St. Mark’s Dedicates Wind Phone

On Sunday, May 11th, we dedicated our Wind Phone, located on the porch near Fr. Jim’s Memorial Garden.

A Wind Phone is connected to nowhere and everywhere at once. It’s where those who are grieving can connect with their loved ones who died, letting their words be carried through the wind.

The original was created in Japan by Itaru Sasaki, who was grieving for a cousin who had died of cancer. He purchased an old-fashioned phone booth, set it up on his property, near the city of Ōtsuchi, and installed a rotary phone unattached to wires or any “earthly system.” Using the phone, Itaru felt a connection to his cousin, finding comfort and healing in his grief. Itaru gave the phone booth the name of Kaze No Denwa, or the Wind Phone.

The following year, in 2011, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake created a tsunami with 30-foot waves that obliterated the coast of Japan. Many people were swept out to sea, their bodies never recovered, with Ōtsuchi having the distinction of being the city with the highest number of missing persons. Itaru salvaged his phone booth and relocated it to a windy hill in his garden overlooking the Pacific Ocean. He welcomed mourners there who wanted to make calls to their lost friends and relatives, hoping they would find a connection to help them cope with their grief as it had him. The idea spread, and today there are many such phones all over the world.

You are welcome to use our Wind Phone whenever you feel a need for connection to a loved one who is gone.

Many thanks to Kate and Mike Norris for their gift of this beautiful Wind Phone to St. Mark’s and our community.