Like a Little Child

From our Maryknoller in Hong Kong Fr. John Cioppa.

...I can see why Jesus loved children. He saw them as so genuine. At their stage of life they were still open and sincere and still so trusting. My two nieces gave me a greater appreciation of why Jesus chose a child as a model that we should imitate and learn from. The image He put forward as the ideal to strive for was not an image of a great hero or person of great strength or powerㅡ not even an old wise man or saint from the Old Testament. The image of true greatness was the image of a child and that's the secret of the spirituality of Jesus Himself.

I am sure we have all been moved by a mother holding a child in her arms or a child sleeping on its mother's shoulder. They are so full of trust. They have no reason to mistrust anyone or anything. It is only as we grow older that we learn to mistrust, becoming fearful and suspicious of others. Feelings of fear are natural especially in a situation of danger, and I' m sure Jesus experienced these some feelings of fear., We are told that he sweat blood in the Garden of Gethsemane when threatened with arrest, torture, and death. But He trusted His Father and prayed that famous prayer, "Your will be done" (Mk 14:36). Jesus experienced fear but His response was one of trust in His Father.

Another remarkable quality of a healthy child is a sense of wonder. Everything is new and surprising. I can still see the expressions on the faces of my nieces when the wind blew the leaves and flower during a rainstorm and when the rain stopped, running out to play in the puddles on the sidewalk. For a child everything is new and magical. As we grow older we lose that sense of wonder.Everything becomes ordinary and taken for granted. When the wind blows the leaves and flowers bend and when the rain is over there are puddles on the sidewalk. But our reaction is," So what?" Not so with the child. One of the ways of staying young is to try to preserve that sense of wonder. Nature is a good place to start. Just take a moment to become conscious of the world around us: the beautiful scenery, mountains, the astronauts living on a space station for three months. Eventually we too begin seeing everything as mysteries: the oceans, flowers, grass, trees. Then there are all the marvels of science, like taking a space ship to the moon. Jesus had a deep sense of wonder. He was enthralled by the beauty of the lilies of the field, the birds of the air (Mt. 6:28), and the wheat that grows quietly and invisibly while the farmer sleeps ( Mk. 4:28). In all these marvels of nature, Jesus shows the mysterious hand of God. He was a mystic and a poet

One final quality we associate with childhood is playfulness, laughter and fun. Children laugh so easily. They pretend they are gown-ups: doctors, nurses, teachers, mother, firemen or policemen. Jesus also noticed the kids playing in the marketplace, some singing the songs of weddings, others the songs of funerals ( Lk. 7:32). Unfortunately we tend to lose this playfulness as we g row up and become more serious.We often think of the saints as serious, humourless, quiet people. Not so. Just consider St. Francis. He used to sing to the birds and flowers and roll in the snow in wintertime. Some even say that Jesus wasn't a joyful person because the Gospels never say He laughed. When we see His great love for children, I am sure He smiled and laughed all the time.

Jesus' choice of a little child as a model provides us with an image of the kind of person we need to become if we are to become like Him. The image of a childlike joyful personality I think gives us a good idea of the person of Jesus Himself. And he told us to imitate His love as He imitates the love of the Father.

The next time you see children playing, or a new born baby or a mother holding an infant in her arms look closely to see if you can see Jesus.

I Thirst

From In His Own Words, Fr. John Cioppa Maryknoller in Hong Kong.

Two small words . Simple and plain. But we remember them as two of the last words spoken by Jesus just before the end. Like all religious people we have a deep interest in reflecting and examining the last words of a person before he dies.We do that with our parents, we do it with our friends.We value those words and we wonder what they mean. For Jesus these two words become a key to knowing him and understanding His heart. We look at them not just as an indication of His physical need for water, but as a gateway through which we begin to understand who He is and who we are.

Long before Jesus spoke them and the Gospel writers recorded them, we find these words in the Psalms as a cry of anguish and distress poured out by the Jewish people to their God:

O God you are my God whom I seek;
For you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts,
Like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water. (Ps63:1)

Jesus knew these words and understood their deeper meaning. True, His body needed water, but even more His soul needed the consolation and peace of His Father. Those two words spoken by Jesus reflect the thirst that exists in all of us as we struggle to find the true fountain of life and peace and true meaning. These two words reflect the deepest desire of our hearts. Knowingly or unknowingly we thirst for the Father just like Jesus. We look everywhere and try everything to find water that can slake our thirst. Then we drink only to find that the water is bitter and poisoned and our thirst continues.

On the first Friday of each month we honour the Sacred Heart of Jesus and reflect on the words, "I thirst" as spoken by Jesus on the Cross and experienced by each of us in our hearts. The Gospels record that after Jesus died, soldiers pierced his side, and blood and water poured out from His Sacred Heart. As we go through life and try many different waters to satisfy our thirst, hopefully one day we will try this sacred water and find that it is not only sweet, but is the only true water that can bring true meaning, peace and joy to our hearts.

Does God Love You?

From our fellow Maryknoller in Hong Kong John Cioppa, In His Own Words.

Do you love yourself? You may not, but God does. When you look into the mirror, do you like the person you see? Do you feel that the "You" ...is OK? God thinks so. Do you believe you are a good loveable person? God does!


Recently I have been thinking, we have been teaching doctrine backwards. Even we priests in preaching have often emphasized the wrong thing.We have been telling people they are bad, unworthy, sinners, unloveable, soiled, imperfect, and no good. We have been telling them they have to do lot of things to make God love them. They have to work hard , say a lot of prayers, do a lot of penance, beat their breasts and thenㅡand only thenㅡ, maybe God might like them. We have made life and religion a terrible burden for people, and I think God is unhappy about that. God wants to share His love with people and we have created obstacles instead of helping them come closer to Him.


God doesn't love us because we are good.God loves us and makes us good. I don't know how many times we have heard that God's love is unconditional, unlimited and never changing. I am not sure we believe that. We have created a God that fits our image and have done the same with people.The image we have of ourselves and others may not be what God had in mind.


In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, we read that God made us in His image and likenessㅡmale and female. He made each one of us just like Himself. So we are made to look like God, in this image and likeness. Do you believe that? Now what is your image of God? I think most of us believe God is a wonderful, loving, caring merciful, sensitive, compassionate person.We have been taught that and have often experienced God's love and care in our lives.


Now if we are made in the image and likeness of God, we must be like Him. Right? That is, we too must also be wonderful, loving compassionate, caring people.We have been created good, gentle, loveable, people just like God. And that is why God loves us. Not because we have made ourselves good , but because He made us like himself and
therefore loveable, I don't think we believe that.


We keep struggling to do all kinds of things to make ourselves perfect in order that God might like us.May be we are trying too hard. He already likes us. Take a look at Scripture. Who does God love most? Is it the priests of the temple, the doctors of the law, the Scribes or Pharisees who kept the law? These are the people who studied hard, obeyed the law, did all the right things and tried to make themselves good, to make
God like them. But who are the ones that God loves most? Aren't they the poor, the sick, the dumb, those possessed by devils, the prostitutes, the sinners? Aren't these the ones that God loves most?


Incredible? Yes it is, but just believe it. God loves you today just as you are. If you are young or old, a sinner or saint, sick or well. God loves you just the same, just as you are. And you know what? His love doesn't change. It is the same today as it was the day you were born. It is always the most and you cannot do anything to make Him love you more. His love is already the most. How can it be any more!

Blessed Are the Poor

From Fr. Cioppa's In His Own Words.

I am sure we have all asked this question. "Am I loveable?" In our contacts with people, we put our best foot forward. We let people see our good side: the handsome, concerned, loving, caring "me". But there is another side which I try to hide, which only I see: the proud, selfish, petty, domineering "me". Sometimes I wonder why did God do this? why didn't He make me with only a good side? Why didn't He do a better job and make me perfect? Why did He make life so difficult? I have to struggle to be good. He could have made it easy and just made a perfect world with all perfect people. Why didn't He?

If God knew that there were going to be so many wars, natural disaster, sin, pain and suffering why didn't He just make a nice comfortable world where we could all be happy for ever afterㅡlike the fairy books say? The question keeps coming back especially when we see a child suffer, the poor dying of hunger, prostitutes walking the streets, global warming, people killing one another in wars and overflowing prisons. Why? Why? Why?

One time I asked a group of social workers, "If you were creating the world and you knew then what you know now, would you have created the world? Would you have made men and women just as they are now?" They discussed the question for a while, and then answered, "Yes". I was surprised and asked why. They said that in the people they served: the street sleepers, the poor, the sick, the dying, the prostitutes, the mentally impaired, the prisoners, the disobedient students, the elderly, they found joy, peace, dignity and a depth of life which they did not find in others. They found them loveable. If these social workers found that these destitute derelicts, dregs of society were loveableㅡ then it has to be even more true of God.

God looks at all the evil in the world, all the unthinkable crimes men commit and all the destruction they bring about and He still finds us lovable. Unbelievable! Astonishing! Impossible! Yes, but true! Isn't that a wonderful thoughtㅡthat God's love for us is unconditional?

I think God's reaction is much like the social workers. He, like them, looks at the bottom of the social scale and is moved by them. His heart goes out to them and finds them loveable. God looks at them, the world, you and me, and sees the bad side of us, but He also sees the good side and finds us loveable. Hard to believe, isn't it?

One last point. When I look at myself, doI see myself as weak, getting older, a sinner, afraid, lonely depressed, not so smart and feel I just can' get ahead? If the answer is yes, then God probably loves you even more than if you were brilliant, healthy, young and successful. So rejoice! You just joined the poor of the world and God finds you loveable!

Man's Worst Disease

The meditation below is taken from Fr. John Cioppa's In His Own Words.

Once in an interview with a reporter, Mother Teresa said that for all kinds of diseases there are medicines and cures. We have almost eradicated leprosy and we have medicines for TB and malaria.But there is one terrible disease she said which I don't think can ever be cured.That is the disease of being unwanted. Every human being wants to be loved. Not a cheap love, but a deep love, a love of being accepted for what I am. A baby who is not welcomed is often ill. A student who does not feel accepted will not learn. A worker who is not accepted by his colleagues will suffer ulcers. A Religious who is not accepted by her community will never be happy.

Acceptance means that people with whom I live give me a feeling of self-respect, a feeling that I am worthwhile, that I am good. They are happy that I am who I am. They don't demand that I be someone else. They don't insist that I be perfect. Each of us is born with many potentialities, but unless they are drawn out by the touch of acceptance, they will remain dormant. Acceptance does not mean that I deny the defects in someone or say that everything he does is beautiful. Only when I accept a person can I really see his defects. People who are not accepted crave , long for it and will do anything to get it. They boast in order to get praise. They exaggerate because they feel inferior and they tend to be rigid and afraid to risk... If I don't experience trust: being trusted and trusting others, my life becomes empty.

I am sure we have all experienced this lack of acceptance at times in our lives. Is there an answer to all of this? There is. And this is going to sound simplistic . But it is a genuine realization that I am accepted by Godㅡas I amㅡ as I am at this very moment and not as I should be. God doesn't demand that we be perfect before He loves us. He doesn't even demand that we be good. He just asks that we trust Him believe in Him, and accept His love.

Many of us spend our whole lives doing many things to build up merit so God will love us more. We believe that the more "I do" the more God will love me. We cannot earn love. Love is a gift from God. We cannot do anything to make God love me. He loves us already and He cannot love us any more because His love is perfect. "In this love, not that we loved God but that He loved us.... We love God because He first loved us." (1 Jn. 4:10) It is hard to believe but God knows my name. In the book of Isaiah God says: "See I have branded you on the palms of my hands." (Is 48:1216) Imagine that! God can never look at His hand without seeing my name and thinking of me. How many times have we said the words, "God loves me". But for most of us deep down in our hearts we have some questions. Does He really love me with no strings attached? Just as I am? With all of my faults? Let me answer. Yes, He does and most of us will spend the rest of our lives trying to understand and open our hearts to accept that love. It is called Faith.

At the end of the interview with Mother Teresa, the reporter said, "Now I understand why you gave up everything to work with the poor hoping that through your care , concern and love they might realize that they are loved, accepted and beautiful people."

Thoughts on VacationㅡSaints

Fr.John Cioppa in Hong Kong. In His Own Words.

One nice thing about vacations is that one has more time to read, reflect, rest and write. Just recently I finished a book entitled, "Why be Catholic". The last chapter is on saints. The author a Franciscan Priest, placed it last since he says this is the ultimate aim of Christians- not to know about the saints, but to become saints. Saints are our heroes; they are the ones who did ordinary things with deep faith. They would say that they did not accomplish anything great, but they allowed God to accomplish great things through them.

God's grace is always mediated through human experience, most often through people. We encounter God not through the head, but through the heart. Reflect for a moment about the times that you studied doctrine or attended Sunday School or even heard a priest preach. Which do you remember more: the "person" or what they said?" Think back on the events that have formed you, the things that have affected your life most. Aren't they usually associated with people: your parents, your husband or wife, a friend, a teacher or perhaps a priest or Sister? Catholics have followed the examples of their saints more than they have the ideas in their doctrines . Ideas are abstract but lives are real. People are often bored by theology, but they are always fascinated by saints. Saints fire our imagination: stir up our hearts; awaken our dreams.

In the lives of others, especially in the lives of the saints, we discern how God works in human life. We all want to see God. But in this life we encounter the invisible God in and through the visible world. We experience the love of God through the love of other people. We experience the care and forgiveness of God through the care and forgiveness of others. We all want to know how to live? The saints are our teachers and models. And there is not just one model. There are saints who are martyrs, ascetics, mystics, activists, priest, Sisters and lay people. Some were very simple, others very learned: men, women, single and married. ( I am writing this on July 23, the feast day of Saint Bridget. She was married and had 8 children.) Some saints were even considered eccentric.

As we look at the lives of the saints we find one thing in common.They became free, loving, happy and fulfilled people only through years of struggle, both within themselves and with the world. As Catholics we are not called to admire the saints, we are called to be saints. Catholicism is not something to know, it is a vision . It is a way of life. And the Saints are our models.

Saints- Happy Or Sad People?

A meditation from our Maryknoller in Hong Kong Fr. John Cioppa, taken from his book In His Own Words.

I was reading an article recently that said the primary religious virtue is Joy together with gratitude. That surprised me. I would have chosen Faith, Hope or maybe Love. But the more I think about it the more I realize how correct that statement is. Happiness is the key. If God is happy and we are made in the image of God then we are made to be happy too. If I were asked what is the one thing that every single person in the world desires- there is no question it is "Happiness"! This is the basic search of every individual. "How to be happy?" "What do I have to do to be happy?" Some buy lotto tickets, some like expensive clothes or cars, others study the stock market, get married or watch TV. The motive of those who go to war or don't go to war or even of those who commit suicide is - Happiness.

True HAPPINESS is not a feeling. It is not perfect health or long life. True happiness is sharing in the life, spirit and joy of God. The saints give a clue as to what that happiness is. We often think of the saints as individuals who were flawless, pious, quiet people who spent much time in prayer, suffered a great deal and looked forward to death. Some may be like that, they don't seem very human. I don't like that image of a saint. Actually, I don't think it is even correct. I think the saints wanted to be happy just like you and me. They didn't search out hardship, misery and suffering. They were people who were compassionate, understanding , faced obstacles with peace and freedom, had a balance in their lives, a sense of humour and above all found JOY in all things. They had a deep appreciation of the beautiful things in life.

Look at St. Francis. He was a poor man but he was a happy man. He took delight in each day, in the flowers, birds, animals, food and work. He addressed the sun as "Brother Sun" and the moon as "Sister Moon". The saints were people who felt gladness and gratitude to be alive. They were people who were truly human and filled with joy. Like St. Irenaeus said, " The glory of God is man fully alive." Our bodies and the world are not obstacles on the path to God-they are vehicles in which we travel on the journey to heaven. We forget that God said all of these things are good, very good. The highest compliment we can give to someone who gives us a gift is to thoroughly enjoy the gift . The greatest compliment we can give to God, Our Creator, is to thoroughly enjoy the gift of life. The best way to pay for a beautiful moment is to enjoy it.

The saints are people who realized and lived out the fact that this world is not our true home. But they are also the ones who enjoyed life most fully.They loved God but if you read the lives of the saints you will even find that some where fat, had double chins and liked good chocolate. So let's enjoy life , thank God and join the communion of saints.

PRAYER-WALKING

Another meditation from our fellow Maryknoller in Hong Kong, Fr. John Cioppa.

I like to walk. I like to walk with others. This provides a great opportunity to relax, talk and share views on life with a friend. But I also like to walk alone. I have found it is one of the best ways to pray and it's easy. For many of us as soon as we think of prayer, we think of folding our hands, kneeling in church or saying the Rosary. But walking can be prayer too.

I like walking in the country parks best.... But you can walk in the streets as well. Prayer walking is an attitude. If you can walk, you can pray-walk. The simplest way I call "strolling " with your soul. You just walk along in a relaxed and easy going manner enjoying nature, stopping to look at whatever grabs your attention: a flower, a tree, a pond, ball game or kids playing on the swings. You just admire and enjoy what you are experiencing. Perhaps it's the smell of the flowers or the sour odour of fermented leaves in the Fall. Whatever it is, we drink in and feel in our souls a sense of joy and peace, and thank God that we are alive and here. We bless all of creation and the whole world becomes our "temple".

Another kind of prayer-walking is more formal. We can consciously breath in the fresh air , count our steps, repeat a phrase that we like, e.g. Lord Jesus, have mercy on me; My God I place all my trust in Thee, or like what Thomas the Apostle said, " My Lord and My God." We can find a word or phrase in cadence with the walking. Some people like to say the Rosary. Don't worry too much about what you are saying, just keep up with the rhythm.

I prefer to use my own words and talk to God. Sometimes I praise Him for the beautiful day and the opportunity for quiet reflection. Other times I discuss with Him a difficulty I am having, tell Him about my mood. good or bad. Sometimes I talk with Him about the day ahead or discuss with Him future plans or ask His help with a decision I have to make. If I am alone and no one is in sight, I talk aloud to God. Sometimes I repeat a short hymn.

Prayer -walking is healthy. It involves the whole person, body and soul.

Prayer-walking is not for experts. It is for ordinary people with feet. If you have feet, you can pray.

Prayer-walking is right for our times. It is a combination of action and contemplation. It reduces stress.

Prayer -walking helps us to pray naturally and to form the habit of praying always.

Prayer-walking is enjoyable and easy. You can prayer -walk alone or with someone else, at day or night, in rain or shine, in the city or country , with music or quiet, for five minutes or five hours. Try it....

Church building : a tent or a tabernacle

A fellow Maryknoller, Fr. John Cioppa, who celebrated his 50th Anniversary of priesthood has a book of reflections on his years of work in Hong Kong. I found his thoughts In His Own Words to be very wise and could translate many of them very easily into the Korea situation which I will do in coming blogs.

Sometimes in conversation with Catholics they complain, "Wouldn't it be nice if we had a real church here?" I am not so sure. I am convinced more than ever that having a small temporary "church" or Mass center ... has many advantages. Let me explain.

I guess we should start with a consideration of just what a church building really is. The church building is the place where a group of believers come together to pray, worship God and through the liturgy it transforms into the "true presence of Christ". Vatican II has made it very clear that the "Church" is the people of God, a community which accepts Christ as their Lord and Savior. The church (building) is the home of the Christian Community.

For Many centuries churches were designed with the Blessed Sacrament as the focal point. They were constructed in such a way that the Blessed Sacrament was placed in the most prominent place in the building- usually in the middle of the main altar. This was to accommodate the principal devotion of the people, namely the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Have you noticed that in all of the churches today , both old and new, the Blessed Sacrament is now placed on a small side altar like those in ...

The emphasis now in church design is to create a favorable environment for the Christians to gather and pray. Both church design and the liturgy itself are reminders that we are a community on a journey and that this earth is not our permanent home. So the best symbol of our "Church" is not a massive, beautiful structure of marble and stone, not a place that is fixed, secure and solid, but rather a TENT, a symbol of travel, impermanence, change and simplicity. This is the primary image of the Church of the millennium: a TENT not a tabernacle.

The church is a place for people to gather. The liturgy is not a state. It is a series of feasts in dynamic relationship. We begin with Advent and Christmas, move through Lent and Easter to Pentecost and finally to the end of the year with the feasts of All Saints and Souls reaching a finale in the celebration of Christ the King. In the liturgy we bridge the world of the present and the world to come; earth and heaven; the secular and the sacred. We come to the liturgy not as passive observers, but as active participants to be transformed. We come to church not to feel comforatable, secure and "at home". We come to church to realize that this world is not our permanent home, that we are people on pilgrmiage with our feet on the ground, but with our eyes fixed on the Kingdom...

From reading the above we can see that Hong Kong is less traditional in viewing the liturgy. I personally prefer the tabernacle in the sanctuary at the main altar or very close to the main altar. I would see our Churches both as TENTS and TABERNACLES. However the point that I like is the idea of temporary. I do think that we spend too much time and money trying to make our churches into monuments and miss what is most important. This obviously is an area of much discussion and difference of opinion but a fruitful area for debate.

The Church in Asia

Here is another reflection from Fr. John Cioppa's In His Own Words that was written in 2000.

The greatest challenge to the Catholic Church today is to become inculurated in Asia. The future of the 21st Century is in Asia. Asia is home to over 60% of the world's people with more than 40% under the age of 15. The five countries with the largest populations are : China, India Indonesia, Japan and Bangladesh. Both China and India have over a billion people.

Different from the West, Asia is a mosaic of different cultures, ethnic groups, social, economic and political systems and the homeland of three great world religions, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. 85% of the world's non-Christians are in Asia.

There are around one hundred million Catholics in Asia or about 2.9% of the population. If we exclude the Philippines, the percentage drops to less than 1% . However, the Church is growing continuously. In 10 years the number of Catholics increased by 25% with a growing number of priests and Sisters.There are presently 32,291 priest in Asia and more than twice that number of Sisters. Asia has 617 Bishops out of 4,400 bishops in the world.

If one were to shrink the world population into a village of 100 people, 57 would be Asians, 21 from Europe, 14 from the Americas and 8 from Africa.There would be 70 people of colour and 30 would be white. 67 would be non-Christian and 33 would be Christians, Out of 100 people 70 would not be able to read; 50 would suffer from malnutrition and only one would have a university education.

One of the greatest challenges facing the Church in this Century is to evangelize the people of Asia and have Christianity become truly an Asian religion. Missionaries and all Asian Christians have to be creative, innovative, able to dialogue with different religions and be open to different approaches to Gospel proclamation. As the Bishops told us at the Asian Synod-we will learn a new way of being the Church in Asia. Our greatest reason for hope is Jesus Christ Himself, who said, "Take heart it is I: have no fear... I have overcome the world." And we shouldn't forget that Jesus Himself was born in Asia.

Below is the statistical report for the Catholic Church published by the Catholic Bishops of Korea.

According to the Statistics, as of December 31, 2008, the number of Catholics in Korea amounted to 5,004,115 or 9.9% of the total population (50,394,374). It indicates an increase of 130,000 (2.7%) from the previous year.

With regard to dioceses, the Archdiocese of Seoul had the most number of the faithful as 1,384,238, followed by the Diocese of Suwon (718,638), the Archdiocese of Daegu (442,794), the Diocese of Incheon (427,960) and the Diocese of Pusan (409,587).

The rate of Evangelization comparing with the population came to over 10 % in the dioceses of Incheon, Suwon, Cheongju and Cheju, along with the Archdiocese of Seoul, which hit the highest rate of 13.6%.

The Statistics indicated that the number of the newly baptized was 32,124 in the Archdiocese of Seoul, 18,411 in the Diocese of Suwon, and 10,275 in the Diocese of Incheon. The Military Ordinariate recorded 28,213 newly baptized, who were mostly young soldiers.

By age group, the male faithful in their 20s had the highest number at 18.9%, followed by those in their 40s at 17%, those in their 30s at 15,6% and those in their 50s at 15,2%, while the largest group of the female faithful were those in their 40s and 50s. The Statistics also categorized the faithful by sex (male 41.6% and female 58.4%).

The Statistics also indicated that the number of clergy in Korea amounted to 4,204, including foreign missionary priests. Among them, 3,477 were diocesan priests and 726 were religious and missionary priests. The total number of Korean priests were 4,026, which showed an increase of 101 from the previous year, while the total number of cardinals and bishops were 31.

By diocese, the Archdiocese of Seoul had the highest number of the clergy as 701, followed by the Archdiocese of Daegu (406), the Diocese of Suwon (371) and the Diocese of Pusan (315). The dioceses of Cheju, Andong, Chuncheon and Wonju had 35, 74, 95, 96 priests respectively.

However, the number of seminarians was 1,413 in 7 Seminaries, few change from the previous year (1,403).

The number of parishes was 1,543, an increase of 32, while the number of mission stations was 1,037, a decrease of 47 from the previous year. The number of the faithful per priest was 1,190. The parishes were only 50 in 1908, but they have continuously increased, so that they amounted to 500 in 1976, 1,017 in 1995 and 1,511 in 2007.

With regard to men and women religious, there were 1,445 men religious, including novices, religious in temporary and final vows as well as foreign religious, which showed a decrease of 19, while 10,401 women religious were counted in 2008, an increase of 186 from the previous year.

The number of the celebrations of the Sacrament of Matrimony amounted to 26,182 in 2008, of which 15,324 were marriages between a baptized and non-baptized, which accounted for 58.6%.

With regard to devotional associations, the number of Legion of Mary members was the highest with 261,610, followed by Cursillo members (8,898) and the members of the Marriage Encounter (7,488).

The number of Sunday School attendants (from the age of 7 to 19) amounted to 647,159, of which only 11% was counted regular attendants. The Sunday School teachers were counted up to 17,775, and Primary and Middle & High School students attending Sunday Mass were reported respectively as 132,895 and 71,452.

The rate of participation at Sunday Mass reached 24% on average, which means that one of four faithful attends Sunday Mass. The number of faithful, who received the Sacrament of Confession as Easter duty and Christmas duty in 2008 was 1,052,729 (29.5%), and 1,116,053 (30.6%) respectively. It was figured out that the faithful received the Sacrament of Confession as duty once a year on average, while they received the Communion twenty times on average in 2008.

Who am I?

This reflection is taken from In His Own Words by Fr. John Cioppa, Maryknoller from Hong Kong. Fr. John just recently celebrated his 5oth anniversary as a priest and during that time has had many positions of leadership in the Society and at present is the superior of the Maryknollers in Hong Kong.

" Fr. John joined the Holy Spirit Study Centre in 1988, and since then has become the indispensable administrator, who helps us to run the often-complex daily operations of the Centre. He has done this with tireless devotion, with charm and respect, gaining from the members of the Centre our most sincere affection and gratitude. Fr. John is not only a straightforward and efficient administrator, but also a man who loves beauty and grace. He was behind the renovation of the facilities and offices of the Centre, giving us a nice, well-lit and pleasant place to work everyday. Father John has also been the capable convener of past Church in China conferences. He really deserves our gratitude. "

There are two questions which you and I never cease to ask. Questions that remain buried deep in the heart of every person. One is "Who AM I?"and the other is, "What AM I doing Here?" We may never ask these questions directly of anyone, but in one way or another we are constantly seeking for answers and the answers are what gives meaning to my life.These are living questions; puzzles that are never solved, mysteries that are never dispelled.

The first answer we often come up with is "I am what I do". And this is very real. When I do things and have a little success, I feel good about myself. When I fail or get older and can do little, I feel low or depressed and useless. Young people who have still to begin their careers also feel they have done nothing and likewise get low or depressed. So often our identity depends on what I can do.

We might also say, "I am what other people say about me. "For some people this is most important. When people speak well of me. I can walk around happily and freely. When people start saying negative things about me I begin to feel sad. If I do something well and 10 people congratulate me , but one scorns me, I remember the latter because I have been hurt. If someone says something hurtful in the morning, it can stay with me the whole day and ruin my mood for the day. What people say about me has an enormous affect on who I think I am.

Some might say, "I am what I have." For example, I can say I am Chinese, with kind parents, a university education, good job and healthy. I feel happy and satisfied with myself, but as soon as I lose any part of what I have: my health or job, for instance, I begin to slip into darkness. This happens often with people who have great material possessions: wealth, property, and money. Many people committed suicide in 1929 when the Stock Market crashed.

Quite often a lot of our energy goes into " I am what I do," "I am what others say about me," "I am what I have." When people live that way our lives are repetition of ups and downs. When people speak well of me, when I am successful, when I have a lot, I am excited and happy. But when I fail, and people talk about me behind my back or I lose my friends I slip into depression and am in low spirits.

When Jesus was tempted in the desert, the devil tried to get Jesus to do great things so that people would be convinced of "Who He was." But Jesus already knew who He was. At His baptism by John He already heard His heavenly Father assure Him, "You are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." That was Jesus' true identity. He didn't have to depend on what He could do , or what people would say or what He possessed. Jesus knew very well that He was the beloved son of the Father.

And that is our true identity also. What we say about Jesus can be said of us. We too are the beloved children of God. He loves us just as much as He loved Jesus. That's what it means to have faith; not to know a lot, but to be truly convinced that God really does love me as His son or daughter with an unconditional, unlimited forgiving love. So when I fail, or am ill, or am bankrupt, or am out of a job, or grow old, or am rejected or hurt, I am not overcome, because I know "Who I Am"- a beloved child of God.

What Fr. John has seen over the years working in Hong Kong is something we also see in Korea. We at times think that we are here only to work and to possess. If this does become the end and be all of our existence, disappointments and frustrations will not be far away. Life is a gift of God and it is to be enjoyed but often we use God and do not enjoy Him and what He has given. Koreans do love to play, to enjoy one another, and be close to nature but with "progress" time becomes money and the simple things of life no longer are important. We are too busy to enjoy just "being", our existence, a situation which is a colossal tragedy.