Why America Will Hold a National Memorial Service
The National Memorial Celebration of the second anniversary of True Father’s passing will be held on Saturday, September 20 at the Manhattan Center in New York, with live broadcast around the nation. A worldwide celebration has already been held in Korea, and now America is planning this national event to honor True Parents as Americans, for their love, dedication and investment right here in this country and to encourage True Mother in her work to complete their mission.
On Tuesday, August 26, a fruitful planning meeting to prepare for the upcoming National Memorial Celebration was held to talk about how to make this a successful and uplifting honoring of True Parents, especially because of their 40 years working in America. Local pastors of New York and New Jersey, representatives from various ministries—the Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP), the Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (CARP), the American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC), and the Universal Peace Federation (UPF USA)—and the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU USA) national headquarters all met to discuss this important event.
This event is anticipated to be unlike any other. To truly honor True Father and his life, those who met shared ideas on how to make it a transformative experience, “where we can experience the living God,” said Tom Cutts, National Executive Director of ACLC. Echoing this sentiment, Naokimi Ushiroda, president of CARP, added “I would like to see True Father honored for all the ways he has contributed.” The planning team foresees a celebration that incorporates the culture True Father hoped for by creating a warm, family atmosphere that involves audience participation in the hopes that people take away from this event a better understanding of True Father. They also wish to highlight his total legacy, including the importance of the Holy Marriage Blessings.
True Father set a pattern for world peace, and as True Mother continues in this work, we want to be at her side, looking to the future and reimagining our role as a nation who will lead the way in bringing the world to God. A transformative event where we can unite in our love and appreciation for True Father and share True Parent’s vision with our guests can help us take a leap forward in spreading the news of our True Parents.
For further details on location and events for the National Memorial Celebration, please refer to this page, in which more information will be made available in the weeks to come.