This Week in History: February 2-8

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 February 2-8.

February 3-5, 1972

The Day of Hope campaign at Lincoln Center

True Father beaming at the podium during a Day of Hope tour stop.

FFWPU USA rented New York’s Lincoln Center for three nights and charged local Unificationists with making plans for the first of seven revival meetings. They agreed upon its theme, “The Day of Hope: The Day of the True Family” and designed the tour’s official poster. On January 14, 1972, 72 pioneers arrived and hit the streets to sell revival tickets. Each revival stop featured opening remarks by local directors, music by the “Unification Chorale,” introductions and three nights of talks by True Father on the topics of “One God, One World Religion,” “Ideal World for God and Man,” and “The New Messiah and the Formula of God in History.”

February 4, 1969

True Father’s 2nd World Tour

True Father spent 39 days in the United States during his second world tour in February and March, 1969. Accompanied by True Mother, Mr. Eu (then president of HSA-UWC, Korea) and Mr. Kuboki (then president of HSA-UWC, Japan), True Father arrived at San Francisco International Airport on February 4, 1969 and at Washington FFWPU headquarters on February 9th. It was during this stay that the attending American Unificationists heard of anti-Communist and student activities of the Korean and Japanese Unificationists, as well as Mr. Eu’s Divine Principle lectures, for the first time. In addition, True Father’s tour of machine shops in New York City raised Unificationist members’ consciousness with regard to economic enterprises.

February 7-8, 1975

40,000 couples were present for the 360 Million Couples’ Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony in Seoul Stadium in Korea on February 7, 1999. Participants around the world participated via satellite.

Anniversaries of Two Historical Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremonies

The church launched a worldwide mission, part of which entailed the international Holy Marriage Blessing of 1800 couples in Seoul on February 8, 1975. Billed as the “largest wedding in human history,” the ceremony brought together couples from 20 nations, including 76 couples from the United States. 24 years later, the Holy Marriage Blessing of ’99, held in Korea on February 7, was truly a historical occasion as an astounding 360 million couples were blessed in marriage.

Compiled by Lymhwa Kim, Editorial Team.