Proposals for Korean Catholic Church

The Catholic Press this week gave good coverage on what transpired at the symposium on Evangelization sponsored by the Korean Bishops' committee on Evangelization. It was an honest appraisal of what is happening and the signs are far from positive. It seemed clear that we are going the way of the West . In the headline for the article in the Catholic Peace Weekly, the grade they gave the Catholic Church was, " external splendor internally empty".

Here are a number of proposals that were offered by the head of the Woori Theology Institute:

1) The program that we have for the military should be strengthened so that those who are baptized know what they are doing and are led to a change in life before baptism.

2) Those in the upper middle class should be an example of Catholic Morality and share their time and material goods with others.

3) Help those who are entering the Church to continue to renew their faith life.

4) The family has to make their faith life part of the family life and stress this with the children.

5) The Church has to emphasize its activity in the larger society.

6) The older Catholics have to be inspired to become interested in participating in the work of the Church

7) Help the woman between the ages of 30 and 40 to get involved by being more concerned with them and changing the way this group was approached.

8) Take note that the polarization does not increase in the Church between those who have and those who don't. The Church should be concerned for those who feel alienated and get involved in society to help them.


The head of the Institute mentioned the parish is not the possession of the priest and this thinking has to be eliminated . The pastoral care of the parish is not to be run according to the likes and dislikes of the pastor but according to the short and long term plans of the community.

These thoughts have been heard and in print for some years but it is getting heard now by an even larger audience. The contents of the symposium was reported in both the Catholic papers this past week. This will no doubt be the concern of the Bishops' Committee for years to come.

There was in the same issue of the Catholic Peace Weekly a press report that the Bishops will be taking a greater interest in those from other cultures who have immigrated to Korea. There will be a meeting of priests from the different dioceses in Masan in the middle of the month, to discuss the pastoral approach to these immigrant groups. This will continue for the future.

Chuseokㅡ Remembering the Dead

Today is the 15th of the 8th month of the Lunar Calendar, the August Moon Festival known by the name Chuseok or Hangawi. It is one of the more popular festivals deserving of three days of rest from work to be with family. Since we have the older generation here in the mission station there isn't the exodus to the country that you would have in the city parishes.


The morning of Chuseok there is the memorial service for the ancestors and if nearby the visit to the grave. The phrase is often used in English of ancestor worship but for a Catholic more correctly would be respect or veneration for the dead . It is a beautiful custom and although arrived at late by the Church , by many torturous paths, the Church has accepted this into the liturgy as the inculturation that is part and parcel of the teaching of Vatican II


Before Vatican II the National Holidays were not celebrated in the liturgy but since the 1960s we have a Chuseok liturgy in all the Churches of Korea. This morning at 10:30 am, during the Mass, the Catholics approached the altar, putting a stick of incense in a cup filled with rice to remember and pray for their ancestors. After the sermon we also had the short office for the dead. All those who have died are remembered in the Mass. To celebrate the day we also had a meal together to exchange our joy in a more material way.


The Church has decided that the Gospel of the day would be Luke 12:15-22. It is about the foolish rich farmer who was perplexed on what to do with the great harvest. One of the points of the parable is to be rich but of things that count and do not end with death. We are blessed in Korea to have a number of these festivals remembering the dead, that have become part of our liturgy. We still have the Feast of All Souls on November 2nd but the Feast of New Year and Chuseok does give Koreans more time to reflect on the most important aspect of life which is death.

A CEO Who Had No Place To Lay His Head

Chief Executive Officers are paid a great deal of money to run their business enterprises and make money for the investors, pay the workers and sell a good product to the public. In the Catholic Times this week, we have a professor who teaches in the department of business administration with a proposal and example for the future.

The management of a business enterprise calls for the leadership to steer the actions of the investors, consumers and employees in a positive way to help the enterprise. Many of our companies have two keywords: competition and efficiency that gives meaning to all that is done. Greed is the motivation, anything that will benefit the company without pause. There is no responsibility for the consumer, little interest in the environment, the dignity of the person and the common good.

The author spends some time explaining the word behavior contrasting this with the word action in Korean. When the word behavior is used there is no force or control understood but a movement of free will , a personal value judgment, coming from one's own initiative. Since we are made to search for meaning, the key to the success of the enterprise will depend on the meaning found by the investors the employees and the consumer. The way that many of our companies are run there is little room for considering the common good and respecting the dignity of the employees. They are in a sense robots programed for the companies bottom line.

He tells us that we are all made to search for ultimate meaning : finding out who we are and giving ourselves to altruistic love. In conclusion looking over history we have few examples with companies that have put the person first over money that have succeeded. He concludes the article by giving us Jesus as the exemplary CEO, who 2000 years ago started his enterprise with some very common people . It was a monumental project that he began that changed the world. He did it with the cross the sign of his love. This is the the example that we have to take as the future of leadership.

The article did seem idealistic but coming from a business administration professor it did mean more than one written by one of us. There are many who are using the word servant leadership in the business world in recent years, a sign that this may be more than pie in the sky for the future.

What Does It Mean To Be Blessed?

One often sees the Chinese Character for blessing on furniture, on walls, on presents and in combination with other words. It is a common verbal and written greeting. 幸福, Happiness. We all desire to be blessed and want others to be blessed.



The icon on the purse on the top left can be analyzed in many different ways; one easy to follow: the left side has two lines on top and three lines coming down vertically. The two horizontal lines signify the heavens and the three vertical lines signifies the Sun, Moon and Stars. On the bottom right you have the field which produces food, above that you have the mouth that eats. This character also is an icon for a glass of alcoholic drink used in sacrifice. In short you have all that is necessary for happiness the influence of the heavens and plenty of food and drink for our needs.



The word 오복 (five blessings ) is heard often and used in many different ways. Even part of the name of stores and companies. The five blessings are listed as longevity, health, wealth. virtue and a peaceful death. They are ardently desired not only in the East but where ever you have humankind.



In teaching Catholic Doctrine the thought comes to mind often that Jesus our teacher was not blessed with any of these except health. He did not live a long life, he had nowhere to lay his head, was considered a worker of the devil and died a very cruel death. This statement can't help but makes us think what does it really mean to be blessed.

1926 Korea Seen by Catholic Missioners

An old book The Catholic Church in Korea was published in 1926 and was reprinted again before the bicentennial of Christianity in Korea. It was a book that our older Maryknollers spent a great deal of time studying as they started the new mission in Korea in 1923. I found the final remarks and the conclusion on the obstacles to the spread of Catholicism in Korea an interesting sign of what our early Maryknollers faced in their work in Korea. It was a much more difficult environment in which to work than we faced coming to Korea after Independence.
A few political changes can do a great deal in changing the way of seeing the country. What follows is the chapter on Final Remarks :

We have already mentioned the fact that there are many different religions in Korea. Each one of these makes more or less vigorous efforts to influence the minds of the people.

Buddhism and Shintoism are especially protected by the government. They are official religions. The government also protects and favors Confucianism. Then there are the Heavenly Teachers, the Heavenly Guard, the Religion of Tankoun, etc., etc. These latter claiming to be purely Korean and therefore, the only really national faiths. Owing to this claim they win many followers. These followers are also attracted by the semi-political, semi-religious dreams of these sects and by the mystery in which several of them shroud their ceremonies and their true aim.

In speaking of all these religions, we also drew attention to the particular influence which this confused mixture of heterogeneous beliefs has had on the soul of the Korean. He has been led to develop a species of religious eclecticism. Nothing counts except exterior ceremonies, As for beliefs, there is no reason why they should not vary according to individual taste and to circumstances. The final result of this in some instances, practically amounts to atheism.

It is not difficult for Koreans having this kind of a mentality to show tolerance: one religion is as good as another in their opinion. If anyone argues with them, and especially if that person be a foreigner, they will reply; "Let each one follow the religion which appeals to him most." But in the bottom of their hearts, they have a leaning towards one of the religions of their own country, because it is a national religion. They have no objections to observing the ceremonies of several of these religions, even if the religions teach opposite doctrines. Such contradictions do not trouble them at all.

Sometimes Koreans admire the beauties of Catholic dogma and of the Church's moral teachings. He even expresses a more or less genuine desire to become a member of this religion which promises so much. But he is amazed when he learns what sacrifices he must make in order to remodel his life in conformity with the Divine precepts. He must abandon his idle superstitions, and, above all, he can no longer worship his ancestors. If the grace of God has not taken full possession of him, he will find it impossible to follow a religion which excludes all else. The Catholic religion will appear to him as rigid and narrow. This is the first obstacle that Catholicism meets with in Korea.

The second is the materialism, which has followed in the wake of the new civilization. It is useless to describe the materialism. This civilisation has produced the same fruits everywhere it has penetrated. It is hardly surprising that a nation which, until recent years, had practically no intercourse with foreigners should be easily captivated by the material aspect alone of modern culture. For such a nation, this brilliant aspect is the only one of any importance. It fascinates and attracts. Korea has not any principles in itself by means of which this attraction can be overcome.


At the present time, a wave of socialism and Bolshevism has swept over the peninsula. These ideas have bet with special success in Korea, for the Koreans love something new.

Wearing the Veil at Mass in Korea

One of the priests with a doctorate in liturgy, writing a weekly column on liturgy in the Catholic Peace Newspaper, has an article on using the veil at Mass. Personally he finds the appearance of women offering the Mass with veils as something very beautiful and has mentioned this often.

It is often said that for women to use the veil is discriminatory. Another criticism we often hear: in other countries they no longer use the veil why do we insist on its use here in Korea? Even though in other countries they do not use the veil is there any reason we should not if we think it a good thing ? Is his response.

The wearing of the veil is undoubtedly not a duty. There is no law mandating a woman's use of the veil. Therefore there is no reason a woman should feel guilty or have any misgivings for not wearing a veil at Mass. However, when we talk about inculturating the liturgy to the Korean way then the veil is a good example. Our custom of giving a beautiful veil to those being baptized is a wonderful practice and if we understand the meaning of the veil, profound.

In the Old Testament the wearing of the veil signified that the person was unmarried. (Gen. 24:65) In the New Testament Paul mentions that women wear the veil, it was not a liturgical law but the custom of the day. Woman's hair was the husbands glory. Adorned hair in those times was a worldly luxury and going into a sacred place it was natural to want to cover it. Therefore a person of faith attending Mass expressing simplicity and modesty would use the veil. It would also bring to mind their baptism and new birth with the white veil. Covering the hair that was adorned was also a sign of humility and modesty.

Korean women for the most part still wear the veil. It is something that they have no difficulty in doing and is a beautiful sight at Mass as the columnist mentions. It is an easy way to remember baptism and the sign value of what we do should never be underestimated. Losing the meaning of signs can be very detrimental to not only our spiritual life but to our living a fuller life.

Koreans have a great love for learning and they will sacrifice a great deal to educate their children. This is a gift of Confucianism. In the Choson period of Korean History passing the civil servant exams would guarantee a life of honor and service to society.



Koreans because of this tradition know what learning can do for the individual,the family and society. In a way it is a religious notion. In Buddhism the future is reincarnation in Confucianism it is living through their children. This gives them a strong desire to educate their children but there is also a shadow side to this.



The educational system can be geared for exams and not for making the person. In an article in the Catholic Times the writer mentions that he has two daughters preparing for college and has told them they will very likely change jobs often: more than preparing for a job to prepare for life.



The second recommendation was instead of picking a field for study and occupation from only a personal desire they should pick a field that will be of help to the world to others to our environment.



This does seem extremely altruistic and overly idealistic. It is an attempt to fight against the prevalent feeling in the society. The effort to get into the first class schools in Korea is great and the competition is fierce. There is consequently the attempt by some to buy their way into the best of schools. The penalty in Korea is less than three years of prison and a fine of less than 10,000 dollars. It is very steep and yet you have those who attempt it. The government is doing what it can to eradicate this corruption with sincere determination.



There are those in every society and culture who live by the law of the jungle. " If I want something than to get it I will take all the ways and means available. If I have the strength I will get it" The new liberalism.



The writer of the article mentions that in many Catholic parishes they have started the 100 days of prayer in preparation for the exams for college. He laments that the prayers ascending to God are selfishly motivated to achieve success for their child, no matter what, and he sees this as in root similar to those who use immoral means to to pass the exam. They both are motivated by selfishness. It is also a sign of the fervor that is attached to preparations for college entrance.