Turning Points in God’s Work

This week in history, October 8-14:

• The Belvedere Estate is purchased (October 10, 1972)
• True Father initiates The News World (October 10, 1976)
• CARP confronts massive leftist demonstration in West Germany (October 10, 1981)
• The Double-Ten Day is proclaimed (Ssang-ship Jeol) (October 10, 1999)
• The “10.14” Holy Blessing Ceremony is held (October 10, 2010)
• True Father is released from Heungnam Labor Camp (October 14, 1950)
• The 6,000-Couple Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony is held (October 14, 1982)
• National Parents’ Day is signed into law (October 14, 1994)
• The Cosmic Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony is held (October 14, 2009)

October 10, 1972

Belvedere Estate Purchased

In 1972, True Father directed Unificationists in the United States to find a large property in New York suitable for use as an international training center. The assignment was given to New York center director Philip Burley, who found Belvedere three days after it had been put on the market. Situated on the Hudson River thirty miles north of New York City in Tarrytown, the twenty-two-acre estate was described in a brochure sent to True Father in Korea, and he said to buy it.

The Maryland church center had had success selling its own manufactured candles, and it was decided to try that as a national effort to raise money for the large down payment. For seven weeks nearly every member in every state abandoned all other activities in order to sell candles.

With Anchor Hocking six-ounce brandy snifters and Amoco paraffin piled floor to ceiling, the College Park/Upper Marlboro centers reached peak production of 1,700 dozen candles a week, or about 250 dozen (3,000 candles) a day. A similar factory with a rotating crew was set up in the Denver center garage, and a third factory was operated by the Berkeley, California, center. “Express candle vans” delivered “still warm” candles, and “mobile fundraising teams” were formed for the first time. As a result of the total mobilization and fundraising innovations, the down payment was made. At 1:00 p.m. on October 10, 1972, the caretaker of Belvedere received a call from the seller saying that, from that moment, “Belvedere is in new hands.” Later that day a group of Unificationists arrived to explore the house and grounds. Dr. Young Oon Kim asked them, “How can you describe a miracle? … Now you have seen Belvedere. Is it better than your dreams?”

October 10, 1976

True Father Initiated The News World

True Father initiated The News World on October 10, 1976, shortly after the Washington Monument rally, when he assembled a dozen or so Unificationists with journalism degrees and “set the deadline” for producing the first issue of a new daily newspaper in New York City “at December 31, 1976, the last day of the Bicentennial year.”

October 10, 1981

CARP Confronts Massive Leftist Demonstration in West Germany

The Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (CARP) spearheaded the Unificationist opposition to communism on college campuses from the 1960s. In the early 1980, US CARP launched an organized assault on Marxist-Leninist doctrines under the leadership of Rev. Chong Goo “Tiger” Park. Prior to this, a Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade (RCYB) had assaulted CARP members on a California campus. This was the first of innumerable confrontations between CARP and leftist campus groups over the next several years. Many of the most memorable encounters occurred in traditionally liberal or radical campus settings, such as the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

In what was one of CARP’s most memorable confrontations, “Tiger” Park led a counterdemonstration of 130 CARP members against a 250,000-strong anti-nuclear armament rally in Bonn, Germany, on October 10, 1981, barely escaping after being pursued by attackers wielding sticks, pipes and chains. This was the kickoff to a decade of activism. CARP developed a revolutionary, activist élan of its own replete with practiced chants, burnings of Soviet leaders in effigy, hard-driving rock bands with names such as Blue Tuna and Prime Force, and touring martial arts groups (these were especially helpful in protecting podiums from assaults). All this became part of the lore and allure of CARP during the Cold War era.

October 10, 1999

Proclamation of Double-Ten Day (Ssang-ship Jeol)

True Father proclaimed in 1999: “The number ten, representing the month of October and the date of October 10, 1999, signifies a new start centered upon God, and the number ten of the tenth day signifies a new start centered upon the earth. That is why I have proclaimed October 10 as Ee-Ship Jeol (Ssang-ship Jeol, Double-Ten Day).” (Excerpt from the old Cheon Seong Gyeong 304-152, 1999.10.10) –The full speech, “Proclamation of Double-Ten Day (Ssang-ship Jeol),” can be read here.

October 10, 2010

“10.14” Holy Blessing Ceremony

The month of October has a special meaning as the “month of liberation” in Unification history, as True Father was liberated from Heung Nam labor camp (10.14.50) and Seodaemun Prison (10.4.55) during the month. True Parents conducted the first “Cosmic Blessing Ceremony” on October 14, 2009, on the campus of Sun Moon University.  On October 10, 2010, they extended the previous year’s Holy Blessing in conducting the “10.14 Blessing Ceremony Based on the Completion of the Settlement of the True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind,” this time with more than 30,000 brides and bridegrooms and their congratulators attending on the lawn of Sun Moon University. A special feature of the Blessing this time was that people born into the Unification Church were given the freedom to select their spouse by themselves in front of True Parents.

October 14, 1950

True Father Released from Heungnam Labor Camp

The work and storage room at the Heungnam Labor Camp.

True Father’s ministry in Pyongyang ended on February 22, 1948, when he was arrested for a second time by North Korean officials. He was tried on April 7 and sentenced to five years of hard labor. On May 20, True Father was transferred from prison in Pyongyang to a labor camp in Heungnam, an industrial city on the east coast of North Korea. There he endured a hellish existence until liberated by advancing UN forces on October 14, 1950.

Men working at the Heungnam Labor Camp.

True Father’s liberation by UN forces was by no means assured. As bombing of the Heungnam industrial complex became more intense, guards began executing prisoners, calling out their numbers starting with those having the longest sentences. In his autobiography, True Father notes, “The night before my scheduled execution the bombs fell like rain in the monsoon season … so intense that it seemed all of Heungnam had been turned into a sea of fire. The high walls around the prison began to fall and the guards ran for their lives. Finally, the gate of the prison that had kept us in that place opened. At around two o’clock in the morning of the next day, I walked calmly out of Heungnam Prison with dignity.”

October 14, 1982

6,000-Couple Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony

True Parents sprinkle holy water over the couples at the 6000-couple Holy Marriage Blessing.

True Parents blessed 6,000 couples in Chamshil Gymnasium in Seoul on October 14, 1982. The precise number of couples blessed was 5,837, as True Father noted in his Blessing prayer. The 6,000-Couple Blessing is linked with the 2,075-Couple Blessing conducted by True Parents on July 1, 1982, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. They are referred to jointly as the 8,000-Couple Holy Blessing. Both included significant numbers of international couples. The 6,000-Couple Holy Blessing, convened on 20 days’ notice, included participants from 84 nations. True Father noted that the Blessing surmounted the 6,000 years of providential history and signified an “advance into the realm of liberation.”

October 14, 1994

National Parents’ Day Signed into Law

President Clinton with Parent of the Year honorees in 1995

Parent’s Day was established as a U.S. holiday in 1994 when President Bill Clinton signed a congressional resolution into law (36 U.S.C. § 135) for “recognizing, uplifting and supporting the role of parents in the rearing of children.” The resolution, passed unanimously by the House and Senate, was signed by Speaker of the House Thomas Foley and President pro Tempore of the Senate Robert Byrd. The establishment of Parents’ Day on the fourth Sunday of every July was the result of a bipartisan, multiracial and interfaith coalition of religious, civic and elected leaders who recognized the need to promote responsible parenting in our society and to uplift ideal parental role models, especially for our nation’s children. Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss) made the original resolution on July 27, 1993, the day before True Mother delivered her “True Parents and the Completed Testament Age” address on Capitol Hill.

October 14, 2009

Cosmic Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony

The first “Cosmic Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony” was held magnificently at the open space in front of the main building of Sun Moon University in Asan in Korea’s Chungnam province, with True Parents as the officiators on October 14, 2009. Some 25,000 participants gathered as representatives of Korea and the world. For those who could not come there, the ceremony was broadcast simultaneously to 192 nations via satellite and the Internet. The ceremony was unique in that it was the first time that new couples and already established blessed couples received the Blessing together. Previously couples had received the Blessing on the church and worldwide levels. True Father explained that this was the third and final cosmic-level Blessing. The Blessing was also significant as it included large numbers of young Unificationists in a public venue. The participation of attractive young people attracted substantial media coverage that continued in subsequent Blessings.

This Week in History briefly lists significant events in the history of the Unification Church, the lives of the Founders, and world events that are momentous to Unificationists. Most items are marked according to the solar calendar. Items marked “H.C.” correspond to the Cheon-gi or Heavenly Calendar, which is based on the lunar calendar. This installment covers the week of October 8-14.

58th Anniversary of the Founding of FFWPU-Japan

This week in history, October 1-7:

• HSA-UWC Japan is founded (October 2, 1959)
• Korea celebrates National Foundation Day (October 3, 2333 B.C.)
• True Parents proclaim Foundation Day for the Nation of the Unified World (October 3, 1988)
• The Inaugural Assembly is held for the Interreligious and International Peace Council (October 3, 2003)
• True Father is released from Seodaemun Prison (October 4, 1955)
• The Unification Church obtains legal standing in Korea (October 4, 1963)
• The Day of the Victory of Heaven is proclaimed (October 4, 1976)
• True Mother goes on a lecture tour of 40 universities in Korea (October 4, 1993)
• The Konron Maru Ferryboat is sunk (October 5, 1943)
• The first Holy Grounds are selected (October 5-7, 1962)
• True Father proclaims total liberation and unification between the physical and spiritual world (October 5, 1998)
• The Cheongpa Dong church is purchased (October 7, 1955)

OCTOBER 2, 1959

HSA-UWC Japan is Founded

Missionary Sang-ik “Papa-san” Choi (fourth from left) on his way back to Japan following his first visit to Korea in seven years.

Missionary Choi and participants during the first special workshop held in Japan in 1963.

Sang-ik “Papa-san” Choi, known to Japanese Unificationists as Mr. Nishikawa, planted the seeds of the Unification movement in Japan from 1958 to 1964. Because Korea and Japan did not have diplomatic relations, he was arrested upon arrival in June 1958. Escaping confinement, he made his way to Tokyo where, after six months of struggle, he got a job as a salesman for a watch shop in the Shinjuku section. During the morning he worked, in the afternoon he witnessed. Once a week he rented the second floor of the shop to preach. On Sunday, October 2, 1959, he conducted the first Sunday service. Originally named the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity (HSA-UWC) Japan, Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) Japan commemorates this as its founding day.

OCTOBER 3, 2333 B.C.

Korea Celebrates National Foundation Day

October 3 is a public holiday in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) as it celebrates its National Foundation Day. This national holiday, also known as “Tangun Day” and Gaecheon-jeol, commemorates the legendary founding of the Korean nation, the spiritual homeland of the Unification movement, or the creation of ancient Korea in 2333 B.C. by Tangun whereby the first Korean state was established. The Tangun legend not only reflects Korean ideals, but helped develop the pride of a people with a long history and an ancient culture. Through the centuries, Koreans have preserved this legend, which became a source of spiritual comfort in times of crisis.

OCTOBER 3, 1988

True Parents Proclaim Foundation Day for the Nation of the Unified World

True Parents proclaimed the Foundation Day for the Nation of the Unified World on October 3, 1988, immediately following the completion of the Seoul Olympic Games. True Father explained that the realization of an ideal world must be achieved through external and internal unification. According to True Father, the key to external unification was the unity between democracy and communism, symbolically realized through the 1988 Seoul Olympics. To achieve the internal unification, True Parents declared the Foundation Day for the Nation of the Unified World. True Father envisioned the end of all national divisions and boundaries, saying that one day humankind should no longer need visas. In 2007, True Parents changed the name of the day from the “Foundation Day for the Nation of the Unified World” to the “Foundation Day for the Nation of Cosmic Unity,” which also is called the “Foundation Day for the Unified Nation of Heaven and Earth.” This indicated that the providence had advanced beyond the world to the cosmic level and that humankind could become “citizens of heaven.”

OCTOBER 3, 2003

Inaugural Assembly Held for Interreligious and International Peace Council

The Interreligious and International Peace Council (IIPC) was created to “improve existing methods and practices for addressing critical global problems by being the leader in the moral or spiritual conscience in leadership governance.” Three hundred and four delegates, including 52 guests from the United Nations–representing 149 nations–attended the 4-day Inaugural Assembly in New York City with the theme “Global Governance for a New Realm of Peace.” True Father appropriately spoke on the topic “The New Elimination of Boundaries and World Peace.”

OCTOBER 4, 1955

True Father is Released from Seodaemun Prison

On July 4, 1955, True Father and four Unification Church leaders were arrested on charges of illegal confinement and violation of military regulations, stemming from outreach efforts on Seoul’s Ewha Women’s University campus. This followed the dismissal of professors and expulsion of students who had joined the church. True Father was convicted and sent to Seodaemun Prison, a facility constructed by Japanese colonial authorities for the confinement and torture of Korean nationalists. True Father’s conviction was overturned on appeal, and he was released after three months on October 4, 1955. According to True Father, a number of prison officials “became part of our Unification family” following his release.

OCTOBER 4, 1963

Unification Church Obtains Legal Standing in Korea

True Father and four disciples founded the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity (HSA-UWC), or the Unification Church, in May 1954. However, the church did not obtain legal standing until October 4, 1963. In effect, it was an underground church, particularly during the Syngman Rhee presidency (1948-60). After Rhee’s resignation and exile, there was more openness, especially as a result of the church’s efforts to promote literacy among Korea’s village populations and its campaign to arm police ideologically against communism. The church continued to face opposition and harassment, but it had surmounted legal barriers to its existence and development.

OCTOBER 4, 1976

The Day of the Victory of Heaven

A little more than two weeks after the Washington Monument Rally and on the 26th anniversary of his release from Seodaemun Prison, True Father proclaimed the Day of the Victory of Heaven before several thousand Unificationists at Belvedere. He stated that the Washington Monument rally was an “unqualified victory” and that barriers in the spirit world had been broken down. This, he said, “will be reflected in the physical world.” He predicted that the movement would “take off in leaps and bounds from now” and discussed prospects in evangelism, business and educational activities. In fact, the Washington Monument campaign was a watershed event in the history of the Unification Church in America. It closed out the initial proclamation period of True Father’s ministry and opened the way for new initiatives in evangelism, education, interfaith relations, business, media and public life. The movement began to develop an infrastructure that greatly expanded its ability to exert influence in the United States and elsewhere.

OCTOBER 4, 1993

True Mother’s Lecture Tour of Forty Universities in Korea

True Mother began a lecturing tour of forty major Korean universities, starting from Dangook University, on October 4, 1993. At each university, professors, students and prominent figures filled the lecture hall. Under the title “True Parents and the Completed Testament Age,” True Mother’s lecture called the young, intelligent university students to take the lead in opening a peaceful 21st century centered on true love.

OCTOBER 5, 1943

Konron Maru Ferryboat is Sunk

True Father graduated from Waseda Koutou Kougakko, a technical engineering school affiliated with Waseda University, in Japan on September 30, 1943. He notified his family by telegram that he would return to Korea aboard the Konron Maru ferry on October 4. However, he had a premonition of danger, even feeling his “feet stuck to the ground,” and postponed his return. En route to Pusan, the Konron Maru was sunk. The New York Times reported on October 8 that an Allied submarine had sunk the ship at 1:00 am on October 5 and that only 72 of the 616 persons on board had survived. True Father recorded that when his mother heard the news that the ship he was scheduled to board was sunk, she “immediately ran out of the house without even thinking to put on her shoes,” running barefoot five miles to the train station and taking a train directly to Pusan. There, according to True Father’s autobiography, “She just kept calling my name, not even realizing that she had large splinters in her feet.” True Father often repeated this account as an illustration of his mother’s love.

OCTOBER 5-7, 1962

First Holy Grounds Selected

True Father first used the term Seong Ji (Holy Ground) on January 1, 1963. He wrote the words “Holy Ground” in Chinese characters, and shared with those present his determination and plan to reclaim God’s lands symbolically, first through Holy Grounds and later by restoring the homeland. However, he did not select Holy Grounds until his first world tour in 1965. The first Holy Grounds were founded in Korea by several disciples between October 5 and 7, 1962, according to True Father’s instruction, before he himself actually established any. Four of them were founded in the north, south, east and west districts of Seoul. From January 28 through October 10, 1965, True Father made Holy Grounds in 39 nations. He returned to Korea and created Holy Grounds in each regional district before establishing the last seven (main) Holy Grounds in Seoul, including the one at Cheongpa Dong Church. The original four Holy Grounds founded by the disciples later were established as official Holy Grounds by Father as part of the seven Holy Grounds in Seoul. True Father would finish blessing 120 Holy Grounds throughout the world on January 1, 1966.

OCTOBER 5, 1998

True Father Proclaims Total Liberation and Unification between the Physical World and the Spiritual World

On October 5, 1998, Koreans celebrated the holiday Chuseok, the day of the Autumn Moon Festival. On this day, True Father conducted a ceremony in São Paolo, Brazil, called the Total Liberation and Unification Day Ceremony. At that time he gave missions to certain countries to take charge of the saints in spirit world who were blessed at the June 13, 1998 Marriage Blessing Ceremony held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He also gave missions to other founders of religions. He sent Jesus to the United States, Buddha to Korea, Confucius to China, Mohammed to the Islamic world, and Joseph and Mary to South America.

OCTOBER 7, 1955

Cheongpa Dong Church Purchased

The old Cheongpa Dong church, formerly a Japanese temple, with its clay tile roof.

True Father teaching at Cheongpa Dong.

Three days after True Father’s release from Seodaemun Prison, the church borrowed 2 million won to purchase an abandoned building in poor repair on a hillside in Cheongpa Dong, Seoul. It reportedly had been a small Japanese Buddhist temple during the colonial era and one of many houses categorized as “enemy property.” This was the first property purchased by the Unification Church, which previously had occupied rented space, and served as its headquarters for the next 20 years. The Cheongpa Dong Church was the site of True Parents’ engagement and Holy Wedding ceremonies as well as the 36 and 72 Couples’ Holy Wedding ceremonies. It was also where the earliest editions of the Divine Principle were distributed and served as True Parents’ residence, where True Father planned much of the movement’s worldwide mission.

Later, while in the United States, True Father received word that members were planning to remodel the Cheongpa Dong Church. With great urgency he sent a telegram telling them to stop. True Father wrote in his autobiography, “This church embodies an irrecoverable period in my personal history, but more important than that, it testifies directly to the history of our church. … What matters is not some beautiful exterior but the secret life of tears that dwells within that building. … When I look at a particular pillar, I am reminded of a time when I clung to that pillar and wept over a particular matter … [it] makes me weep again. To see a door frame that is a little crooked reminds me of the past. … The floor boards where I bent over in prayer and shed so many tears are gone. … I … need memories of that pain. It doesn’t matter if the external style or appearance is old. Much time has passed, and now we have many churches that are well built. But for me, I would rather go to the small house on the hill in Cheongpa Dong and pray. I feel more comfortable there.”

This Week in History briefly lists significant events in the history of the Unification movement, the lives of the True Parents, and world events that are momentous to Unificationists. Most items are marked according to the solar calendar. Items marked “H.C.” correspond to the Cheon-gi or Heavenly Calendar, which is based on the lunar calendar. This installment covers the week of October 2 to 8.

Day of Hope

This week in history, September 24 to October 1:

• The Transition of the Three Ages Realm of Oneness Unification Marriage Blessing Ceremony is held (September 24, 2000)
• Archbishop Milingo is excommunicated by the Vatican (September 26, 2006)
• True Parents introduce “My Pledge” (October 1, 1962)
• True Father kicks off the 21-city “Day of Hope” speaking tour at Carnegie Hall (October 1, 1973)
• True Father launches Ocean Church (October 1, 1980)

SEPTEMBER 24, 2000

The Transition of the Three Ages Realm of Oneness Unification Blessing Ceremony

The Transition of the Three Ages Realm of Oneness Unification Blessing Ceremony was held at the Cheongpyeong Heaven and Earth Training Center on September 24, 2000. The ceremony was conducted on the last day of the third workshop for wives’ of the Unification movement. On this day True Father asked twenty-four Unificationist-born young adults—twelve men and twelve women—to line up and placed a granddaughter in front of one line and a grandson in front of the other and then gave his benediction. He said, “The spiritual and physical worlds, which divided as a result of the Fall, have become one through the victorious realm of the True Parents of Heaven and Earth. Children in the spiritual world and on earth should inherit this and achieve the Registration Blessing with the parents.” (Materials provided by the FFWPU History Compilation Committee)

SEPTEMBER 26, 2006

Archbishop Milingo Excommunicated by the Vatican

Zambian Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo sparked a controversy which reached to the highest levels of the Roman Catholic Church when he married Maria Sung in an Interfaith Clergy Marriage Blessing Ceremony conducted by True Parents on May 26, 2001. Upon an appeal by Pope John Paul II, he renounced the union a few months later and receded from public view for five years before resurfacing dramatically in 2006 to announce that he had rejoined his wife and was launching an independent charismatic ministry, Married Priests Now. Archbishop Milingo was given a deadline to submit a letter of repentance, which he refused to do. On September 24, 2006, he took the irrevocable step of installing four married men as bishops. Two days later, a Vatican communiqué announced that for this “public act” Archbishop Milingo had incurred automatic excommunication. A Vatican summit, convened by Pope Benedict XVI on November 16, 2006, reaffirmed the church’s position on clerical celibacy.

OCTOBER 1, 1962

True Parents Introduce “My Pledge”

Following the Holy Blessing of 36 Couples in 1961, True Parents introduced an abbreviated version of what became “My Pledge” on October 1, 1962. “My Pledge” consisted of five statements which affirmed Unification faith and commitments. It was a staple of Unification devotional life, regularly recited on Sunday mornings, the first day of the month, and Holy Days from its introduction until 1994, when it was superseded by “Family Pledge.”

OCTOBER 1, 1973

True Father Kicks Off the 21-City “Day of Hope” Speaking Tour at Carnegie Hall

True Father conducted four “Day of Hope” speaking tours in the United States between 1972 and 1974. The initial 7-city tour served to unite Unificationists of the several groups created by missionaries during the 1960s. The second 21-city tour began the process of catapulting the Unification Church into the public limelight. More than 400 Unificationists, including missionaries from Europe and Japan, came to New York City to publicize True Father’s talks, which began at Carnegie Hall on October 1, 1973, with the message “Christianity in Crisis: New Hope.” In addition to mass leafleting, the event was advertised in newspaper and magazine ads, on bus and commuter train posters, and in professionally made radio announcements.

The results were remarkable. In New York, the event attracted widespread media coverage. The New York Daily News carried a large photo and article on a Day of Hope rally on the steps of Federal Hall on Wall Street. Time, Newsweek and Christianity Today all carried stories on the campaign. A generally positive Associated Press feature story appeared in 79 newspapers throughout the United States. Two hundred and fifty prominent New Yorkers attended the inaugural “Day of Hope” banquet at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Telegrams of congratulations were read from the New York City mayor and several U.S. congressmen. Afterward, two 40-member International One World Crusade (IOWC) advance teams prepared for each of the remaining cities on the tour.

OCTOBER 1, 1980

True Father Launches Ocean Church

In late summer of 1980, True Father sponsored the first World Tuna Tournament in the fishing town of Gloucester, Massachusetts to stimulate interest among Americans, particularly young people, in the ocean. Then, on October 1, 1980, he established Ocean Church. He chose 24 Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) graduates and 60 Unificationists in supporting roles to pioneer 24 port cities on the East, West and Gulf coasts. He directed them to build a foundation of 60 Unificationists, at which point they were to order ten 28-foot “Good Go” fiberglass boats from the Unification Church-owned fleet and one large stern trawler. He advised the Ocean Church pioneers to “visit the Coast Guard chief, police chief and mayor,” telling them that “your sole concern is to revive the fishing industry in America.” True Father told them that their boats “will be your churches.” Unificationists, he said, “will have a regular spiritual life” and “catch more fish than anyone else in the area, even more than people who have been fishing for many years.”

This Week in History briefly lists significant events in the history of the Unification Church, the lives of the Founders, and world events that are momentous to Unificationists. Most items are marked according to the solar calendar. Items marked “H.C.” correspond to the Cheon-gi or Heavenly Calendar, which is based on the lunar calendar. This installment covers the week of September 24 to October 1.

Remembering the Washington Monument Rally

SEPTEMBER 16-18, 2016

Celebrating the 40 Year Anniversary of the Washington Monument Rally

This week in history marks the 41st anniversary of the Washington Monument Rally, a watershed moment in the history of True Parents and the Unification movement in America. Last year, from September 16-18, 2016, commemorative events were held in Washington, D.C. in honor of both the rally and the speech, “America and God’s Will,” delivered by True Father over forty years ago, including an awards banquet at The Washington Times offices, a commemorative rally on the National Mall, and a national Sunday service in Maryland. Sun Jin Moon, International President of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), gave the keynote address on the day of the rally, September 17, reading a speech prepared by True Mother for the occasion.

SEPTEMBER 18, 1976

Washington Monument Rally

Forty-one years ago, True Father spoke before 300,000 people at the Washington Monument Rally, the second of two major rallies celebrating the United States’ bicentennial in 1976. The first was the Yankee Stadium Rally on June 1. They were both part of the “Bicentennial God Bless America Festival,” which True Father stated was unique among the bicentennial observances because they were convened in the name of God and included international participants. At the Washington Monument, True Father spoke on the theme “America and God’s Will.” He stated, “The United States of America, transcending race and nationality, is already a model of the unified world.” He also said that Judaism, Christianity and the Unification Church as sibling faiths and Israel, the United States and Korea as sibling nations had “a common destiny representing God’s side” and needed “to restore the United Nations to its original purpose and function.” He called upon the three religions and three nations to “join hands in a unified effort,” contributing “internally to the unification of world religions and externally to the unification of the world itself.”

“At this crossroads of human history, we must listen to the calling of God. God prepared America for 200 years. This is the time for awakening. America must accept her global responsibility. Armed with Godism, she must free the Communist world, and at last, build the Kingdom of God here on earth. God has chosen America as the flag bearer. America must rise up. Today. Tomorrow may be too late.”

After the Washington Monument Rally, True Father confessed:

“I feel light as a feather. I feel like I can fly. I have borne a tremendous burden of responsibility, but with the victory at Washington Monument, I feel like I have been liberated from the weight. I can now walk as a free man. I can hold my head up before heaven and earth.”

The Washington Monument Rally was a watershed event in the history of the Unification Church in America. It concluded the initial proclamation phase of True Father’s ministry and opened the way for new initiatives in the fields of evangelism, education, interfaith relations, business, media and public life. It also provided the foundation for building a substantial movement worldwide.
 

Also this week in history, September 17-23:

• The Seoul Olympics are held (September 17, 1988)

• David S.C. Kim arrives as the second missionary to America (September 18, 1959)

• HSA-UWC is legally incorporated (September 18, 1961)

• True Father speaks at Madison Square Garden (September 18, 1974)

• The Mongolian Peoples’ Federation is inaugurated (September 21, 2004)

• The Day of Hope Wall Street Rally is held (September 22, 1973)

• An interfaith day of prayer and healing is held (September 22, 2001)

• True Father launches the Substantial Abel UN (September 23, 2007)

SEPTEMBER 17, 1988

Seoul Olympics

True Father welcomes the representatives of 120 nations to his home in Korea for the Seoul Olympics.

The Games of the XXIV Olympiad took place from September 17 to October 2, 1988, in Seoul. The “Seoul Olympics” were significant not only for Korea as the second Asian nation to host the Olympic Games but also for the world, as the games brought together athletes from the communist and free-world nations for the first time since 1976. These also were the last Olympic Games for the Soviet Union and East Germany, both of which would cease to exist by the time of the next Olympic Games in 1992. True Father recognized this and made a special effort to welcome Eastern Bloc and Soviet athletes, providing them with generous gifts and invitations to cultural events. Although Coca-Cola was the official soft drink of the Games, athletes, friends and officials of many nations accepted more than 40,000 cans of McCol and bottles of Ginseng-Up. Following the completion of the Games, True Father proposed the holding of a World Festival of Culture (later designated as the World Culture and Sports Festival) as an “internal” complement to the Olympic Games.

SEPTEMBER 18, 1959

David S.C. Kim Arrives as the Second Missionary to America

David S.C. Kim was a founding member of the Unification Church in 1954 and its first overseas missionary, having gone to Swansea University College, Wales, as a U.N. scholar during the mid-1950s. He was the second Unificationist missionary to the United States, arriving in Portland, Oregon, on September 18, 1959, some ten months after Dr. Young Oon Kim had arrived in Eugene, Oregon. Like Miss Kim, he came to the United States on a student visa (the only other way out of Korea was via the diplomatic service) and enrolled at Western Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary. He was expelled for “heresy” just weeks before his graduation in 1961. This precipitated a series of crises as Mr. Kim successively enrolled in Portland University, the University of Oregon, and finally Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California, in efforts to retain his student status and stay in the country. He nevertheless founded United Faith, Inc., or the “Northwest Family,” and directed a far-flung network of Unification centers extending as far east as Chicago during the 1960s. He played a major role after True Parents’ arrival in America, translating for True Father, firing up members at the Belvedere Training Center, leading the International One World Crusade (IOWC), and later serving as the founding president of the Unification Theological Seminary (1975-1994).

SEPTEMBER 18, 1961

HSA-UWC Legally Incorporated

Dr. Young Oon Kim, the first Unification Church missionary to America, legally incorporated the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity (HSA-UWC) as a California corporation on September 18, 1961. Her primary motivation in establishing HSA-UWC was to stabilize her visa situation. However, she also recognized that for tax exemption purposes and legal protection, it was necessary for her group to be recognized by the government and to receive legal status as a religion. This incorporation became and still is the legal basis for the Unification tradition in the United States. It preceded the legalization of the church in both Korea and Japan.

SEPTEMBER 18, 1974

True Father Speaks at Madison Square Garden

True Father’s Madison Square Garden speech, delivered on September 18, 1974, culminated his “Day of Hope” speaking tours which had begun nearly two years previously. Building on all that had gone before, the Madison Square Garden event launched a triumphant eight-city tour through many of the same cities of the original, anonymous seven-city tour completed in 1972. Filling New York City’s Madison Square Garden was the Unification Church’s most ambitious undertaking to date, and the arrival of seven hundred IOWC members in mid-August greatly augmented campaign preparations in New York City. Ten 70-member IOWC teams followed rigorous street canvassing schedules. Representatives from each of the forty nations where the Unification Church maintained missions and the remaining American Unificationists—in all, about 2,000—converged on New York City for a final week-long blitz prior to September 18. Advertising that “September 18 Could Be Your Re-Birthday,” 80,000 two-by-three-foot posters with a portrait of True Father “wallpapered” Manhattan. The New York Times reported, “His face is everywhere, it seems.”

The turnout at Madison Square Garden was astounding. Sixteen hundred prominent New Yorkers were feted at a kickoff banquet in the Waldorf Astoria hotel on September 17, 1974. The following night, an estimated 10,000 to 35,000 ticket-holders were turned away from an already filled-to-capacity Madison Square Garden. True Father spoke on the theme “The New Future of Christianity.” He proclaimed that Jesus had not come to die on the cross, that the crucifixion was the “secondary,” not the “original” mission of Christ, that the Lord will return “as the son of man in the flesh,” and that “that day is at hand.” With nearly two hundred representatives of the press in attendance, widespread publicity helped ensure success in other cities. The pattern of overflow crowds and extensive publicity was repeated throughout the tour.

SEPTEMBER 21, 2004

Inauguration of Mongolian Peoples’ Federation

True Father speaks at the International Peace Conference for Mongolian Leaders from Around the World.

True Father established numerous Federations for World Peace following the end of the Cold War and into the new millennium. From September 21-24, 2004, the first International Peace Conference for Mongolian Leaders from Around the World took place in Seoul. This conference led to the creation of the Mongolian Peoples’ Federation for World Peace (MPFWP). True Father defined Mongolian peoples as those born with the Mongolian birthmark, a bluish mark usually seen on the backside. He asserted that nearly three-quarters of the world’s population is linked to Mongolian roots and that the Mongolian birthmark appears not only in persons of the yellow race but also among many black and white people. He maintained that values preserved among Mongolian peoples, such as faith in absolute values, an understanding of human spirituality, belief in the existence of the spirit world, an emphasis on family tradition and the importance of lineage would play a significant role in bringing about the realization of a world of peace. The initial conference brought together 300 participants from Mongolia, Korea, Japan, China and 34 other nations. The Mongolian Federation convened subsequent meetings under the auspices of the Universal Peace Federation.

SEPTEMBER 22, 1973

Day of Hope Wall Street Rally

Having completed his first Day of Hope speaking tour of eight American cities in 1972, True Father mobilized American Unificationists for a more ambitious 21-city Day of Hope tour to begin in New York City’s Carnegie Hall on October 3, 1973. By the end of August, more than four hundred Unificationists gathered to publicize the Day of Hope talks under the theme “Christianity in Crisis: New Hope.” On September 22, a major rally was staged on the steps of Federal Hall on Wall Street. The New York Daily News carried a large photo and article on the rally. Time, Newsweek and Christianity Today all carried stories on the campaign, and Associated Press religion writer George W. Cornell’s generally positive feature story appeared in 79 newspapers throughout the United States.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2001

Interfaith Day of Prayer and Healing

More than 1,000 clergy from all faiths attended the Interfaith Prayer Breakfast and Day of Prayer and Healing to offer prayers for the victims of the 9/11 tragedy in New York and Washington, D.C.

True Father had called for a 12,000-couple World Clergy Marriage Blessing Ceremony to take place in New York’s Madison Square Garden on September 22, 2001. It was intended to build upon the Interfaith Marriage Blessing of 60 clergy couples the previous May in which Catholic Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo was blessed with Korean Unificationist Maria Sung. The tragic events of 9/11 intervened and the clergy Blessing was postponed. In lieu of the Blessing, an interfaith prayer breakfast brought together more than 1,000 clergy and guests in the Grand Ballroom of the Manhattan Center and an outdoor Day of Prayer and Healing rally took place at the Adam Clayton Powell State Office Building in Harlem. The rally attracted some 3,000 participants as well as coverage on CNN, CBS and other media outlets.  Forty American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC) ministers had counseled police and firefighters at Ground Zero the night before the prayer breakfast and rally and continued to do so in the days that followed.

SEPTEMBER 23, 2007

True Father Launches the “Substantial” Abel UN

True Father launched the “Substantial” Abel UN at the Manhattan Center.

In 2000, True Father’s proposal to renew the United Nations through incorporating an interreligious peace council launched the United Nations Providence. The following year, True Father began the Ambassadors for Peace program. In 2003, he established the Interreligious and International Peace Council (IIPC), and in 2005, on the occasion of the UN’s 60th anniversary, he founded the Universal Peace Federation (UPF). The core objective of these combined initiatives was “to work cooperatively with the United Nations and to serve and support that institution as it seeks to fulfill its own global mission.” Two years later, on September 23, 2007, True Father launched what he termed the “Substantial” Abel UN.

Conducted at the Manhattan Center in New York City, the inauguration brought together representatives from 192 nations seated at UN-style conference tables. Flags and regalia added to the atmosphere. True Father’s keynote address, augmented by extemporaneous comments, lasted three hours. In it, he referred to UPF as “an Abel-type counterpart to the UN” and to the new initiative as the “Peace UN.” He expressed hope that it would “lead the way for millions of Ambassadors for Peace throughout the world … to fulfill the heavenly will of creating ‘One Family under God.’” Finishing at 11:00 p.m., True Father penned an approximately thirty-foot calligraphic message that read, in Chinese characters, “May the Sovereignty of the God of True Love, the Sacred Reign of Peace, Last Forever.” He then struck a giant gong, sealing the evening’s proceedings.

This Week in History briefly lists significant events in the history of the Unification Church, the lives of the Founders, and world events that are momentous to Unificationists. Most items are marked according to the solar calendar. Items marked “H.C.” correspond to the Cheon-gi or Heavenly Calendar, which is based on the lunar calendar. This installment covers the week of September 17-23.

Contributed by Dr. Michael Mickler, Professor of Church History at Unification Theological Seminary.

A Global Responsibility and Revival

This week in history, September 10-16:

• The 9/11 attack on America takes place (September 11, 2001)

• The Universal Peace Federation is founded (September 12, 2005)

• A dedication ceremony is held for the Ocean Cheonjeong Palace Hotel on Geomun Island (September 12, 2011)

• Members of Congress invite True Father to speak on Capitol Hill (September 13, 1974)

• True Mother delivers the Completed Testament Age message before 50,000 at the Tokyo Dome (September 14, 1993)

• True Mother tours Japan with President and Mrs. George H.W. Bush (September 14, 1995)

• A new prayer tradition begins (September 14, 1999)

• True Parents officiate an interreligious and international Marriage Blessing and Rededication Ceremony (September 14, 2002)

• True Father’s Seonghwa Ceremony is held (September 15, 2012)

• Korean surnames are bestowed upon 172 faith leaders from the United States (September 16, 2011)

SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

Attack on America

The terror attacks of September 11, 2001, deeply impacted America and the world. Prior to 9/11, True Father had called for a 12,000 couple World Clergy Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony, scheduled for September 22 at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The events of 9/11 not only forced the cancellation of the September 22 Blessing but also challenged the interreligious and world peace premise upon which it was based. In the days after the World Trade Center’s destruction, Unificationist leaders and American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC) clergy who were gathered in New York to prepare for the September 22 Blessing Ceremony ministered directly to bereaved families as well as to police, firefighters and others at the site of the attack. Many even went out on the first night.

In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, Unificationists looked to True Father for guidance as to its meaning. He was in Kodiak, Alaska, at the time of the attack and learned of it through a note that was passed to him during morning devotions. Dr. Chang Shik Yang, then the Special Emissary to the Americas, reported that True Father “remained by himself and prayed” for the next three days, not appearing in public. He then made the decision to cancel the clergy Marriage Blessing and flew to New York on September 18. On arrival, he offered his interpretation of the tragedy. In his words, “Jesus was on the cross, now America stands on the cross of the world.” The question was, how would America respond? According to True Father: “Now is the time to change everything. America and Americans must take the lead in practicing ‘Love your enemy.’” As he saw it, religious leaders needed to take the lead. They “must unite beyond their religion and guide the political leaders of their nations.” He directed Unificationists to convene an assembly on the theme “Global Violence: Conflict and Hope” in October, and on November 15 he proclaimed Cheonju Pyeonghwa Tongil Guk(the Nation of Cosmic Peace and Unity). Just as Christianity emerged from the crucifixion and the Unification movement from the rubble of the Korean War, so True Father saw a new world rising from the devastation of 9/11.

SEPTEMBER 12, 2005

Universal Peace Federation Founded

True Father speaks at the inauguration of the Universal Peace Federation on September 12, 2005.

True Parents at the inauguration of the Universal Peace Federation on September 12, 2005.

True Father established the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) on September 12, 2005, prior to the United Nations’ 60th anniversary. Its inaugural convocation was held before 376 delegates from 157 nations at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in New York. Its mission, True Father declared, was “to renew the existing United Nations and provide a new level of leadership as an ‘Abel-type’ United Nations.” As part of the launch, he also proposed a “World Peace King Bridge Tunnel” to “build a passage for transport across the Bering Strait.” He described this as “a truly providential and revolutionary project” and envisioned it as a crucial “link” in “an international highway system connecting the world as a single community.” UPF was a successor organization to the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace (IIFWP, established in 1999). In addition to its UN renewal and Bering Strait initiatives, UPF led the movement’s Middle East Peace Initiative (MEPI), which sponsored interfaith “Pilgrimages for Peace,” and its Northeast Asia Peace Initiative (NEAPI), which supported Korean unification.

SEPTEMBER 12, 2011

Dedication Ceremony for the Ocean Cheonjeong Palace Hotel on Geomun Island

The dedication ceremony of the Ocean Cheonjeong Palace Hotel on Geomun Island off the southern coast of Korea near the city of Yeosu, began at 10:30 a.m. at the newly built hotel located in Deokchon hamlet. More than three thousand people attended, including members of the American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC), church members, core members of the Tongil Group, chief executives of providential organizations and corporations, Ambassadors for Peace, Japanese leaders, leading celebrities of Yeosu and the surrounding area, and local residents of Geomun Island.

SEPTEMBER 13, 1974

Members of Congress Invite True Father to Speak on Capitol Hill

On September 13, 1974, one U.S. senator and twelve congressmen issued a formal invitation to all members of Congress and their staff to attend True Father’s speech on “America in God’s Providence” in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on October 8, 1974. The invitation read:

“Dear Colleague: The United States today is in need of strong moral leadership. The great moral and spiritual values upon which this nation was founded must be renewed at all levels of American society. Moreover, our nation seeks a clarification of its national identity and the role it must play as the leading nation of the free world.

“Many of us have been impressed with the work of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon from Korea. We well remember the three days of prayer and fasting on the Capitol steps conducted by young people last month, in which they sacrificed food and rest to ask God’s guidance for each of us on the critical decisions we were facing at that time. Beyond the exuberance and dedication of those young people is a deep concern for America and a fresh new vision of America’s role in God’s providence, which stems from the teaching of Reverend Moon.

“We in the Congress now have an opportunity to hear the message of this dynamic man.”

The invitation was signed by: Senator John Sparkman, Congressman Robert L.F. Sikes, Congressman O.C. Fisher, Congressman Bob Wilson, Congressman Tim Lee Carter, Congressman Robert H. Michel, Congressman John E. Hunt, Congressman Barber B. Conable Jr., Congressman Bill Chappell Jr., Congressman Charles W. Sandman Jr., Congressman Goodloe E. Byrne, Congressman Manuel Lujan Jr., and Congressman C.W. Bill Young.

SEPTEMBER 14, 1993

True Mother Delivers the Completed Testament Age Message before 50,000 at the Tokyo Dome

On January 10, 1993, True Father announced “the transition today to the Completed Testament Age,” which shifted the focus of salvation from the individual to the family. In May 1993, True Parents began a speaking tour of 33 U.S. cities under the theme “True Parents and the Completed Testament Age.” True Mother delivered the message on July 28 on Capitol Hill and on September 7 at the United Nations. This was the springboard to a world tour in which True Mother delivered the Completed Testament Age message to audiences in forty countries. From September 11 to 30, True Mother conducted twenty-five rallies in Japan, the highlight being her speech before 50,000 at the Tokyo Dome. On that occasion, which also commemorated the first anniversary of the Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP), Princess Eva Maria of the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia and Marilyn Quayle, wife of the former vice president of the United States, offered congratulatory remarks.

SEPTEMBER 14, 1995

True Mother Tours Japan with President and Mrs. George H.W. Bush

Former U.S. President and First Lady George and Barbara Bush attend a WFWP conference.

On September 14, 1995, fifty thousand representatives from 53 countries gathered in the Tokyo Dome for a rally to celebrate the third anniversary of the founding of the Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP). True Mother spoke, as did former U.S. President George H.W. Bush. Mr. Bush, along with former first lady Barbara Bush, accompanied True Mother on a historic five-city tour which focused on building bridges of friendship between the Japanese and American people. The Bushes were inspired to do so as a result of their participation in the WFWP-sponsored “Sisterhood Ceremonies,” which brought together women from Japan and the United States in a demonstration of friendship on the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II.

SEPTEMBER 14, 1999

A New Prayer Tradition

The press conference announcing the World Festival of Culture.

On September 14, 1999, True Father opened the era in which blessed families were no longer to pray in the name of True Parents or any mediator but in their own names as blessed couples who have inherited True Parents’ realm of victory. True Father explained that this was meant to mark the era of “personal responsibility.” He said that couples should “report their work” and that it was no longer “a time to pray to receive blessings.” This guidance was consistent with True Father’s view that humankind had entered the Completed Testament Age.

SEPTEMBER 14, 2002

True Parents Officiate Interreligious and International Blessing and Rededication Ceremony

True Parents officiated four major Marriage Blessing Ceremonies in 2002, all in the United States. On April 27, they officiated the 144,000 Clergy Couple Blessing, the main venue of which was the Sheraton National Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. On July 3, they officiated the 1.44 million Second Generation Christian Youth and World Religious Youth Blessing from the same main venue. Then on September 14, 2002, they officiated the Interreligious and International Blessing and Rededication Ceremony. This historic Blessing ceremony was held in New York City’s Manhattan Center, just a few short miles from “Ground Zero,” where the twin towers of the World Trade Center had been destroyed barely one year earlier. Couples from many faiths participated as well as several Christian-Muslim couples in a poignant and moving statement of hope that New York’s Daily News said “couldn’t be more appropriate on the week America marked the first anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks.” The final 2002 Blessing Ceremony, a “National Blessing for Reconciliation,” was conducted at the Marriott Crystal Gateway Hotel in Arlington, Virginia, on December 7. It marked the 61st anniversary of the Japanese bombing raid on Pearl Harbor and included some 300 Japanese leaders who expressed their wish for reconciliation among former enemy nations.   

SEPTEMBER 15, 2012

True Father’s Seonghwa Ceremony

True Father ascended to the spirit world on September 3, 2012 and his Seonghwa ceremony was held on September 15 in Korea.

True Father’s “Universal Seonghwa Ceremony” took place at Cheongshim World Peace Center on September 15, 2012, twelve days after his ascension on September 3.  From September 6 to 14, an estimated 157,000 people had come to pay their respects to True Farther, many waiting for hours to sign an electronic register and offer a rose or lily before True Father’s portrait. Most were able to offer a final bow to True Father, who lay in state at the Cheon Jeong Gung Peace Museum. On the day of the Seonghwa, True Father’s body was carried reverently to a waiting vehicle and a flower-bedecked procession wound its way slowly down the mountainside to the stadium where tens of thousands of mourners waited. The casket was met at the main entrance by an honor guard of pallbearers and began a dignified processional entry through the center of the arena up to the main stage, which had been transformed into a garden of roses, lilies and chrysanthemums. True Father’s family accompanied the procession, and True Mother took her seat next to True Father for the last time. Following the representative prayer, Seonghwa address and eulogies, True Father began his final journey, with the procession winding its way back up the narrow mountain road lined with flag-waving supporters to the burial site on the grounds of the Cheon Jeong Gung Peace Museum. There, close family members and leaders gathered to hear final words from True Father’s teachings. Each offered flowers and sprinkled soil onto the casket as it was lowered into the waiting earth.

SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Korean Surnames Bestowed Upon 172 Faith Leaders from the United States

Ministers of different faiths and backgrounds embrace after receiving honorary Korean surnames.

True Parents conducted a grand ceremony in the Cheongshim Peace World Center for the bestowal of Korean surnames upon 172 ministers, 43 each from the North, South, East and West quadrants of the United States. They came to Korea representing America, Christendom and the entire world, with the purpose of registering in God’s Kingdom and testifying that God had anointed True Father. The clergy, who understood and supported True Parents’ historic mission from the point of view of 77 different religious denominations, were united through a singular cause. By joining into and becoming part of a Korean family and exchanging names, they gave a powerful testimony to the Korean people of the fruits of True Parents’ work to remove all barriers between races and denominations. Through proclaiming that Korea is God’s Homeland and Hometown, they affirmed that God had chosen this nation to be the base for the Kingdom of God and the family culture that honors elders and has fidelity and faithfulness in every aspect of the family—from marriage to the filial piety of children to their parents.

This Week in History briefly lists significant events in the history of the Unification Church, the lives of the Founders, and world events that are momentous to Unificationists. Most items are marked according to the solar calendar. Items marked “H.C.” correspond to the Cheon-gi or Heavenly Calendar, which is based on the lunar calendar. This installment covers the week of September 10-16.

Contributed by Dr. Michael Mickler, Professor of Church History at Unification Theological Seminary.

The Heart of the Father

This week in history, September 3-9:

• True Father ascends to the spirit world (September 3, 2012)
• The Takarazuka Training Center opens in Japan (September 3, 1967)
• The Unification Theological School holds its first graduation (September 4, 1979)
• True Father’s body lies in state as thousands gather to say goodbye (September 6, 2012)
• True Father is awarded National Reunification Prize from North Korea (September 6, 2012)
• The Little Angels go on their first overseas tour (September 7, 1965)
• True Mother speaks at the United Nations (September 7, 1993)
• True Father receives honorary doctorates (September 7, 1995, September 12, 2006)
• Sa Sa Jeol (4.4 Day) is declared (September 8, 1998)
• Gu Gu Jeol (9.9 Day) Liberation Ceremony of Cosmic Unification is established (September 9, 1999)

SEPTEMBER 3, 2012

True Father’s Ascension

True Father ascended to the spirit world on September 3, 2012 and his Seonghwa (ascension) ceremony was held in Korea.

True Father ascended into the spirit world at 1:54 a.m. on September 3, 2012 (7.17 by the Heavenly Calendar) in the loving company of True Mother and True Family. He had been admitted to St. Mary’s Hospital in Seoul on August 3, 2012, due to cold symptoms that worsened into pneumonia. On August 12, after 10 days of tests and treatment, he insisted on returning to the Cheon Jeong Gung Peace Museum, where he went from room to room, visiting the East, West, North and South of the facility. The following day his condition worsened. Nevertheless, he insisted on visiting Cheongshim Middle and High School, the Cheongpyeong World Peace Center and the Cheongpyeong Training Center before returning to the Peace Museum, where he offered his final prayer. Afterward he was rushed back to St. Mary’s Hospital, where he remained in the Intensive Care Unit until August 31, when True Mother directed that he return to Cheongshim Medical Center, the eighth floor, from where he ascended.
 

SEPTEMBER 3, 1967

Opening of the Takarazuka Training Center in Japan

On September 3, 1967, the Takarazuka Training Center in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan opened. To build the training center, Unificationists had offered devotion by conducting a Mt. Fuji climbing tournament a year earlier. A month before the training center opened, on August 7, True Parents visited Takarazuka, prayed over the building and declared the site a holy ground. The Takarazuka Training Center is currently used for outreach and to hold workshops for young Unificationists in the Kansai area.

SEPTEMBER 4, 1979

The Unification Theological School’s First Graduation

On September 4, 1979, the Unification Theological School held its first graduation at the old church headquarters in Seoul. Around 600 people attended, and two students from the Department of Theology and 174 students from the Department of Divinity graduated. At this ceremony, the principal of the school encouraged the graduates to be shepherds that do not neglect to further explore the truth. The Unification Theology School is the birthplace for young pastors who then go on to study at the Sun Moon University Theological Department.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

True Father’s Body Lies in State as Thousands Gather to Say Goodbye

Elected leaders, diplomats, clergy and academics from Korea and abroad were among 15,000 mourners who gathered on September 6, 2012, to pay their respects to True Father. Visitation at the Cheongshim Peace World Center was held from September 6 to 14 from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. Visitors first watched a video of True Father and then moved to the first basement floor, where they received either an offering rose or a lily. They then had the opportunity to electronically input their names and a message to True Father. Numerous floral tributes expressing the condolences of various VIPs from Korea were on display. Beginning on September 9, the public had the opportunity to pay their respects and offer condolences to the family at the Cheon Jeong Gung (Peace Museum), where his holy remains lay in state.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

True Father Awarded National Reunification Prize from North Korea

The Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on September 6 conferred the National Reunification Prize posthumously upon True Father, as reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). “Moon positively contributed to realizing the nation’s reconciliation and unity and the country’s peaceful reunification and achieving the prosperity common to the nation,” according to a KCNA report. On the same day the supreme leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, sent a floral wreath to the memorial altar for  Rev. Moon that had been set up in the World Peace Center in Pyongyang.

SEPTEMBER 7, 1965

The Little Angels’ First Overseas Tour

The Little Angels set off on their first overseas tour on September 7, 1965. After two years of intensive training and experience performing in Korea, the dance troupe performed in the United States in twenty-five states and in Washington, D.C. Audiences and the media praised them with reviews such as, “The young Korean children sang and danced as if angels themselves had come down and were performing.” Their first performance was in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in front of Dwight Eisenhower, an ex-president of the United States. The three-month tour of the U.S. included 75 performances. On their way back to Korea, they held several additional performances in Japan and finally arrived home on December 26.

SEPTEMBER 7, 1993

True Mother Speaks at the United Nations

True Mother gives her address at the UN headquarters September 7, 1993.

True Mother gives her address at the UN September 7, 1993.

True Mother delivered the speech “True Parents and the Completed Testament Age” at the United Nations on September 7, 1993. This followed her delivery of the same speech at the U.S. Capitol on July 28 before representatives from 115 congressional offices and was the springboard to her world tour in which she delivered the same message at 25 rallies in Japan in September, on 40 Korean college campuses in October and in 40 nations during November and December. Prior to her Capitol Hill and UN speeches, on April 10, 1993, the movement published “True Parents and the Completed Testament Age” in the newspapers of 160 nations. True Father delivered the “Completed Testament Age” proclamation in 12 U.S. cities during May 1993 and True Mother in 21 more during late May and June. At the UN event, 105 nations sent embassy and consulate representatives, including more than 60 UN ambassadors. His Excellency Stoyan Ganev, president of the UN General Assembly, introduced True Mother. She was the first Korean woman to speak in the United Nations.

SEPTEMBER 7, 1995, SEPTEMBER 12, 2006

True Father Receives Honorary Doctorates

rue Father receives an honorary doctorate from the University of Bridgeport September 7, 1995.

The University of Bridgeport awarded True Father an honorary doctorate on September 7, 1995. In addition to honoring his work as a religious leader, the award was an acknowledgment of his role in saving the financially troubled university in 1992. Dr. Richard Rubenstein, the school president, stated, “Without him, the university would have died.” The head of the faculty council was quoted in The New York Times as saying she was “happy the university could formally thank a benefactor who had given so much.”

The Universidad Santa Maria in Caracas, Venezuela, awarded True Father a Doctor Honoris Causa degree on September 12, 1996, the first anniversary of the founding of the Universal Peace Federation (UPF). The university’s vice president, Dr. Carlos Enrique Pena, who conferred the degree, explained, “When I learned about the life and work of Rev. Moon, I felt that it was the sacred duty of our university to offer the highest honor to recognize an extraordinary contribution to the field of human rights.”

SEPTEMBER 8, 1998

Sa Sa Jeol (4.4 Day) Declaration

The four-position foundation is basic to Unification theology as the structural component of the cosmos, whereby individuals, families and the created order become centered on God. The tragedy faced by God, humanity, and the created world, according to True Parents’ teaching, is that that foundation was usurped by Satan. As such, True Parents’ mission has been to substantially restore the four-position foundation centered on God. At 9:40 on the morning of September 8, 1998, at North Garden in Kodiak, Alaska, True Parents gave a prayer of benediction for the declaration of 4.4 Jeol. True Father stated: “If we add together the numbers 1, 9, 9, 8, 9, and 8 [the date written out in numerals], we get the number 44. On account of the fall of the human ancestors, Satan has been claiming ownership of the number 4, which is the number of Heaven’s four-position foundation.” On that day True Parents declared “4.4 Jeol,” which was understood to restore and establish the perfection number of the four-position foundation of earth. True Father stated that the installation of 4.4 Jeol means that God will be able to perform substantially His works of omnipresence, omniscience and omnipotence. Moreover, humankind was to enter an era of total liberation through the globalization of the Holy Marriage Blessing.

SEPTEMBER 9, 1999

Gu Gu Jeol (9.9 Day) Liberation Ceremony of Cosmic Unification

According to True Father, the Gu Gu Jeol (9.9 Day) Liberation Ceremony of Cosmic Unification extended the previous year’s 4.4 Jeol declaration from the family to the cosmic level, “jeol” being the Korean word for “day” in the sense of a holiday or commemoration. The chief manifestation of this was the elimination of conditions needed to receive True Parents’ Holy Marriage Blessing. True Father connected the Declaration Day of God’s Eternal Blessing (7.8 Jeol), established in 1997, to the 9.9 Jeol. The former, he said, culminated the re-establishment of elder sonship, parenthood and kingship in the era of restoration. Events afterward, he said, can be distinguished as events of creation in order to create the original world under God’s sovereignty. After 7.8 Jeol, True Father declared that God could bless Satan who was the origin of the Fall. Passing through Satan’s number 9 (at 09:09:09 on September 9, 1999) signified the starting point of God’s cosmic nation.

This Week in History briefly lists significant events in the history of the Unification Church, the lives of the Founders, and world events that are momentous to Unificationists. Most items are marked according to the solar calendar. Items marked “H.C.” correspond to the Cheon-gi or Heavenly Calendar, which is based on the lunar calendar. This installment covers the week of September 3-9.

Contributed by Dr. Michael Mickler, Professor of Church History at Unification Theological Seminary.

A New Generation of Blessings

This week in history, August 28 – September 3:

• The Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace is inaugurated (August 27, 1991)
• World Scripture is unveiled (August 27, 1991)
• Third generation Unificationists receive the Holy Marriage Blessing (August 28, 2006)
• True Father prays at Calvary and Gethsemane (August 31, 1965)
• The Ceremony for the Settlement of the Eight Stages is held (August 31, 1989)
• CAUSA holds a 10 million signature drive (September 1, 1986)
• The Hoon Dok Hwe (scripture reading) tradition begins (September 1, 1997)

AUGUST 27, 1991

Inauguration of the Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace (IRFWP)

On August 27, 1991, the inauguration of the Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace was held at the Little Angels Performing Arts Center in Seoul, Korea. Some 1,200 people attended, notably representatives of twelve world religions including Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism. Religious scholars also attended the event. Participants vowed to work together to further world peace and interreligious unity. In True Father’s keynote address, “Religion’s Mission for World Peace,” he emphasized that peace can be attained when there is harmony among religious traditions and a movement to realize world peace is pursued based on the activities of the Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace. (Materials provided by the FFWPU History Compilation Committee)

AUGUST 27, 1991

Unveiling of World Scripture

A highlight of the Inter-Religious Federation of World Peace’s (IRFWP) Inaugural Assembly was the unveiling of World Scripture: A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts. Commissioned by True Father at the first Assembly of the World’s Religions in 1985, completion of the nearly thousand-page text required the labors of more than 40 scholars and religious leaders from every faith. World Scripturecompares passages from the sacred writings of the world’s great religions as they deal with all the significant issues of life: God, the purpose of life, sin, salvation and the spiritual path, and demonstrates that there exists a vast sphere of spiritual common ground. The text was edited by Dr. Andrew Wilson, professor of Biblical Studies at Unification Theological Seminary, and contains over 4,000 passages gathered from 268 sacred texts and 55 oral traditions. Religions represented include Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism, Jainism, Sikhism, Shinto, Zoroastrianism, the Baha’i Faith, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Unification movement, among others. Scriptural texts are gathered around 165 topics and concerns shared by most or all religions.

AUGUST 28, 2006

Holy Blessing of the Third Generation

True Parents officiated a Holy Wedding Ceremony for the third generation of Unificationists, which included some of their own grandchildren (seen on stage). On the foundation of True Parents’ victory in realizing God’s kingdom of a peaceful, ideal world, a Holy Wedding Ceremony was officiated by True Parents on August 28, 2006.

AUGUST 31, 1965

True Father Prays at Calvary and Gethsemane

True Father visits Jordan prior to crossing over to Israel during his first World Tour

True Father visited Jerusalem on August 31, 1965, as part of his first World Tour. Two days previously, on August 29, he visited Mount Nebo where Moses stood and looked over the Promised Land. The next day, he and his party crossed the Jordan River and visited the area where Jesus was reported to have been baptized and the Mount of Temptation. He went into the city through the gate Jesus entered on a donkey, went to the Temple Mount, visited Pilate’s court and proceeded to Calvary under the altar of a Greek Orthodox Church. He went to Gethsemane at sunset, where he blessed a Holy Ground. Dr. Young Oon Kim, who traveled with True Father, wrote, “Our Leader and all of us burst into tears as he prayed on Calvary and Gethsemane.”

AUGUST 31, 1989

The Ceremony for the Settlement of the Eight Stages

On August 31, 1989, in Kodiak, Alaska, the Ceremony for the Settlement of the Eight Stages was held. The ceremony signifies the completion of all eight stages of both the vertical and horizontal courses of indemnity. On the basis of this ceremony, the following day True Parents declared the “ideology centered on the Heavenly Father” at the same place. 

SEPTEMBER 1, 1986

CAUSA 10 Million Signature Drive

A woman collects signatures for CAUSA USA

True Father planned to conduct a Moscow rally by 1981, but this was prolonged for nearly a decade due to court battles in the United States and the need to build up a stronger church. Having concluded the “Danbury Course” and established a multifaceted presence in America by 1985, True Father mounted a march to Moscow from 1985 to 1990. He understood that the Soviets respected strength and that any perceived weakness on the part of the West would set back the providence. Therefore he continued to expend resources in the fight against communism. One major effort was a massive signature drive launched by CAUSA-USA on September 1, 1986. The goal was to obtain 10 million signatures, including names and addresses, on a form stating that the signers agreed with CAUSA-USA’s goals to:

1) Affirm a God-centered morality in America,
2) Uphold freedom for all,
3) Educate people about the dangers of atheistic communism.

Unificationists and other supporters worked aggressively in all fifty states to complete the drive by Thanksgiving. The signature drive “victory” had an especially positive effect on American Unificationists, who gained self-esteem and confidence as a result of being able to accomplish one of True Father’s goals on the national level.

SEPTEMBER 1, 1997

Beginning of the Hoon Dok Hwe Tradition

A Hoon Dok Hwe conference is held in Washington D.C. in 1999

On September 1, 1997, True Father proclaimed a “New Start.” He began a tradition where all Unificationist families set aside one hour each morning from 6:00 to 7:00 to recite the Family Pledge (the core pledge of Unificationists), and then hold a daily study and discussion of his words. On October 13, 1997, True Father named the daily morning reading tradition Hoon Dok Hwe, which was understood to be a “gathering for reading and learning.” In addition to being a cornerstone of morning devotions, the church sponsored Hoon Dok Hwe conferences for civic and religious leaders that focused on “reading and learning” True Father’s words. True Father’s words would later become the basis for the Cheon Seong Gyeong (2004) or “Heavenly Scripture.”

SEPTEMBER 3, 1967

Opening of the Takarazuka Training Center in Japan

On September 3, 1967, the Takarazuka Training Center in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan opened. To build the training center, Unificationists had offered devotion by conducting a Mt. Fuji climbing tournament a year earlier. A month before the training center opened, on August 7, True Parents visited Takarazuka, prayed over the building and declared the site a holy ground. The Takarazuka Training Center is currently used for outreach and to hold workshops for young Unificationists in the Kansai area.

This Week in History briefly lists significant events in the history of the Unification Church, the lives of the Founders, and world events that are momentous to Unificationists. Most items are marked according to the solar calendar. Items marked “H.C.” correspond to the Cheon-gi or Heavenly Calendar, which is based on the lunar calendar. This installment covers the week of August 27 to September 2.

Memories Of Our True Father

This week in history, August 20-26:

• True Father is welcomed at the “God and Freedom” Banquet (August 20, 1985)
• True Parents call for the founding of the Fourth Israel (August 20, 2003)
• The coronation of True Parents as the King and Queen of Peace takes place (August 20, 2004)
• The first anniversary of True Father’s Seonghwa (ascension) is commemorated (August 23, 2013)
• True Father hosts a World Tuna Tournament in Gloucester, Massachusetts (August 24-30, 1980)
• True Father declares True Parents’ Messiahship (August 24, 1992)
• True Parents bless 30,000 couples in marriage (August 25, 1992)
• True Parents bless 360,000 couples in marriage (August 25, 1995)

AUGUST 20, 1985

True Father Released from Halfway House, Welcomed at “God and Freedom” Banquet

True Father’s “Danbury Course” consisted of his indictment, trial, appeal and imprisonment on tax evasion charges. It was his sixth imprisonment and one of the most unjust. True Father was incarcerated at the Danbury Federal Correctional Institution in Connecticut from July 20, 1984, to July 4, 1985, and then from July 4, 1985, to August 20, 1985, at Phoenix House Foundation Inc., a halfway house in the New York City borough of Brooklyn.

On the evening of his release, 1,600 clergy and prominent laypersons gathered at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., to welcome True Father back at a “God and Freedom” Banquet. Earlier that day, twenty prominent clergy, including Rev. Jerry Falwell, head of the Moral Majority, and Rev. Joseph Lowery, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), usually at opposite ends of the religious-political spectrum, held a news conference at which they decried government encroachment upon religion and called upon President Ronald Reagan to pardon True Father.

In his speechat the God and Freedom Banquet True Father expressed his appreciation to those who had supported him through the court battles, amicus briefs and rallies, and expressed his determination “to relieve the great and long suffering of God.” He called upon all present to “transcend denominationalism” and “to consider seriously the mission of Christianity to lead a supra-denominational, cultural revolution on a worldwide scale.”

AUGUST 20, 2003

True Parents Call for the Founding of the Fourth Israel

In May 2003, Christian clergy responded to True Parents’ call and went to Israel, where they repented together with Jewish and Muslim leaders for not having understood one another as brothers. On the foundation of the penitent heart demonstrated by representatives of the three Abrahamic faiths, True Parents called for the founding of the “Fourth Israel”—a new body of “chosen people” who were anointed by God. True Father offered Holy Wine on this special August 20 celebration, and all who partook of this covenant not only were engrafted into the lineage of heaven and the True Olive Tree but also became the “Fourth Israel,” a new “chosen people of all races, religious faiths, and peoples.”

AUGUST 20, 2004

Coronation of True Parents as the King and Queen of Peace

On August 20, 2004, the Cheon Il Guk Registration Blessing Ceremony of the Revolution of True Heart in the Era of True Liberation and Complete Freedom was held at the National Assembly Library in Seoul. In attendance were around 600 leaders, including Stanislav Shushkevich, a former president of Belarus, Nagajima Mamoru, a former minister of the Office of Science and Technology in Japan, and Father Hatoum, the provost of the Church of Saint George, Nazareth, Israel. On this day participating leaders from the different countries crowned True Parents as the King and Queen of Peace in acknowledgment of their interreligious and international peace endeavors. (Materials provided by the FFWPU History Compilation Committee.)

AUGUST 23, 2013

First Anniversary of True Father’s Universal Seonghwa (Ascension)

Some 25,000 Unificationists, national-level leaders, academics and clergy from 60 countries attended the first anniversary of True Father’s Universal Seonghwa at the Cheongshim World Peace Center in Gapyeong, Korea on August 23, 2013. Those who could not physically attend the event participated via live Internet broadcast, which was sent out to 193 nations. Numerous events and exhibitions commemorating the life and achievements of True Father preceded the occasion, including a Keepsake Exhibition that included 120 personal items such as True Parents’ wedding clothes from 1960 and the suit True Father wore during his meeting with North Korean Premier Kim Il Sung. The Memorial Ceremony included remarks by visiting dignitaries. The Hon. Jose de Venecia, former Speaker of the House in the Philippines said he “couldn’t imagine” Rev. Moon passing away given his “endless enthusiasm” and “superhuman energy.” At the same time, he noted, “I never met Father Moon when Mother Moon was not by his side. They were inseparable …  We are blessed that Mother Moon, who knows Father Moon better than anyone else does, is herself standing strong in carrying on the great work that Father Moon began.” A highlight of the second part of the memorial was a musical gala performance, “Crown of Glory,” which depicted True Parents’ life course. Songs that True Father loved were sung and True Mother stated, “It feels as if True Father might stride forward with a bright smile and ask, ‘How have you been?’”

AUGUST 24-30, 1980

True Father Hosts World Tuna Tournament in Gloucester, Massachusetts

True Father considered the ocean to be a solution to world hunger and a key to future human survival. He also wished to revitalize American seaports and spoke of the need for youth, especially inner-city youth, to be exposed to the challenges and excitement of sea-going life. An early effort to stimulate interest and excitement in the ocean was the “World Tuna Tournament,” which the Unification Church sponsored in Gloucester, Massachusetts, from August 24 to 30, 1980. Total prize money was $100,000: $70,000 for first prize, $20,000 for second, and $10,000 for third, the largest cash prizes ever awarded in a tuna-fishing tournament. The tournament was controversial, given the negativity toward the Unification Church in the United States at that time, and many Gloucester fishermen boycotted the event. Nevertheless, 88 boats entered, 15 of which were part of the churches’ fleet. In the end, True Father’s New Hope boat won first prize, which was donated to charity. The World Tuna Tournament was a stepping stone toward the establishment of “Ocean Church” later in the year.

AUGUST 24, 1992

True Father’s Declaration of Messiahship

In early July 1992, True Parents spoke in five cities around Korea at rallies sponsored by the Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP). In his speech, “The Reappearance of True Parents and the Ideal Family,” True Father stated, “God chose me to be the Messiah.” True Father intended this as a declaration to the Korean nation and had the speech reprinted in newspapers. On August 24, 1992, he made the same declaration, this time at a banquet at the Little Angels Performing Arts School for dignitaries attending the first World Culture and Sports Festival. In his speech, titled “Becoming the Leaders in Building a World of Peace,” True Father stated, “my wife, WFWP President Hak Ja Han Moon, and I are the True Parents of all humanity … we are the Savior, the Lord of the Second Advent, the Messiah.” True Father intended this to be a declaration on the world stage. It laid the foundation for his subsequent declaration of the Completed Testament Age and the globalization of the Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony during the 1990s.

AUGUST 25, 1992

International Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony of 30,000 Couples

True Parents conducted the International Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony of 30,000 Couples in the Seoul Olympic Stadium on August 25, 1992. It was the centerpiece of the first World Culture and Sports Festival (WCSF), held from August 19 to 30, and the largest Blessing ceremony yet conducted by True Parents. True Father stated that it marked the beginning of the worldwide Marriage Blessing era through which anyone, regardless of religion, could be blessed. He also noted that it occurred in the year that True Mother stepped forth as a public figure. Afterward, True Father announced that True Parents would conduct a Marriage Blessing for 360,000 couples.

AUGUST 25, 1995

International Holy Marriage Blessing of 360,000 Couples 

True Parents took a major step forward in the August 25, 1995 International Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony of 360,000 Couples, which was the central event of the second World Culture and Sports Festival, held August 20 to 27. The main site was at Seoul Olympic Stadium where 36,000 couples and additional onlookers gathered. Even more couples were linked simultaneously to the main ceremony at over 500 satellite locations in 160 nations. True Parents extended an invitation to people of all religious persuasions to participate in the Blessing. As pointed out by Dr. Tyler Hendricks, president of the Unification Church in the United States at the time, “The Blessing isn’t about changing your religion but about changing your character.” For many thousands of previously married couples who participated in the International Holy Marriage Blessing of 360,000 Couples, the Blessing was both a blessing of their existing marriage and a public expression of their commitment to God, humanity and each other.

This Week in History briefly lists significant events in the history of the Unification Church, the lives of the Founders, and world events that are momentous to Unificationists. Most items are marked according to the solar calendar. Items marked “H.C.” correspond to the Cheon-gi or Heavenly Calendar, which is based on the lunar calendar. This installment covers the week of August 20 to 26.

A Season of Remembrance

This week in history, July 30 – August 5:

• The Family Federation for World Peace is established (July 30, 1996)
• The first National Messiah workshop is held (August 1, 1996)
• True Father makes his final visit to Osan School (August 2, 2012)
• True Father is admitted to St. Mary’s Hospital (August 3, 2012)
• God’s Hope For America Tour concludes (August 3, 2014)
• The World Peace Center is established (August 5, 2007)

JULY 30, 1996

Establishment of the Family Federation for World Peace

The inauguration of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification took place in Washington, D.C. 

True Parents convened the Inaugural World Convention of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) before 400 delegates and over a thousand participants at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., from July 30 to August 1, 1996. This was the Unification movement’s most spectacular federation launch and included an astounding list of dignitaries: two former U.S. presidents of the United States, Gerald Ford and George Bush; former Costa Rican President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias; former Prime Ministers Edward Heath of Great Britain and Brian Mulroney of Canada; thirty-six one-time heads of state or governments; university presidents including Boston University’s John Silber; Christian television personality Robert Schuller; Christian Coalition Executive Director Ralph Reed; Coretta Scott King, the widow of Martin Luther King Jr.; Maureen Reagan, the daughter of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan; well-known comedian Bill Cosby; and Christian singer-actor Pat Boone. In addition, the main proceedings were covered live by C-SPAN television network.

True Mother delivered an opening plenary speech on the “View of the Principle of the Providential History of Salvation,” and True Father spoke on the theme “In Search of the Origin of the Universe” at the convention’s closing banquet. Externally, FFWPU was a high-level forum for world leaders and scholars to address issues related to the family. Internally, it marked a further stage in the movement’s development beyond salvation of the individual to salvation of the family.

AUGUST 1, 1996

First National Messiah Workshop

In 1996, True Father announced his intention of sending out “National Messiahs” to complete international missions. The condition for couples to be appointed as National Messiahs was that both husband and wife complete a 40-day workshop at the Cheongpyeong Heaven and Earth Training Center in Korea. The first 40-day workshops were for senior Korean members and missionaries who had served in Unification Church overseas missions for 21 years. The first National Messiah Workshop for the movement’s general membership, including blessed couples and Tribal Messiahs, began at Cheongpyeong on August 1, 1996 and concluded on September 9. Over 300 National Messiah candidates attended. In the end, almost 200 couples or spouses participated in a lottery to receive one of the 183 nations to which True Parents would send National Messiahs. From “Abel” nations — the United States, Canada, England and France — 121 couples received nations in the lottery, whereas from “Cain” nations — Germany, Italy and Austria — 76 couples were given nations. Nations were to be assigned an “Adam” National Messiah couple from Korea, an “Eve” National Messiah couple from Japan, in addition to the Western “Abel” and “Cain” National Messiah couples. True Father directed that National Messiahs should be prepared to invest three generations of their family in their assigned country.

AUGUST 2, 2012

True Father’s Last Visit to Osan School

On August 2, 2012, True Father suddenly decided to visit Osan School. True Father’s great-uncle Yun Kook Moon helped found the school, and it was a hotbed of Korean patriotism during the Japanese occupation. True Father enrolled in Osan School in 1934. There he received a patriotic education based on Christianity until he transferred to Jeong Joo School, which was run by the Japanese, one year later. Osan School was re-opened in Pusan after the Korean War and re-established on November 26, 1955, in Bokwang-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. True Father called a number of education leaders to join him and arrived at 5 p.m. He recalled his past while listening to the testimony of Chang Yeol Lee, his cousin on his mother’s side. In all, the visit lasted three hours, after which True Father returned to Cheongpyeong. While speaking, he coughed quite often, but it didn’t seem to bother him. Those present felt sorry about his condition.

AUGUST 3, 2012

True Father is Admitted to St. Mary’s Hospital

Following the Inaugural Rally for the Abel Women UN on July 16, 2012, True Father caught a cold. It worsened and developed into pneumonia. Complications set in, and on August 3, he was admitted to Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, known in Korea as Seong Mo (Holy Mother), one of the nation’s finest hospitals. There, over the ensuing ten days True Father received every possible medical test, including several X-rays and PET CT blood tests. He spent that period in a private room at the hospital, not in the intensive care unit. On August 12, True Father insisted on returning to the Cheon Jeong Gung. There his condition worsened, and after a day True Mother rushed him again to St. Mary’s. True Father remained in St. Mary’s Intensive Care Unit until August 31, when he was taken to Cheongshim International Medical Center.

AUGUST 3, 2014

God’s Hope for America Tour Concludes

The 43-day, 48-state, 55-Holy Ground tour which retraced True Father’s establishment of Holy Grounds in the United States in 1965 concluded appropriately on Saturday, August 3, in Eugene, Oregon, where the American mission began in 1959. The tour had begun in San Francisco on Sunday, June 22, as a nationwide pilgrimage intended to rekindle True Father’s vision of the United States as “a champion of God.” In commenting on the tour, FFWPU Continental Chairman in North America Dr. Ki Hoon Kim stated: “In these 43 days of the pilgrimage, we really want to inherit the spirit of True Father and True Mother. We don’t want to simply remember; there is no meaning in just remembering, just thinking of the past. This brings no meaning in our daily activities. We have to build our vision for tomorrow. … We must unite and rebuild our church and family, and make this country God’s hope.”

AUGUST 5, 2007

Completion Ceremony of the World Peace Center, Pyongyang, North Korea

In support of the peace movement initiated by True Parents, the completion ceremony for the World Peace Center in Pyongyang, North Korea, was held on August 5, 2007. FFWPU leaders came from South Korea, Japan and the United States to take part in this event, along with North Korean and South Korean dignitaries including the vice chairman and secretary general of the Chosun Committee for Peace in Asia and the Pacific. True Father remarked, “The environmental circumstances were in place to a certain extent,” indicating that the time was ripe. (Materials provided by the FFWPU History Compilation Committee)

This Week in History briefly lists significant events in the history of the Unification Church, the lives of the Founders, and world events that are momentous to Unificationists. Most items are marked according to the solar calendar. Items marked “H.C.” correspond to the Cheon-gi or Heavenly Calendar, which is based on the lunar calendar. This installment covers the week of July 30 to August 5.

The Perseverance of True Parents

This week in history, July 16-22:

• True Father is sentenced to prison in the United States (July 16, 1981)
• The Establishment Rally for the Abel Women UN is held (July 16, 2012)
• True Parents survive a helicopter crash (July 19, 2008)
• The first 40-day pioneer witnessing tradition begins (July 20, 1957)
• True Father enters Danbury Prison (July 20, 1984)
• The Leaders Rally to Build True Families tour is held (July 22, 1997)
• The second Aloha workshop begins (July 22, 2014)
• True Father launches the national prayer and fast for the Watergate Crisis (July 22-24, 1974)

JULY 16, 1981

True Father Sentenced to Prison in the United States

Following what was described as “the most intensive and expensive criminal tax investigation of any religious figure in U.S. history” and a six-week trial riddled with procedural irregularities, on May 18, 1981, True Father was found guilty of tax evasion and obstruction of justice. On July 16 he was sentenced to 18 months in prison and a $25,000 fine plus costs. This marked the beginning of a broad-based movement for religious freedom which eventually resulted in briefs filed by organizations representing 120 million Americans, that supported True Father’s appeal of his conviction.

JULY 16, 2012

Establishment Rally for the Abel Women UN

True Parents inaugurated the “Abel Women UN” at the Cheongshim World Peace Center in Korea on July 16, 2012. Women representing 193 nations, most of them members of the Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP), attended. In his keynote address True Father stated, “The fact is that the historic inaugural assembly of the Abel Women UN held today has been made possible through the declaration of the advent of the global era of women.” In her address, True Mother said the establishment of the Abel Women UN would go beyond the level of women’s NGOs and “bring the governments around the world together.” She termed its establishment “the command of God which must be obeyed.” The Inaugural Rally for the Abel Women UN concluded True Father’s public ministry. It was, as True Mother later noted, “the last providential event … [he] hosted on earth.”

JULY 19, 2008

True Parents Survive Helicopter Crash

The site of the helicopter crash suggests a true miracle of True Parents’ survival.

True Parents reunite with their grandchildren following the helicopter crash.

True Parents miraculously survived a fiery helicopter crash near the Cheongpyeong Peace Palace. They were returning from a meeting in Seoul, along with ten members, three of their young grandchildren and three crew members, when they encountered a fog bank as they approached the heliport. When the pilot attempted to take the craft up and out of the pitch darkness, the helicopter tail struck a tall tree, causing it to plow through the woods at treetop level for a hundred and fifty yards. It finally hit a large tree and crashed in a muddy wooded area near a small stream. An urgent effort to escape the already burning helicopter ensued. Two security staff lifted True Parents through the hatch, which fortunately was still accessible. The grandchildren next were lifted up through the same exit. The remaining members then exited and everyone sought cover. Twenty minutes after the crash landing, the helicopter exploded. Amazingly, no one was seriously injured. True Father referred to their survival as “a miracle from God.”

JULY 20, 1957

40-Day Pioneer Witnessing Tradition Begins

The Unification Church’s 40-day pioneer witnessing tradition began on July 20, 1957 with member-pairs being sent to 120 villages and towns throughout the Republic of Korea. Prior to setting out for the witnessing condition, members fasted for 7 days. Thus, the tradition of a 7-day fast began at that time. In addition, 40-day training sessions for core church leaders began in 1957. During the 40-day period, True Father made a condition of visiting each pioneer, giving them encouragement as an itinerant worker (IW). He traveled in a World War II jeep for that purpose. Members had little or no money and ate barley rations rather than rice. The first 40-day pioneer witnessing condition bore fruit in subsequent summer and winter 40-day pioneer witnessing not only in Korea, Japan, the United States and elsewhere.

JULY 20, 1984

True Father Enters Danbury

Having exhausted all of his appeals, including a petition before the U.S. Supreme Court, True Father entered the Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury (Connecticut), just before midnight on July 20, 1984. He would remain there until July 4, 1985, when he was moved to Phoenix House, a halfway facility in Brooklyn, New York, where he served out the remainder of his 13-month incarceration. In his farewell speech on the evening of July 20 before departing from East Garden, True Father told members, “This is a glorious, victorious and historic day,” and asked them not “to send me off in tears” unless they were “tears of determination, telling me, ‘Trust us. We are going to bring 100 times greater victory in the days to come.’” He said, “Wherever I go, whether it is a high place or a low one, my life will be the same life,” and noted, “I am going to prison on the worldwide level at this time,” having already gone to prison on the individual, family and national levels.

JULY 22, 1997

Leaders Rally to Build True Families Tour

The Leaders Rally to Build True Families Tour began in Seoul’s Gangnam area on July 22, 1997, and covered sixteen cities, ending on August 6. True Mother conveyed a message of true love to leaders from all walks of life through her speech, “True Family and True Universe Centering on True Love.” Before each rally True Father would telephone True Mother from South America to encourage her, and after each rally they held simultaneous victory celebrations. (Materials provided by the FFWPU History Compilation Committee)

JULY 22, 2014

Second Aloha Workshop Begins

A special two-week blessed children’s workshop, the “2014 True Parents’ Aloha Reunion,” was held at Kona, Hawaii, from July 22 to August 4. True Mother had convened the first Aloha workshop in 2013 with a small group of participants that included several of her grandchildren and several Second Generation youth of the same ages. In 2014, the scope was expanded to include a total of 40 Second Generation youth, ages 15-16, from around the world. True Mother participated in the opening and closing ceremonies, telling the participants that they “are like pure water from a deep source that can naturally overcome any obstacle through giving true love.” She asked all counselors to teach two main points, “kamsahamnida(thank you) and saranghamnida (I love you),” which she said summarized the whole of Divine Principle.  The first week was based on the Principle and the second week centered on True Parents’ lives. Afternoons included numerous activities, such as a sports festival, a tour of Hawai‘i Island, beach outings, visits to the Akaka Falls State Park and Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, and fishing. The workshop was sponsored by the WonMo PyeongAe Foundation.

JULY 22-24, 1974

Three-Day Fast for the Watergate Crisis

True Father launched a forty-day National Prayer and Fast for the Watergate Crisis (NPFWC) in late 1973. Stating that “the crisis for America is a crisis for God,” True Father directed a multi-faceted campaign that included publication of his “Answer to Watergate” statement, rallies, letter-writing, leafleting in all fifty states and eventually a meeting with then President Richard Nixon. True Father was especially concerned that the United States stands unified and strong in the face of communist aggression. In the end, the Watergate tapes doomed the Nixon presidency.

Nevertheless, True Father mobilized 610 members for a 3-day fast and vigil on the steps of the U.S. Capitol at the height of the crisis from July 22-24, 1974. Those participating wore placards with a quotation from True Father’s Watergate statement on the back and a picture of the elected or appointed official for whom they were praying on the front. The vigil received national exposure. Seventy-six congressmen and five senators came out to meet the person praying for them. Newspapers across the nation carried pictures and interviews in over 350 stories. Local television stations and all three broadcasting networks showed film of the event and described it in their newscasts. Among the news magazines sending their own reporters to cover the vigil were Time, Newsweek, New Republic, U.S. News and World Report, New Yorker, and the Washingtonian.

This Week in History briefly lists significant events in the history of the Unification Church, the lives of the Founders, and world events that are momentous to Unificationists. Most items are marked according to the solar calendar. Items marked “H.C.” correspond to the Cheon-gi or Heavenly Calendar, which is based on the lunar calendar. This installment covers the week of July 16 to 22.

Pledging to Take Initiative to Realize World Peace

This week in history, July 9-15:

• Street lecturing begins at Pagoda Park in Seoul (July 10, 1959)
• True Mother’s speaking tour in the United States begins (July 10, 1993)
• Kyung Yu Moon, True Father’s father, is born (July 11, 1893)
• First Korean Professors’ World Tour and Seminar is held (July 11-24, 1987)
• Archbishop Milingo returns (July 12, 2006)
• The Universal Ballet Company is established (July 13, 1984)
• True Father is invited to give a lecture at the National Assembly in Seoul (July 13, 2001)
• The fourth phase of the International Marriage Blessing Ceremony of 400 Million Couples is held (July 13, 2003)
• The God’s Hope for America pilgrimage reaches its halfway point (July 13, 2014)
• Unificationist missionaries come to Japan for the first time (July 15, 1958)
• The first Peace Cup Soccer Tournament is held (July 15, 2003)
• True Parents meet the Nigerian president (July 15, 2011)

JULY 10, 1959

Pagoda Park Street Lecturing Begins

On July 10, 1959, Korean members did street lecturing for the first time. Following True Father’s guidance, Hyun Shil Kang, Hui Ok Kim, and Seok On Jeong brought chalkboards to Seoul’s Pagoda Park. They cleaned the area around the stone pagoda, set up the chalkboards and started lecturing Divine Principle. Many people would stop to listen to the lectures—at times over one thousand people. Though the crowds were not without those who criticized, most were moved by the new teachings and would applaud. The street lecturing went on for seven years. (Materials provided by the FFWPU History Compilation Committee)

JULY 10, 1993

True Mother’s Speaking Tour in the United States Begins

True Mother began a 23-city U.S. speaking tour in Honolulu, Hawaii, on July 10, 1993. She concluded it in Columbus, Ohio, on July 31. Leaders from many areas of society, including woman leaders, came to each event. True Mother emphasized the beginning of the Completed Testament Age and the role of women through her speech, “True Parents and the Completed Testament Age.” (Materials provided by the FFWPU History Compilation Committee)

JULY 11, 1893

True Father’s Father Is Born

According to the inscription on his tombstone, Kyung Yu Moon, True Father’s father, was born on July 11, 1893. True Father notes in his autobiography that he could sing from memory the Christian hymnal which consisted of more than 450 pages, that he was not good at collecting debts but honored his pledge to repay debts, “even if it meant selling the family cow,” and that he was large in stature and strong. True Father stated, “The fact that at age 90 I’m still able to travel around the world and carry on my work is a result of the physical strength I inherited from my father.”

JULY 11-24, 1987

First Korean Professors’ World Tour and Seminar

The First Korean Professors World Tour and Seminar, sponsored by the International Cultural Foundation (ICF), was held from July 11 to 24, 1987, bringing together 144 professors from major universities throughout Korea for a program that took them to Kodiak, Alaska, Washington, D.C., and the New York City area. Dr. Se Won Yoon, president of Sung Hwa Theological Seminary in Korea, served as convener of the seminar, which had as its central theme the responsibility of scholars in the quest for world peace. In their group discussions throughout their two-week stay in the United States, they expressed special enthusiasm to create responsive and scholarly leadership and a popular base for moving Korea toward democratization and unification.

JULY 12, 2006

Archbishop Milingo Returns

Roman Catholic Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo and Maria Sung receive the Holy Marriage Blessing.

True Parents blessed Roman Catholic Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo of Zambia to Maria Sung of South Korea in a Holy Blessing of Religious Leaders on May 27, 2001. In August 2001, Milingo announced that he would leave his wife, whom he now loved “as a sister,” and asked her to respect his wishes. He then departed on a thirteen-month penitential retreat in Argentina and receded from public view over the next four years, until resurfacing dramatically at a press conference in Washington, D.C., on July 12, 2006. Milingo said he had lived through five years of “doubts and difficulties” and said, “The shadow of Maria Sung always hung over me.” He stated that he was reuniting with his wife and embarking on an “independent charismatic ministry” to reconcile married priests with the Catholic faith.

JULY 13, 1984

Establishment of the Universal Ballet Company

On July 13, 1984, the Universal Ballet Company was inaugurated at the Little Angels Performing Arts Center in Seoul. True Parents founded the Universal Ballet Company to raise Korean ballet to the world standard, to contribute to better international cultural exchange and to lead the globalization of Korean ballet arts. They have given the troupe its full support. True Parents wrote the calligraphic message “Rapid Advancement” on this day. (Materials provided by the FFWPU History Compilation Committee)

JULY 13, 2001

True Father Invited to Give a Lecture at the National Assembly

True Father gave a speech in a conference room at the National Assembly Building in Seoul on July 13, 2001. Congressman Man Seop Lee, the National Assembly’s vice chairman, around fifty other members of the National Assembly from all parties and around 700 staff members were in the audience. True Father gave the speech “The Liberation of God’s Homeland,” calling everyone to this cause, saying, “Let us establish head-wing and Godism values and completely commit ourselves to the unification of the Koreas for the sake of the nations on the Korean Peninsula and for world peace.” (Materials provided by the FFWPU History Compilation Committee)

JULY 13, 2003

The Fourth Phase of the International Marriage Blessing Ceremony of 400 Million Couples

The Fourth Phase of the International Marriage Blessing of 400 Million Couples was held at 2 p.m. on July 13 at Yu Gwan Soon Gymnasium in Seoul, with True Parents officiating the event in front of some 3,550 couples. The blessing ceremony was broadcast throughout the world via satellite and the Internet so that 30,000 couples in the major cities of 186 nations of the world were able to participate in the ceremony simultaneously. The Blessing was the culmination of the World Culture and Sports Festival (WCSF) 2003, the ninth to be held since 1992. Couples pledged to take the initiative to realize world peace through true love as they began their lives as husbands and wives.

JULY 13, 2014

God’s Hope for America Pilgrimage Reaches Halfway Point

Washington, D.C., marked the halfway point in the 2014 God’s Hope for America Pilgrimage Tour as participants prayed at the 25th and 26th Holy Grounds established by True Father in 1965. The first stop was the Holy Ground in the middle of the lawn on the west side of the U.S. Capitol building. The next stop was the Holy Ground located in the center of the Ellipse, an elliptical field directly south of the White House. The pilgrimage bus then drove to the Washington, D.C., church which had been purchased from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) in 1977. That evening The Washington Times held a banquet for pilgrimage participants, local church members, employees of The Times, friends and clergy. All were briefed about exciting developments at The Times, including the plan to be financially independent. In his closing remarks, FFWPU North America Director Dr. Ki Hoon Kim called on those present to “Remember; Revive; Re-imagine!”

JULY 15, 1958

Unificationist Missionaries Come to Japan

On July 15, 1958, missionaries came to Japan for the very first time in the history of the Unification Church. True Father chose Japan as the place to begin foreign missionary work and sent Choi Bong Chun there. As this was before diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan had been established, coming and going between the countries was not easy. Missionary Choi got on the ferry from Busan and settled in Tokyo after overcoming a series of difficulties. On October 2, 1959, he held the first worship services and started the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification of Japan. This year is the 57th anniversary of Japanese evangelism. (Materials provided by FFWPU History Compilation Committee)

JULY 15, 2003

First Peace Cup Soccer Tournament

True Parents launched the first Peace Cup Soccer Tournament from July 15 to 22, 2003. One year earlier, the World Cup, soccer’s most prestigious tournament, had been staged in Asia for the first time, jointly hosted by Korea and Japan. At that time, “soccer fever” gripped Korea, not only because it was a co-host nation but also because the Korean national team made it past the traditional soccer powers to the semi-finals. After that tournament, True Father announced the establishment of the Peace Cup and said that Brazilian soccer great Pele had promised to support its work of reconciliation within the world community. The first Peace Cup tournament brought eight professional soccer clubs to Korea, including Korea League champion Seongnam Il Hwa, the team True Father had founded in 1989. The inaugural tournament champion and $2 million prize-winner was PSV Eindhoven (the Netherlands).

JULY 15, 2011

True Parents Meet Nigerian President

True Parents met newly re-elected Nigerian President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan at the president’s invitation on July 15, 2011. The president had invited True Parents to attend his inauguration on May 28. However, True Parents were unable to attend due to schedule conflicts during their 2011 World Tour. In 2006, while governor of Bayelsa State, Dr. Jonathan and his wife received the Blessing from True Mother during her 120 Nation Tour. He was quoted as saying at that time: “The newspapers and television portray so much conflict and hate. That is why I am so elated to be an Ambassador for Peace and to be a part of UPF. After today, I only want to do more for peace.” He also reportedly donated $70,000 toward True Mother’s speaking engagement in Nigeria.

During their audience, True Father offered the president three suggestions for the future of Nigeria. First, he strongly urged President Jonathan to honor God and God’s laws and traditions at the center of his government and to channel Nigeria’s national passion for religion toward being an asset for peace instead of a source of division. Second, he emphasized the importance of supporting strong marriages and families, so that Nigeria’s traditional family tradition would not be eroded by a tide of secular and humanistic values threatening to sweep the country. Third, he voiced the hope that Nigeria would emerge as a model nation for all of Africa, and for the world. True Father also spoke to the president about lineage, harmony and tradition. Afterward, True Father spoke to 3,500 participants at a Universal Peace Federation (UPF) International Leadership Conference at the International Conference Center in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

This Week in History briefly lists significant events in the history of the Unification Church, the lives of the Founders, and world events that are momentous to Unificationists. Most items are marked according to the solar calendar. Items marked “H.C.” correspond to the Cheon-gi or Heavenly Calendar, which is based on the lunar calendar. This installment covers the week of July 9 to 15.

Celebrating 35 Years Since 2,075 Couple Blessing at the Garden

JULY 1, 1982

Holy Blessing of 2,075 Couples in Madison Square Garden

With True Mother set to speak in Madison Square Garden in three weeks, we celebrate 35 years since a large percentage of American Unificationists participated in a record-setting Marriage Blessing of 2,075 Couples officiated by True Parents at Madison Square Garden. This number eclipsed the previous record of 1,800 couples wed by True Parents in 1975, which the Guinness World Records reference book recorded as the largest mass wedding in history. Engagement ceremonies of 705 couples in May 1979, 843 couples in December 1980 and 653 couples in June 1982 led up to the ceremony. More than 60 percent of the couples were either interracial or cross-cultural. With this event, the U.S. church demographics went from primarily single people to mostly married people virtually overnight.

More this week in history, June 25 – July 1:

• The Korean War breaks out with the invasion of North Korea into South Korea (June 25, 1950)
• True Father speaks to President Dwight D. Eisenhower on morals and religion (June 25, 1965)
• A hearing on religious freedom takes place, followed by a rally in Washington, D.C. (June 25, 1985)
• The launching ceremony of Cheon Seung Ho is held (June 26, 1963)
• A hearing on religious freedom is held (June 26, 1984)
• US clergy rally for True Father (June 26, 1985)
• Dr. Theodore Shimmyo is inaugurated as the second president of the Unification Theological Seminary (June 26, 1994)
• The US Marriage Blessing Movement begins (June 27, 2015)
• True Mother writes a letter to Judge Gerard Goettel (June 28, 1982)
• The Washington Declaration is made (June 29, 2003)
• The Declaration of God’s Eternal Blessing is proclaimed (July 1, 1991)
• Dedication Ceremony of the Education Center for Ideal Families and World Peace (July 1, 1998)
• True Father holds a 23.5-hour Hoon Dok Hwe (July 1, 2010)

JUNE 25, 1950

The Korean War Begins

The Korean War broke out when the army of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) crossed the 38th Parallel and invaded the Republic of Korea (South Korea). The conflict pulled in China and the United States. Eventually, sixteen UN member nations provided troops to the South. The war continued for more than three years until the Korean Armistice Agreement (not treaty) was signed on July 27, 1953. The hostilities resulted in a death toll of over 1.2 million. True Father was in Heungnam prison camp at the war’s outbreak. Following their landing at Incheon led by Gen. Douglas MacArthur, UN and South Korean forces fought their way north, subjected Heungnam prison and factory complex to a massive aerial bombardment and liberated True Father after two years and eight months of confinement. According to Unification teaching, the division of the peninsula and the Korean War were deeply intertwined with providential history and True Father’s mission.

JUNE 25, 1965

True Father Meets Dwight D. Eisenhower

True Father met for 45 minutes with former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower at his Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, office as part of his first world tour.  He was accompanied by Mrs. Won Bok Choi, Col. Bo Hi Pak, Kenji “Daikon” Ohnuki and Gordon Ross. True Father noted that the day marked the 15th anniversary of the start of the Korean War. In their discussion True Father focused attention on three points: the need for a strong anticommunist ideology and movement; the need to bring a halt to moral decay; the need for an active, dynamic religion. President Eisenhower agreed, saying: “Man is a spiritual being. We must bring to bear a greater moral strength based on moral law to stand against the communists. It will take the vigor of youth to do this.” True Father presented the former U.S. president with several gifts, and President Eisenhower wished him the “greatest success.”

True Father and President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

JUNE 25, 1985

Rally for Religious Freedom

More than eleven hundred ministers from a broad range of denominations gathered from around the country in Washington, D.C., to affirm religious freedom and protest the unjust imprisonment of True Father at Danbury Federal Penitentiary. The rally was sponsored by the Coalition for Religious Freedom and the University Alliance for God and Freedom. Across from the White House, several ministers held handcuffed arms high in the air and a mock jail cell held a gagged woman dressed in white with an inscription that read, “Lady Justice Imprisoned by Blind Government Officials.” This was one of a series of rallies and conferences that led up to True Father’s release on August 20, 1985.

The Rally for Justice and Religious Freedom took place on June 25, 1985.

The Rally for Justice and Religious Freedom took place on June 25, 1985.

JUNE 26, 1963

Launching Ceremony of the Cheon Seung Ho Boat

True Parents held the launching ceremony for the boat Cheon Seung Ho at a dockyard in the Manseok neighborhood of the city of Incheon, Gyeonggi Province, with around 200 key members in attendance. On this day True Father prayed in his benediction, “Cheon Seung Ho means that ‘Heaven has won,’ and this launching ceremony of Cheon Seung Ho is being held as it is the starting point of all victories in heaven and on earth.” True Parents had already begun preparing for the maritime providence by this time. (Materials provided by the FFWPU History Compilation Committee)

JUNE 26, 1984

Hearing on Religious Freedom

After the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution hearing, Sen. Orrin G. Hatch and True Father shake hands.

After the Court of Appeals denied True Father’s appeal and upheld his eighteen-month sentence for tax evasion, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution convened a hearing on religious freedom. Chaired by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the hearing looked into whether the verdict in True Father’s case had been a violation of religious freedom. More than three hundred invited persons and observers as well as media crews were present. In his prepared remarks, True Father stated, “In 1971, God called me to come to America and … for the last 12 years I have given my heart and soul and every drop of sweat and tears for the sake of this nation.” He listed a number of the vast array of projects undertaken by the movement at the cost of “several hundred million dollars,” denied that he had defrauded the U.S. government of a few thousand dollars, and expressed gratitude that God was “using me as an instrument to lead the fight for religious freedom and to ignite the spiritual awakening of America.”

JUNE 26, 1985

U.S. Clergy Rally for True Father

On June 26, 1985, members of the clergy held a religious freedom rally in Washington, D.C., in protest against True Father’s incarceration in Danbury. Participants, who wore a white sash, marched in protest toward the White House, singing the gospel song “We Shall Not Be Moved” at Lafayette Square on the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House. The clerics raised their handcuffed hands above their heads and prayed for religious freedom. Around 1,000 clerics from different denominations participated in the rally, as did around 2,000 Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (CARP) members from fifty universities, including the University of California, Berkeley,  and Harvard University,. (Materials provided by the FFWPU History Compilation Committee)

June 26, 1994

Dr. Theodore Shimmyo Inaugurated as Second UTS President

Dr. Theodore Shimmyo was inaugurated as the second president of the Unification Theological Seminary at the seminary’s 18th commencement exercises. He succeeded the seminary’s first president, Dr. David S.C. Kim, who had served for nineteen years since the seminary’s founding in 1975. Dr. Shimmyo, a graduate of the seminary’s first class, had been a professor of systematic theology and assistant academic dean. In his acceptance speech, “A Place Where Leaders Are Educated,” he pledged to “make sure that this seminary serves the rest of the Unification community, this nation and the world, with a desire to shoulder their burdens.”

JUNE 27, 2015

U.S. Marriage Blessing Movement Begins

The Unification movement in the United States began a nationwide Marriage Blessing Movement on June 27, 2015. It was initiated as a way to extend the grace of the Blessing to more couples and families throughout the nation, multiply the numbers of Blessed Central Families nationwide, and support each Blessed Central Family in reaching the goal of blessing 430 couples. True Mother authorized Blessing Ceremonies to be held in communities across the U.S. once every three to four months on a predetermined date, to be presided over by approved Blessing officiators representing True Parents. An international Blessing Ceremony will still be held at Foundation Day each year, in which the U.S. will take part. The first nationwide Blessing was held on June 27, 2015, followed by a second on October 3.

JUNE 28, 1982

True Mother’s Letter to Judge Gerard Goettel

On May 18, 1982, a jury for the Southern District of New York returned a guilty verdict against True Father for filing false tax returns from 1973 to 1975. Groups and individuals representing more than 120 million Americans later filed briefs in support of True Father’s appeal. However, the immediate concern was the penalty that the trial judge, Gerard Goettel, would impose. On June 28, several weeks prior to his decision, True Mother wrote the judge, petitioning him to pray and be guided by God in his deliberations. She wrote: “I believe that I have had the most blessed life of any woman who has ever lived in being married to my husband. He has totally dedicated his life to the service of God and humanity. … From the time I was a young girl, I prayed fervently to live a pious life and to marry a pious man. God listened to every one of my prayers and blessed me more abundantly than I could have ever imagined.” She noted that she had just given birth to their thirteenth child and that the trial proceedings were very difficult, but she “chose to sit by my husband’s side every day.” She emphasized that True Father “continued to inspire us with messages of forgiveness and compassion … [he] would not allow any of us to harbor any hostility towards the government, the prosecutors or any of the witnesses.” She asked the judge to be “compassionate and lenient.”

On July 17, 1982, the court sentenced True Father to 18 months in prison and a $25,000 fine plus costs. The only positive outcome was Judge Goettel’s “binding recommendation” against deportation. The government’s lawyers were eager to deport True Father and pressed Judge Goettel not to issue an opinion on the matter. However, in this instance Judge Goettel did not see things the government’s way. His position was that deportation, in addition to the eighteen-month jail sentence that he himself had imposed, represented “excessive punishment.” The decision, though technically a recommendation, was binding on the Justice Department and could not be appealed.

JUNE 29, 2003

Washington Declaration

The Washington Declaration was the second in a series of three declarations, the others being the Jerusalem Declaration (May 18, 2003) and the Seoul Declaration (August 15, 2003), which were offered on the foundation of the First, Second and Third Israels. Each of the declarations focused on interreligious reconciliation and peace. Together they led to True Parents’ “Declaration Ceremony for the Beginning of the Nation of the Fourth Israel” on August 20, 2003.

July 1, 1991

Declaration Day of God’s Eternal Blessing

True Father proclaimed the Declaration Day of God’s Eternal Blessing (Chil Il Jeol) at a special ceremony at True Parents’ residence in Seoul’s Hannam-dong neighborhood. On that day, True Father began a new era in which blessed families, as tribal messiahs, inherited True Parents’ realm of victory. At the ceremony True Father prayed, “I have designated this day, the first day of July, to be the one on which we can apply and declare ourselves to be tribal messiahs across the world.”  He said that Unificationist families no longer belong to any nationality but are members of the Royal Family. He advised Unificationists to create a new spiritual attitude and train themselves to overcome their fallen nature in working with their hometown communities.

JULY 1, 1998

Dedication Ceremony of the Education Center for Ideal Families and World Peace

On July 1, 1998, beginning at 10 a.m., a dedication ceremony was held in Jardim, Brazil, for the Education Center for Ideal Families and World Peace. Around 3,000 people, well-known figures in Brazil and leaders from a variety of backgrounds in Jardim, came to the event. True Father said, “The goal of the Jardim education center is to raise people who do not live for their own individual benefit but instead live for the country, the world and God as families and to raise people who live for the world, even though it means sacrificing one’s clan or nation.” After the dedication, FFWPU members from across the globe began to attend the Jardim forty-day workshops in this center to inherit True Parents’ heart and traditions. (Materials provided by the FFWPU History Compilation Committee.)

JULY 1, 2010

True Father Holds 23.5-Hour Hoon Dok Hwe

True Father, at age 90, hosted a historic Hoon Dok Hwe that lasted twenty-three and a half hours, speaking on the topic of “God Is the Owner and Victor” to Japanese women participating in a forty-day workshop for “world ocean leaders” at Blue Sea Garden in Yeosu, Korea.

This Week in History briefly lists significant events in the history of the Unification Church, the lives of the Founders, and world events that are momentous to Unificationists. Most items are marked according to the solar calendar. Items marked “H.C.” correspond to the Cheon-gi or Heavenly Calendar, which is based on the lunar calendar. This installment covers the week of June 25 to July 1.

True Parents’ Holy Wedding

This week in history, April 10 – 16:

• Parents’ Day is established (April 10, 1960)
• The Interdenominational Conference for Clergy visits Korea for the first time (April 10, 1985)
• The Women’s Federation for World Peace is inaugurated (April 10, 1992)
• Muslim couples participate in the Marriage Blessing Ceremony (April 10, 1992)
• The Era of the Family Federation begins (April 10, 1997)
• True Parents are married at their Holy Wedding (April 11, 1960)
• True Parents meet Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev (April 11, 1990)
• 36 Unificationist-born young adult couples receive the Holy Marriage Blessing (April 12, 1986)
• True Father delivers the Proclamation of Liberation and Release (April 13, 2004)
• Three couples receive the Holy Marriage Blessing (April 16, 1960)
• True Father declares the end of the first 21-year course (April 16, 1980)

APRIL 10, 1960

Parents’ Day Established

True Father at the 47th True Parents’ Day celebration.

Parents’ Day was the first Holy Day established in the Unification tradition. True Father established it on April 10, 1960 (March 15, according to the lunar calendar). Unificationists observe Parents’ Day—now designated as True Parents’ Day—on the first day of the third month of the Heavenly Calendar. The establishment of Parents’ Day followed True Parents’ engagement on March 27, 1960. It signified that God had finally established His first son and daughter as the True Parents of humankind. True Father later stated, “Parents’ Day is the first time since God created all things and humankind that there is one balanced man, one balanced woman, balanced in love, to whom God can descend and with whom He can truly be.” Following Parents’ Day, True Father established Children’s Day (1960), Day of All Things (1963) and God’s Day (1968) as Holy Days. They were set up to celebrate the emergence of the True Family and the foundation upon which a new world can take shape and a new history begin.  

APRIL 10, 1985

First Interdenominational Conference for Clergy Visit to Korea

ICC participants pray at the Rock of Tears in Pusan.

ICC participants pray at the Rock of Tears in Pusan.

Prior to his release from Danbury Federal Correctional Institute, True Father asked American members to focus on educating 70,000 ministers, and on that foundation to send 7,000 ministers to Korea. This request led to the creation of the CAUSA Ministerial Alliance, the 300,000-videotape project, and, beginning in April 1985, the Interdenominational Conference for Clergy (ICC) seminars.  Under the theme “Rev. Moon and Korea in the Providence of God,” 64 ministers from 21 denominations attended the first “advanced seminar on Unificationism” from April 10 to 19, 1985. From 1985 to 1988, the U.S. Unification Church sponsored 38 ICC seminars for 7,069 American clergy and religious leaders who traveled to Korea and usually Japan. The “meaning of the 7,000” was connected to the time of Elijah, when throughout Israel God prepared 7,000 people who had never bowed down to Baal (I Kings 19:18). The visits preceded significant breakthroughs in Korean society, including the 1988 Seoul Olympics and eventually True Parents’ meeting with North Korean President Kim Il Sung in 1991.

APRIL 10, 1992

Women’s Federation for World Peace Inaugurated

The Women’s Federation for World Peace, chaired by True Mother, sponsored “Sisterhood Ceremonies” during the 1990s.

On April 10, 1992, True Mother delivered the keynote address before a filled Seoul Olympic Stadium at the inauguration of the Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP). In her speech, True Mother testified to “the reappearance of the True Parents … the conclusion and final fruit of human history.” She stated that “women have the mission to give proper guidance to men who lead lives of moral decadence and disorder” and noted, “the Women’s Federation for World Peace must someday develop into a federation of families for world peace.” Established on the foundation of the Women’s Federation for Peace in Asia, WFWP has become a women’s organization of international scope with members in 143 countries. In 1994, more than 200,000 Korean and Japanese women “came together to create sisterly ties” on thirty-eight occasions under the auspices of WFWP. In 1995, WFWP sponsored “sisterhood ceremonies” between some 8,000 Japanese and American women, culminating in dramatic “bridge crossings” which were moving to many participants, including former first lady Barbara Bush. She and her husband, former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, subsequently accompanied True Mother and spoke in support of WFWP on a six-city speaking tour of Japan. In 1997, WFWP received general consultative status with the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). As only 11 percent of religious NGOs associated with ECOSOC attain “general” status, this was a signal achievement.

APRIL 10, 1992

Muslim Couples Participate in the Holy Blessing

On April 10, 1992, forty-two Muslim couples took part in the 1,265 Previously Married Couples’ Holy Blessing in Seoul, South Korea. Their Blessing was the culmination of an Interreligious Leadership Seminar. True Father termed the participation of Muslims in the wedding “a miracle.” In fact, it was extremely significant, as it broke the religious barrier and opened the door for True Father to extend the Blessing to people of a faith other than Unificationism. This was a key stepping-stone toward expanding the providence of the Blessing and instilling interreligious harmony as one of the Unification Church’s key pillars. In the years since, the Holy Marriage Blessing has been given to thousands of people of all races, nationalities, and religions.

APRIL 10, 1997

The Era of the Family Federation Begins

On April 8, 1997, True Father proclaimed: “We have entered the era not just for the unity of Christianity but for the unity of the world. Therefore, as of April 10, we should put aside the name ‘Unification Church’ and instead work under the name of the ‘Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.’” He further stated: “With the completion of the mission of the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, the mission of religion has been brought to a conclusion. For the first time in human history, we have entered a new era that does not require salvation through religion. The objective of the Family Federation lies in transforming families into ideal families, thereby restoring and perfecting God’s ideal of creation and establishing the ideal heavenly world.” True Father noted that until now, religion has focused on the individual. “All religions without exception,” he said, “preached salvation for the individual and never once mentioned salvation for the family, tribe or nation.” The Unification tradition, on the other hand, “is preaching the salvation of the nation and the world based on the family.”

APRIL 11, 1960

True Parents’ Holy Wedding

April 11, 1960 (March 16 by the lunar calendar) marked the historic day in the Unification tradition of “the marriage supper of the Lamb.” True Parents joined in holy matrimony in the Chungpa-dong headquarters church. Wedding decorations were put up in the main hall, the walls and floor were covered with white cloth, and a platform was erected. When preparations were completed, True Father consecrated the hall with salt. This began the church tradition of consecrating belongings with Holy Salt.

As described by Rev. Young-hwi Kim, True Mother, dressed in a white hanbok (the traditional Korean dress) with a long wedding veil over her head and ornaments befitting a bride, came down the stairs from the second floor, arm in arm with True Father. A chorus of “Song of the Banquet” was their wedding march. The ceremony was carried out twice, first in the Western style with a wedding veil, and then in the Korean traditional style with a blue silk hanbok, square belt and black hat for the groom and a bridal headpiece and Korean royal dress for the bride. The offering table for the Holy Wedding was set up according to revelations received from Heaven, with some forty kinds of food in cylindrical columns. After the meal, celebrations were held in the same hall, joyously highlighted by True Parents’ dance. True Father said that because of this ceremony, the Principle and the existence of the Unification Church would become known throughout the entire world, and the Will of God would be accomplished.

APRIL 11, 1990

True Parents Meet Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev

Organizers of the 11th World Media Conference, which took place in Moscow in April 1990, learned by late afternoon on the day of True Father’s address to the conference, that President Gorbachev had given his approval for a meeting with True Father. Larry Moffitt, who helped organize the media gathering, noted that the “maximum victory” for the Moscow event “was defined early on as a cordial meeting between True Father and Gorbachev.” In fact, expectations had risen to the point that a failure to secure such an invitation would have been interpreted as a providential setback. Thus, organizers breathed a collective sigh of relief when True Parents, along with twenty-eight former presidents or prime ministers and several assistants, entered the Kremlin at 4:30 p.m. on April 11, 1990, and were seated in a conference room.

There was an initial meeting of President Gorbachev with all present, which was followed by a private meeting between the president, True Parents, one ambassador and a couple of senior staff. During the 90-minute open meeting, President Gorbachev said that the media conference was “very important” and expressed satisfaction that it had been “very successful so far.” True Father thanked him for the opportunity to come to Moscow, explained that all former heads of state at the table were supporting him, and urged him to consider the World Media Conference his “asset.”

Dr. Bo Hi Pak, who attended the half-hour private meeting in President Gorbachev’s personal office, reported that the president was “completely free, embracing and talkative.” The Segye Ilbo newspaper reported that President Gorbachev “asked Rev. Moon to help either directly or indirectly in the development of the Soviet Union by using the multinational economic foundations and worldwide organizations of the Unification movement.”
 

APRIL 12, 1986

36 Couple Unificationist-born Young Adult Holy Marriage Blessing

A new era began for the Unification Church on April 12, 1986, at the Little Angels Performing Arts Center in Seoul when True Parents gave the Holy Marriage Blessing to 36 Unificationist-born couples. This was the first Holy Marriage Blessing of Unificationist-born young adults apart from the Marriage Blessings of four of True Parents’ own children. On April 8, True Father called candidates in Korea to assemble and began the matching engagement, which continued into the following day. Unificationist-born candidates outside Korea were matched by photograph. Those participating were the sons and daughters of Unificationists who had participated in the 36-, 72-, and 124-Couple Blessings. Through the marriage of their children these early Unificationists became relatives.

In his message to the newly engaged couples, “The New Historical Vanguard,” True Father described the occasion as “an amazing providential event.” He called upon the young couples to “renew the true tradition of the Unification family” by being “standard-bearers … for the sake of all the people of the world.” He also asked them to “learn the historical lesson” from the Israelites who perished after returning to Canaan “by aiming at worldly goals requiring knowledge, money and power.” Finally, he called upon them to be “victorious over the entire world” by going “through suffering that no one else in the world can handle.” He advised them to “find the abandoned path that the people of this world would consider worthless. That is the path God is asking you to walk.”

APRIL 13, 2004

Proclamation of Liberation and Release

True Father delivered a Proclamation of Liberation and Release on April 13, 2004. He noted that three days earlier, on April 10, he had declared the “release of the angelic world,” the “release of Cain and Abel,” and the “release of the Parents of Cheon ju, Cheon ji, Cheon ji-in” [Parents of the Cosmos, of Heaven and Earth, and of Heaven, Earth and Humankind]. He said he was completing spiritual conditions on many levels that are needed for God to exercise “His authority of all-immanence, all-authority, all-power and all-transcendence.” Since the Coronation Ceremony for the Kingship of God (January 13, 2001), True Father had proclaimed various realms of liberation. In the Proclamation of Liberation and Release, True Father distinguished between Hae Bang(liberation) and Seok Bang (total and complete release and freedom). True Father added Seok Bang to the Family Pledge on August 20, 2004, meaning that not only sin but any record of sin would be eliminated.
 

APRIL 16, 1960

Three Couples Holy Marriage Blessing

On April 16, 1960, the fifth day following True Parents’ Holy Wedding, True Parents blessed three couples in Holy Matrimony. They were Kim Won-pil and Chung Dal-ok; Eu Hyo-won and Sa Gil-ja; and Kim Young-hwi and Chung Dae-hwa. There were a number of providential conditions connected to these couples. True Father noted that they represented the families of Adam, Noah and Abraham. They also were chosen as the resurrected figures of Cain, Abel and Seth in Adam’s family. In addition, they were in the position of Jesus’ three main disciples and restored archangels. True Father stated that he required “three disciples” in the position of spiritual children “who will be loyal to him and follow him through persecution, even at the risk of their lives” as a condition for his Holy Wedding. True Father, thereby, engaged the three couples ahead of his wedding. One of the couples had been previously married, one had been previously engaged, and one was “matched” immediately before their engagement. In this way, they were intended to represent all marital situations. The three couples joined 33 additional couples who were blessed in marriage the following year as the Unification Church’s original 36 couples.

APRIL 16, 1980

True Father Declares the End of the First 21-Year Course

Unification theology teaches that the course of creation and restoration unfolds according to the three stages of formation, growth and perfection. True Father applied that principle in conducting his ministry. He initially applied it to his individual course upon embarking on his public ministry after World War II.  The 21-year course with which Unificationists were most familiar followed True Parents’ Holy Wedding in 1960. True Father described how True Parents walked a family-level course for seven years, followed by a national-level course in which the Unification tradition stabilized itself within Korea, and then a worldwide course during which True Parents planted Unificationism globally. True Father declared that 21-year course to be completed on Parents Day, April 16, 1980. He said that it was to be followed by another 21-year course centered on Unification blessed families. This course, he noted, would be centered first upon deterring the advance of communists and then liberating them. To do so, he said Unificationists must “be superior in God-centered character and in strength of knowledge, experience and organization.” The new 21-year course would be centered upon “Home Church,” which True Father described as the methodology to “liberate the entire world centered on the true love of God.”

This Week in History briefly lists significant events in the history of the Unification Church, the lives of the Founders, and world events that are momentous to Unificationists. Most items are marked according to the solar calendar. Items marked “H.C.” correspond to the Cheon-gi or Heavenly Calendar, which is based on the lunar calendar. This installment covers the week of April 10 – 16.

Contributed by Dr. Michael Mickler, professor of church history at Unification Theological Seminary

The Significance of Gae Cheon Jeol

In this episode of This Week in History, Dr. Michael Balcomb, shares about the history and significance of Gae Cheon Jeol. Gae Cheon Jeol, or the Foundation Day for the Unified Nation of Heaven and Earth, is one of the eight major Holy Days of the Unification movement, originally proclaimed by True Parents on October 3, 1988. In addition to the upcoming celebration of True Children’s Day on Monday, October 31, we will celebrate the 29th Gae Cheon Jeol on Wednesday, November 2. Unificationists in the New York area are invited to attend a joint pledge service and celebration of these two Holy Days at 8:00 a.m. at East Garden on November 2.

What are the hopes of fallen people? I gave you God: You did not know even whether He existed, but now you know the true God. I brought you to the knowledge of God. I gave you God as a gift; I gave you True Parents as a gift; I gave you a true spouse as a gift; I gave you true sons and daughters; and I gave you the opportunity to build a true tribe. In fact, I have given you everything. I am giving you the opportunity to create even a true nation, and now all that remains is a true world. That is why I am launching today as the kick-off day for the true Nation of the Unified World. This is the starting point of the Foundation Day for all nations of the world.

–Cheon Seong Gyeong, p. 1226

Dr. Balcomb also invites Unificationists around the country to participate in the final national day of prayer and fasting on Tuesday, November 1. This national condition was begun earlier in 2016 in advance of the Yankee Stadium and Washington Monument rally anniversaries. Tuesday will be the final day of the condition before both the upcoming presidential election in America and True Mother’s arrival for the inauguration of the International Association for the Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP) in Washington, D.C. in late November.

We wish you a very happy True Children’s Day and Gae Cheon Jeol as we continue to lend our prayers and devotions in support of True Mother’s arrival and the future of our country. 

Beginning of the Hoon Dok Hwe Tradition

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY:

On October 13, 1997, True Father officially began a new tradition called Hoon Dok Hwe.

What is Hoon Dok Hwe? It’s a daily morning reading tradition in which Unificationist families set aside one hour each morning from 6:00 to 7:00 to recite the Family Pledge (core pledge of Unificationists), and then hold a daily study and discussion of True Parents’ words.

Hoon Dok Hwe is understood to be a gathering for reading and learning. Over the years, in addition to being a cornerstone of morning devotionals, FFWPU sponsored Hoon Dok Hwe conferences for civic and religious leaders that focused on reading and learning True Father’s words. 

Today, 19 years later, we speak with Dr. Michael Balcomb, who was actually present when True Father initiated this tradition. We asked Dr. Balcomb to tell us more about the history of Hoon Dok Hwe, comment on the ways this practice has shaped his life, and recommend his favorite readings.

Watch excerpts of our conversation in this video episode of This Week in History, or listen to the podcast below for the full discussion.

Ever Onward

This week in history, August 28 – September 3:

• True Father ascends to the spirit world (September 3, 2012)
• Third generation Unificationists receive the Holy Marriage Blessing (August 28, 2006)
• True Father prays at Calvary and Gethsemane (August 31, 1965)
• The Ceremony for the Settlement of the Eight Stages is held (August 31, 1989)
• CAUSA holds a 10 million signature drive (September 1, 1986)
• The Hoon Dok Hwe (scripture reading) tradition begins (September 1, 1997)
• The Takarazuka Training Center opens in Japan (September 3, 1967)

SEPTEMBER 3, 2012

True Father’s Ascension

True Father ascended to the spirit world on September 3, 2012 and his Seonghwa (ascension) ceremony was held in Korea.

True Father ascended into the spirit world at 1:54 a.m. on September 3, 2012 (7.17 by the Heavenly Calendar) in the loving company of True Mother and True Family. He had been admitted to St. Mary’s Hospital in Seoul on August 3, 2012, due to cold symptoms that worsened into pneumonia. On August 12, after 10 days of tests and treatment, he insisted on returning to the Cheon Jeong Gung Peace Museum, where he went from room to room, visiting the East, West, North and South of the facility. The following day his condition worsened. Nevertheless, he insisted on visiting Cheongshim Middle and High School, the Cheongpyeong World Peace Center and the Cheongpyeong Training Center before returning to the Peace Museum, where he offered his final prayer. Afterward he was rushed back to St. Mary’s Hospital, where he remained in the Intensive Care Unit until August 31, when True Mother directed that he return to Cheongshim Medical Center, the eighth floor, from where he ascended.

AUGUST 28, 2006

Holy Blessing of the Third Generation

True Parents officiated a Holy Wedding Ceremony for the third generation of Unificationists, which included some of their own grandchildren (seen on stage). On the foundation of True Parents’ victory in realizing God’s kingdom of a peaceful, ideal world, a Holy Wedding Ceremony was officiated by True Parents on August 28, 2006.

AUGUST 31, 1965

True Father Prays at Calvary and Gethsemane

True Father visits Jordan prior to crossing over to Israel during his first World Tour

True Father visited Jerusalem on August 31, 1965, as part of his first World Tour. Two days previously, on August 29, he visited Mount Nebo where Moses stood and looked over the Promised Land. The next day, he and his party crossed the Jordan River and visited the area where Jesus was reported to have been baptized and the Mount of Temptation. He went into the city through the gate Jesus entered on a donkey, went to the Temple Mount, visited Pilate’s court and proceeded to Calvary under the altar of a Greek Orthodox Church. He went to Gethsemane at sunset, where he blessed a Holy Ground. Dr. Young Oon Kim, who traveled with True Father, wrote, “Our Leader and all of us burst into tears as he prayed on Calvary and Gethsemane.”

AUGUST 31, 1989

The Ceremony for the Settlement of the Eight Stages

On August 31, 1989, in Kodiak, Alaska, the Ceremony for the Settlement of the Eight Stages was held. The ceremony signifies the completion of all eight stages of both the vertical and horizontal courses of indemnity. On the basis of this ceremony, the following day True Parents declared the “ideology centered on the Heavenly Father” at the same place. 

SEPTEMBER 1, 1986

CAUSA 10 Million Signature Drive

A woman collects signatures for CAUSA USA

True Father planned to conduct a Moscow rally by 1981, but this was prolonged for nearly a decade due to court battles in the United States and the need to build up a stronger church. Having concluded the “Danbury Course” and established a multifaceted presence in America by 1985, True Father mounted a march to Moscow from 1985 to 1990. He understood that the Soviets respected strength and that any perceived weakness on the part of the West would set back the providence. Therefore he continued to expend resources in the fight against communism. One major effort was a massive signature drive launched by CAUSA-USA on September 1, 1986. The goal was to obtain 10 million signatures, including names and addresses, on a form stating that the signers agreed with CAUSA-USA’s goals to:

1) Affirm a God-centered morality in America,
2) Uphold freedom for all,
3) Educate people about the dangers of atheistic communism.

Unificationists and other supporters worked aggressively in all fifty states to complete the drive by Thanksgiving. The signature drive “victory” had an especially positive effect on American Unificationists, who gained self-esteem and confidence as a result of being able to accomplish one of True Father’s goals on the national level.

SEPTEMBER 1, 1997

Beginning of the Hoon Dok Hwe Tradition

A Hoon Dok Hwe conference is held in Washington D.C. in 1999

On September 1, 1997, True Father proclaimed a “New Start.” He began a tradition where all Unificationist families set aside one hour each morning from 6:00 to 7:00 to recite the Family Pledge (the core pledge of Unificationists), and then hold a daily study and discussion of his words. On October 13, 1997, True Father named the daily morning reading tradition Hoon Dok Hwe, which was understood to be a “gathering for reading and learning.” In addition to being a cornerstone of morning devotions, the church sponsored Hoon Dok Hwe conferences for civic and religious leaders that focused on “reading and learning” True Father’s words. True Father’s words would later become the basis for the Cheon Seong Gyeong (2004) or “Heavenly Scripture.”

SEPTEMBER 3, 1967

Opening of the Takarazuka Training Center in Japan

On September 3, 1967, the Takarazuka Training Center in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan opened. To build the training center, Unificationists had offered devotion by conducting a Mt. Fuji climbing tournament a year earlier. A month before the training center opened, on August 7, True Parents visited Takarazuka, prayed over the building and declared the site a holy ground. The Takarazuka Training Center is currently used for outreach and to hold workshops for young Unificationists in the Kansai area.

This Week in History briefly lists significant events in the history of the Unification Church, the lives of the Founders, and world events that are momentous to Unificationists. Most items are marked according to the solar calendar. Items marked “H.C.” correspond to the Cheon-gi or Heavenly Calendar, which is based on the lunar calendar. This installment covers the week of August 28 to September 3.

Season of Remembrance and Revelation

This week in history, August 21-27:

• The first anniversary of True Father’s Seonghwa (ascension) is commemorated (August 23, 2013)
• True Father hosts a World Tuna Tournament in Gloucester, Massachusetts (August 24-30, 1980)
• True Father declares True Parents’ Messiahship (August 24, 1992)
• True Parents bless 30,000 couples in marriage (August 25, 1992)
• True Parents bless 360,000 couples in marriage (August 25, 1995)
• The Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace is inaugurated (August 27, 1991)
• World Scripture is unveiled (August 27, 1991)

AUGUST 23, 2013

First Anniversary of True Father’s Universal Seonghwa (Ascension)

Some 25,000 Unificationists, national-level leaders, academics and clergy from 60 countries attended the first anniversary of True Father’s Universal Seonghwa at the Cheongshim World Peace Center in Gapyeong, Korea on August 23, 2013. Those who could not physically attend the event participated via live Internet broadcast, which was sent out to 193 nations. Numerous events and exhibitions commemorating the life and achievements of True Father preceded the occasion, including a Keepsake Exhibition that included 120 personal items such as True Parents’ wedding clothes from 1960 and the suit True Father wore during his meeting with North Korean Premier Kim Il Sung. The Memorial Ceremony included remarks by visiting dignitaries. The Hon. Jose de Venecia, former Speaker of the House in the Philippines said he “couldn’t imagine” Rev. Moon passing away given his “endless enthusiasm” and “superhuman energy.” At the same time, he noted, “I never met Father Moon when Mother Moon was not by his side. They were inseparable …  We are blessed that Mother Moon, who knows Father Moon better than anyone else does, is herself standing strong in carrying on the great work that Father Moon began.” A highlight of the second part of the memorial was a musical gala performance, “Crown of Glory,” which depicted True Parents’ life course. Songs that True Father loved were sung and True Mother stated, “It feels as if True Father might stride forward with a bright smile and ask, ‘How have you been?’”

AUGUST 24-30, 1980

True Father Hosts World Tuna Tournament in Gloucester, Massachusetts

True Father considered the ocean to be a solution to world hunger and a key to future human survival. He also wished to revitalize American seaports and spoke of the need for youth, especially inner-city youth, to be exposed to the challenges and excitement of sea-going life. An early effort to stimulate interest and excitement in the ocean was the “World Tuna Tournament,” which the Unification Church sponsored in Gloucester, Massachusetts, from August 24 to 30, 1980. Total prize money was $100,000: $70,000 for first prize, $20,000 for second, and $10,000 for third, the largest cash prizes ever awarded in a tuna-fishing tournament. The tournament was controversial, given the negativity toward the Unification Church in the United States at that time, and many Gloucester fishermen boycotted the event. Nevertheless, 88 boats entered, 15 of which were part of the churches’ fleet. In the end, True Father’s New Hope boat won first prize, which was donated to charity. The World Tuna Tournament was a stepping stone toward the establishment of “Ocean Church” later in the year.

AUGUST 24, 1992

True Father’s Declaration of Messiahship

In early July 1992, True Parents spoke in five cities around Korea at rallies sponsored by the Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP). In his speech, “The Reappearance of True Parents and the Ideal Family,” True Father stated, “God chose me to be the Messiah.” True Father intended this as a declaration to the Korean nation and had the speech reprinted in newspapers. On August 24, 1992, he made the same declaration, this time at a banquet at the Little Angels Performing Arts School for dignitaries attending the first World Culture and Sports Festival. In his speech, titled “Becoming the Leaders in Building a World of Peace,” True Father stated, “my wife, WFWP President Hak Ja Han Moon, and I are the True Parents of all humanity … we are the Savior, the Lord of the Second Advent, the Messiah.” True Father intended this to be a declaration on the world stage. It laid the foundation for his subsequent declaration of the Completed Testament Age and the globalization of the Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony during the 1990s.

AUGUST 25, 1992

International Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony of 30,000 Couples

True Parents conducted the International Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony of 30,000 Couples in the Seoul Olympic Stadium on August 25, 1992. It was the centerpiece of the first World Culture and Sports Festival (WCSF), held from August 19 to 30, and the largest Blessing ceremony yet conducted by True Parents. True Father stated that it marked the beginning of the worldwide Marriage Blessing era through which anyone, regardless of religion, could be blessed. He also noted that it occurred in the year that True Mother stepped forth as a public figure. Afterward, True Father announced that True Parents would conduct a Marriage Blessing for 360,000 couples.

AUGUST 25, 1995

International Holy Marriage Blessing of 360,000 Couples 

True Parents took a major step forward in the August 25, 1995 International Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony of 360,000 Couples, which was the central event of the second World Culture and Sports Festival, held August 20 to 27. The main site was at Seoul Olympic Stadium where 36,000 couples and additional onlookers gathered. Even more couples were linked simultaneously to the main ceremony at over 500 satellite locations in 160 nations. True Parents extended an invitation to people of all religious persuasions to participate in the Blessing. As pointed out by Dr. Tyler Hendricks, president of the Unification Church in the United States at the time, “The Blessing isn’t about changing your religion but about changing your character.” For many thousands of previously married couples who participated in the International Holy Marriage Blessing of 360,000 Couples, the Blessing was both a blessing of their existing marriage and a public expression of their commitment to God, humanity and each other.

AUGUST 27, 1991

Inauguration of the Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace (IRFWP)

On August 27, 1991, the inauguration of the Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace was held at the Little Angels Performing Arts Center in Seoul, Korea. Some 1,200 people attended, notably representatives of twelve world religions including Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism. Religious scholars also attended the event. Participants vowed to work together to further world peace and interreligious unity. In True Father’s keynote address, “Religion’s Mission for World Peace,” he emphasized that peace can be attained when there is harmony among religious traditions and a movement to realize world peace is pursued based on the activities of the Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace. (Materials provided by the FFWPU History Compilation Committee)

AUGUST 27, 1991

Unveiling of World Scripture

A highlight of the Inter-Religious Federation of World Peace’s (IRFWP) Inaugural Assembly was the unveiling of World Scripture: A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts. Commissioned by True Father at the first Assembly of the World’s Religions in 1985, completion of the nearly thousand-page text required the labors of more than 40 scholars and religious leaders from every faith. World Scripturecompares passages from the sacred writings of the world’s great religions as they deal with all the significant issues of life: God, the purpose of life, sin, salvation and the spiritual path, and demonstrates that there exists a vast sphere of spiritual common ground. The text was edited by Dr. Andrew Wilson, professor of Biblical Studies at Unification Theological Seminary, and contains over 4,000 passages gathered from 268 sacred texts and 55 oral traditions. Religions represented include Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism, Jainism, Sikhism, Shinto, Zoroastrianism, the Baha’i Faith, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Unification movement, among others. Scriptural texts are gathered around 165 topics and concerns shared by most or all religions.

This Week in History briefly lists significant events in the history of the Unification Church, the lives of the Founders, and world events that are momentous to Unificationists. Most items are marked according to the solar calendar. Items marked “H.C.” correspond to the Cheon-gi or Heavenly Calendar, which is based on the lunar calendar. This installment covers the week of August 21 to 27.

For God and Freedom

This week in history, August 14-20:

• Japan surrenders and World War II ends (August 15, 1945)
• The Republic of Korea is established (August 15, 1948)
• The Wolli Haesul is published (August 15, 1957)
• True Father proposes an interreligious council at the United Nations (August 18, 2000)
• The first workshop on Unification Thought and the Theory of Victory over Communism is held (August 18, 2001)
• True Father is welcomed at the “God and Freedom” Banquet (August 20, 1985)
• True Parents call for the founding of the Fourth Israel (August 20, 2003)
• The coronation of True Parents as the King and Queen of Peace takes place (August 20, 2004)

AUGUST 15, 1945

Japan Surrenders, World War II Ends

A photo commemorating the Independence Day of Korea.

Imperial Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, bringing World War II to an end. The war’s end sparked nationwide rejoicing in Korea, which had been under Japanese occupation for 40 years. Unificationists regard August 15, 1945 as the beginning of True Father’s public ministry. According to True Father, “The end of World War II was a unique time in human history.” It was, he stated, “the ideal time for the Second Advent.” At the same time, there were formidable challenges. Korea was occupied by new powers, the USSR in the North and the U.S. in the South. There was political chaos and social disruption as several million refugees returned. In addition, Korean churches were disunited, divided between those that had accommodated Shinto shrine worship under the Japanese and those that had resisted. Thus, while his countrymen shouted “Mansei” in the streets, True Father foresaw tremendous struggles ahead for Korea, and found it difficult to join in the independence celebrations.

AUGUST 15, 1948

The Republic of Korea Is Established

The Republic of Korea was formally established, with Syngman Rhee as the first president, August 15, 1948.

After Japan’s surrender to the Allied powers, Korea did not gain its independence. Instead, the USSR and the U.S. established separate trusteeships divided at the 38th parallel. In effect, Korea was subjected to Soviet and U.S. military occupations. This fomented discontent, especially among Korean patriots. The UN General Assembly called for a UN-supervised general election, but this was rejected. A general election for a Constitutional Assembly was held in the South, a constitution was adopted, and on August 15, 1948, the Republic of Korea was formally established, with Syngman Rhee as the first president. Less than a month later, a communist regime, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, was proclaimed under Kim Il Sung in the North. The division of Korea during the years 1945-48 was a political and providential failure. True Father traveled north in 1946 to avert this. In the end, he was arrested and spent nearly three years in a North Korean labor camp, liberated only after the outbreak of the Korean War, which resulted in a death toll of over 1.2 million.

AUGUST 15, 1957

Wolli Haesul Is Published

Wolli Haesul (Explanation of the Principle) was the first official publication of Unification Church doctrine. It is based on True Father’s core revelation and teachings and was written by Hyo Won Eu, the church’s first president, under True Father’s direct supervision.  It followed Wolli Wonbon (Original Text of the Principle), True Father’s handwritten text which circulated in copied manuscripts from 1952. Wolli Haesul was the standard Principle text until 1966. At that time it was superseded by Wolli Kangron (Discourse on the Principle), which expanded the text’s content and served as the basis of English translations Divine Principle (1973) and Exposition of the Divine Principle (1996). Wolli Haesul was instrumental in the church’s expansion during the 1950s and early 1960s.

AUGUST 18, 2000

True Father Proposes Interreligious Council at the United Nations

The United Nations convened a Millennium Summit, from September 6 to 8, 2000, which was the largest gathering of world leaders in history to that date. It resulted in the UN Millennium Declaration and UN Millennium Development Goals. Prior to that meeting, the Unification movement convened Assembly 2000 from August 17 to 19 at the New York headquarters of the United Nations. It was co-sponsored by the Permanent Missions to the UN of Indonesia, Uganda and Mongolia under the theme “Renewing the United Nations and Building a Culture of Peace.” More than 400 world leaders from over 100 nations attended, including Oscar Arias, former president of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Prize laureate; Robert Dole, former U.S. Senate majority leader and Republican presidential candidate; the late Sir Edward Heath, former prime minister of the United Kingdom; Kenneth Kaunda, former president of Zambia; and Richard Thornburgh, former UN undersecretary general and governor of Pennsylvania.

The centerpiece of Assembly 2000 was True Father’s August 18 keynote address, “Renewing the United Nations to Build Lasting Peace.” True Father made three proposals. The key one called for the establishment of “an interreligious assembly to serve as a senate or council within the United Nations,” requiring that “each nation, in addition to its current ambassador, send a religious ambassador … to serve as a member of the religious assembly or U.N. senate.” A second proposal called for the creation of “peace zones in areas of conflict … governed directly by the United Nations” with a special emphasis on North and South Korea. The third called for an official commemorative day to uphold the ideal of the family, “Specifically … that True Parents’ Day be established as a day of global celebration.” True Father’s proposals launched the Unification movement’s Ambassador for Peace and Abel UN efforts.

AUGUST 18, 2001

First Workshop on Unification Thought and VOC for the Worldwide Leadership

The first Workshop on Unification Thought and the Theory of Victory over Communism for the Worldwide Leadership was held at Jeju International Training Center from August 18 to 31, 2001. Around 500 leaders, including leaders of mission countries, national messiahs and heads of domestic organizations, were in attendance. At the opening ceremony True Father emphasized, “Starting from the individual to the family, we must be decisive in this era of God’s sovereignty.” True Parents supervised and personally taught participants during the 14-day workshop. (Materials provided by the FFWPU History Compilation Committee.)

AUGUST 20, 1985

True Father Released from Halfway House, Welcomed at “God and Freedom” Banquet

True Father’s “Danbury Course” consisted of his indictment, trial, appeal and imprisonment on tax evasion charges. It was his sixth imprisonment and one of the most unjust. True Father was incarcerated at the Danbury Federal Correctional Institution in Connecticut from July 20, 1984, to July 4, 1985, and then from July 4, 1985, to August 20, 1985, at Phoenix House Foundation Inc., a halfway house in the New York City borough of Brooklyn.

On the evening of his release, 1,600 clergy and prominent laypersons gathered at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., to welcome True Father back at a “God and Freedom” Banquet. Earlier that day, twenty prominent clergy, including Rev. Jerry Falwell, head of the Moral Majority, and Rev. Joseph Lowery, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), usually at opposite ends of the religious-political spectrum, held a news conference at which they decried government encroachment upon religion and called upon President Ronald Reagan to pardon True Father.

In his speechat the God and Freedom Banquet True Father expressed his appreciation to those who had supported him through the court battles, amicus briefs and rallies, and expressed his determination “to relieve the great and long suffering of God.” He called upon all present to “transcend denominationalism” and “to consider seriously the mission of Christianity to lead a supra-denominational, cultural revolution on a worldwide scale.”

AUGUST 20, 2003

True Parents Call for the Founding of the Fourth Israel

In May 2003, Christian clergy responded to True Parents’ call and went to Israel, where they repented together with Jewish and Muslim leaders for not having understood one another as brothers. On the foundation of the penitent heart demonstrated by representatives of the three Abrahamic faiths, True Parents called for the founding of the “Fourth Israel”—a new body of “chosen people” who were anointed by God. True Father offered Holy Wine on this special August 20 celebration, and all who partook of this covenant not only were engrafted into the lineage of heaven and the True Olive Tree but also became the “Fourth Israel,” a new “chosen people of all races, religious faiths, and peoples.”

AUGUST 20, 2004

Coronation of True Parents as the King and Queen of Peace

On August 20, 2004, the Cheon Il Guk Registration Blessing Ceremony of the Revolution of True Heart in the Era of True Liberation and Complete Freedom was held at the National Assembly Library in Seoul. In attendance were around 600 leaders, including Stanislav Shushkevich, a former president of Belarus, Nagajima Mamoru, a former minister of the Office of Science and Technology in Japan, and Father Hatoum, the provost of the Church of Saint George, Nazareth, Israel. On this day participating leaders from the different countries crowned True Parents as the King and Queen of Peace in acknowledgment of their interreligious and international peace endeavors. (Materials provided by the FFWPU History Compilation Committee.)

This Week in History briefly lists significant events in the history of the Unification Church, the lives of the Founders, and world events that are momentous to Unificationists. Most items are marked according to the solar calendar. Items marked “H.C.” correspond to the Cheon-gi or Heavenly Calendar, which is based on the lunar calendar. This installment covers the week of August 14 to 20.

With Determination and Love

This week in history, August 7-13:

• A dedication ceremony for True Parents’ Archives is held (August 8, 2014)
• Hyo Jin Moon marches to the Berlin Wall (August 8, 1987)
• Violence occurs against church centers in Brazil (August 10, 1981)
• The first national workshop for pastors takes place (August 12, 1971)
• The second anniversary of True Father’s Seonghwa is commemorated (August 12, 2014)
• The Professors World Peace Academy holds a conference on the fall of the Soviet Empire (August 13, 1985)
• True Parents donate 29 ambulances to towns in Brazil (August 13, 1996)
• True Father offers his final prayer (August 13, 2012)

AUGUST 8, 2014

Dedication Ceremony for True Parents’ Archives

True Mother dedicated True Parents’ Historical Archives on the morning of the August 8, 2014, at the Family Federation Headquarters in Cheongpa-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. As one of the events being held in commemoration of the second anniversary of True Father’s Seonghwa, the dedication was attended by some 200 persons, including then World Headquarters Director Sun Jin Moon, then President Kwon Jin Moon, and Cheon Il Guk Holy Scriptures Publishing Committee President Young-Hwi Kim. True Mother performed the unveiling of the signboard and the official ribbon cutting. In her prayer True Mother said, “May this place, a treasure that preserves the historical records of how much True Parents loved humanity and how hard they worked for the completion of the providential history, be well preserved and, together with the erection of the Museum of True Parents’ Lives, express our desire to dedicate something bigger to You for future generations.”
 

AUGUST 8, 1987

Hyo Jin Moon Leads March to the Berlin Wall

Hyo Jin Moon bravely leads 2,000 marchers on their way from the center of West Berlin to the Wall

World CARP held its Fourth World Convention in Berlin, Germany, from August 2 to 8, 1987, during the waning days of the Cold War. Opponents attempted to block the convention by denying CARP hotel and convention space. When those tactics failed, the leftist opposition resorted to heckling and shouting abuse at almost every event, throwing paint and stink bombs, slashing tires of 20 CARP vehicles and setting fire to a CARP bus. Nevertheless the convention was successful, with 3,000 people attending various events. The convention’s high point was on its last day, when 2,000 CARP members and others marched 7 kilometers from the center of Berlin to the Berlin Wall near Checkpoint Charlie. In spite of the hazards, World CARP President Hyo Jin Moon insisted on walking at the front of the march. Members carried flags from their countries of origin, coffins depicting the millions of deaths under communism and placards that read “Die Mauer muss weg!” (“The wall must go!”). Police provided protection, but several hundred counterdemonstrators attempted to disrupt the march by shouting and throwing paint and eggs. At the rally Hyo Jin Moon delivered a passionate address, then rushed through the crowd directly to the Wall, calling on others to join him in prayer. World CARP’s “Jericho March” was an important steppingstone to True Parents’ Moscow Rally in April 1990. In the following days, for the first time since 1961, a demonstration was held in East Berlin to protest the Wall. Young people there also were shouting “Die Mauer muss weg!”

AUGUST 10, 1981

Violence against Unification Church Centers in Brazil

1981 is remembered in the Brazilian Church as the year of the “great persecution.” Violence against the church included the stoning or sacking of fourteen centers and burning of six more, five of which were completely destroyed. The riots were triggered by a series of media attacks against the church over four successive Sundays on the Globo Television Network’s “Fantastico,” a show with one of the largest audiences in Brazil. Prior to the outbreak the Brazilian Church had experienced remarkable growth with a network of sixty-four centers throughout the country. During and following the attacks, hundreds of home church families sheltered members and became more committed to the Church. The destruction stimulated the Brazilian Church to later purchase an impressive headquarters church in Sao Paulo from which to coordinate its work.

AUGUST 12, 1971

The First National Workshop for Pastors

The first national workshop for pastors was held for eighteen days beginning August 12, 1971, at the Cheongpyeong Training Center. This workshop was held within a month after the completion of the training center, and all participating pastors felt proud that a place of education and training had been created. During the workshop True Father declared his vision that the training center would become the beginning point of missions around the world and that it would become an international holy ground. Today, with Cheon Jeong Gung having been built there, Cheongpyeong has become a hometown of the heart to all members around the world as True Father had said.

AUGUST 12, 2014

Second Anniversary of True Father’s Universal Seonghwa

The second anniversary of True Father’s Universal Seonghwa took place on August 12, 2014, at the Cheongshim Peace World Center. The anniversary commemoration culminated a series of major events beginning August 8. These included the dedication of True Parents’ History Archives, World Summit 2014, which welcomed some 300 overseas dignitaries, a Symposium on Peace and Unity of the Korean People, Inauguration of the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee, and a program on “Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s Women’s Peace Initiatives in the Americas,” among other events. The Seonghwa commemoration, attended by more than 20,000, focused specifically on True Parents’ “Peace Movement in the Americas.” It included remarks by former U.S. Congressman Dan Burton and a musical covering True Parents’ providential work in the Americas. In her Commemoration Address, True Mother emphasized the theme “Forgive, Love, Unite.” She said: “My husband and I forgave those who were unforgivable, and loved even the enemy that could not be loved. … Even when we faced persecution, we did not harbor any ill-will but rather prayed for those who opposed us. By overcoming such challenges we were given even greater blessings than we could have dreamed of.”

AUGUST 13, 1985

PWPA Conference on “The Fall of the Soviet Empire”

The Second International Conference of the Professors World Peace Academy (PWPA), scheduled for August 13 to 17, convened under the title “The Fall of the Soviet Empire.”

Despite its declining, even exhausted economy, in 1985 the Soviet Union still appeared as formidable as ever. At that time, True Father insisted that the Second International Conference of the Professors World Peace Academy (PWPA), scheduled for August 13 to 17, be convened under the title “The Fall of the Soviet Empire.” Several prominent professors struggled with the title, considering it too extreme, but True Father refused to relent. During the conference, over 150 “Sovietology” experts and 100 international scholars presented 80 papers which resulted in four books. In the end, the conference was prophetic. Within a few years the Soviet Union began to crumble. One scholar, writing several years later in The National Interest, reported, “It is hard to believe that … [Reverend Moon] got it right when the CIA, Brookings, RAND, Harvard, Columbia and the rest got it wrong.”

AUGUST 13, 1996

True Parents Donate 29 Ambulances to Towns in Brazil

In 1995, True Father undertook an ambitious speaking tour of twenty-three Latin American nations, which included audiences with eight heads of state. In these speeches and meetings, he emphasized the region’s “stunning and abundant potential.” That same year he began investing in properties, centering on Jardim, a town in the Brazilian outback state of Mato Grosso do Sol, a land of “two million people and twenty million cows.” There True Father established New Hope Farm and made it a focus of the movement’s activity in the late 1990s. True Parents assigned UTS graduates from the Class of 1996 to 33 towns surrounding Jardim. When True Parents learned there were no hospitals in many of them, they donated 29 new ambulances to towns within a 200-kilometer radius of New Hope Farm and sent a medical team to each of them.

AUGUST 13, 2012

True Father’s Final Prayer

Though he is very ill, True Father takes time to visit the Cheongshim Middle and High School, Cheongpyeong World Peace Center and the Cheongpyeong Training Center.

True Father takes time to visit the Cheongshim Middle and High School, Cheongpyeong World Peace Center and the Cheongpyeong Training Center.

True Father was admitted to St. Mary’s Hospital in Seoul on August 3, 2012, due to cold symptoms that worsened into pneumonia. On August 12, after 10 days of tests and treatment, he insisted on returning to the Cheon Jeong Gung Peace Palace. After arriving, True Father went from room to room in a wheelchair, visiting the East, West, North and South of the facility. He touched the table at which he and True Mother sat during Hoon Dok Hwe and many other items, now and then saying, “Please be well.” Those things he could not touch with his hands he observed with his eyes, holding True Mother’s hand tightly and repeating now and then, “Mother, thank you.” The following day, True Father’s condition continued to worsen. Nevertheless, he insisted on visiting Cheongshim Middle and High School, Cheongpyeong World Peace Center and the Cheongpyeong Training Center.

He then came to the sitting room in the Cheon Jeong Gung and asked for a digital recorder. He thought deeply for about ten minutes and then offered his final prayer:

Today, as I have returned the completion of the final perfection of the Father, I am aware that I have offered my whole life up to this moment to the Father. According to His Will, I am spending this time to bring my life to a conclusion, using this time to bring it to a close with Jeong Seong. …Tribal messiahs have established a name that can represent the nation. I have accomplished all these tasks. I have accomplished everything.

Afterward True Mother took True Father to Cheongshim Medical Center, where his strength appeared to fail, and he was rushed back to St. Mary’s Hospital in Seoul. He remained in the Intensive Care Unit there until August 31, when True Mother directed that he be returned to Cheongshim Medical Center. True Father ascended on September 3 (H.C. 7.17).

This Week in History briefly lists significant events in the history of the Unification Church, the lives of the Founders, and world events that are momentous to Unificationists. Most items are marked according to the solar calendar. Items marked “H.C.” correspond to the Cheon-gi or Heavenly Calendar, which is based on the lunar calendar. This installment covers the week of August 7 to 13.