Wearing the Veil at Mass in Korea

One of the priests with a doctorate in liturgy, writing a weekly column on liturgy in the Catholic Peace Newspaper, has an article on using the veil at Mass. Personally he finds the appearance of women offering the Mass with veils as something very beautiful and has mentioned this often.

It is often said that for women to use the veil is discriminatory. Another criticism we often hear: in other countries they no longer use the veil why do we insist on its use here in Korea? Even though in other countries they do not use the veil is there any reason we should not if we think it a good thing ? Is his response.

The wearing of the veil is undoubtedly not a duty. There is no law mandating a woman's use of the veil. Therefore there is no reason a woman should feel guilty or have any misgivings for not wearing a veil at Mass. However, when we talk about inculturating the liturgy to the Korean way then the veil is a good example. Our custom of giving a beautiful veil to those being baptized is a wonderful practice and if we understand the meaning of the veil, profound.

In the Old Testament the wearing of the veil signified that the person was unmarried. (Gen. 24:65) In the New Testament Paul mentions that women wear the veil, it was not a liturgical law but the custom of the day. Woman's hair was the husbands glory. Adorned hair in those times was a worldly luxury and going into a sacred place it was natural to want to cover it. Therefore a person of faith attending Mass expressing simplicity and modesty would use the veil. It would also bring to mind their baptism and new birth with the white veil. Covering the hair that was adorned was also a sign of humility and modesty.

Korean women for the most part still wear the veil. It is something that they have no difficulty in doing and is a beautiful sight at Mass as the columnist mentions. It is an easy way to remember baptism and the sign value of what we do should never be underestimated. Losing the meaning of signs can be very detrimental to not only our spiritual life but to our living a fuller life.

Koreans have a great love for learning and they will sacrifice a great deal to educate their children. This is a gift of Confucianism. In the Choson period of Korean History passing the civil servant exams would guarantee a life of honor and service to society.



Koreans because of this tradition know what learning can do for the individual,the family and society. In a way it is a religious notion. In Buddhism the future is reincarnation in Confucianism it is living through their children. This gives them a strong desire to educate their children but there is also a shadow side to this.



The educational system can be geared for exams and not for making the person. In an article in the Catholic Times the writer mentions that he has two daughters preparing for college and has told them they will very likely change jobs often: more than preparing for a job to prepare for life.



The second recommendation was instead of picking a field for study and occupation from only a personal desire they should pick a field that will be of help to the world to others to our environment.



This does seem extremely altruistic and overly idealistic. It is an attempt to fight against the prevalent feeling in the society. The effort to get into the first class schools in Korea is great and the competition is fierce. There is consequently the attempt by some to buy their way into the best of schools. The penalty in Korea is less than three years of prison and a fine of less than 10,000 dollars. It is very steep and yet you have those who attempt it. The government is doing what it can to eradicate this corruption with sincere determination.



There are those in every society and culture who live by the law of the jungle. " If I want something than to get it I will take all the ways and means available. If I have the strength I will get it" The new liberalism.



The writer of the article mentions that in many Catholic parishes they have started the 100 days of prayer in preparation for the exams for college. He laments that the prayers ascending to God are selfishly motivated to achieve success for their child, no matter what, and he sees this as in root similar to those who use immoral means to to pass the exam. They both are motivated by selfishness. It is also a sign of the fervor that is attached to preparations for college entrance.

Korean Catholic Laypeople In Mission

We often hear the Church is not concerned to relate the Christian life to our daily life. The concern in the teaching appears to be Sunday Mass, belonging to a parish group, and attending the different parish events.

One of the priests in a neighboring diocese mentioned in the Pastoral Newsletter what a big change came over one of his parishioners after attending the small village groups in the parish. He did not miss one of them and said although he only has a rough draft of what it's all about he realized you can't separate daily life from our faith. Click to get to an earlier blog on small village groups.

He goes on to say, Jesus has given us instructions in Matt. 28:20- "Teach them to carry out everything I have commanded you." There are times that our Catholics have no critical consciousness concerning divorce, abortion, fetal experiments and many other moral issues. They accept what they hear in the mass media; without conscientization we move with the flow of events without thought.

Laypeople have to be aware of the problems, make judgments and together with others of good will do what they can to bring about a healthier society. The difficulties we face in the family and in society are the areas in which our laypeople have to be involved or the Church will not accomplish her mission. We are not only to become holy but to be a leaven, yeast and light in society. Our Catholics have to take an active part in the society in which they find themselves, in the farming area concerned with farms, in the city with city life, each person participates with his or her own gifts, the competence will come.

In recent years we express our work of Evangelization with the words of our Holy Father:
New Evangelization, Reevangelization and Evangelization of Society. This requires that our laypeople become prepared to do this and encouraged to use their talents to accomplish this.

The Church has been explaining this approach to mission for many years now and most of our Christians would be familiar with the threefold aim of evangelizing. It is not only to get new Catholics but also to bring back those who have left and to try to evangelize the society in which we live. This work will depend on the participation of our laypeople.

Those of us who have pastoral rolls prepare the atmosphere in which this becomes possible and the morale that brings enthusiasm to the work.

Korean Catholic Concern For The Dead

Yesterday two buses came to the mission station for an outing and a Mass. They were members of the Catholic Parish Society whose concern is the care of the dying and those who have died. They attend at the bedside of those facing death, assist in the preparations for the funeral, console the bereaved family and sing the office of the dead. This concern of the Korean Catholics is not readily seen in other cultures: an example of accepting something into Catholic life that was traditionally very Korean.

There are many families that when faced with death do not know what to do. Notifying the society they are assisted by the members who may even take over the responsibility for the days preceding the burial. They sing the office of dead which would take about one hour. They assist in serving at the table for the guest that come for the wake. In older times when the undertaker was not readily available the members of the society would wash and cloth the body for burial and serve in doing what your undertakers would be doing, a spiritual work of mercy.

Up until recent times the waking of the deceased would be done in the homes of the deceased. Now with the apartments this is discouraged. Many living in the apartments do not like the idea of using the elevators to move the deceased besides they seek to avoid the unwanted distraction to others in the building. Many who are on the verge of dying will be taken to a hospital to die so they can use the mortuary. This is much easier on the family. In recent years we also have many funeral homes that serve the same purpose.

The voluntary service of the members of the society are welcomed by the Catholics. There are many who do not have the means to take care of the funeral expenses and they are there to help. There are those that have no family and the members would serve as family. It is a great consolation to many families to have the members help in this very difficult time.

The services in these circumstances has done much to build up a great deal of good will and has attracted many to the Church. The members are always available to help and their solicitous concern for even some of the smallest details are appreciated by the mourning family.

The members of this society are the older members of the community. Usually there is a group in all the parishes and even in our little mission station we have a person who is in charge. When my parents died the Catholics for three days came to the Church from the different areas of the parish and would say the office of the dead before the picture of my parents. They in turn would be replaced with another group from another area of the parish and this would continue around the clock. It was a very consoling time for the son.

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."