We Will Not Forget

The Reconciliation Column of the Catholic Times by the Taize Brother gives us another look at the pain that was experienced by so many ten years ago in April with the Sewol Ferry disaster.

It was one of the saddest and most painful Easter celebrations of the Lord's Resurrection. After 15 days of being unable to say or write anything, a bleeding heart flower in the garden caught his eye. The French name for the bleeding heart is ‘Coeur de Marie’ (Heart of Mary). Because the shape of the flower looks like blood or tears flowing from the heart, it was probably named ‘bleeding heart’ (English) or ‘weeping heart’ (German). How could tears of blood not flow from the heart of Mother Mary when she saw her son dying on the cross?

During the Sewol Ferry disaster, many people cried together as if they had lost their own children. There were many promises to create a safe country, and there were pledges to ‘never forget’, ‘not to stand still’, and ‘to be together until the end’. However, as time passes, some in society turn a deaf ear to the bloody voices of the bereaved families and even show hostility to the yellow ribbon.

In defiance of the people and forces trying to erase uncomfortable memories, the Sewol Ferry victims' families did not simply remain as victims but actively socialized the disaster. Many bereaved families refused the compensation from the state and filed a lawsuit against the state for damages, resulting in the state's responsibility being acknowledged. They used the compensation money to establish a foundation, and in November of last year, they established a network with victims of other disasters.

The rusty Sewol ferry was salvaged a long time ago, but the new ‘Korean ferry’ has not yet been launched. Communities are becoming more and more fragmented, and individuals are going their separate ways. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that all beings are interconnected, but our society has not learned from it either. In the plausible name of restoring daily life, we have returned to an era of extreme competition, pursuit of efficiency, consumption, and exhibitionism.

When someone tried to erase the memory of the Sewol Ferry, the 10/29 Itaewon disaster occurred and the death of Marine Corps Sergeant Chae occurred. Disasters coupled with the climate crisis continue. Still, no one in high positions takes responsibility.

The word most often recalled on the 10th anniversary of the Sewol Ferry disaster is the promise to ‘never forget.’

Christians are a people of memory. The disciples, who were witnesses to the resurrection, did not erase their memories of the cruel death of their teacher Jesus. For 2,000 years, we remember and celebrate the Cross and Resurrection together.

The scene of Mary, the mother of Jesus, weeping at the foot of the cross is not the last time she appears in the Bible. The Virgin Mary was with the church in Jerusalem, the new community that began after the resurrection of Jesus.

The Sewol victims' families are overcoming deep pain and wounds, fighting to create a safe society for everyone to prevent the same tragedy from repeating and laying the foundation for a new Korean community. Even though 10 years have passed, he still cries with them today while listening to their sobbing voices. Like the Western name for bleeding heart, with the heart of Mary shedding tears.

Cheese Priest of Korea

 

In the recent Catholic Times View From the Ark column, a college professor expresses his appreciation for the missioner known as the cheese priest of Korea.

Father Ji-Hwan Jeong (池正煥, Didier t’Serstevens) was born in Brussels, Belgium in 1931. Upon graduating from high school in 1950, he joined the Belgian Missionary Society (La Société des Auxiliaires des Missions) founded by Father Vincent Lebbe (1877-1940). He wanted to go to the poorest country in the world and live among them as a brother of the people, learning from them and doing with them what they wanted to do through what they knew.

Father Jeong Ji-hwan was ordained a priest in 1958 and arrived in Busan on December 8 of the following year. Since then, he has performed his priestly duties at Jeondong, Buan, and Imsil parishes in the Diocese of Jeonju, especially accompanying poor farmers. In the process, he lost his gallbladder in Buan and acquired other medical problems in Imsil. These were the medals he received for living as the 'light of God' and the 'rainbow of Caritas' sent by God to the poor people of this land.

In the process of developing Imsil cheese, he began to detect symptoms of paralysis in his body as early as 1976. Then, in 1976, his right leg became paralyzed, leaving him unable to walk. Due to his discomfort, he ended his activities at the Imsil Cheese Association and went to his hometown in Belgium in 1981 to receive treatment, but it was eventually confirmed that he could not be completely cured. When the doctor advised him to leave the hospital, he suggested, “If you stop working, it will get worse.” He took this as a message of hope, and on October 13, 1983, in slightly better condition, he returned to the Diocese of Jeonju, Korea in a wheelchair. I'm back.

“This is my hometown.” These words naturally came out of Father Ji-hwan Jeong’s mouth as he returned to Jeonju Diocese and met the people who had been waiting for him. “Okay, now let’s bury the bones here!” He decided where he would live in God and return to Him.

When Father Ji was recommended to minister to the disabled by Bishop Park Jeong-il (Michael), he responded immediately. "yes." In February 1984, he took on the role of pastoral guidance priest for the disabled in the diocese. In July of that year, with the cooperation of Kim Young-ja (Martha) and others, Father Jeong Ji-hwan accompanied the first disabled community. They expanded and moved the community in March of the following year, and the community later received the name ‘Rainbow Family.’ In 1989, Father Ji, a witness of God’s hope, moved with the ‘Rainbow Family’ to today’s completed village, ‘Soyang-myeon’ (所陽面), a sunny village, where he continued to spread joy and hope to many.

Father Ji, who accompanied the Rainbow Family for nearly 20 years, received the Ho-Am Award for community service in May 2002, and retired the following year in July 2003, leaving the Rainbow Family. After receiving his Ho-Am Award, he established the Rainbow Scholarship Foundation to provide education for people with disabilities and their families. Even after retirement, he lived as a priest of God, living in a house 'under the stars' in Soyang-myeon, not far from the Rainbow Family, working for the Rainbow Scholarship Foundation and restoring materials left behind by missionaries from the Paris Foreign Mission Society in France in the 19th and early 20th centuries. He passed away on April 4, 2019. 

This year marks the 5th anniversary of his death and the 40th anniversary of the birth of the Rainbow Family. He acquired a disability in the process of spreading God's hope to the people of this land, and used his disability as a sacred opportunity to serve the disabled, helping countless disabled people live new lives. At the bottom of his ministry with the disabled was an understanding of human beings centered on their being as ‘children of God’ and as ‘a person from God’ as they were before they were disabled. We hope that the 'existence-centered' tradition of accompanying the disabled, which Father Ji testified to with his entire being, can be truly embodied and sublimated in today's Rainbow Family and all the institutions accompanying the disabled, in the world. The columnist is deeply grateful to Father Ji.

Remembering the Sewol Tragedy

 

In a report from the Catholic Peace Weekly News Service a priest columnist reminds us of a tragedy from the past.

April 16, 2014. The Sewol ferry, which departed Incheon and was on its way to Jeju Island, sank off the coast of Jindo, Jeollanam-do. The captain, wearing only his underwear, was the first to escape from the sinking ship. About 300 people, including students from Danwon High School in Ansan, were on a field trip and could not return to their families. Paengmok Port becomes a sea of tears. Citizens hung yellow ribbons, saying something had to be done in response to the rising sadness. The Sewol ferry, which carries her pain, is salvaged from the sea and docked at Mokpo New Port.  

Perhaps because 10 years have passed, the feelings of remembrance are becoming dull. The yellow ribbons that were seen telling us to remain still and be with the bereaved families have disappeared. Those who were in the disaster control tower at the time are now living well without any problems. Only those who lost their precious family members are still wiping away their tears. 10 years have passed and the writer thought time would heal the pain.  However, even on the 10th anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster, we still talk about the reason for our nation's existence and its safety.

159 lives were lost in Itaewon, in the center of Seoul. Itaewon was the Seoul Sewol Ferry. There was insensitivity to safety and the incompetence and irresponsibility of the persons in charge. Although we pledged to never repeat the Sewol tragedy, we failed to protect lives. 

It's not just the Sewol Ferry and Itaewon. We demand safety and concern for life every day. Our ordinary citizens demand safety from the state. Workers say that they should not die while working and that if they are sick, they should go to the hospital instead of going to work. Citizens ask whether we should create a culture of life rather than a culture of greed. Citizens ask the world to help us learn from our tragedies.

“We remember the victims” This year, the 10th anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster, is also the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ visit to Korea. He remembers Pope Francis comforting the Sewol victims' families in the middle of Gwanghwamun Square. As a religious person, he was asked to remain neutral and not say or do things that the powers may dislike, and the Pope said, "How can you do that in the face of suffering?" He personally attached a Sewol yellow ribbon on his chest and offered Mass. We baptized the victims of the Sewol ferry disaster. The starting point of the Pope's consolation was memory.

Memories are powerful. We must remember not only the Sewol disaster and Itaewon but also the sick and those who live with difficulty worldwide. We must remember and walk together. If you cry, you should hold hands and cry together, and if you laugh, you should laugh together.

Creation Its System and Mechanism

The author of  Climate Crisis and Ecological Spirituality reminds us of the need for concern for our environment. The Catholic Times Diagnosis of the Times column brings this to the attention of the readers. 

Looking at the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament, God created the heavens and the earth, separated light from darkness, made day and night, plants and animals, as well as seasons and days, and blessed them with the words, "Be fruitful." It tells the story of the creation of humans on the last day of creation and the creation of plants and fruit trees that humans can eat (Genesis 1:1-31). This is the creation of a 'system'—a collection of components, living creatures, and inorganic substances to achieve the purpose of creation.

What is important here is the message of 'fruitfulness.' To be fruitful means that living things increase. How do they increase? It can be seen that when food is abundant, they multiply. Farmers, when growing crops, generously apply compost or fertilizer so that the crops grow well and bear much fruit. If there are many plants, the number of herbivorous animals increases, and as the number of herbivores increases, so does the number of carnivores and simultaneously the human population.

From a scientific perspective, starting from the most basic plants and moving towards animals and humans, 'energy transfer', defined as 'organic matter', 'grassland', and 'food', occurs along the food chain, leading to fruitfulness. This energy movement is a 'movement of heat' that moves in only one direction, forming an energy pyramid—heat moving to places with lower temperatures. Ultimately, the number of consumers is naturally adjusted by the number of subordinate producers and consumers to achieve equilibrium. However, humans are an exception, which has a huge impact on the balance of the ecosystem.

The environment suitable for life on Earth lies in the operation of the Earth's magnetic field and its revolution and rotation. The Earth's magnetic field, the ozone layer of the atmosphere, protects life on Earth from radiation and solar winds from space. The Earth's rotation and revolution operate as a 'mechanism' to keep the average temperature of the entire Earth constant. What is the source of these mechanisms?

Werner Heisenberg famously said that drinking the first cup of science leads to atheism, but after drinking the cup, God is waiting at the bottom. Pope Francis said that when God created all things, he allowed them to develop according to internal laws given to each of them. Ultimately, it can be seen that when God created the world, he created a system and a mechanism containing these internal laws. Nevertheless, we must deeply reflect on the fact that humans, the last created by God, are disrupting and collapsing the mechanism created by God.

The Apostle Paul in his 'Hymn to Christ' confessed that the Lord was with God before creation and that all things were created in him (Col 1:16-17). He also learned how to be content in any situation and lived a humble life. He knew how to live (Philippians 4:11-12). The solution to the climate problem caused by human excessive greed will be determined by the kind of life we live. 

However, the climate policy of the 22nd Korean National Assembly members, on climate issues, is not visible, and the collapse of the mechanism that maintains God's creation continues. How should we accept this reality in which 'economic abundance' appears as a new 'god' and replaces God?

Welcoming Young Immigrants to Korea

The Catholic Time's View from the Ark column by a religious sister gives us a view of the foreign community of young people in Korea. 

Looking over the status of multicultural students for the past 10 years, the number is increasing every year from 46,954 in 2012 to 160,056 in 2022. The proportion of multicultural students among all students is also continuously increasing from 0.7% in 2012 to 3.0% in 2022. Looking at the proportion of multicultural students over the past five years, the proportion of those born domestically (internationally married) is still the highest but is gradually decreasing, while the proportion of children and adolescents with immigrant backgrounds (immigration) and foreign students has recently increased relatively. 

Korean society is rapidly changing into a multiracial, multicultural society. As of November 1 last year, the number of foreign residents living in Korea was 2,258,248. According to the standards of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which classifies a country as a multiracial and multicultural country if the population with a migration background is more than 5% of the total population, Korea, where the number of foreigners residing in the country is 4.4% of the total population, has already reached the threshold of becoming a multiracial and multicultural country. 

Among these, students with immigrant backgrounds who entered Korea are called 'youth who immigrated misway' These children and adolescents show very different background characteristics from children from multicultural families born in Korea. Because they are teenagers who were born and raised in their home country and then come to the country, they often experience difficulties after entering the country. The biggest difficulty among them is the language barrier. Academic difficulties due to language, cultural shock that they face without preparation, and teasing that belittle their appearance are all too much for these teenagers to endure. Moreover, some of them enter the country on tourist visas and are often classified as illegal immigrants.

Regardless of whether they have Korean nationality or not, children and adolescents have the right to be protected and educated. To guarantee basic rights, support is needed for youth with immigrant backgrounds, especially immigrant youth. Nevertheless, our society is still not fully prepared to accept them.

We have a social task to provide Korean language and basic education to children and adolescents who have immigrated to Korea to improve their language skills and learning levels and to provide information for living in Korea and help them adapt to their new environment.

In particular, children and adolescents who immigrate to Korea feel alienated even though they live with their mothers in Korea. If you are staying as a foreigner for various reasons, you are living with psychological and emotional anxiety, so you need a warm welcome to those who are discouraged by everything and have a bleak future. What can we do to become a welcoming environment?

First of all, we must accept the current society that has become a multi-racial country and practice welcoming people as close neighbors to us. Let's look for data and share it with families and neighbors to gain a correct understanding of children and adolescents who entered the country. Let's welcome our children as friends so that they can feel love for their neighbors and build stable relationships. Let's teach them how to communicate and how to say hello when talking to adults and friends. Let’s help them so that they do not “reveal that their school life was mentally difficult by saying that their friends imitated their speaking style and made fun of them”  

“I give you a new commandment, love one another. Love one another, just as I have loved you!” (John 13:34) Let’s give our children and teenagers from different cultures a chance to slowly adapt to our Korean culture.

A Life of Work and Leisure

  

A professor in the sociology department of a Catholic University shares her thoughts on the kind of life she envisions in our world.

Although he has now left the political arena, the primary slogan of a former politician still resonates with people. It was 'life with dinner.' "An economy that takes on a human form in a life with evenings." (This expression suggests a vision for an economy that values work-life balance and human dignity). This slogan captured people's hearts with an image that seemed to counteract the rapid growth of our society and the fatigue it caused.

Imagine a life spent having dinner with family, strolling leisurely along riverbanks or in the local park, playing badminton with children, or cycling around the neighborhood. An acquaintance of the professor mentioned that hearing 'Life with Evening' brought peace to his heart and moved him to tears. It is said that suddenly, everyone in our country thought that perhaps they could be happy. To that extent, 'life with dinner' was something we all desired and hoped for. This 'life with dinner' necessitates substantial and challenging changes that must transform the country’s socioeconomic system.

In advanced Western welfare states, the policy agenda related to 'life with dinner' is termed 'work-family balance.' Commonly abbreviated as 'work-life balance,' it refers to restructuring family life and the labor market from a work-centric model to one that supports both work and family life. By doing so, we aim to achieve a balance between work and leisure.

It is no exaggeration to say that work and family are central aspects of our lives. Therefore, what is most essential for a 'life with evenings' is the ability to adjust working hours and support family life in the evenings. Europe's advanced welfare states have attained a significant degree of balance between work and family life. They lead lives where 'work-family balance' is feasible through various laws that alter the labor market structure and welfare policies related to family life. These include measures like reducing working hours when necessary, shortening the workweek, prohibiting discrimination against part-time work, and allowing parental leave for various family-related situations through parental insurance or childcare support. Such legal and institutional measures have been established and embraced by society at large.

Korea has introduced various systems by benchmarking the experiences of advanced welfare states. There have been many achievements, including free childcare, flexible working hours, and the provision for both parents to take parental leave. However, the most significant changes needed in the labor market are minimal, and 'work-family balance' is, in reality, very challenging except for a very small number of occupations. In particular, the corporate culture that favors long working hours and is reluctant to invest in new systems is persistent and chronic, making it difficult to implement changes, even with institutional reforms regarding working hours.

To achieve 'work-family balance' and 'life with dinner' under these adverse labor market conditions and practices, active intervention and support from the government are necessary. The ability to improve these conditions relies on the country's policy efforts. The dream persists, but the reality seems distant. These are harsh times, and we yearn for the days when we could dream of a 'life with evening.'

A Missioner's Life— Fr. Jerry Hammond Maryknoll Priest

The recent Catholic Times featured an article on Fr. Ham Je-do a Maryknoll Priest who was born in August 1933 in Philadelphia, USA, the son of an Irish immigrant family. 

At that time the United States was going through a very difficult economic period. His parents also had a hard time finding work. After many twists and turns, his father worked at a tobacco shop and his mother worked at a department store.

Father Ham,  grew up in a devout Christian family. It was when he met the late Bishop Jang Ik (John), (1933-2020) that Father Ham came to know the unfamiliar Korea across the Pacific. He met Bishop Jang Ik in the minor seminary and they became best friends. They spent a long time together and he got to know Korea, his fellow student Jang Ik urged him to become a missionary to Korea. From that time on his desire to go to Korea continued to grow.

“When he was a seminarian at Maryknoll he heard a lot of stories about Korea from Maryknoll priests who had been missionaries in North Korea since the 1920s and were expelled by the Japanese.” 

After ordination, Father Ham expressed his strong desire to go to Korea during a meeting with the Maryknoll Superior General to decide on his future missionary life. Korea was his 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices but he knew that he had to go where they sent him.

According to Father Ham's wishes, he was sent to Korea. On the day of separation from his family, the entire family cried facing the separation. Father Ham described that time as ‘a very sad and unforgettable day’. 

The journey to Korea took all of three weeks. From San Francisco to Japan, Busan, and Incheon by cargo ship. After arriving in Incheon, he was taken to the  Maryknoll Society headquarters. It was August 1960, when the heat was at its peak. Father Ham began his pastoral ministry in Korea as secretary to Bishop James Pardy ( 1898-1983), the first bishop of the Diocese of Cheongju

The first years in Korea, where everything was unfamiliar, were difficult. Father Ham honestly confessed: He wanted to return to the United States after only six months.

However, as he interacted with Korean students, his curiosity about Korea gradually developed. Father Ham remembered: “I learned Korean customs one by one, such as manners to follow when entering a house and dining etiquette, and I was especially impressed by the culture of polite language.”

“I remember saying to the kids, ‘Take it easy~’ in a slightly awkward polite way, and everyone just laughed.”

At that time, the wounds of war in Korea had not yet healed. Father Ham recalled: “Not only in the countryside but even in the capital Seoul, it was often dark at night due to a lack of electricity.”

The situation was not easy in the Cheongju Diocese as well. Father Ham had to prepare dinner himself to save on living expenses at the rectory where several priests lived together. He was sometimes scolded by Bishop Pardy, Father Ham said: “Since the bishop came on a mission, he wanted to live the same way as Koreans,” and “When he said he wanted to buy a bicycle, he scolded him and told him not to try to live more comfortably than Koreans.”

Nevertheless, his relationship with Bishop Pardy was a great help in adapting to Korea. Father Ham said: “Even now, whenever he misses the bishop he goes to the bishop’s grave and says hello.”

Father Ham later served as pastor in two parishes in the city of the  Cheongju Diocese and a country parish. Even when he was serving as a parish priest, he was full of various anecdotes. He laughed and said: “I was so nervous while giving the Sacrament of Reconciliation that he remembers telling a person to drink beer instead of praying the Rosary [The words for beer and rosary in Korea are similar]. Word spread among male believers, and after that, the line to see me for the Sacrament got longer.” He enjoyed visiting public offices and communicating with believers. He said: “During this time, I drank a lot of soju and ate a lot of  samgyetang. I was asked what kind of food I liked, so I said Samgyetang, and every public office I went to gave me Ginseng chicken soup.”

“It was a time when everyone was poor, and there were many things that did not go as planned, but as time went by, I came to love Korea, and I tried to be the same as Koreans.” At the same time, he recalled the words that he had already mentioned in his book: ‘Mission is romance’.

"Romance means being human. This is because human life is a process of falling in love."  Missionaries must also give unconditional love and live ‘like human beings'.

Father Ham expressed his deep affection for Korea, saying, “The Diocese of Cheongju is the hometown of my heart.” In the early days of his missionary work, he wanted to escape the difficulties of living in a foreign country, but now it has become a home he does not want to leave.