Preparing for Korean Catholic Youth Day

On August 12th to the 18th, the Uijeongbu Diocese of Korea will host the 2nd Catholic Youth Day.The 1st Korean Youth Day was in the Diocese of Cheju in 2007. It drew the youth from parishes throughout the country. It was also a preparation for the World Youth Day in Australia in 2008.

These Youth Days are organized like past International Youth Days. The host diocese organizes daily conferences, discussions and prayers, and celebrates Mass and the sacrament of reconciliation. Attendees stay with local families or in places designated by the host.

The youth commission of the Korean Bishops Conference will sponsor the event with the Diocese doing most of the preparation. Uijeongbu Diocese has over 260 Volunteers that have attended the inaugural Mass and have started preparations with numerous meetings, seminars, and rehearsals.

The event will be held with the theme: "Hope In God" (Isaiah 26:8).

The next World Youth Day will be held in 2011 in Madrid, Spain, and in 2012, the Korean Catholic Church will host the Asian Catholic Youth Meeting, which is held during the years when there is no International Youth Day celebration. Hosting the Asian Catholic Youth Day should be good preparation for the Korean Church, when they have the chance to host the International Youth Day. As organizers, they are hard to beat.

The Church in Korea is justly concerned about the youth. They are the future, and statistics have shown that many of them are no longer going to Sunday Mass or show any interest in the spiritual. The need to work with the younger generation is urgent, but the postmodern world view that is so predominant among the young makes it difficult to reach them. An important aspect of this world view is the belief that so-called 'truths' have caused us only trouble, and thus the attraction of relativism for the young is easy to understand. The efforts of the Church to get youth to come together to discuss and reflect on life can't have anything but a positive effect on the future of Catholicism in Korea.

Social Gospel In Catholicism

Leaders in the Catholic Church in Korea, from before 1987, have been interested in the consequences of what has been called the social gospel of the Church--applying the truths of the gospels to solve or alleviate social problems. This has spread to the lay Catholics, helping to democratize and humanize culture, according to a professor writing in the Catholic Times.

He goes on to tell us that this is the way we make the Gospel live in society, in the family and in the Church. The Church in Korea started teaching its social doctrine to lay people after the Asian Lay Assembly in 1994: a 15-year history of the social gospel. In many areas of the Church's work--the family, moral life issues, pastoral youth work, welfare, justice and peace issues, ecology, working with immigrants, mass communication and national unity--it is the social gospel which gives the principles on which to judge and the guidelines to direct the activities.

The professor laments that there are only 5 dioceses in Korea that have programs for teaching the social implications of the Gospels. Seoul has been the leader in this area, and over the last 15 years they have had 65 different courses, with nearly 4,000 attending.

In recent years there has been a drop in attendance. An effort needs to be made to reverse this trend by recruiting interested Catholics to attend and also to find teachers who will conduct programs throughout the country.

The term “social doctrine” goes back to Pope Pius XI and designates the doctrinal teachings concerning issues relevant to society which, from the Encyclical Letter Rerum Novarum of Pope Leo XIII, developed in the Church from 1891. This Encyclical Letter marks the beginning of a "new path" for the Church.

Those who have been educated in this new way of seeing our society become our modern day Apostles. They see something they did not see before. The Catholic Church is considered by many to be part of the anti-Democratic and anti-humanistic elements in the modern world. This viewpoint is easy to understand: the Church's record was far from prophetic. In attempting to preserve the good it was seen as against.

The Church was not the first to change to meet the problems that developed but neither was it the last. Becoming acquainted with the Church's Social Teaching does open up areas of our Christian life that goes back to the Gospel, and gives us a theology that shows how we are to look upon our society and be leaven, salt and light in today's world.

Korean Nostalgia For The One Country

After an absence of 44 years North Korea appeared in the World Cup, and, as expected, did not impress, except for the fact that they made the event. Beaten by Portugal 7 to 0, they showed why they were the biggest underdog of the tournament, but they did attempt the impossible.

With the sinking of the Chonam and the sadness and cries of the families of the victims still fresh in the memory of the South Koreans, the jubilations of the world cup games come with mixed feelings. Many Koreans in the South were born in the North so the love of their place of birth is strong, despite also feeling anger toward a government that tyrannizes its people.

In the Catholic Times, a columnist who was born in North Korea, said that she fell asleep watching the North Korean and Brazilian game but still checked the internet next morning to find out what happenedl; she was pleased to see that the results of the game were favorable to North Korea. "Before 1960 we all lived on the same peninsular, and belonged to the same people," she said. "We can't hide that fact."

A Korean resident of Japan on hearing the North Korean National Anthem, started to cry and the columnist writer mentioned that it also brought tears to her eyes. She now understands how the Jews of the Diaspora felt. The only relative that came South at the division of the country was her mother's sister. Her parents had died and the relatives that meet for family celebrations are just six.

This year, her thoughts of the family in the North turned to her uncle, a priest, her father's older brother, who is now listed among the 38 who are being proposed for canonization by the Church. Her uncle was imprisoned in Pyongyang in 1950 and when the North Korean troops retreated to the North, they took their prisoners on a death march during which many died.

Seeing the North Korean team on the soccer field brought her back to her early years growing up in the North. She hopes that for the next world cup Koreans will see a united team playing for one country.

Korean Ode to Water

In a meditative study on water in a recent Catholic Magazine, the author helps us appreciate the role of water in our life. When we get away during the summer and go to the mountains and sit beside a stream or go to the seashore, the sound of the water never interferes with what we do--it's a welcome relief from the sound of machines. Water was our first natural habitat; we were all surrounded by water in our mother's womb.

Even in life, most of our body is made up of water; it was there from the beginning. Water was the womb from which God created. When our telescopes explore outer space, the presence of water is considered a sign that some form of life will also be present. Water gives life. However, it is also the reason for punishment in the Scriptures. It cleans and removes dirt and debris. The Jews used water as a sign of cleanliness. We as Christians continue this with the waters of baptism that give us new life.

Both in the West and in the East the nature and attributes of water have been acknowledged and eulogized. In Korea water was seen as containing four virtues. It gives growth to all life, cleans from dirt, flows through all things--it is gentle. Water does not care for the turbid, seeks the bright and cleans the dirty--it is just. Water is soft, and, although seemingly weak, has to be respected for it can easily overcome the strong--it is brave. Flowing with reason, water accommodates, embraces and relates harmoniously with all--it is humble and wise. .

Lao-tzu compares water to the Way. The highest good is like water. "Because water excels in benefiting the myriad creatures without contending with them and settles where none would like to be, it comes close to the way."

During this vacation season, the author recommends that we do the following:

1) At a little stream in a ravine, put your feet in the water and go back to the time you were in your mother's womb.

2) Throw a leave into a stream and let your spirit go with the leaf out to the ocean.

3) Recollect the attributes of water and ask God for the grace to imitate them.

4) Let us remember that when we dirty water, it is water that we need to drink; let us keep all waters clean.

5) Water is our common possesssion. Let us conserve it.

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.