Members of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Snellville folded more than 1,800 origami cranes for the International Day of Peace and St. Matthew’s Feast Day.

Most of the cranes carried prayers and the names of people being held in prayer. The cranes now hang throughout the sanctuary, narthex, and parish hall.

The Legend and Meaning

According to Japanese tradition, folding 1,000 paper cranes with focused intention can bring a special wish, such as healing or happiness. The practice is called senbazuru, meaning “one thousand cranes.”

Sadako Sasaki and World Peace

The paper crane became a worldwide symbol of peace through the story of Sadako Sasaki, who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima as a young child and later developed leukemia. She folded paper cranes in the hope of recovering, but died on October 25, 1955, at age 12.

After her death, her classmates helped lead the effort to build the Children’s Peace Monument in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, honoring Sadako and all the children who died from the atomic bombing. People around the world continue to send paper cranes to the monument as prayers for peace. Read more about Sadako and the peace cranes.

St. Matthew’s plans to mail its cranes to the monument in Hiroshima. The parish continues to pray for peace worldwide and especially during these turbulent times in our own nation.