Diagnosis of a Middle Class Parish

The parish with the largest percentage of Catholics in the Seoul diocese, with over 30 percent, recently made an in-depth study of its  pastoral situation. The results of the study, undertaken by a  professional center equipped for this type of diagnosis, and published in the Peace weekly, will help in planning for the future. Of the 6000 parishioners, 2370 participated by answering questionnaires and being interviewed.

The socioeconomic status of the surveyed parish was considered middle class, and the goal the parishioners selected as being the most important was Christian maturity, followed by peace of mind, a happy family life, a genuine faith life, and health, in that order.

Concern for community life and its needs, however, did not rank very high. Only 10 percent of the parishioners were involved in parish activity as members of a group. Members of the Legion of Mary had the highest number of participants. Concern for individual spiritual health was seen as uppermost by the parishioners, but there was not much interest by the  parents in giving their children a religious education, with many parents believing that a religious education was less important in life than having a good secular education. Half of the children answering the questionnaire said that their parents did not want them to go to church. Getting a good job was the parents primary concern for their children, and doing well in school would be more helpful in the business world than would living a virtuous life.

This same thinking was seen as the number-one reason for not going to church: making a living and studies. Over 30 percent of those who are tepid, stopped going to church within three years after baptism. Over 64 percent had no help from their guardians or god parents. 56 percent said they didn't know any parishioners when they stopped going to church. Only 9 percent said they had at one time belonged to a parish society before becoming tepid.

Being a middle class parish the enthusiasm for faith life and daily life was noticeably different. The idea that all life is one was not of special concern. The results of the diagnosis are intended to direct future plans to improve community life, help new evangelizing efforts, educate parents to take more of an interest in their children's spiritual health, to spend more time on the pastoral education of the parishioners rather than spending more money on construction projects, and to be more actively involved with the poor, and with issues of peace and justice.

The pastoral center stressed that the study and the recommended efforts to implement the most pressing needs uncovered by the study will have to be continued for years to come and should  be the concern of all. Not only the quantity but the quality of effort has to be emphasized, and the necessary infrastructure has to be put in place to continue the work. A report of the study will be summarized and given to each household within the parish. The pastor will use the study to make plans for the future. He hopes it will be the means of maturing the Christian life of the parish.

Bingo and Life

The day before Lunar New Year, Fr. Joseph, the priest responsible for pastoral care of the foreign community and seamen, recounts in his Peace Weekly column how he spent the day.

The members of the Filipino community began to make their way to the cathedral parish, where every Sunday afternoon at 4:00 he celebrates an English Mass for the foreign Catholics in the diocese. However, since the Koreans during this festive time would be with their families, the Filipinos were also anxious to be with their fellow Filipinos and the place they decided on was the cathedral parish, to play bingo, eat and enjoy each others' company.

They asked him to start off their time together with a prayer. He was taken by surprise by the request, but made the sign of the cross and said a prayer. He turned the microphone over to the master of ceremonies. The emcee, like the emcee at a racetrack or a TV variety show, began with eloquence and skill to set the atmosphere for their time together. Everyone enjoyed his speech and bodily movements, joining in with laughter and applause.

The meeting place was separated from the sisters' convent only by a  wall so Fr. Joseph was somewhat concerned what the sisters would be thinking. The possibility for the sisters to spend a  quiet weekend was seemingly in doubt. What was he  to do? he wondered. The Filipinos had come together to enjoy each others company, to laugh and to celebrate the holiday--and of course to play bingo.

Fr. Joesph mentioned his experience overseas in pastoral work where he had seen bingo parties before, but they were all very serene and calmly directed events. This one was very different. The Filipinos were singing, eating, shouting with laughter, a veritable variety show. All this was going on while the numbers were taken out of a container and read off to the players. Each player was busy trying to fill cards with the numbers: horizontally, vertically, diagonally. He doesn't know those who were  successful,  but he knew all were having a lot of fun.

Fr. Joseph ends his column by comparing a bingo card to a person's life: at times as complicated and varied as trying to win at bingo. There were times when the players had all that was necessary to shout bingo, he says, but not knowing it, they waited for another number. At times they were dazzled when others were winning, and often chose to turn in their card for another, thinking it would bring them the winning numbers. He has, he says, in his own hand a bingo card. Will the winning numbers be horizontal, vertical or diagonal? "Lord," he asks," today what will be my reason to shout bingo?"

Frailty and Transcendence

What does it mean to be obedient to the will of God? We have a tendency to exaggerate what we mean by the word 'obedience' and compare it to the obedience shown by the Blessed Mother when approached by the Archangel Gabriel. The columnist writing on spirituality for the Catholic Times discusses what the word means to him.

Most of the time we obey, he says, when we believe nothing will be lost by doing so or when it is profitable to us. It can be obedience to impress another, or to see ourselves as a good person, or to surrender one's will to a greater authority. However, it need not  be seen as a tremendous and difficult act. When God  made us, he put the seeds of obedience in us, and we are to let them grow and harvest them. There are times that we irresistibly obey the natural events we encounter in our lives by responding to these natural stimuli appropriately. When it is cold, we either put on more clothes or go where it's warmer; when we are sick, we go to the doctor. We are, in a sense, programed to obey the laws of nature. This is living in agreement with the will of God.

When we acknowledge our human frailty, we can choose to bow our heads and walk the way of the virtues. This is the first step on the path of virtue. The columnist mentions his time in the States where he met a man who became successful as a farmer in Korea. He was in the States for a cancer operation that he hoped would be more successful than the one he had in Korea. It was not, and he died soon after, having spend all his money on the operation. Making money was no longer  important, he was now called to surrender to the situation in which he found himself.
 
Our schooling and place of work, the columnist says, are not of primary importance.The person that I am, with all my frailties, and my attempts to understand the life I have are important. Jesus came to us living as a beggar. What is important is to have a  correct focus on life.

We have two pillars on which all is based, he says: our frailty and the transcendence of life. We have to bow before natural disasters, but at the same time there are many rewarding possibilities we can explore to expand our life experiences. They allow me, he says, to look over my weaknesses at the same time that I see  possibilities opening to me, and to work to realize them. To understand both my weaknesses and my transcendence is better than being first in what I do, he says. If the first button (of a buttoned jacket) is not in the right place, our future actions will not go smoothly.

He gives us the example of a famous Japanese entrepreneur who when evaluated from a   purely human perspective lacked what it takes to succeed in the business world: without even a grammar school education, having a frail body, and brought up poor, he succeeded because, as he said often, these weaknesses were his gifts.  Because he was poor, he worked hard to overcome poverty. Because he lacked an education, he was always trying to learn from others. And because of his bodily weakness, he took care of his health. The key to his success was knowing his weaknesses and working hard to achieve the potential that lay hidden in those weaknesses.

Many have hit bottom but realizing their weakness have been opened to the will of God. This does not mean, the columnist is quick to say, to become small and give up. It does mean that because a person knows his limits, he continues to pursue with even more energy a desire to study, to understand and, without embarrassment, to keep asking for answers. It is because of this that he will receive energy from God and others to keep on his quest. That would be putting the first button in the right place.

Heart Speaks to Heart

Understanding, a desired result of communication, is for one reason or another not always present. The frequent ad hominem attacks and the deliberate distortions of the opponent's position that so often are publicized in our media should embarrass all of us. But apparently there is an attraction in the effort to take another person's words and make them say what we find easier to deal with. The columnist in the open forum of the Catholic Times gives  us his ideas on what may happen when a person is not able to open his heart to another.

There are many in our world who firmly close the door to their hearts; the world to them seems dreary and lacks beauty. They do not believe the good will of the other and they are filled with doubts. They are, the columnist says, like the bird that, refusing to spread its wings, does not fly.  Humans  that refuse to reveal their  hearts will not be able to love.  When we do not open our hearts to the other, the other is likely to do the same, and we have no communication.

When meeting another, the biggest sadness is not being  able to speak to their heart. Although "heart speaking unto heart" are precious moments of true communication that can bring great happiness, the inability to open their hearts brings great sadness. To receive a gift from a friend or from nature, I have to be directed to that gift and open my heart. Whatever prevents the opening of  our hearts has to be removed before the gift of the other can be received.

Life is a series of encounters: meeting parents, brothers and sisters, relatives, friends, teachers, co-workers. The nature of the encounters will bring change into our life and help to decide its direction. Our religious life is also an encounter, and the most important since it opens us up to God. This begins with a call. We have to be open to this call with our spiritual  ears. This will open us to his grace and mission. Many of us have the same difficulty in opening our hearts to God as we have opening our hearts to others.

Opening ourselves to God means allowing ourselves to become approachable, getting rid of our defenses and being vulnerable. This attitude brings happiness and success and helps us to be an influence for good. With our hearts open, we will receive what God wants to give. This is another way of saying we are in an attitude of prayer with an affirming, humble and loving heart. It is our task to prepare our hearts to be always open. Isn't this a task that we should gladly take up daily?

Character Education

Character education  is a phrase we hear often in Korean society. The reason is simple; school programs need to focus more on educating the whole person, and less on preparing a student to do well in exams and to succeed in the business world. This narrow view of the educational process, so destructive to the future success of many students, has been the prevalent model.

The new president of the Catholic University of Daegu hopes to work  against this  trend. "A loving person willing to serve others is the person we want to form," he said during an interview carried by both Catholic papers. "More important than the score in the international test for English is character education. Your score in the international test for English may be considered the necessary qualification for success, but it is not adequate. The society we live in is asking for people of character."

The president, close to seventy, laughingly said that he should be  with his wife and grandchildren in the country, but that he accepted the office of president, hoping to make character education and creativity his motivational starting point for his term in office.  His experience  in education is extensive, having been  president of other universities. He is hoping all will participate in his efforts to make communication and harmony the atmosphere of the university. His door will be open, he said, to all who want to speak with him.  He will spend all his energy and all he has learned over the years to developing the Daegu Catholic University, which is the largest Catholic University in Korea.

"The students of the university are mostly from the middle class. They will be easy to teach, for the expectations from society and their families are not high," he said. "For this reason, they will have their own expectations for life and the job of the university will be to help them realize these expectations. The opportunities for employment at the present time are few. But while they were students in high school, they had the protection from parents. Now we will be there to help them look for new fields."

The president mentioned that the schools not in the capital metropolitan area are having difficulty with enrollment, but said that he's going to take on this challenge and work to make the distinguishing marks of the Catholic University of Daegu better known throughout the country.

He wants the students to remember that in our society, it is necessary to be open to adventure. There are all kinds of opportunities for this to happen, he said. In his own life the books he read in college in character formation became his own flesh and blood for life.

The new job he has undertaken at his age is a challenge, he admits, but he will do all he can to make the university distinguished in three areas: build character by resting it firmly on Catholic principles, establish an education-orientated university, and educate within an atmosphere of creativity.

Communication: A Valued Goal

All priests of the Seoul diocese recently gathered together for the first time to discuss the problems facing the diocese. The more than 540 attendees, including those who were retired, were divided into 44 groups for detailed discussion and reports made later in the general meeting. Both Catholic papers gave an extended report on the meeting.

Fr. Yu, responsible  for  the proceedings, said the priests met together to  communicate with each other on the future direction of the diocese. It was the beginning, he said, of an on-going exchange.  More than showing an interest in solving specific problems, the primary intention, said Yu, was to meet and talk, expressing heart-felt  opinions on the current problems facing the diocese, with the expectation that the diocese will in turn listen carefully to what had been discussed.

All deliberations were recorded, which will be handed on to those who will follow in years to come. Having the older retired priests meeting together, eating and praying together, with the newly ordained for two days has great meaning, he said. If anything could be said to have been missing during the meeting, it would have been not having sufficient time to discuss all the issues that came before the group. The suggestions that were raised, Fr. Yu feels, will be the chief concern of the diocese, and will guide its future direction.
 

The two most important issues discussed can be summarized as communication--arriving at a mutual understanding among those present--and dealing with the prolonged period serving as an assistant priest, which could include rethinking the retirement age of  priests and considering a partnership approach to pastoral work, with a name change from assistant priest to assistant pastor to indicate the added responsibilities.

The priests as a group pledged, first, that before fellowship with one another, they need to be close to our Lord; second, to respect and obey the  bishop; third, to accept and respect the assistant as a brother and to help him carry out his responsibility when the need arises, and in turn the assistant priest needs to respect a pastor's suggestions that often are based on many years of experience as a pastor; fourth, to work for the growth of the body of Christ-- the community of the faithful--to recognize and encourage the initiative of the laity in the mission of the Church, with a special concern so none will feel alienated from the work of the Church; and fifth, to work to make this year of faith one with meaning for all.

The hope of many was that the example of the Seoul diocese will spread to the other dioceses throughout the country. Efforts  will be made to improve the communication among the priests in the dioceses of the country. As the number of priests increases, the breakdown of communication is a strong possibility. Hopefully what the Seoul diocese accomplished in their 2-day meeting will be seen as a worthy and successful attempt to avoid the discord resulting from faulty communication, and will lead to improved understanding within the diocese.

We Are More Than Capital

A religious sister tells us of her childhood visits to a close relative who later became an actor. Those visits, she recalls, were fun-filled times. 
 
However, years later after he had become a famous actor the connection with family and relatives ended. When he married, all the entertainment celebrities were there, but the family was not. His family, understandably, was upset, but they ceased seeing him as part of the family, she said. He was now seen more as 'capital' (a source for personal profit).

According to the sister, capital should not only be seen as money but as contacts, capabilities, qualifications, trust, power, prestige, honor, attention and the like. When one of these begins to increase, the others also increase. These activities and states of mind are all capital, according to the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, who considered cultural and social activities and values as capital in much the same way as we view economic capital. Both influence society and have their affect on our tastes and lifestyles. 

The actor, once he became successful, began to amass wealth, contacts and honors, which allowed him to have some influence in society and to live in an area were the elite of society congregate. He was no longer the person, the sister said, that lived with his family and related with others. Which prompted her to ask herself the questions: Who am I?  What do I consume? Both questions, she suggests, have similar answers. Our tastes and our ability to discern truth from error, she believes, may often depend on the things we possess and  consume, which then give rise to our values and world view.

She mentions a number of scholars who have described most of us as having turned ourselves into commodities being sold in the various markets of society. Our success then becomes dependent on how successful we are in marketing ourselves. Are we concerned, she asks, on exactly how to package ourselves to more easily sell  ourselves? The social networking world especially, she is suggesting, have turned their members into capital--selling them to advertisers, for a price.

However, the principle problem that lies behind this use of the consumer, as she sees it, is that the person I am,  that God has made me to be  becomes changed and distorted by what we possess and consume. Using a line picked up from a poet that "we are all originals and we die copies," she urges us not to catch the 'desire for riches disease', and succumb to the mass hypnosis  of society and lose who we are.

But who am I? Really?  What is my identity?  How do other people see me? God made me according to his image.  He wanted us to cultivate and take care of this earth. And sister hopes that we will always keep this identity we have been given. Each of us is an original and should not  give it up for any copy, no matter how temporarily alluring and economically profitable it may be.