What Korean Catholics Want From Priests

Over the years a number of questionnaires have been sent out to our Catholics asking them what they expect from their priests. In 1995 a questionnaire was sent to all the pastoral council presidents asking them what they wanted to see from their priests. There was a similar one sent out some 20 years before with similar results. The response was not as great as they would have wanted but those who answered were in leadership positions and knew the Catholic sentiment.


The response is not necessarily what the Scriptures would ask or what Jesus would expect from his priests but it is an important reflections of those who know the priests well. The following is the list of what Catholics would like to see from their priests:

1) A priest who prays


2) In silence a priest who exudes Christ's essence.


3) One who shares the suffering of the weak and powerless, and who works for justice in society.


4) One who is not self righteous and is able to run the parish with the help of laypeople.


5) A humble person, who can listen carefully to what others say and listen to the end.


6) A Priest who lives his calling until death.


7) A Priest who prepares appropriate sermons for the laypeople.


8) One who is frugal and not occupied with material things, and is meticulous in dealing with Church monies.


9) Priest who is polite in word and conduct not only to elders in the parish but to all.


10) A priest who can converse familiarly with the youth and spends time in teaching.


11) One who celebrates the sacraments with devotion and follows the liturgical rules.


12) One who is obedient to the bishop and his superiors and has a harmonious relationship with his follow priests.


13 ) A priest who is not tied to his relations and the Catholics who are close to him but whose both ears are open to all.


The desires we see expressed by the Catholics gives a good idea what kind of Catholicism they have accepted and try to live. Korean Catholics are demanding and at the same time very docile in their acceptance of what is expected of them in Church life.

Gambling Addiction in Korea

Preparing for Christmas Mass many years ago a non-Catholic came with news that he had lost a great deal of money gambling and wanted to become a Catholic. I spent some time talking with him and it seemed he really wanted to change his life but that was the last I heard from him. Something similar has happened over the years but there has not been many happy results.

In the Chosun Ilbo there was an article that stated in its headline that Korea had the largest number of gambling addicts. I wonder at times about these polls, not that Korea's figures are wrong but other countries would not be as organized as Korea in gathering the required information. This study was made by the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute. 9.5 percent of the Korean adults experienced problems with gambling. This means that about 3.85 million people are addicted to gambling the greater majority needing immediate attention.

These figures make Korea , percentage wise, the most gambling addicted country in the world even more than Nevada that has Las Vegas. There are many private illegal gambling houses, illegal gambling sites on the Internet and many different avenues that one can access to gamble within Korean society.

The Chonsun Ilbo mentioned that we need more effort to treat Gambling addicts. We all know how difficult it is to break the habit and we are familiar with many famous names that have lost everything at the gambling tables.

Korea's first Gamblers Anonymous was started in 1984 by a Catholic Columban Priest who was shocked when a farmer killed himself because he lost all his savings. These GA chapters have spread throughout the country and are helping many. This past September 17, Korea observed its first gambling prevention day.

In Korea one of the authorities on gambling addiction said that to gamble it is necessary to have time, a partner, a place and money. In Korea we have all four A s. Anytime, Anyone, Anyplace and A little. The Internet has made gambling very easy to access and in a country which has always frowned on gambling and outlawed it for years it is surprising how things can change so quickly. The article mentioned that in many developed countries people go to gambling resorts for fun to enjoy but in Korea they go to make money.

In Korea we have little help for those that are addicted.This is an area that non governmental groups should be involved.The different religious groups should be making this an area of concern since it is such a serious problem in Korea. There are many addictions: alcohol, drugs, porn, Internet, gambling and it is difficult to find the necessary help and supply of funds necessary for programs to help. Many of those afflicted do not admit to the problem which makes it all that more difficult to know where to start. Korea has decided that its number one addiction is the Internet and is working hard to make a difference with money and personnel and getting hospitals involved. Internet addiction is a serious problem but for the most part it is an individual problem with family repercussions but not as serious as those with gambling addiction which can destroy family life.

Korean Catholic Priests and Sermons

Korean Priests on the whole seem to do a good job with the liturgy of the word. They have good voices and for the most part seem to work at preparing the sermons. Catholic Priests do not, however, compare well with our Protestant brothers when it comes to preaching. We are saved in a way by having the Mass to fill the needs of the people while most of the Protestant Ministers have only the Word as the center of their worship service. Our Mass has both the Liturgy of the Word and of the Eucharist, but the liturgy of the word often suffers at our hands.

In our parishes we have, as in every other country, some good and some not so good sermons. Outside of the occasional foreign missioner the language is clear and well spoken which may not be the case in many other countries . The country is blessed with a good number of priests and in the near future this will not change noticeably.

Korean Priests are busy with large parishes, many meetings, visits, and the ordinary parish details that require attention. This for many is a serious distraction in preparing his daily and Sunday sermons.

We know to go to the pulpit without preparation is sinful. One of our priests mentioned in his newsletter: for many Catholics to listen to a sermon without a message and lacking enthusiasm is irritating. He went on to say that in those cases it is better to forget the sermon, for at least they will not be annoyed or bored.

The priest went on to say it is the desire of the priest to give a good sermon. He mentioned that after ordination like many other priests he was determined to give good sermons. However, he said he didn't have a gift with words and besides did not have an attractive voice. Consequently he felt guilty and not knowing the living conditions of the people and lack of knowledge, felt frustrated.

The priest said that instead of trying to give a good sermon he settled for giving a talk no longer than 10 minutes with a simple message but even that was not easy. He made it a habit to do a lot of reading and to read over the scripture for the following day's Mass before going to bed which was a great help.

He concludes with the reflection that without living the Christian life in its totality it will always be difficult to move the hearts of our Catholics. He quotes Thomas Merton:
" The Saint even without words by his work, his walk even his standing, his whole life becomes a sermon."

A Foreign Journalist's Thoughts on Koreans

In a recent Korean e-mail I received, was a list of 4 shortcomings that a journalist leaving Korea after 11 years made known to his questioner. He only had the intention of giving the strong points of the Koreans; being urged repeatedly to give the weak points also he acceded very hesitantly. Below is the four that he mentioned:

1) Koreans do do not look forward to the future but rather look back at the past. They do not talk about future plans and dreams but rather talk about the life in the military, past political incidents, fellow classmates etc..

2) They use many excuses. When things do not go well, they do not admit it frankly but blame those above or below, use excuses or hold responsible the circumstances.

3) In personal relationships Koreans do not know how to lose. Compromise and concessions are seen as failure and they have a black and while rational for everything.

4) Koreans have a princely mentality wanting to harvest what they have not planted. As the saying goes they will even drink lye if it is free..

The e- mail ends with the words of the questioner: since the journalist had a love for Korea we should take his words to heart.

Also being a foreigner I would agree with the first one after thinking over what he said, but have difficulty in seeing the other three as any different from what humans have as a basic weakness. I do not see Koreans any more disposed than other peoples to excuse their failures, have difficulty in losing or like to have things for nothing. I probably have been in Korea too long and have been inculturated to a point where these human failings are not seen as such : something that came with the air I breath and the water I drink (?)















the

Helping the North Korean Defectors

The Seoul Diocese linking with the Catholic Farmers Association are helping North Korean defectors to move to the country. There are well over 16,000 now in Korea and they expect to have about 20,000 next year The Korean Government gives the defectors about 6 thousand dollars and a short period of reeducation to settle in South Korea.

Different terms are used to refer to these refugees. Saeteomin (people of new land) was the word used in the article in the Catholic Times. Talbukja (people who fled the North) is commonly used but not favored by the refugees and not pleasant to the ears of the North. A newer term is "residents who renounced North Korea". They are all refugees looking for a better life and for most it is not easily achieved.

It is a difficult move for many. They have fled political persecution and severe shortages of food and medicine; arriving in a new land and settling into a new culture is demanding. The diocese has many programs to acclimate them to this new life in the South. The Protestants are doing much more and have been involved much longer but the diocese of Seoul with the help of Save The Farm Movement and the Catholic Farmers Association is serving as mentors to those who choose to live in the country.

The biggest problems facing North Korean defectors are unemployment and poverty. A large percentage of North Korean defectors are jobless and many others have to live on a pittance. Most have temporary work, and only a small minority find full-time positions or start their own business. It is difficult for the government to provide indefinite assistance.


The North Koreans find it difficult to shed the label defectors which they dislike. One refugee sighing : "I will have to get use to being a foreigner. The culture, economy, the value system is just too difficult to adapt to." This will be a large problem when unification does come.



A refugee from the North, Mr. Kim who is now a member of the Kwangju Catholic Farmers Association is helping those who choose to settle in the farming areas. He tells all those that he mentors to look closely and deeply into the reasons you have settled here in the farming area. He tells them if they were looking for an easy life the chances they will fail are great.


Helping the North Korean refugees is a great work and will tell South Korea how successful they will be in becoming one nation again when unification does come.

25th Anniversary Feast of Korean Martyrs

Today is the Feast of St. Andrew Kim Taegon, Chong Ha Sang Paul and Companions. The companions mostly are laymen and women, some old some young, some are children some were bishops some were priests, altogether there were 103. Pope John Paul II canonized them in Seoul in 1984.

In the breviary for today the second reading is taken from a letter of St. Andrew Kim in which he mentions some lessons we learn from seeds. The lessons are many let us reflect on a few of them:

The Blood of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church


1) Seeds point to the future. We wait in patience and work towards the harvest which will come.

2) The seed has to die before it breaks the ground and shows us life.

3) What we sow we will reap. If we plant potatoes we get potatoes if tomatoes we get tomatoes.

4) We plant one seed but the seed at harvest time becomes many. In our Lords words, "producing fruit a hundred times as much."

5) The produce benefits not only the farmer who planted the seed but his family and others.

6) We can not make the seed grow all we can do is remove the obstacles for growth. If it does not have enough water , we water, if the nutrients are missing we spread fertilizer, if the bugs are there we get rid of them, if the weeds are a problem we remove them.

7) The seed matures according to the nature of the earth it has found. Jesus in his parable in all three synoptic Gospels makes this one of his well know teachings.

8) The seed will develop depending on the concern the farmer has during the period of growth.

9) There is a time for the seed to be sown.

10) We will have to plant good seed if we want a good harvest.

This year is the 25th anniversary of canonization, a good time to reflect on what these martyrs have taught us.

Korean musical instruments with Chinese silk


The makers of Korean string instruments, to maintain the
Deep sounds try to obtain the materials from Korea.
However, the silk that goes into making our instruments
Has to be obtained from China.
We have farmers who raise silk worms but only for medicinal
Purposes and not for the silk.
The Chinese know well that we are not producing silk
So every year the price goes up.
Our artisans have no choice but to buy,
The Chinese producers of the silk are in control.

We are little by little giving up what we can do
And becoming subservient to others.
Do you think this is only in the area of silk?

From an e-mail.