Winning Hearts Within the Church

In the Reader's Column of the Catholic Times, a layperson expresses hope that the Church will move from Catching the Youth to Winning the Hearts of the Youth.

In the summer of 2025, the young people who participated in the 'Year of the Young' filled the streets of Rome with passion and vitality as protagonists of the Church. Responding to Pope Francis's invitation, participants from around the world powerfully testified to the presence and potential of youth within the church community. That experience did not end with that moment in time. Even after returning to their daily lives, the youth gathered again for a Thanksgiving Mass. At that gathering, they filled out the 'Application Form to Serve at the 2027 World Youth Day in Seoul.'  

Encouraging volunteer work is not wrong, but when I heard that news, I felt a sense of frustration. The atmosphere, which seemed to demand action before the reverberations of a deep faith experience had fully subsided, felt as if it did not allow enough time to fully savor the inspiration. Of course, turning that inspiration into service is another form of experiencing God, and it is meaningful for both the individual and the Church.  

Reflecting carefully on why my heart felt heavy at that moment, memories surfaced of how youth in the Church have always been perceived as 'obvious workers.' In parish events, young people's labor was naturally expected. When it came to moving heavy loads or dismantling the nativity scene, the youth were invariably the first to be called. Even while saying, "Youth are members of the community and should participate," in reality, it took a long time and complex procedures before the voices of young people were respected and reflected within the Church.  

I once served as a catechism teacher for middle and high school students myself. The coordination among teachers was good, and I planned activities and prepared lesson materials to make time with the children more enjoyable. The children enjoyed attending the parish, and some high school seniors even showed an interest in becoming catechism teachers after entering college. Contrary to concerns about a shortage of catechism teachers, in flourishing communities, youth felt a sense of belonging and joy in their faith.

I often observed that when people experience joy in their faith, it naturally leads to service. A friend who majored in cello in college was also an excellent piano accompanist, so he was welcomed at every parish event. When concerts were held, he participated in orchestra practice months in advance, and he never missed volunteering for the sacred music committee. The problem was that he was teaching students or performing part-time at a Protestant church to earn tuition. Yet, the parish did not even cover transportation costs. Balancing part-time work, primary practice, and volunteering, he one day complained, "Today I'm going to forced volunteer work again." 

My own youth activities at the parish were certainly nourishing in my life, but whether I can confidently say that the frustrations I experienced 20 years ago no longer occur today is still uncertain. The way of encouraging service also needs to adapt to the changing times. It is necessary to explain kindly why volunteering is meaningful from the perspective of young people, and to persuade them with empathy. We need to move away from seeing youth as mere labor and recognize them as the protagonists and agents at youth conferences, requiring consistent and patient efforts to encourage voluntary participation. 

To win the hearts of young people, the Church must approach them more patiently and warmly. A fisherman who catches people is not someone who catches them with skill all at once, but someone who earns their hearts through communication and shared moments. Similarly, the Church should have the patience and willingness to invest in relationships rather than focusing solely on immediate results. 

The 2027 World Youth Day in Seoul will serve as a mirror reflecting the challenges of youth ministry today. Along the way, old wounds may resurface, and long-buried issues may come to light. It will undoubtedly be a challenging path, but I believe this time will be a crucial period of reflection for the Korean Church. To allow more young people to take root in the Church, this journey will be both a time of healing that soothes pain and a beginning that sprouts new hope. 

A Plastic Free Church

 

Achieving a ‘Plastic-Free Church’ Requires Not Only Individual Action but Also Supporting Systems and the Catholic press gives the readers some help in understanding the issue. 

Plastic, used indiscriminately in daily life, is identified as a major factor hindering carbon neutrality throughout its entire lifecycle, from production to recycling. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea's Ecological Environment Committee setting this year's Catholic Environmental Award theme as ‘Solving the Plastic Problem in the Era of Climate Crisis’ clearly demonstrates the Church's commitment to addressing this issue.

In line with the Church's recommendation to minimize the use of plastic products, dioceses and parishes are also presenting practical tasks to reduce single-use items and promote a culture of resource conservation. Specific measures include providing reusable cups, installing umbrella rainwater removers, utilizing reusable fabric banners, establishing separate collection systems for paper packs, and expanding the availability of water purifiers and drinking fountains.

If these external changes in parishes lead to improved awareness among parishioners, they could expand into environmental campaigns linked with local communities or the operation of resource recycling centers. Many churches already operate resource recycling shops that reward parishioners with mileage points or cash based on the weight of cleanly washed and sorted recyclables they bring in.

The head of an Ecology and Environment Subcommittee at one of the parishes, stated, “When the resource recycling corner first opened, some parishioners were unfamiliar with it, but through consistent education, they came to understand the meaning of environmental practice and now actively utilize it. By naturally practicing waste separation and reducing single-use items at the church, we are participating in preserving God's creation.”

Ecological conversion requires not only individual action but also efforts to improve climate and environmental policies. Pope Francis stated: “Without citizens exercising political power over national, regional, and local governments, environmental damage cannot be prevented. Moreover, when neighboring communities agree to support the same environmental policies, local laws become more effective.”  

The Consumer Climate Action, recipient of the 20th Catholic Environmental Award, is an organization putting this spirit into practice. They gather the voices of environmentally conscious consumers and strive to change climate and environmental systems, actively promoting campaigns and legislation to address the plastic problem.

The representative of Consumer Climate Action, stated, “While individual actions are important for solving the plastic problem, we need regulations that reduce the amount produced in the first place,” adding, “Special legislation requiring compliance with safety standards for microplastics when manufacturing or importing products is also absolutely necessary to build a sustainable society.” 

Consumer Climate Action is focusing its efforts on enacting relevant laws through campaigns and signature drives that raise awareness about the impact of plastic consumption on the climate crisis and the dangers of microplastics. A leader in society said, “We hope Catholic parishes and organizations will also take an interest in how current systems and laws affect environmental issues and join efforts to improve them,” adding, “Especially during parish clothing swaps, sharing and recycling a lot of clothing would also greatly help reduce microplastics.”  

Secretary General of the Ecological Environment Committee of the Bishops' Conference stated, “Plastics produced from petrochemicals are a major obstacle to carbon neutrality, so this year we focused on solving the plastic problem.” He added, “Alongside the practices of parishes and individuals using less plastic, institutional improvements are also needed to enable us to voluntarily choose environmentally friendly products for the protection of creation.”

Mission Sunday October 19, 2025

The Overseas Mission and Overseas Korean Pastoral Care Committee of the Bishops' Conference holds an annual "Overseas Mission Day" to review the overseas missionary activities of the Korean Church and explore more passionate missionary prospects. This year is particularly significant as it marks the 50th anniversary of the Korean Foreign Mission Society, which was established for overseas missions.

The Korean Church has grown from a 'receiving church' to a 'sharing church' through the love and support of the universal Church. Built upon the blood of martyrs, the Korean Church has become a proud member of the universal Church, grounded in the fervent spirit of martyrdom that inspired its martyrs. It has been entrusted with the missionary mandate to spread the Gospel beyond the Korean Peninsula to the entire world.

The Korean Church recognized this calling early on. Over the past decades, it has focused on establishing churches in regions where the Gospel has not been sufficiently spread, such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It has served the poor and marginalized through medical, educational, and social welfare activities. This was exemplary practice, testifying to a life of faith and love for neighbors, going beyond mere proclamation.

Today's world urgently demands the witness of the Gospel. Climate crisis, migrant and refugee issues, regional conflicts, economic inequality, and human alienation call for the Gospel of Christ to be revealed not only in words but through concrete practices of justice and love.

This year's 15th Overseas Mission Day, themed "The Catholic Church in Korea Speaks of Lay Missionaries," emphasizes the importance of lay missionaries. 

Mission is not solely the responsibility of clergy, religious, or professional missionaries. Proclaiming the Gospel is a spiritual calling given to all disciples of Christ. This Overseas Mission Day is an opportunity for all laypeople to rediscover the meaning and importance of mission as disciples of Christ.

Bridge Between Life and Death

The Seoul Archdiocese Life Committee hosted a talk concert titled ‘Connecting Life and Death’. A talk concert is a Korean way of saying lecture. It was a place to convey the true meaning of not merely facing ‘death’ but welcoming it. 

Hospice, which originated in the 11th century with the meaning of 'hospitality,' is now known as 'hospice palliative care.’ A professor in the Department of Hospice Palliative Medicine at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic University of Korea, explained, “Hospice is often known as treatment received before death, but it is treatment that helps manage symptoms of incurable diseases in an aging society.”

An author who lost her mother in her 30s, shared that her mother was admitted to the hospice palliative care ward at St. Mary's Hospital around the time it first opened. After admission, a nun asked her, ‘Have you prepared a portrait photo?’ She was shocked because she hadn't prepared at all for her mother's death. The author continued, but thanks to the nun, she could choose a moment when her mother was smiling most happily. After the funeral, at a memorial Mass for bereaved families, the priest said, ‘There is no one in this world who is not bereaved,’ which was a great comfort.

The Secretary General of Seoul Life Care, stated, “The Catholic Church places great importance on holistic care. Simply telling people to care for others vaguely can make it seem difficult, so we point to hospice as a model. Humans are born as the weakest beings and return to weakness. While the healthy may view this as unfortunate, each person is a being who finds meaning within their own circumstances."

Concerns were also raised regarding the recent active societal discussions on assisted suicide and euthanasia.  “Countries where assisted suicide is permitted are those with sufficiently developed hospice infrastructure,” and added, “In our country, discussions on assisted suicide are being held despite the severe lack of hospice infrastructure.”

The panelists at the talk concert repeatedly urged a renewed reflection on the value of death. When asked, ‘If you had only one day left to live, how would you want to live?’, one patient replied, ‘I want to live just like yesterday’. “I hope those contemplating death will reflect more deeply on their present lives. How one lives now will undoubtedly shape how death is accepted.”

"Land Belongs to God"

"The land belongs to God"... Social inequality in Korea viewed through land justice. Now/Here Catholic website has an article on this issue: How should we view and address the real estate problem, a major culprit in social inequality in Korea?

On the 24th, the Catholic Eco Forum (an open discussion forum on eco-friendliness) was held at the Catholic Center in Seoul, on the topic of "Land Justice."

The forum was jointly organized by the Environmental Pastoral Committee of the Archdiocese of Seoul and the Headquarters for the Revitalization of Our Rural Areas, and the opening remarks were given by the director of the Land + Freedom Research Institute. 

We live in a society where land, a public good, has been replaced by "real estate." Unearned income from real estate and land speculation, a major factor deepening inequality, peaked at approximately 460 trillion won in 2021. While it declined to approximately 288 trillion won in 2023, the average unearned income has accounted for 16.8 percent of GDP over the past 17 years.

"The skyrocketing land and housing prices mean that the hard-earned income of individuals and companies with little or no real estate ownership has been transferred to individuals and companies with substantial real estate ownership."  "To put it bluntly, this unearned income is legal theft."

"You can't sell land outright is the Biblical understanding: “The land is mine” (Leviticus 25:23), means that all humanity has rights to land, natural resources, and the ecological environment, which were not created by humans. The director explained: “The biblical meaning is that everyone should equally enjoy the rights to land, and this is the spirit that can establish land justice.”

Seven Sabbath years will be forty-nine years. In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, on the Day of Atonement, sound the trumpet loudly.  It shall be a Jubilee for you. “Each of you shall return to his own land, and each of you shall return to his clan.” (Leviticus 25:8-10)

The concept of the “holy nation” in the Old Testament and the “kingdom of God” in the New Testament emphasizes “equality”. The director viewed this as the spirit of the Jubilee, emphasizing, “The Jubilee, signifying complete freedom and liberation, addresses issues such as debt, slave labor, land, animals, and the ecological environment, but the most important issue is ‘land.’”

Director Nam stated: "Historically, tenant farmers were psychologically and economically subordinated to landlords because they had no land. The reason land seems to have diminished in importance today is because it has been replaced by the term 'real estate. If we interpret 'real estate' as 'land,' the problem of 'landowners', and the housing problem can also be found in land."

"In almost all countries, the enormous unearned income generated from land and natural resources, which are privately owned, is enjoyed by individuals under the guise of 'protecting private property rights,' leading to persistent speculation."

The importance of land is evident in the fact that it is the primary culprit of inequality, and he explained that real estate, or land, is also the primary culprit of inequality in Korean society. The Gini coefficient, an indicator of income inequality, indicates that income distribution is more equal the closer it is to zero. In 2024, the Gini coefficient for private land ownership will exceed 0.8 based on value and 0.9 based on area.

In addition to the widening gap between landowners and those without, he also pointed out the impact of overdevelopment and ecosystem destruction caused by land issues. "The strong desire to carve mountains into open spaces and convert farmland and green spaces into residential or industrial land is because it makes money," he said. "If the value of land increased by changing the use of farmland and green spaces is recovered, encroachment by development will be significantly reduced, and lobbying and corruption for land use changes will disappear.

Director Nam proposes a way to achieve land justice in modern society. He proposed a "land dividend system." The land dividend system is a "land value sharing system" whereby society recoups and shares the compensation for excluding others from landowners. This system has a profound impact on the real estate ownership patterns of individuals and corporations, and is designed to benefit those with little or no ownership over those with excessive ownership.

Through land and housing we must work within our church community to address the housing challenges faced by young people, and we must raise our voices to block real estate speculation and restore equal rights to land and housing within society at large."

He then addressed the question, "Will the world change if the church does this?" He said, "Our faith is the substance of things hoped for. The Bible never supports historical determinism. The people who were exiled to Babylon were able to return because they repented and practiced the Jubilee." He emphasized that Korean society can change, and believing and acting on that belief is the faith the Bible gives us.

Path of Renunciation

 

In the Preciousness of Faith column of the Catholic Peace Weekly, the seminary professor begins: If someone asks what faith is...' What would we say? We would answer, 'Following Christ'. But what does it mean to follow Christ?

Jesus Himself answered this: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26)

Truthfully, these words of Jesus are not easy to understand. How should we accept this teaching that we must hate our parents, spouse, children, brothers and sisters, even our own life? Surely he isn't referring to actual hatred within families. The hint may lie in the words He added at the end of the following parable: "In the same way, any of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." (14:33)

The path of following Christ is the path of renunciation, the path of letting go. Of course, the 'renunciation of possessions' spoken of here differs from what Buddhism teaches. It is not merely about discarding what one has or severing the mind's greed and attachments, but about realizing that everything I possess is a gift from God.

St. Paul also once said to the Corinthians: "What do you have that you did not receive? If everything you have is received, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? You are already full! You have already become rich!" (1 Cor 4:7-8)

When we think about it, what do we possess that we did not receive? Life, gender, name, family, parents, siblings, home, clothing, food, various possessions. Upon waking to consciousness, we find all these things given to us. 

Although some things may be unsatisfactory, there are also blessings to be found. Especially when I think of my parents and grandparents, family elders, relatives, and siblings who shower me with boundless, warm love—aren't we living in an ocean of grace? Isn't God constantly giving to us through all these people? Moreover, isn't everything that exists a blessed gift prepared by the Lord? Even the beautiful nature and environment!

Of course, one might harbor complaints, wondering, "Why did He give me only this?" This occurs when we compare ourselves to others and perceive ourselves as lacking, or when we experience discomfort due to poor health or a troubled mind. It also happens when those around us become a heavy burden. Especially parents, siblings, family members, or community members can sometimes be a significant burden to us.

While we cannot deny this, I wonder if these difficulties might be precisely what we need to abandon everything and follow the Lord. 

There are countless opportunities to realize that we are beings who ultimately receive everything from God, only to lay it all down and return to Him.

In that sense, life is a school where we learn to let go and to be grateful. We can truly 'possess' nothing. Our life, talents, appearance, age, parents, children, siblings, acquaintances, property, possessions, money—all these are things and people we will leave behind. The moment we realize this truth, we will understand that the only thing we can truly possess is the Lord Himself, and that the happiest moment in life is when he possesses us, and Him alone.

At this time, the Lord calls us to the sea of grace. To a life of joy and happiness given to His children. He invites us to continue living a life of gratitude, following the Lord.

What Is a Saint?

A Korean novelist in her weekly 'My God Study' column in the Catholic Times begins with the question her son asked, hearing about the new saint Carlo Acutis:  "I don't understand why they canonized him?"

She ordered several books about him and read them. And for an entire week, her son's words stayed with her. Making a saint among those so young was a rare occurrence. As her son said, what could a boy who barely lived 15 years on this earth have done to cause so many miracles to happen? 

She opened the book again and made a list of his deeds. Inviting friends whose spirits were crushed by their parents' divorce over for meals, striking up conversations with bullied classmates, not getting angry when toys were taken at the playground, getting angry at friends who broke the rules, picking up trash, bringing home abandoned animals, greeting street cleaners and asking how they were doing, asking his grandmother to pack desserts to deliver to the homeless, refusing his mother's offer to buy him another pair of shoes and instead asking her to use that money to help the poor, and during puberty, when his friends whistled at a pretty girl, he snapped: "Is Sophia a dog? Why are you whistling?" 

At the wealthy school he attended, when friends mocked his few outfits as tacky, he sternly replied: "Everyone is born unique. What's so great about designer brands? They all look the same. Do you want to leave this world imitating others?"

These words moved her greatly. Evil tends to be similar without any distinct features. Others have often mentioned this fact. If that's the case, the way to become a saint is quite simple. Saints are incredibly unique. All it takes is to be yourself. 

The words of the 15-year-old boy resonated with her. Of course, the thought came to mind that this truth is proclaimed similarly everywhere in the world. Yet, was Carlo Acutis a boy who carried the Bible and was solemn? No, he played the saxophone and was a computer whiz.

He created and distributed a program that announced the miracle of the Eucharist (since it was the early 2000s, only experts could have made such a program) on their own. After he died, his parents looked through his computer and found no records of him ever accessing forbidden sites. 

Facing death from acute leukemia, he said to his mother, 'Do not be sad. Sadness is a gaze turned toward oneself, but happiness is a gaze turned toward God. I have always done things that please God, so I feel I can die peacefully. However, after I die, my siblings will be born'.

As predicted, after Carlo Acutis died, his mother gave birth to twins at the age of 43. As the novelist prepared to write this article, tears welled up in her eyes.

Is there even one thing among these that she cannot do? Just as St. Therese of Lisieux became a great saint, who devoted her life to loving God in the early 20th century, she intuitively sensed that Acutis, the first saint of the 21st century, was a significant figure. 

"There is no need to move mountains, to heal the sick, to build great cathedrals, or to achieve anything. Just live with love. Is there anything else I desire beyond that?"