-
- Catholicism considers the family the basic unit
of society, and society will only be as healthy as the families. We hear this often in our teaching on the family. When
family life is strong a society can overcome all kinds of difficulties.
However, divorces continue to increase, and presently Korea has one of highest rates among the developed countries of the world.
-
- The reasons for divorce are many: difference in
personality, financial problems, infidelity, domestic problems.... There
is also an increase of those who divorce even in old age. A fact
that we tend to forget is that the more children in a family the less
likely, divorce.
- We have many problems with marriage, and many in our society have
no idea what Catholicism teaches about marriage and family life. The
Synod on the Family which began with the Extraordinary Synod in Oct.
2014, will continue with the General Synod of 2015. The desire is to help families live their Christian family life in our present
world reality.
- In
the Peace Weekly is an article on the mentoring program for those
that will be marrying and for our young people. The Diocese of Jejudo
is the first to begin such a program and have recruited 85 couples that
have been recommended by the parishes. The program will last for 9
months with a meeting once a month. The participants have completed a
course in Catholic teaching, completed a course for parents, and have
been volunteers in the Marriage Encounter Movement.
- Topics discussed and talks given will include: when the wife
speaks I will open my ears; family finances, and labor; children's
education; wisdom in family squabbles; independence from the family
members of the husband and wife; and the common goals of husband
and wife in their preparation for old age.
-
- The
bishop in the inaugural talk to the group mentioned that when all is well in the family, society and the church will be healthy. He hopes they will be a help in helping the newly married and young people in the
diocese to have a new appreciation of married life.
-
- We
do have programs for the young and engaged but this program will be
mentoring the young and those who will be preparing for marriage. The
problems that the young have to face in our society makes living the
married life difficult. Many of the young
do not see marriage as a good and delay it, and many of the women seem
to be more interested in their development which militates against
marriage.
-
- Koreans because of their Confucian values, and manners in
society have a respect for their traditions and would not be as
quick to jettison what they understand married life to be, like areas of the West. However, the late marriages are one of the reasons for the low birth rate and we have more opting to stay single which is a big change from the past.