A Second ‘Atomic Bomb’ Miracle
Three days after “Little Boy” – an atomic bomb! – was dropped on Hiroshima, its counterpart “Fat Man” was dropped on Nagasaki. An estimated 40,000 people were killed outright from the atomic explosion on August 9, 1945. A total of some 80,000 fatalities resulted from burn injuries, radiation exposure, and other blast related injuries. Many more suffered long-term health effects and the devastation of their lives.
A Catholic Center
Nagasaki was home to nearly two-thirds of all Japan’s Catholics. Its Catholic history stretches back to the 17th Century, when many Japanese converts gave their life for Christ in glorious martyrdom. For two centuries there were no priests in Japan. The Catholic Faith was outlawed and persecuted. Yet the Catholics here in the Urakami Valley practiced their faith secretly. They did not have the Mass or Confession. But they baptized their infants, had the Sacrament of Marriage, built strong families, taught the Catechism and prayed the Rosary. They preserved the faith and handed it on – untarnished – from one generation to the next for more than two hundred years!
In 1945, more Catholics lived in Nagasaki than in any other city in the Far East. Given its glorious history and high concentration of Catholics, it was considered the “Catholic Capital” of East Asia. This Catholic community was decimated by the atomic bomb and suffered greatly.[1] Nevertheless, just as Divine Providence offered the Marian Jesuits protection in Hiroshima, so too was a special protection extended over Our Lady’s Franciscans in Nagasaki.
A Saint of Our Lady
Despite the destruction, the Franciscan friary[2] built at the outskirts of Nagasaki by Polish-born St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe remained standing, was unharmed and had no effects from the bomb. The saint had been criticized for selecting a building spot behind a mountain and removed from the city center and cathedral. In hindsight, his selection appears prescient since the mountain helped protect the convent from the atomic blast.
St. Maximilian Kolbe was extremely devoted to Our Lady. He specifically promoted devotion and consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He was an ardent devotee of the Rosary and strongly encouraged its daily recitation. Moreover, he understood the terrible evils wrought by freemasonry, atheism, and the errors of Russia.
The Franciscan missionaries were preserved from the horrible death and destruction which followed the aftermath of the atomic attack. Surely it was not for their own sake, but so they could serve the injured, sick and dying who suffered so terribly. Their heroic witness gave great glory to God and was a living testimony to the power of the Rosary and the intercession of Our Lady, Mediatrix of all Graces.
Without a doubt, Our Lady provides special protection and graces for those devoted to Her. Thus, it should surprise no Catholic that She protected St. Maximilian Kolbe’s community and foundation from the atomic bomb that devastated Nagasaki.
ENDNOTES:
[1] In a National Geographic article titled “Nagasaki’s Hidden Christians Survive Persecution and the Atomic Bomb” (October 8, 2015), author Ari Beser wrote:
“I met a survivor, Shigemi Fukahori, who was 14 when he was exposed to the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. He maintains a deep Catholic faith and even holds his own belief of how the war started and ended, saying, ‘In Japan World War II started on December 8th, the same day as the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It also ended on August 15th, the day of the Assumption of Mary. The bomb exploded over Urakami Valley; the highest amount of Christians in Nagasaki live there. I believe the war ended because of our sacrifice.’”
[2] The friary was named “Seibo no Kishi” in honor of Mary Immaculate. It consisted of a chapel and wooden house, a large meeting hall for classes (for teaching the faith and practical matters), and a workshop to hold printing equipment. St. Kolbe also built a grotto to house a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes; this was completed on May 1, 1932. It is from this friary that, with the bishop’s blessing and permission, the friars published and distributed the first edition of the magazine Mugenzai no Seibo no Kishi, that is ‘Knight of the Immaculate Virgin.’