From Management to Companionship

At the Hope Forum under the auspices of the Social Pastoral Department of the Diocese of Jeju, A member of the Salesian Order stated that the essence of youth ministry is “personal companionship that plunges into the midst of the isolated lives of young people and walks alongside wounded youths,” and emphasized that the paradigm of youth ministry must shift from “management to companionship.”This was reported in the Catholic Times.

The topic "Revisiting Catholic Youth Ministry as a 'Journey Walking Together'  Focused on Spiritual Companionship Ministry" addresses the crisis facing young people today. In particular, he drew attention to the phenomenon of "privatization," where faith is reduced to a tool for individual psychological comfort rather than a communal commitment.

The diagnosis is that the so-called 'spiritual omnivore' phenomenon is intensifying, in which people select and consume only meditation and spirituality that suit their personal tastes from various spiritual markets, rather than unilaterally conforming to doctrinal authority.

It was also noted that, according to 2022 statistics from the Korean Catholic Church, Sunday Mass attendance rates among people in their 20s and 30s were only 7.1% and 7.7%, respectively. He diagnosed that these figures “show that, beyond a simple population decline, the church is failing to become an attractive spiritual sanctuary for young people.”

Structural problems within the church were also addressed. It was explained that a parish culture that forces blind obedience upon young people accustomed to horizontal communication, an attitude that treats youth as functional personnel for maintaining events rather than as agents of pastoral care, and the double burden of guilt and a sense of obligation that arises when refusing service are driving young people out of the church.

The priest emphasized "sacramental companionship," stating that it is necessary to have "a 'listening church' that stops hasty admonitions and humbly listens to the language of young people, a 'journey of companionship' that approaches despairing young people unconditionally, and 'holistic healing' that opens closed hearts through patient listening."

They also proposed tasks such as reflective institutionalization grounded in synodalitas, structural reorganization to elevate youth to the status of full agents in mission fulfillment, and integrated generational ministry that goes beyond age-segregated pastoral care. In particular, they emphasized that the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day (WYD) should not be merely an event to mobilize youth, but a stage that delegates substantial authority to them from planning to execution.

This forum was organized to hear the voices of local youth ahead of the 2027 Seoul WYD and to explore how the church and the local community can support them. The forum will be held over three sessions and is designed to encourage youth participation in various ways.

The 'Jeju, Joy and Hope' Forum began in 2022. It was prompted by the confirmation in the diocesan comprehensive report of the 16th World Synod of Bishops that the faithful were showing deep interest in real-world issues in the local community and the culture of the church community. Since then, the diocese has held the forum as a venue for the Church to actively participate in real-world issues such as human rights, peace, ecology, and the environment. Over the years, it has established itself as a space for communication among the faithful by addressing major pending issues in Jeju society, including the Jeju 4·3 Incident, the Jubilee and ecological conversion, the Second Airport, and the residents' right to self-determination.

Meanwhile, the forum also featured a presentation by the  CEO of the social enterprise 'Seomida,' titled 'Creative People and the Church – Safe Zone, Cultural Experience, and Sense of Calling.' He emphasized that the church should serve as a safe zone for young people, provide experiences that address higher-level needs through cultural activities, and offer opportunities for growth as directions for the church's future.

Synodality and Dialogue

The Catholic Times published an article on the parish priests' meeting for the Third Synod, which pledged to restore relationships and communication to realize Synodalitas. The priests stated that they would find the starting point of all relationships in the Lord, live as companions, walking the path of faith with the faithful, and, as a community, share one another's weaknesses and heal together with fellow priests.

The Bishops' Conference held the 'Gathering of Parish Priests for the Church of the 3rd Synod' at the Culture and Spirituality Center of  the Benedictine Abbey from April 28 to 30. Concluding the meeting, the attending priests adopted a comprehensive statement titled 'Relationships and Communication, Our Reflections and Commitments.' The statement contains the reflections and discernments shared by priests as they engaged in "dialogue in the Holy Spirit" on the themes of "relationships and communication." The priests stated that the restoration of relationships begins with a relationship with the Lord, and that relationships with the faithful and fellow priests must also be renewed within a community of companionship and restoration. They also emphasized that true communication is not merely an exchange of opinions or a matter of decision-making, but a "spiritual process of jointly discerning God's will." Furthermore, they conveyed that the path toward communication is not simply a change of methods, but a "journey of conversion in which the entire culture of the Church is evangelized." The statement is significant in that it represents a tangible outcome that demonstrates the Korean Church's concrete, practical efforts during the Synod implementation phase. The Bishops' Conference announced that it plans to share the statement with the Secretariat of the World Synod of Bishops at the Pontifical See and the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences. This gathering was attended by 53 priests from 15 dioceses nationwide, with ordination years ranging from their 1st to their 36th.  The Dialogue in the Holy Spirit, conducted under the themes of 'Reflecting on Relationships' and 'Moving Forward Through Communication', began with thematic introductions and personal prayers, followed by participants sharing their thoughts in groups based on reflection statements and questions. A joint identification session was also arranged for all participants to review and revise a draft of the comprehensive opinion paper based on each group's presentation. Through this process, attendees experienced Synodalitas not merely through words, but by listening and identifying together. The  Secretary General of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, who has been in charge of planning and preparation since the first meeting, said, “As the meetings continue, they are establishing themselves as a priestly formation program that shares the spirit of the Synod, and the dialogue is becoming richer in the Holy Spirit.” He urged, “I hope that the priests participating in the meetings will learn genuine ways of communication and be reborn as pastors who internalize the Synod style”.

Women's Role in Evangelization in Korean Culture

The Catholic Peace Weekly published an article on the recent Symposium in the Suwon Diocese on Dialogue Between Asian Culture and the Catholic Church, with an emphasis on women's roles.

The process of evangelization in Asia—which has taken root within a diverse cultural landscape—and the role of women, with an assessment of the path forward for evangelization in the 21st century. 

In the  keynote address titled “The Evangelization of Asia and the Theology of Culture”, the  professor Emeritus  of Korea University examined the process of evangelization that has unfolded within Asia’s diverse cultures and proposed that “we must illuminate a new language of evangelization within modern culture in step with the rapidly changing trends of our times.”

 “Since Asia is a region where multiple religions and diverse cultures coexist most densely, evangelization has also been carried out through a ‘dialogue with culture’ that respects people’s deep religious experiences and historical memories. This ‘dialogue with culture’ presents a very important milestone for the entire Asian Church, which stands today before the massive waves of secularization and pluralism.”

A religious sister spoke on  “Women and Culture in the Asian Catholic Church,” highlighting the need for a new discourse on Asian Catholic women that is relevant to the present era. She pointed out, “Until now, Asian women have tended to be portrayed solely as victims, the poor, and those without a voice under the Confucian tradition”, noting that “such an overly simplified discourse fails to adequately capture the diverse lives, experiences, and stories of women”.

As concrete measures for finding a new Catholic discourse on women, Sister proposed: △Creating spaces for reconciliation through listening △, re-examining women’s leadership based on relationship-centered networks, transparent communication, and collaboration. She continued, “Creating a space where women can produce healthy discourse as active agents within the Church is a calling that women and the Church must fulfill together,” adding, “Only when women’s diverse experiences are naturally heard in the daily life of the Church community can we begin to discover diverse and healthy models of women’s leadership.”

A senior researcher at the 'Our Theology Research Institute', highlighted the pivotal role women have played in spreading the Gospel and sustaining the community throughout the history of the Korean Church’s evangelization, explaining that expanding their participation is a pressing task for the Korean and Asian churches.

Women have played a pivotal role throughout Korean church history—from the activities of the lay organizations during the period of persecution, to the Enlightenment Movement of the opening era, and the labor and anti-poverty movements following liberation—and remarked, “The participatory and dynamic culture of women in the Korean Church can continue in new forms even amid today’s challenges.” She added, “The history of the Catholic Church promoting women’s dignity through education and achieving church development can serve as a concrete model of hope for Asian churches facing the dual oppression of poverty and gender discrimination.”

A parish priest presented new pastoral approaches and cultural responses toward the younger generation and the isolated in the digital environment as a new task for evangelization, stating, “We must carry out cultural ministry that actively utilizes the benefits brought by digital AI culture while also accepting it critically.”

Korean Catholic Statistics

Pastoral Implications of the 2025 Statistics on the Catholic Church in Korea. Challenges of the Era of 6 Million Believers

Indifference, aging, and a declining next generation are the challenges for the transition to a Synod Church.

The Korean Catholic Church has entered the era of 6 million believers. This milestone was achieved 50 years after recording 1 million in 1975 and 17 years after surpassing 5 million in 2008. However, excluding the Military Ordinariate, the number of believers has been declining, and only 15 out of every 100 registered believers attend Sunday Mass. The number of new priests is also declining, and the proportion of believers aged 65 or older has risen to 28.9%, making the population structure increasingly centered on the elderly.

The number of registered believers in the Korean church has been tallied at 6,006,832, representing 11.4% of the total population.  This represents remarkable growth for a minority religion, which had a ratio of 1% (189,412 people) to the total population in 1955, when the results of the Korean War still lingered. The number of Korean church members first reached 1 million (2.98% of the population) in 1975 and 5 million (9.9%) in 2008. It took 50 years to reach 1 million and 18 years to reach 6 million.

However, behind the joy this number brings lies a reality that must be examined objectively. In the 2025 Korea Research survey, the proportion of Catholic believers was 11% of the total population, whereas in the Gallup Korea survey, it was only 6%. The gap between these two figures symbolically illustrates the distance between believers registered in the church registry and those who actually profess their faith. 

With the results of the religious population survey for the '2025 Population and Housing Census' by the National Data Bureau, a state agency, not yet released, the figure of 6 million registered members should be interpreted as a milestone and, at the same time, as the starting point for the challenges facing the church.

Above all, the recovery of so-called lapsed Catholics and inactive believers who are unable to fully participate in the life of the Church is an urgent task. The fact that Sunday Mass attendance remains at 15.5% of the total faithful demonstrates that the overwhelming majority of registered believers are far removed from the actual life of the faith community.

How to re-invite into the community those believers who have been unable to continue their sacramental life since Baptism and First Communion, and those whose connection with the parish was severed due to the pandemic, is a pastoral question that can no longer be postponed.

The path to recovery begins not merely with announcing events or reaching out, but with listening to and understanding why they left. The listening and companionship advocated by Synodalitas must be applied not only to those remaining within the church but also to those currently standing outside its doors.

The Korean church must fundamentally redefine its relationship with the young adult and adolescent generations. The number of believers aged 24 and under continues to decline, and Sunday school enrollment has dropped by nearly half over the past decade. This is not merely a reflection of population decline. Behind it lies a cultural and spiritual reality in which the younger generation feels the church is irrelevant to their lives or fails to accept faith as a meaningful choice.

We need a space within the church where young people can ask questions, doubt, and feel truly welcome in the process. We must deeply reflect on whether existing Sunday school operations and youth ministry programs are truly responding to the language and aspirations of this generation.

As the clergy and religious age and the decline in vocations progresses rapidly, the Church is increasingly likely to lose the vitality to fulfill its mission. This is already evident through various sacramental indicators, the distribution of clergy and religious, and the status of social welfare institutions.

Sin the Betrayal of Human Nature

[Asking St. Thomas Aquinas About the Path to Happiness] Are Sin and Punishment Obstacles to Humans' Pursuit of Happiness? A philosophy professor at the Catholic University says that you must distinguish:

Sin and Punishment, the Path of Healing to True Happiness by Correcting Distorted Nature. While cults rob people of their happiness by excessively exploiting 'guilt,' conversely, a tendency to mitigate sin itself or the sense of guilt is widespread in modern society. Modern excessive optimism tends to dismiss sin as a non-existent psychological inhibition, or even regard it as an 'attractive friend,' thereby taking its weight lightly. Nowadays, people generally seek happiness in the highly subjective, sensory realm of 'comfort' and immediate 'desire satisfaction', while viewing pain and discomfort as evil and avoiding them. Following this tendency, many complacently believe that sin does not exist, or that even if it does, its consequences are insignificant. Therefore, the concepts of 'sin (Peccatum)' and 'punishment (Poena),' emphasized in most religions, are often viewed by many as the oppression of irrational authority that infringes upon autonomy. However, a detailed examination of Thomas Aquinas's theory of sin and punishment reveals that this judgment and the resulting rejection stem largely from a misunderstanding. Thomas Aquinas states that eternal punishment is caused not by God's coercion, but by the 'stubbornness' of the human will. In contrast to modern psychology, which prioritizes inner peace and the fulfillment of desires, Thomas sees 'disordered self-love'. This is not a denial of the self, but a critique of a state in which the hierarchy of love is reversed. According to Thomas, 'right self-love' is preserving one's rational nature and turning toward God, the highest good, whereas 'disordered self-love' falls into the folly of undermining one's own immutable human dignity by clinging to the good of the world. While we often view sin as a product of personal mistakes or trauma and focus on self-forgiveness, Thomas defines it as a disorder regarding the rules of reason and eternal laws. When one realizes that disordered self-love ultimately entails abandoning one's authentic self and becoming a slave to changeable desires, Thomas's strictness can be reinterpreted as a warning to protect human nature. A sin defined as a betrayal of rational nature For Thomas, sin is not merely an act of violating the commands of an external power, but rather a 'betrayal of one's own nature' that infringes upon human happiness. He defined sin as both a 'departure from God' and a 'disordered conversion to a changeable good'. The one who sins deviates from the goals carefully set by reason, destroys himself, and brings about inner chaos. This analysis proves that sin is an unnatural act that hinders the realization of humanity. The reason for guarding against sin is not out of fear of external punishment, but to ensure that humans do not lose the path to realizing their humanity most completely. While modern relativistic ethics shifts responsibility to external circumstances or fate by claiming that "it is human to err," Thomas firmly rejects this. By meticulously analyzing the cause of sin as internal factors such as ignorance, passion, or malice (malitia). He emphasizes the 'subjectivity' of humans as masters of their own actions. In other words, the reason we must guard against sin is not out of fear of external punishment, but to protect our own dignity. When we understand that sin is a distortion of nature, the meaning of the resulting 'punishment' also shifts from mere retaliation to the restoration of order. Sin is a 'betrayal' of human nature... must be guarded against to protect one's own dignity. Punishment is 'restoration' that rebuilds the destroyed order... God's grace

Philosophy of Dishwashing.

The Religious Peace scholar at the Catholic University of Korea, in the "Window from the Ark" column of the Catholic Weekly, offers a philosophy of dishwashing.

Cook, set the table, eat, tidy the table, wash dishes, knead dough, bake bread, eat together, wash dishes, make soup, slice kimchi, set the table, eat rice, wash dishes, cook ramen, wash dishes, yesterday, today, and tomorrow, in the morning and in the evening…

Cooking, washing dishes, and cleaning. These are tasks that are immediately noticeable if not done, yet go unnoticed even if done diligently. They are not things to brag about. Outside of the family, there is rarely any praise for doing a good job. It is a draining task when even family members remain indifferent.

This is especially true for the dishes that pile up every day. You can skip cleaning for a day or two, but you cannot let a day pass without washing dishes. Cooking is a meaningful activity that brings thanks and nourishes others, but washing dishes is simple, repetitive labor that elicits little reaction from those around you and becomes tedious.

However, if you do not do it, you cannot cook or eat, and life itself becomes impossible. Even if you do not want to, you cannot avoid doing it. Whether at home, in a church, at the Blue House, or at the Vatican—wherever people live—it must be done, yet its true meaning is obscured, and treated as menial labor. Is washing dishes also a way of building the Kingdom of God?

Philosopher Graham Harman proposed a theory called "object-oriented ontology." While this may sound like a difficult concept, it can be summarized simply as follows: Humans are not the only subjects; all beings are objects to one another; humans cannot fully grasp all objects; every object possesses an inherent depth that defies boundaries and holds a cosmic dimension that infinitely expands its boundaries the more it is perceived; and every object perceived by humans transcends that perception, moving endlessly into a deep abyss.

Dishwashing. Every single dish, the object of this action, can serve as an example of this theory. Just when one thinks dishwashing is a task confined to the kitchen, it extends beyond it; just when one thinks it takes place in the kitchen across the street, it connects to someone's work life, effectively becoming part of human survival. Just when one thinks it is the task of cleaning up "food waste," it leads to conversations at the dining table, connecting to family relationships and broader human connections. In this way, dishwashing recedes beyond the kitchen, expands, and extends into an endless abyss, and connects to the entire universe. Dishwashing becomes a cosmic act and event.

And that is not all. It extends endlessly into the world of dish soaps, surfactants, pH adjusters, fragrances, moisturizers, and preservatives. The coffee drunk after a meal, the stains left in the cup, the African sun and soil, the sweat of the coffee roaster, and the fossil fuels of the transport ships.

Leftover kimchi juice, the highlands of Gangwon Province, large trucks, and midwinter asphalt, a delivery worker's winter clothing, someone's survival, and livelihood. A cup of coffee travels as far as Africa, while kimchi juice spilled on the table connects to the cabbage fields of Gangwon Province and the hands of farmers, reaching all the way to the sun. Boundaries expand endlessly.

Washing dishes is a process of converging the chain of cosmic ties (Many) intertwined with a single cup of coffee, the hands washing the dishes, and the cool stream of water right here and now (One). It is an event of "Many within One" (One in Many) as described in Buddhism. It is a small act taking place in the kitchen, yet it is also a monumental event that connects to the universe and recedes. It is a practical example of "Many within One." The religious worldview that "the whole is within the one, and the one is within the whole" is dynamically realized within the dishwashing basin. The repetition of daily life, bordering on meaninglessness, becomes a cosmic sanctuary.

Food scraps and clean dishes, impurity and purity are not two separate things. The act of wiping away the dirt from a single spoon becomes the principle of life. The cosmic truth contained in the smallness—in Buddhism, this is referred to as the state of "one is many, many is one" and "unhinderedness in all things." Wisdom that penetrates without hindrance all things and phenomena throughout time and space. 

In this way, washing dishes in a small kitchen becomes, in the language of Buddhism, the world adorned with flowers. 

Is it not the Lord’s world where “a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day” (cf. 2 Peter 3:8)?

Contermplation

 

In his column, Philosophical Chat, in the Korean Catholic Peace Weekly, a Jesuit professor offers readers some insight into the word "Contemplation."

The term “contemplation” derives from the Ancient Greek words “theorein” ( to see/observe) and “theoria”(contemplation/theory). Originally referring to the public act of visiting a sanctuary or festival, the concept gradually expanded to encompass philosophical and religious meanings. 

For Plato (428/7–348/7 BCE), contemplation is the event in which the human soul transitions from darkness to light and “sees” the true reality of the Forms, and this intuition serves as the basis for “recollection”. 

In contrast, Aristotle (384–322 BCE) defined contemplation as a theoretical activity through which humans recognize causes and principles to attain “wisdom,” viewing it as an activity of perfected actuality that constitutes human ultimate happiness. According to him, the “contemplative life” is the highest form of life, standing in contrast to the practical life.

Philosophical counseling, which seeks wisdom beyond mere knowledge, centers on “Contemplative Philosophy”. Contemplative Philosophy is the “science of wisdom” that pursues true and eternal truth through the intuitive insight of the intellect, going beyond rational and deductive reason. This does not remain confined to mere theoretical or speculative philosophy but aligns with “philosophical practice”, inspiring and revitalizing life. 

As a form of philosophical practice, philosophical counseling strives ceaselessly to advance toward the realm of truth and a greater reality by creating a “clearing” of thought in our lives through contemplative philosophy. This clearing of thought (contemplation) is a practical process that alleviates life's suffering and restores the vitality of existence by breaking free from the inertia of everyday thought and approaching reality.

Creating a clearing of thought is on a different level from simply “breaking down boundaries” to transcend limitations. Heidegger (1889–1976) defines a clearing as an open space where Being reveals itself. This is a fundamental mode of thinking that leaves space open for being to reveal its true nature. Contemplative thinking that opens a void within us does not mean reflection on reality, but rather reflection from reality and in communion with reality. If the characteristic of object-oriented thinking lies in establishing boundaries, then contemplative thinking that opens a void signifies boundaryless thinking—that is, thinking that breaks down boundaries. To put it another way, this can be described as a kind of “opening” of existence.

In fact, healing through philosophy is not possible when it remains merely at the level of speculative or theoretical thought; it becomes possible only when one enters the opening of the clearing where existence reveals itself. The experience of this clearing of thought, this opening up, is by no means easily attained; it is granted as an epiphany that arrives like a flash of lightning amidst ceaseless training in thought. This is also the very event in which the soul is healed. This opening—like a clearing that suddenly appears in a dense forest—is experienced only through a contemplative attitude that steps away from the bustle of daily life to dwell in thought. Heidegger understands this kind of thinking as a “reverent dwelling” that allows being to reveal itself.

Our thinking loses its sense of ease as it constantly compartmentalizes and defines objects. This kind of thinking, which draws boundaries, is an act of grasping and identifying with the object; it carries an element of exclusivity and ultimately leads to fatigue. In contrast, contemplation is a form of thinking that goes beyond definition to allow the object to reveal itself, dwelling in letting go and acceptance, and possesses the power to heal the soul.