The Catholic Roots of Nagasaki with James Nolan

Send us a text

In this episode of the Gotta Be Saints Podcast, I’m joined by Professor James Nolan, sociologist at Williams College and author of Atomic Doctors, for a powerful conversation on memory, martyrdom, and healing—centered on the Catholic history of Nagasaki and his work on the Nagasaki Bell Project.

James shares the remarkable story of his grandfather, Dr. James Nolan, who served as a physician on the Manhattan Project and later traveled to Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the immediate aftermath of the atomic bombings. What began as a family legacy of moral complexity became a personal mission for healing and reconciliation through the gift of a new bell—donated by American Catholics—to replace the one destroyed at Urakami Cathedral.

Together, we explore the deep Catholic roots of Nagasaki, the heroic endurance of the hidden Christians, and how their suffering bore fruit through forgiveness, faith, and restoration.

Topics Covered:

• The forgotten Catholic history of Nagasaki and its "hidden Christians"
• Why Urakami Cathedral was the ground zero for Japan’s Catholic faith
• The life and witness of Takashi Nagai and post-bomb theology of redemptive suffering
• Tensions faced by Catholic doctors during the Manhattan Project
• The story behind the Nagasaki Bell Project and how Catholics today can help
• Why the legacy of martyrdom still speaks to us in a divided and war-torn world
• How the new bell—named The Kateri Bell of Hope—will ring out once again on August 9, 2025

🔔 Learn more and support the Nagasaki Bell Project. 

📖 You can also check out Atomic Doctors by James Nolan, available wherever books are sold.

🎙️ Subscribe, share, and leave a review if this conversation moved you or helped you see the past—and your faith—with new eyes.

🙏 Special thanks to this episode’s sponsor, Truthly. Use code gottabesaints for a free trial at truthly.ai

Support the show