In Memory of Songja Ono(1993 - 2015)
- Name
- Songja Ono
- Birth Date
- December 20, 1993
- Ascension Date
- December 5, 2015
Songja Ono was born in Seattle, Washington on December 20, 1993. She is the daughter of Hiromi Ono and Catherine Greene Ono, the second of two children. She has a beloved elder sister Suja and extended family in America and Japan.
After living in Seattle for five years and Portland, Oregon for three, the Ono family moved to the Boston area in 2001. Songja attended St. Peter School in Cambridge, MA and Mount Saint Joseph Academy in Brighton, MA. In school, she developed interests and skills that ranged from religion and philosophy to science and nature, sports, music, art, robotics and community service. She played on the varsity volleyball and tennis teams throughout high school.
Songja participated in NextGen Academy (Seattle, Washington) during high school. Upon graduation in 2012, she joined a gap-year program, Generation Peace Academy (GPA), headquartered in New York City. There she made strong friendships and impressed the staff with her ability and heart. With GPA she did community service in the Philippines, developing personal connections with communities that she continued to support with fundraisers even after she graduated from the program.
During the GPA study modules in Divine Principle and Unification Thought, Songja distinguished herself by the earnestness of her study and research. Her appreciation for religious study was enriched by her nine years of Catholic school education.
One month after Songja graduated from the GPA program, small symptoms of her illness began to appear and her planned matriculation to Wesleyan University was delayed.
Confronting illness only deepened her faith and gave her wisdom beyond her years. During the almost two and a half years that she bore her illness, Songja remained determined not to allow self-absorption to overwhelm her. She made the remarkable decision to embrace the situation and so became even more thoughtful, kind and generous to others.
Dear friends who visited Songja during her illness, and there were so many, were surprised to find that, instead of giving comfort, they ended up receiving it from her. With her generosity of heart, she also made admirers and friends of the health professionals who took care of her.
Songja was gifted in the arts. She could draw beautifully and when she lost the use of her right hand she simply taught herself to draw with her left! Her art reflected her passion for nature. She drew animals, trees and landscapes and often sent them as gifts to friends and strangers alike.
Songja is the most loyal of friends, maintaining friendships from elementary school all the way into adulthood. Although she didn’t have younger siblings, she enjoyed taking care of younger brothers and sisters at church, as well as her cousins in California. It was part of who she was to care for people.
Songja’s spiritual nature and love for God and True Parents stemmed from the deep roots of her family’s faith tradition, Unificationism. Owing to her Catholic education, her diverse friendships and her experience visiting churches with her mom, she developed appreciation and respect for multiple faith traditions – Catholicism, Protestantism, Tibetan Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Hinduism and Lakota Sioux.
Most of all, Songja loved her family. She appreciated the balance infused in her life through the love of her father and her mother. Songja was always trying to care for the health of her parents and fix up the home they all shared. Songja’s love for Suja and Suja’s love for Songja represents everything siblings can be for each other. They are forever united in heart.
Songja leaves so many of us here and across the country and the world embraced with her kindness, care, generosity, graciousness, humor and love. We know that she will never be far away because her heart and legacy have touched each of us.
Just as Songja illuminated our lives, she now makes the spirit world a brighter place. For us, Songja left too soon, but who knows the importance of the journey she now embraces.
We love you Songja.
- Time
- 11:00am EST
- Date
- Friday, December 11
- Location
Winchester Unitarian Society
478 Main Street
Winchester, Massachusetts
(Near Winchester Center stop on MBTA Lowell Commuter Rail Line)Seonghwa message by Pastor Heather Thalheimer
To be followed by Won Jeon Ceremony (burial) and a Reception- Viewing
- 3:00 to 7:00 PM, Thursday, December 10
Seonghwa Ceremony
Mailing Address for Donations and Flowers
Hiromi & Catherine Ono
94 Josephine Avenue, Unit 1
Somerville, MA 02144
Marius J.Henry
| #
Dear BCF Ono
Thank you for the smile of this precious person , this transition is very special
in the 4 hands ,4arms of A Glorious God like everyone before passing is going upward ,forward onward for the Great Greater co-mission for now exist a New Heaven and a New Earth ,for crystal clear is Revelation now from Rev22:1
I believe by face and By faith in God right Time , she is in God Timing even more that before with that date 1/13/2001
I believe ,Marius J.Henry O.BCF
Reply
Catherine Ono
| #
Thank you for your kid words. I didn’t notice all these comments until today. God bless you.
Reply
fam. de Paulis
| #
Our wishful and loving prayers goes to Songja in her new home Spirit World.
fam. de Paulis
Finland
Reply
Catherine Ono
| #
Thank you for your love from Finland. We are one family. Sorry for not writing back sooner.
Reply
Curtis&Sanae Martin
| #
Dear Hiromi and Catherine,
We have been following Sonja’s story on FB. We are very sorry to hear of her passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Curtis & Sanae Martin
Reply
Catherine Ono
| #
Thank you Martin Family.
Reply
edwin plekhanov
| #
Dear Ono’s Family
Today is a new day for our beloved daughter Songja.
We all wanted her to stay with us even for one more minute but the body condition could not allow that.
She could ascend peacefully we are deeply greatfull.
She have been our lovely daughter in blood and spirit
We did like to encourage the entire family to positively help her settle on her eternal Home.
Bless you are.
Edwin Plekhanov Family
Reply
Martin Stephan
| #
Dear Catherine
I am really sorry to hear about your daughter. I know it is very difficult to understand why she had to go so early. I believe it had some good purpose. Of course it is not much comfort when I say this. I am sure Heavenly Parent and TF will take very good care of her in her new home.
Please take care and God Bless you and your family
Martin Stephan family
Reply
Janice Asaoka
| #
Thank you, Heavenly Parents, for this precious and exemplary daughter of yours, Song-ja Ono! We are inspired by her life of devotion and wish her many blessings in her eternal home.
Reply
Marina Gesker
| #
Songja is a beautiful child born in Seattle..
Reply
Tim & Gail Davis
| #
Dear Ono Family,
We are so sorry to hear of the passing of your beloved daughter. No words can really comfort your painful heart at this time. We can only believe that our precious Heavenly Parent has a special task and place for her in the spirit world. We send our love and prayers to your family and know that there is much more support than we can see with our eyes in a time like this.
May God and True Parents be with you,
Tim & Gail Davis, North Carolina
Reply
Luz Maria Yoshiura
| #
Being born and living a life worth its weight than any precious gem or metal is by far the holiest of all, I would call that a “Saint.”
Thank you Songja for being just that ….
Yoshiura Family
Reply
Carlos Hernández
| #
I live in Costa Rica and I realized Songja disease. I regret that She’s gone but I think She was a good part of the spiritual world. We’ll see her there someday. I did not know her personally but I think She was a very good girl. So I’m sure the Heavenly Parents have received her. My prayers for Songja.
Reply