What began two years ago as a small gathering of faith-filled voices has become a powerful annual witness to peace. On August 6, 2026, the Franciscan Peace Center, a ministry of the Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, Iowa, and the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration hosted a prayer service marking the anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. Nearly 40 congregations of women religious and peace organizations answered the call to co-sponsor the service, joining together to mourn the violence inflicted on the people of Japan and to urge advocacy for nuclear abolition.
Over 1,300 people registered for this year's prayer service, making it the broadest expression yet of this collective spiritual witness. Many more joined in groups across the United States as well as Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Korea, Australia, Guam, and Japan.
This year's theme, "From Remembrance to Abolition," called participants to prayerfully honor the more than 200,000 lives lost in the 1945 bombings while renewing their commitment to a world free of nuclear weapons.
“As we remember the suffering of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we continue to pray that world leaders will take decisive action to end the manufacturing of these weapons of mass destruction and address the ongoing consequences of the arms race,” declared Dr. Jennifer Kryszak, Director of Strategic Planning for the Franciscan Peace Center. “Despite the passage of time, the threat of nuclear weapons remains an urgent concern, with approximately 12,100 nuclear warheads still in existence today.”
The service featured the moving testimony of Sister Agnes Hirota, SNDdeN, who survived the bombing of Hiroshima as a child. That survival, she shared, moved her to become a Christian and, later, a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur.
Sisters Maria Orlandini, OSF, and Claire Regan, SC, offered inspiring reflections on faith-filled advocacy, and Sean Moran, a recent Georgetown University graduate, spoke about how a pilgrimage he made to Hiroshima during college shaped his commitment to peace.
Participants were also moved by a contemplative sound healing meditation featuring Japanese singing bowls, led by artist Yuki Uwasawa Fultineer.
Having committed to active nonviolence as a way of life and to promoting nonviolence in society, the Clinton Franciscans took a corporate public stand on nuclear abolition in 2005. Their statement declares that "maintaining, rebuilding, and threatening the use of nuclear force make us, as Americans, a party to intolerable violence."
The gathering also answered a call from the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) for "100 Days of Prayer, Fasting, and Advocacy," a collective spiritual witness running from July 26 through November 3, 2026, during which participating congregations each dedicate a day to pray and act for peace and justice. Our August 6 gathering was one such communal offering.
A recording of the prayer service is available here: https://youtu.be/8wRgKuu1f34
In addition to the prayer service, attendees were given a link to a resource guide including readings, videos, and suggested actions for those who wish to learn more about nuclear disarmament and work toward a world free from the violence of nuclear weapons. The resource guide is available here: https://clintonfranciscans.com/file/728.
Co-sponsoring organizations included:
Congregation of the Humility of Mary; Dominican Sisters of Peace; Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, CA; Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa; Dominican Sisters of Sparkill; Felician Sisters of North America; Franciscan Action Network; Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls; Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart; Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters; IHM Sisters; Our Lady of Grace Monastery, Sisters of St. Benedict; Pax Christi Illinois; Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ; Presentation Sisters Union - US Unit; Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Western American Area; Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary-Eastern American Area; School Sisters of Notre Dame, Atlantic Midwest Province; School Sisters of Notre Dame, Central Pacific Province; Sisters of Benet Hill Monastery of Colorado Springs; Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati; Sisters of Charity of Nazareth; Sisters of Charity of New York; Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team; Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur - Ohio Province; Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (East-West Province); Sisters of Providence; Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia; Sisters of St. Francis of Rochester, Minnesota; Sisters of St. Francis, Dubuque, Iowa; Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet; Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet St. Louis Province; Sisters of St. Joseph of Philadelphia; Sisters of the Holy Family; Sisters of the Humility of Mary; US Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph; Wheaton Franciscans; Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual (WATER)
