Maryknoll Sisters 100th Anniversary in Korea

The Now/Here Catholic Website gives readers a glimpse of the recent 100th-anniversary celebration of the Maryknoll Sisters' beginning of their missionary work in Korea.

On Oct.18th, at the Mass and event held at the Franciscan Education Center in Jeong-dong, Seoul, those who had a connection with the Maryknoll Sisters in the past gathered to express their gratitude and congratulations.

The Superior General of the Maryknoll Sisters of America, the Maryknoll sisters and priests from Japan and Korea, and priests from several neighboring religious orders, mission societies, and diocesan priests attended the Mass that day.

Above all, the Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, whom the Maryknoll Sisters helped to found and nurture, the Women Workers' Association, Busan Maryknoll Hospital and the Anesthesia Nurses' Association, the Catholic Labor Youth Association and the Young Adults' Association, and the Ecological Spirituality Group, as well as members and friends of each local community that accompanied them in Korea, remembered and celebrated the 100th anniversary together.

The 100th Anniversary Mass of the Maryknoll Sisters was held on the 18th at the Franciscan Education Center in Jeong-dong, Seoul. Father Richard Augustine, Maryknoll Fathers' local superior, Father Phil Mares, and Father Hong Geun-pyo of the Archdiocese of Seoul concelebrated the Mass that day. 

The founding purpose of the Sisters of Maryknoll was to “participate in missionary work of the universal church, spread the justice, peace, and love proclaimed by Christ to all people, and bear witness to this through the lives of the sisters in every part of the world. " The six nuns who arrived in North Korea on October 24, 1924 embodied this purpose in Korea.

The Sisters of Maryknoll, established in 1912, were the first convent in the United States for overseas missions. In 1923, when the founder, Mother Mary Joseph, visited Korea, the priests and nuns of the Maryknoll Society working in the Pyongyang Diocese requested the presence of the Maryknoll Sisters.

Sister Mary Joseph emphasized the ‘love’ present throughout Jesus’ life and activities. The most important thing in the Maryknoll Sisters' identity consciousness was the ‘female’ missionary.

About 100 people gathered to celebrate the 100th anniversary Mass that day. Following the six who were sent, the 120 fellow nuns for 100 years followed the founder’s request to become people with “Christ-like mercy, a clear and simple soul, heroic generosity, selflessness, steadfast loyalty, diligent zeal, gentle hospitality, and the grace of affectionate humor” wherever they lived.

They embraced the women, children, workers, and the sick who were suffering, especially amid the historical suffering of the Korean people, and went wherever they could as doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers, environmental activists, friends, and sisters.

Home visits and vocational training in Uiju, Sinuiju, Jinnampo, and Pyongyang in North Korea, support for the establishment of the Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in 1932, the kidnapping of Sister Jang Jeong-on, a Korean-born Sister Aknita, medical activities by nuns who arrived in Busan in 1949, the Korean War, and the resumption of medical ministry after fleeing to Japan but unable to turn away from refugees, and the sharing of clothing and food continued amid the war.

After the end of the Korean War, the areas of ministry and mission expanded until 1956, establishing medical centers in Jeungpyeong and Ganghwa, social welfare and worker ministry in Incheon, school ministry, operation of Maryknoll Hospital in Busan, credit union activities, and nursing school.

After the war, as reconstruction and development took place, the nuns left the city and went to islands and rural areas. While continuing medical and social welfare activities, they also created communities for justice, peace, and human rights and lived with workers and abused women. Four Maryknoll Sisters are active in Japan, and two are in Korea, among the Northeast Asian regions.

Sister Joan Mun celebrated her 70th anniversary in Korea last year. Her diary expresses her determination to spread good news and love to the ends of the earth.

At the memorial Mass, Mother Teresa Honen began her sermon with the words of founder Father James Walsh, “We remember the mission of the Apostle Luke,” and “We go to places where we are not wanted but needed, and when we are wanted but no longer needed, we leave.”

Mother Teresa Honen said that the service and pastoral work of the Maryknoll Sisters up to this point has been a sign of God’s love for the Korean people and that when the Korean people suffered from the war, we suffered together. “The division of Korea, the kidnapping and death of Sister Jang Jeong-on were all of our suffering, and we worked together for peace, justice, and the abused. We stayed with them, ate with them, and experienced the kingdom of God.”

“Our mission today is to live in sharing with all people and all of creation,” she said. “The mission of missionaries is to convey God’s love for all people, and we came here to fully demonstrate this love. We came here for love, were loved, and were united by love.”

“Our hearts are filled with gratitude for the love the Korean faith community has welcomed us. Together, we will continue to create a world of peace and inclusion for all of creation,” she said.

The nuns of the Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help also expressed their gratitude, saying, "We, the spiritual fruit of the Maryknoll Sisters, are deeply moved by the sisters' love and passion for the Lord, and through their sacrifice and devotion, we too have been able to proclaim the gospel to our people and all of humanity."

The Maryknoll Sisters currently have 280 nuns in 19 countries. 100 Years of Maryknoll Sisters in Korea, “The Journey Is Not Over”

Listening to Speak...

The Catholic Peace Weekly 'Preciousness of Faith' Columnist offers readers some thoughts on an important issue for our era. 

Listening and speaking are the most basic actions in life. But is there anything as easy and difficult as listening and speaking?

Anyone who has traveled or lived abroad will know how important listening and speaking are. He remembers the time when studying in Europe and couldn’t communicate. He was envious of the dog that understood its owner’s words. ‘Oh, how great it would be if I could understand French like that dog!’

Listening and speaking are the basic skills we must learn from birth. How much effort did we put into communicating with our mothers when we were babies? Babies learn to communicate with their mothers, families, and the world. He imagines how difficult it must be for parents to teach their babies to speak and listen. However, no matter how difficult, the baby will have more trouble.

However, paradoxically, listening and speaking are also difficult as we age. This is the opposite of the difficulties we face when we are born. When we are babies, we don’t know anything, and it’s the first time, so it’s hard to learn, but when we grow older, we know too much, so it’s difficult. We have too much inside us, so listening and speaking properly is hard.

The Gospel of Mark contains a story about the healing of a deaf and mute man (Mark 7:31-37). Jesus took him aside, put his fingers into his ears, spit, touched his tongue, looked up to heaven, sighed, and said, “Ephphatha!” (Be opened!). Immediately, his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he began speaking properly. This story is based on a real event and has a spiritual meaning.

In the “Ephphatha Rite” in the “Baptism of Infants,” the officiating priest touches the ears and mouth of the baby being baptized and asks the Lord to allow the baby to hear the Lord’s word with his ears and confess his faith with his mouth. This also applies to adults. Being born again through baptism means seeing the world with new eyes, hearing with new ears, and speaking a new language with a new mouth.

It is important to note that listening and speaking are connected. If you were to choose which of the two is more important, most people would say listening. This is probably because listening is so difficult. 

What do we hear? We hear countless sounds but also ‘words’, not just sounds. Listening to someone means that the words they speak to me are transmitted to my heart through my ears. Sounds pass, but words are transmitted to my ears through someone’s mouth and reach my heart. True conversation is only possible when human words, not sounds, are exchanged between persons.

However, words are not transmitted only through sounds. It is difficult to hear words transmitted through sounds but even more difficult to hear words transmitted through body language—wordless language. For example, a person who cares for a sick person must understand the words the sick person communicates in unspoken language and provide necessary help. The words of a poor and sick person, the words of a lonely or depressed person, the words of a person struggling in deep despair and wounds… Our listening will be a great comfort to them, and our ‘words’ to them can have the power to heal them. If the Lord is active in them.

Consequently, the need to listen to this wordless language. May the Lord say, ‘Ephphatha!’ Open our eyes, ears, and mouths so that we can hear the voice of the Lord and sing the love of the Lord with our mouths.

The Power of Words

The  Catholic Peace Weekly column on the Preciousness of Faith gives us some thoughts on our faith life by the priest columnist.

When he was studying abroad in France, his young cousin wrote this in a letter: “Brother, in France, you can only eat bread. How can you live without eating rice?” His younger cousin must have thought he would die if he didn’t eat rice. Of course, you can live by eating bread, but I had no choice but to admit that you can’t live by bread alone. Koreans must eat rice, kimchi, and soybean paste stew to live. You have to speak Korean and socialize with Korean people to survive.

Most people think that faith is boring. They think that it's belief in unrealistic and absurd stories. However, if faith were a story about eating and living, it would be different. There is nothing more realistic than a story about eating and living. This raises the question: What do people eat and live?

“Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4) These are the words Jesus spoke to the devil’s temptation.

Let’s start with our experience with words. How many words have we exchanged today? What words came out of our mouths, and what came into our ears? Some words sound like words, and some words don’t sound like words. The power of words is truly enormous. Words save us, and words also kill us.  

A Korean proverb tells us we can repay a debt of a thousand nyang (old currency) with words and take on a debt that can never be repaid with words. How much have we been hurt by words, and how much have we hurt others with words?

However, to be words, they must respect the other person. Just as conversations begin with greetings, conversations become possible when the other person responds to the greetings we give. Our words can be answered or rejected. That is the fate of words. Words must also contain the truth without the intention of deceiving or hiding. True conversation is possible when there is trust in the other person, the conviction that sincerity is communicated, a desire for fellowship, respect, and trust for each other, and the belief that the other person will not deceive me.

People live by words. When someone speaks to me, there is a gaze toward me and a heart of trust. That someone is interested in me and wants to talk to me and come into my life. We become strong and comfortable with each other through conversations with people who truly share our feelings. Words filled with love, sincerity, and trust, words that give courage to save me, revive me, and change my destiny.

The sick man at the pool of Bethesda, who had been suffering from a 'lack of hope' for 38 years, was restored to his feet by the words of Jesus. “Do you want to be healed?” (John 5:6) “Get up, take up your mat and walk.” (5:8) The sick man who had lost love, hope, and faith was restored to his feet by the words of Jesus. Jesus’ words, filled with concern, consideration, and love for the sick man, revealed his true life and thus made healing possible.

The Word of God not only gives us life but also saves us. The Word of God penetrates deep into our hearts, purifies and renews us, and gives us the strength to live anew. The Word comes to us through our daily prayers, through the life of the Church, especially through the liturgy and the sacraments. It also speaks to us through countless events, encounters, and conversations in our daily lives. He speaks words full of concern and consideration for us and wants us to have a relationship with him and grow in that relationship.

How about praying like this now? Lord, open the ears of our souls so we can live by your words today!

Walking Together As Church

The Catholic Site Now/Here again visits the vital issue of Sodality and the future of the Church. We are all church members and need to walk together. The writer is a diocesan priest who shares while studying Catholic Humanities and religion at the Korean Institute of Christian Thought.

He read a post on Facebook by a Bishop a while ago. He said that synodalitas (walking together) resembles the word "accompaniment". He meant that the Church's history is in this accompaniment. In the Old Testament, God accompanied the Israelites liberated from Egypt. In the New Testament, Jesus promised to accompany his disciples when he ascended to heaven, saying, "I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). Another biblical basis for talking about synodalitas is often the story of the two disciples on their way to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32). 

No one should take the lead or be the main character in the accompanying Church. In other words, to walk the path together, we must carefully observe our neighbors who are walking together. To observe well means to wipe their sweat, rest with them, and adjust our steps to theirs. These things may seem easy, but they are difficult. This is because we are not accustomed to living a life accompanying others. Observing our neighbors is possible when humble. Humility is the essential condition for the Church that walks together. We must be humble to understand our neighbors' situations and accompany them accordingly. 

There lived a very humble king in India. He often bowed his head to those inferior to him, even though he was a king. One day, a subject saw this and earnestly petitioned the king, saying, "Your Majesty, you are the supreme ruler of this country. The head is the most precious part of the body, and you are the king and the head of our society. You should not bow your head to others so carelessly." Then the king gave the subject a 'cat skull,' a 'horse skull,' and a 'human skull' and told him to sell them at the market.

The subject did not know what was happening but went to the market as instructed and began selling them. People bought cat skulls because they thought that if they hung them in their homes, rats would disappear, and purchased horse skulls because they thought they would protect them from diseases. However, no one bought human skulls, so the subject took them and returned to the king's palace. After hearing the story, the king said to the subject, "A person's head is precious when it contains goodness and righteousness, but if it is an empty skull, it is worse than a cat or a horse's skull," he said, teaching his subject the wisdom of humility.

The priest remembered an Indian with whom he worked who said that the remnants of caste culture still exist in Indian society and in the Church.  The development of the Indian Church depends on eradicating the hierarchical norms of caste culture. 

He told the priest a story from Indian mythology. In the beginning, when God created humans, the highest class came from God's head, and the lowest class, Harijan, came from God's feet. In any case, the important thing is that all people are noble members of God."

All of you who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, neither enslaved person nor free, neither male nor female. You are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to the promise." (Gal 3:27-28) 

We must walk together because we are all precious members of God. Only when we can walk together with humility can the holy image of God be revealed to this world. 

When St. Augustine asked his disciples, "What is the most important virtue of a Christian?" he answered, "Humility". Many people blindly run toward the highest places to be exalted. Even on the path of the Church that walks with Jesus and his brothers and sisters, people try to run as in a race. 

A race is one in which one must run ahead of others with all one's might. We cannot walk together by running. Even Christians are anxious because they cannot attain a high position worthy of their name and a place that shines brighter than others. It seems to be the same inside and outside the Church. The time has come to choose between companionship and racing. The Synod of companionship is where joy is doubled, and sorrow is halved when shared.

Hope In the Future Between Japan and Korea

A university professor gave the readers of the Peace Weekly some exciting news on the relationship between the two countries of Japan and Korea and hope for the future.

A new prime minister has been elected in Japan. Korean media outlets have focused on Prime Minister Ishiba's past remarks, such as "Even if (colonial rule) was legal, we need to recognize the fact that there was a history of annexing Korea, which was an independent country, and changing (their) surnames." They have also highlighted a book published just before he ran for prime minister that included the subtitle, "The perpetrators forget, but the victims do not."

In particular, he is said to have been unable to answer when former Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew asked him about Japan's occupation of his country. It is said that he learned after returning to his home country that the Japanese military had divided Singaporeans into Chinese, Malay, and Indian groups, interned them, and carried out a reign of terror. He is said to have emphasized the wounds caused by annexation, which causes a country to lose its culture and language while saying it must "face its history as the perpetrator."

Looking back on the Korea-Japan relationship with the Abe government, which failed to face its past, the emergence of the Ishiba government raises expectations for a new journey of improving Korea-Japan relations. Korea-Japan relations have been sailing smoothly since the new policy toward Japan under the Yoon Seok-yeol government. However, a Japanese journalist defined the current Korea-Japan relations as 'Japan's anxiety and Korea's dissatisfaction.'

Korea is dissatisfied with resolving past issues. Japan is anxious that Korea-Japan relations may worsen again under the next Korean government. Judging from Prime Minister Ishiba's remarks, he seems willing to present a solution to both countries' dissatisfaction and anxiety. However, the problem is complex. Above all, how the Korean government responds to the new Japanese government is essential.

It is also worth noting that Prime Minister Ishiba himself supports the policy of revising the Peace Constitution into a Normal Constitution. Japan's Peace Constitution was a decision to prevent further war after 1945. Germany, a war criminal nation in Europe, was punished through division and occupation, and its national power was weakened so that it could not wage any more war.

In Asia, Japan was not divided. Instead, Korea and Vietnam were divided and experienced fierce warfare. The Emperor of Japan never used the word "surrender" in his surrender broadcast. He announced that he was forced to stop the war he had waged for the peace and prosperity of Asia because of America's brutal weapons. The perception of the past by the Japanese far-right has not improved since then.

Former Prime Minister Abe apologized for the areas Japan occupied on the 70th anniversary of Japan's defeat but did not apologize for the places it had colonized in the past. He inherited the Emperor's 1945 Okum broadcast and the 1951 San Francisco Peace Agreement. Next year will be the 80th anniversary of liberation and the 60th anniversary of the Korea-Japan Agreement. Still, the thoughts of the Japanese far-right have not changed.

The most significant meaning of 1945 was peace and the restoration of sovereignty of a weak country. The 1965 (Korea-Japan Agreement) meant breaking away from the past and opening up a future of peace and prosperity together. I hope that the launch of the new government in Japan will be an opportunity to resolve discontent and anxiety by facing the history of being the perpetrator on the one hand and by accepting it as true reconciliation on the other hand.

Care giver need for independence

In View from the Ark of the Catholic Times, a university professor offers thoughts on the need for independence in caregiving.

Motherhood has been interpreted as a woman's virtue, signifying endless sacrifice and devotion to their children. The passion for private education for children is also not free from criticism, stemming from the role of mothers. Nevertheless, women are less criticized when they put more effort into their children's achievements than themselves. However, motherhood is also related to the family's success and the maintenance of social status, so it cannot be free from selfish desires.

The role of mothers was interpreted as ending when their children entered college and became adults, but mothers often raise their grandchildren even after their children get married. Balancing work and family life and the insufficient childcare system is complex, so mothers must help their working children.

Highly educated mothers supplement and guide their children's studies and collect information on private education. There are also stories of mothers helping their children attending college or graduate school with their assignments, theses, and applications to higher-level schools. The misunderstanding of motherhood that they can do anything for their children prevents mothers from separating themselves from their children and interpreting these acts as love, thus preventing them from feeling guilty.

We have long heard stories of mothers of college students with low grades coming to their professors to ask questions and stories of mothers waiting in front of companies until their children who graduated from college are interviewed for a job. We have also heard stories of "helicopter moms" who ask their mothers, "What should I do now?" after studying abroad, and stories of college professors whose mothers came to help them set up their labs after they were hired.

Understandably, mothers worry because their children are always like children to them. Even a 90-year-old mother would tell her 70-year-old child, "Be careful." In addition, when young people cannot become economically independent due to structural unemployment or economic recession, parents have no choice but to take responsibility for their children's survival.

However, how long will mothers have to plan and manage their children's lives? I often see mothers around me who do not consider this separation and want their children to live as eternal mama's boys and mama's girls. We need to think about whether this behavior is actually helpful to their children.

Children may not be exposed to danger or hurt within the safety net of overprotection and family. However, they will not be able to make their own decisions and take responsibility for themselves while their parents are alive. In "Maternal Thought," philosopher Sara Ruddick argues that "mothers must restrain their care or interference so that their children can grow independently and as individuals." Of course, in this process, mothers must endure the pain of separation due to the attachment relationships formed through care.

On the other hand, some people in our society truly need care but do not receive help. In "I Became My Dad's Dad,"  a young man who became the guardian of his father with dementia describes the experiences of young caregivers who take care of sick parents at a young age. They drop out of school or cannot work to care for their ill parents. They face even more difficulties than caregivers of other age groups.

People who need care due to old age and disability depend on the care of their families, so their families are in a difficult situation. When overprotection and care are carried out within the exclusive fence of the family, those who really need care are alienated. In our society, the benefits and distribution of care are unbalanced.

Moving away from your children does not make you a bad mother. You just need to support your children so they can live independently and provide support when needed. It would be good for older women to entrust their children's lives to them and challenge themselves to free themselves from caregiving and focus on themselves. If they still want to care for someone, they need to go beyond their families and go to the community level to find places that really need care for marginalized neighbors. Of course, this care does not need to be limited to women.

Reading for Discernment

In the Peace Column of the Catholic Peace Weekly, the editorial writer offers some thoughts on a common pastime at this time of year.

When fall comes, reading comes to mind. Why is it the season for reading? We can see its origin in the four-character idiom “燈火可親” (by lamplight doing something worthwhile) that comes from the agricultural culture. It is too hot in the summer to read books by light, but in the cool fall, it is pleasant to do so by lamplight. 

Before paper was invented, ancient China used bamboo slips instead of paper. Bamboo shoots planted in the spring had to grow until fall to be bound. Fall is neither hot nor cold, making it perfect for reading books. It is the season when fruits and leaves fall. In the fall, calmness and loneliness deepen.

It is the season when I need someone to be with me. I look for family, friends, and lovers who can comfort my loneliness. After a short meeting, I feel empty and hopeless again. Is there “someone” here who will stay by my side for a long time? Who can embrace, comfort, and encourage me during fatigue, anger, discouragement, and failure?

Pope Francis says, “When prayer alone fails to bring inner peace, a ‘good book’ can help overcome difficulties and find peace of mind.” Reading creates new inner space so we do not sink into obsessive and narrow-minded thoughts that hinder our growth.

The Pope is an avid reader and enjoys reading novels and poetry. In addition to the Bible, there is always a book on his desk and in his bag. In his sermons and letters, he quotes works by famous and unknown authors worldwide and Bible passages. The Pope points out that literature should not be considered a secondary discipline in the priestly training courses of seminaries. He emphasizes that if future priests do not approach human culture and the hearts of each individual through literature, it can lead to intellectual and spiritual poverty.

The Pope’s favorite literary genre is dystopia, or ‘tragedy.’ In 1964, the Pope taught literature and psychology for two years at the Immaculate College (Jesuit) in Santa Fe, Argentina. The Pope recently shared an anecdote from that time in a letter to seminarians and pastoral workers. “I had to teach my students about El Cid, a medieval Spanish general, but they wanted to read the works of Federico Garcia Lorca, a Spanish poet and playwright who wrote many tragedies,” he said. So he had them read El Cid at home, and he taught about their favorite authors in class.

The Pope explained that he prefers tragedies because “we can all accept their tragedies as our own, as expressions of our own dramas.” Shedding tears over the fate of the characters means crying about our own emptiness, lack, and loneliness.

So what positive effects does reading have on our lives? The Pope says: “It improves vocabulary, develops intellectual abilities, stimulates imagination and creativity. It improves concentration, prevents cognitive decline, and reduces stress and anxiety.” He also says, “It allows us to see the world through the eyes of others, develops empathy, and discovers that even the loneliest people are not alone.”

The Pope advises that literature helps us “experience life as it is.” Our perspectives, living our breathless daily lives in the world, find it difficult to escape the pressure of realistic and short-term goals. In addition, services such as liturgy, pastoral work, and charity work can be reduced to obligatory tasks. Therefore, literary works can become a training ground for discerning the world.