide hope for efforts to achieve world peace. James Nolan Jr., who is the grandson of a doctor involved in the development of atomic bombs and who coordinated the bell project, attended the news conference online. He said he is honored to be able to help restore the sound that had been lost for 80 years to Urakami Cathedral. The Archdiocese of Nagasaki says the new bell will be placed in the tower in July, and will be first rung there at 11:02 a.m. on August 9 -- the time the bomb exploded 80 years ago.
