On Sunday, 7 August, at 10.30am members of the Japanese community, led by Deputy Consul-General of Japan, Takeshi Tanabe, will join a special Choral Eucharist with prayers for the people of Japan and a re-commitment to work together for the peace of the world.
The service includes the lighting of a special Peace Candle. The Deputy Consul-General will deliver a message of peace. The Revd Canon Professor Dorothy Lee, Dean of Trinity College Theological School, will preach. A special floral display, prepared by the Melbourne Chapter of Ikebana International, will be on view at St Paul’s throughout the day.
Dean of Melbourne, Dr Andreas Loewe, said: ‘Every year on the day nearest to the horrific attacks on Hiroshima in 1945, we pause and recall the devastating effects of nuclear weapons on our world. We pray that we will never again see destruction by nuclear weapons again, and commit ourselves to the Christian way of seeking peace through reconciliation and love’.
Dean Loewe added: ‘This year, our service is made even more poignant by the recent senseless killings of vulnerable older people by a knife murderer last week. We will remember not only those who lost lives and loved ones in the past, but also hold in our hearts those who died recently in acts of terror and conflict, praying that hope and love may overcome hatred and fear’.
All are welcome to attend this special commemoration.