Preparing for the 50th Anniversary

The diocese of Incheon will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary next year, and it was a sign of the maturity of the diocese and the need to manage the many works of the diocese that Rome finally appointed an auxiliary.

The Cardinal of Seoul, in his congratulatory speech, praised the work of Maryknoll Bishop McNaugton (retired bishop of Incheon) for his many years of service to the diocese. Back in 1961, there were only 9 parishes and 23,169 Catholics; today there are 113 parishes and 437,621 Catholics, making Incheon the 4th largest diocese in Korea. When the diocese was established there were no Korean priests, today there are 260. Since Bishop Mc Naughton was not present, the Cardinal asked us all to clap loud enough for the Bishop to hear us in the States.

The head of the Bishops Conference gave a congratulatory talk that was far from the staid and conventional speech that you would expect on such an occasion. It shows that Bishops can surprise even in Korea.

He began with a joke. A lay man went to heaven and was met by St. Peter who, without much ado, let him enter. Soon after, a Relgious Sister arrived and Peter gave her a bouquet of flowers. And then a bishop arrived and there was an orchestra to greet him. The lay man spoke to St. Peter about the unfairness of the receptions. He thought heaven would be different and was annoyed at the discrimination. St. Peter explained that this bishop was the first one they had seen in 100 years.

He went on in this vein telling us that when a person becomes a general in the armed forces, he has 80 or more things that change for him. Becoming a bishop also means many changes: a red cassock and hat, a miter, a ring, gloves, and a shepherd's staff--to keep his fingers busy--a driver, a secretary, and the best places at events.

He concluded his talk by reminding us of St. Ignatius' example of the two standards: Jesus and Satan. On one side, poverty contempt and humility; on the other side, riches, honor and pride. Sometimes, it's difficult, he said, to distinguish under which standard one is working. He congratulated the new bishop and asked him to be sure to check which standard we (the bishops) are working under. Let us make sure it's not every hundred years that a bishop gets to heaven.

Not taking ourselves too seriously and being able to laugh at ourselves is not out of place even at a bishop's consecration. The bishop made it clear to the new bishop what his priorities should be in a humorous but effective way. These are also what our values should be as disciples of Jesus.

Fr. John Edward Morris, Maryknoller

An article in the July issue of the Kyeong-Hyang Magazine introduces us to the first Korean Religious Order established in Korea: the Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, founded by Fr. John Edward Morris. He was a Maryknoll priest who was sent to Korea in 1923, a difficult time in Korean Church history; he was made the Ordinary of the diocese in 1930. We are told that he was the first one to have seminars for lay people with interest in mission work and had helped many in his diocese overcome the difficulties of living in a country occupied by the Japanese.

He started a monthly magazine, "Catholic Studies," to encourage the work of evangelization, and improve the way the diocese and the parishes were run. He was also instrumental in giving hope and a long-overdue sense of empowerment to Catholic Korean women.

Right from the beginning, the Sisters were exposed to Continual Lectio Divina: regular study and reading of the scriptures. This was their charism, and they continued with this dependence on Scripture in their many works, guided by the words of Luke 18:41: "Lord, that I may see."

Wanting to know more about their founder, the Congregation sent a representative to Rome to gather whatever information was available, but learned that the time for release of the material has not arrived. So the Sisters will have to wait to see what the documents covering that period in Korea will reveal about Fr. Morris. .

Since Father Morris was ordered to resign by the Superior General of Maryknoll in 1936, there has been on-going discussions on what really happened during that turbulent time, when the "rites controversy," a complicated issue, was being hotly debated. Missioners were on both sides of the issue, intensifying the problem, a problem that led to the resignation. It was not an action initiated by the Vatican but rather by Maryknoll because of the dissension among Maryknollers in Korea. It was an attempt to bring peace and harmony back to the diocese.

At the funeral Mass for Fr. Morris, Fr. Sheridan, who knew him well, said that Fr. Morris, "Never sought to be vindicated but some day, please God, it will come about and perhaps soon." That would be a welcomed and long-awaited gift to the congregation he brought into being so long ago.

Is it Wrong to Pray on the Soccer Field?

Watching the World Cup games, most Korean Catholics are pleased to see players make the sign of the cross after scoring a goal. Appreciating the joy and gratitude after such a feat by making a sign of the cross, if not by some other gesture of elation, seems a natural thing to Korean Catholics. Making the sign of the cross is a regular part of their lives; even when snacking, many precede the eating by the sign of the cross.

In recent months, one of the Buddhist groups asked the soccer league to stop the religious ceremonies on the playing field. In response, a journalist for the Catholic Times wrote: "Is it wrong to pray?" Apparently, a league official of the FIFA had asked the players to refrain from any religious displays on the field, considering them out of place on the soccer field.

The players were not happy with the request and made it clear that there was nothing in the rules that would be against expressing joy after a goal. The regulations prohibit political acts, or acts that demean opposing teams or incite the crowd, but there is no prohibition of prayers and rituals.

One of our Korean players, a Protestant, after a goal gets down on his knees to pray, and in Europe and South America, you will occasionally see players making the sign of the cross. For a Catholic, the connection with those players is somewhat closer.

Besides religious displays, there are also displays that involve kissing a ring, doing a jig, somersaulting, and whatever else the player feels properly expresses joy and gratitude for the success of the moment.

These are ways of adding a little more luster to the sport. The journalist is hoping to see many making the sign of the cross, since many of the teams participating in the World Cup games come from predominantly Catholic countries. He is surprised that some have difficulty with these rituals and believes this is a very pre-modern way of seeing what is happening on the soccer field.

For a non-religious person, what is seen is considered superstitious, a return to a previous pre-scientific age, and therefore a childish way of acting. Many see these religious displays as divisive and tend to separate us, but they may also be seen as acts that show us how much larger life is than what we have come to make of it. We need not agree with the expressions we see, but we should be big enough to appreciate what moves others to express what they feel in their hearts. Without this understanding, life becomes drab and joyless in a separate, self-limiting world, instead of a life that opens up to a larger world we can joyfully share with others.

Times of Difficulty for Catholicism

On pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, one of our Diocesan priests was walking alone when he saw a girl waiting for a group to join. They started walking together and he introduced himself as a priest to put her at ease. She called him by his first name, which was Peter. Every time she introduced him to others, it was always Peter from Korea. On his return to Korea, he mentioned to some Irish priests about meeting this girl and was told that in Ireland, because of the sexual scandal, the trust the Irish previously had towards priests has greatly diminished. .

The priest, in a bulletin written for Korean priests, had a great deal to say about this issue in Korea in comparison both to what it was a few years ago and to what exists in other countries.

A priest who lives in the Netherlands, told him he no longer introduces himself as a priest. Even in the States, where priests were respected for years, bishops and priests don't feel the same walking in their clericals. The sexual scandals have changed the environment for all Catholic clergy. China and Russian and other countries under communist rule, because of their indoctrination, have never been friendly to the clergy. Religion was seen as the opium of the people and priests lived, as they saw it, by exploiting this deception.

Another priest mentioned going to the American Embassy for a visa and being given a rather difficult time during the questioning by a young woman employee. He had mentioned he was a Catholic priest; with a sarcastic look on her face, she said: " Do you want me to believe all priests are to be trusted?"

In the world today--outside of Korea, the Philippines, Africa and South America--there are few countries, besides the poorer ones, where the priest would receive respect because of his position.

Korea, however, is a country where priests still receive this respect. Financially, in comparison to many other Catholic countries, Korea treats their priests with great generosity. In 1980 a survey was taken on what occupations in our society the Koreans found most trustworthy, Catholic priests were listed as number one. This is no longer true, according to the priest; Buddhism is ready to ready to take the Church's place.

In Korea Americans and Westerners are still respected. Koreans have accepted the culture and religion from the West and their missionaries. Elder priests, especially, have helped to set a good example. During the years of totalitarian rule many of the priests went to prison for protesting the repressive regime when many citizens found it difficult to speak out. This speaking out for justice and truth has remained in the hearts of Koreans.

Overall, religion is greatly respected by an overwhelming majority of Koreans. One of the reasons is the history of the Catholic Church in Korea. A great deal of suffering and sacrifice were necessary to maintain one's faith during those early years. This is still a vivid memory of our Catholics; hard to imagine that this will change, but public opinion is not easy to determine.

Called To Expand Our Vision

A Maryknoller writing in a bulletin for priests recounts the incident that happened when he arrived in Korea back in 1969. He was a blue-eyed foreigner, which drew the interest of many. Staring at him, a child asked, "How does the world look to you with those blue eyes?" The missioner never forgot the question, and the question he asked himself in response: How do others see this world that I am in and see as my world?

The missioner left the States and a culture he knew well, and soon found himself confronting a new reality faced daily by Koreans. He feels that he has been called to view the difficulties of the Korean reality with a broader angle of vision than he had in the past.

He has worked with workers and refugees, has seen the difficult living and working conditions, and now shares their viewpoint. A few years later he was involved with abolishing the old family headship system, with its paternalism and authoritarianism, that began under Japanese rule, and became interested in the partnership system of leadership. With the spread of American military forces in different parts of the world, he became interested in the movements for peace. And his interests continued to expand to include working for the health of the ecology, as it became evident that the environment was being systematically destroyed by our short-sighted drive for development.

The Maryknoller feels we are all called to broaden our understanding of what is possible. Our Lord has shown us how by his own life. A sign of the mature person, one who has broadened the range of what is possible, who has, he feels, this expansive vision, is the person who is able to love and show compassion.

A child starts with concern only for itself but gradually becomes interested in the immediate surroundings, the family, the school, the neighbor. As the child matures, interest soon widens to include one's country and religion, and, in time, expands even further to include other countries, other religions, and all of God's creation.

In the Beatitudes Jesus asks us to get rid of some of our common sense beliefs and expand our vision to the unseen world. He invites us to read the scriptures with a new eye. The Maryknoller has made this journey and found it liberating. He is asking us to rid ourselves of our narcissim and begin to reach out with compassion and love--to see life anew.

In the recent Pastoral Bulletin, a priest reminisced on his days in grammar school and the times he refused to eat rice cakes. It was the custom when there was a family ceremony in the village to offer a dish of rice cakes to the neighboring households. Since the priest's mother was an old Catholic, she would refuse the cakes that came from shamanistic practices or from ancestral memorial service rites. Even at school he would tell his friends, "Our house goes to the Catholic Church; we don't eat that kind of rice cake."

As a boy he was very much interested in what was done at these services and would ask his non-Catholic friends for information. This interest remained with him even when he entered the seminary, became a priest, and went on to Rome for studies.

During his studies, he took an interest in inculuration and did a lot of reading and translating in this area. On his return from studies, he taught in the seminary and continued with this interest and was happy when the Church approved the rites for the ancestors.

However, he mentions a number of problems with the ceremony. In many families, when they hear that others are having the rites for the ancestors, there is often bickering. The Church has said the rites are good, but it has not said that you have to have these rites for the dead. It is here that we have misunderstandings. Some take it so literally that they want to go to the Confucian books to find the correct way to set up the table, what foods to prepare, and how to bow.

The priest reminds us that the Church has not given permission for the Confucian rites. When we have a rite according to the Confucian world view, these views are different from our own, and we are bound to have problems. Inculuration is important but there should be much thought given to what we are doing, and the Church should have guidelines for what is permissible.

And there are such guidelines on what may and may not be done. Over the years, however, the guidelines tend to be forgotten, or we lose interest and simply go along with what others are doing. The Catholic view of the afterlife is different from the Confucian, and without making allowances for these differences our understanding is bound to be affected in some very important areas of daily life: suffering, moral principles, beliefs, relationships, views on material goods, dealing with crises, death, and appreciating the beauty of the life. These are all important issues and how they are understood will affect our value system as followers of Christ; this could be changed by what we do in the rites for the dead.

Go For Broke-- All or Nothing Syndrome

In an essay in the daily newspaper, a Korean in the States gives her opinion on the reason why Koreans become addicted to games and cosmetic surgery. She feels Koreans enjoy competition and want to be number one.

This desire to succeed in competition has enabled Korea to achieve much in such a short time. It is one of Korean's noble traits, and this desire permeates all of society. Parents have great expectations for their children, which also makes for much unhappiness.

When children are online and game-playing with their rivals, they see the points registering and this stimulates their desire to succeed and gives them a great sense of satisfaction.

Over half of Korean children want to be in the entertainment world. They know the exhilaration that comes with holding a microphone in hand and experiencing the adulation of their classmates.

The writer mentions that a friend, teaching in an academy in Korea, told her most of the girls wanted to be stewardesses because they were considered beautiful. These young girls knew that beauty gave them power.

Why is it that women, and now more frequently men, are frequenting the cosmetic surgery hospitals for a change of face and even for a change of body? Is it not because of the intense competition that we now have in society?

She mentions her own competitive drive. She was a well-paid lawyer in a big company but gave it up to become a writer. She looks back and sees it as something she did without a great deal of thought.Her son discovered hundreds of letters of rejection from her publishers. It took her 11 years before her first novel was accepted. She is doing something, however, that she enjoys.

The Korean temperament thrives on competition: winning is all important, and is the main reason, she believes, there is so much unhappiness among the children.

She wonders how this competitive climate might be changed, and proposes that there be more opportunities to succeed outside of studies. She doesn't think there is a need for more opportunities to have more star athletes, more famous musicians, more successful entrepreneurs. She hopes that more will see the beauty of life and look for the opportunity to experience failure and success in other areas of life.

Her thoughtful commentary was refreshing to read. The "All or nothing" attitude that she feels best describes our young people is bound to frustrate many--few ever become number one.