Day 2 – Digest Today began with a train ride to Kamakura, a 12th-century city on the coast. The first stop was the Zen Engaku-ji Temple, founded in 1282 by Mugaku Sogen to honor those killed in wars against Mongolia. The quiet and peacefulness of the temple grounds, meditation rooms, and garden were palpable. After…

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Day 5 Clapping, chanting, and singing opened our day at an Interfaith Prayer Ceremony at the Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound led by the Hiroshima Prefecture Federation of Religions. Our archbishops joined with other religious leaders to remember the souls of those who died 78 years ago on the anniversary of dropping the atomic bomb on…

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Day 6 We started our day with a private Mass in the basement Chapel of the World Peace Memorial Cathedral in Hiroshima. We then embarked on a 5 1/2-hour bus ride to Nagasaki with several Japanese arch/bishops, and the Apostolic Nuncio to Japan, Archbishop Leo Boccardi. The countryside was captivating and sprinkled with rain –…

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Day 3 We witnessed the sea of commuters rushing through the Tokyo train station this morning as we boarded the four-hour bullet train to Hiroshima. Speeding through the countryside, we saw numerous cities, coastal communities, gorgeous mountains, a few Christian churches, and rural areas before arriving in Hiroshima. Most Rev. Alexis Mitsuru Shirahama, Bishop of…

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