Magdalena House

The Peace Weekly recently interviewed  the custodian of Magdalena House, a Catholic shelter for victims of prostitution. It  provides counseling for those who are trying to leave the life of prostitution and return to a normal life in society. The woman in charge of the House, Consecrata, told of her work to help those who have died while working in the sex trade.                   

She remembers the many women who have come to the shelter and have died. Their pictures were shown to the interviewer, and she heard  Consecrata  reminisce about each one of the women. Each picture had a story to tell. One woman, who had lived as a prostitute but left the life to begin her own small business, was killed in an auto accident.

Since  1987 Consecrata has been involved with the funeral rites for these women. One woman was accepting a male visitor up to the moment she died. Consecrata  was told that it was a heart attack. She told the police she believed it was murder and asked them to investigate. She was told "You must accept what was said, what do you know about this anyway?"  Even the family did not  want to know the reason for her death. She said prayers for her at the mortuary and took the body to the crematorium.


When she hears of prostitutes who are sick she goes to help them in their last hours. When she helped with the  burial and the funeral arrangements, on returning  to the shelter she was considered unclean and they would spread salt around the premises. But seeing the way she has given of herself for others, this attitude has gradually disappeared.

Last month, three  women died. When she went to the crematorium she was met by one of the workers who guessed what it was all about. You do not see women carrying the coffin in Korea, and he offered to help.

The members of Magdalena House on New Year's day and Harvest Festival prepare a table for the rites of the dead. She is asked by some of the women: "When I die will you do the same for me?" The death of a prostitute is of little interest to others, but to Consecrata the time and energy spent in caring for those who are dying is a work of love.  She is often told, "You must not die before me." The rumor that prostitutes have to sell their bodies for experimental purposes to have enough money for the funeral is no longer circulated. If the woman has no family, Consecrata takes care of all that is necessary; she doesn't want to be the custodian of an unknown grave.

When the anniversary of their death comes around, she often gives friends of the deceased money to buy vegetables to prepare for guests. These women have lived a difficult life, filled with shame. Consecrata  tries her best to be with them when sick and facing death, and to fulfill their wishes for the funeral rites. In a Buddhist funeral, the more bows the better, and on one occasion, she bowed so often she returned home with her legs  shaking.                                                                                                                       

These women have been treated as objects.  Consecrata's desire is to make their final moments on earth like all the others in society. She sees  their dignity and is  responding to it.

Catholic Lay Theologians of Korea

Right after the start of the Apostolic Church those that went to the gentiles with the Gospel were laity. In the early Church those engaged voluntarily in the study of theology where lay persons. This was also true at the start of the Church in Korea: lay persons studying the teachings of the Church, living it, and bringing it into their faith life.  
 
The editorial in the Catholic Times introduces us again to these facts and reminds us that in a pluralistic society we will have many more lay Catholics getting involved in theology and taking  their rightful place within the Church.

The winner this year of the Korean Catholic Scholastic Award went to a professor who has been working in the field of history for the last 30 years. This is the second time that the award went to a layperson.
 
Within the Catholic Church in Korea we see the laypersons’ maturity coming very much to the fore: not only in scripture, history and ecclesiology but also in other related fields of special interest to lay theologians. The laity are not receiving much support, however, from the Church, especially in preparing an encouraging atmosphere for lay theologians. 
 
With the  deepening of spirituality,  they will help to evangelize our society and also carry out the mission to go out to the rest of Asia and the world.  Support for promoting spiritual maturity and theological studies will be necessary if  they are not to  flounder. Without this proper pursuit of learning and  mature spirituality,  progress will be building a house of cards.

The presentation of scholastic awards is a sign of growth. It enables the Church to acknowledge those who are prominent in their field of study and to encourage others in their study. However, it is not sufficient to give awards if we don't also support our lay theologians; this must be given more attention and support by the Church. The editorial recommends a permanent research institute that will contribute to the formation of lay theologians and lay leaders.  

The clergy and religious have been so closely identified with the Church that there has been a tendency among the laity to feel like inferior members of the Church. We are all members of one body and the laity are the  members whose function is to spread the Gospel in  the world. With the continued growth of the Church and increased finances, we should soon see the lay person coming to center stage and making more contributions to the life of the Church.

Prophetic Voice of Catholic Media

The 11th symposium of a pastoral group met recently to examine the prophetic voice of the media and its place in the life of the Church. The topic was "With the word, we see the way: Obligation and reflection on the media and the Church." Both Catholic newspapers covered the symposium and gave brief summaries of the proceedings.

One participant mentioned that if the media is to give the citizens joy and hope there has to be media reform. Legislation should stop the influence of big money and control of the media. Public opinion and religious groups have to be mobilized to work for an independent media. At present the rich get richer and the poor get poorer and much of the blame, said the participant, belongs with the media. After receiving help from the International Monetary Fund, Korea accepted neo-liberalism (no government controls on economic development) and we now have in Korea, according to the participant, 20 percent of the population who are well off and 80 percent who are struggling to make ends meet. The media does not educate the public on the effects of neo-liberalism and by their silence the citizens remain ignorant of the root problems and why we have them.

Another participant directly involved with the Catholic media said that Catholic media needs to be more conscious of Gospel values, and stay away from dealing with disputed societal issues. That should be, he believes, the work of the secular press and the specialists, with the Church restricting its interests to fundamental issues and causes. The media does have a prophetic role, he said, and should not--as the prophets of old did not--stay in the back room to pray but go out to the people to reprimand those who had done wrong and make known God's will. The job of the journalist is not easy to begin with. It is even more difficult when taking on the role of a prophet. This is what Catholic media should be doing in today's world but fitting the prophetic role of a journalist with love, forgiveness and reconciliation, is not easy.    

Media is a business, with the inevitable turmoil of competing in a market economy. Talented people are needed. The quality and quantity of production considered; money, advertising and government involvement are all areas of concern.

The situation is made somewhat easier for the Church by having a good "brand name" in its favor. We do not have serious divisions, in-fighting and control by business, so we are free to go after the facts and truth. This allows us to work for the common good, and be the much needed prophetic voice that will educate the public on issues that the secular media covers poorly or not at all, or does so from a narrow ideological perspective.

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Catholic Layperson in the Church

Layperson Sunday will be celebrated in Korea today, one week before the  Sunday of Christ the King.  It will be the 43rd time since its inception  back in 1968. On this Sunday, a layperson gives the sermon, which is usually sent from the Lay Apostolate Conference for use in the parish if desired. This year the topic is "A new way of evangelizing has arrived."

The sermon informs us that of the world's population of over six and half billion four billion live in Asia, and only about 3 percent are Catholic. And in many countries they are persecuted and face other difficulties in worshiping openly and freely. It is not sufficient only to pray; material aid and lay missioners are also needed.

Mention was made of the documentary film "Don't cry, Tonj," depicting the life of a Salesian priest-doctor, Lee Tae-suk (1962-2010), who volunteered as a missioner to the Sudan.  He died Jan.14 at the age of 48 from colon cancer. This film is a powerful portrayal of what it means to love one another and what evangelization should mean to us.

The Pope in his Mission Sunday message  tells us that the call of Jesus is a response in mission  by "priests, consecrated people, catechists and lay missionaries in the constant  endeavor to encourage church communion.  Even the intercultural phenomenon may be integrated in a model of unity in which the Gospel is a leaven of freedom and progress, a source of brotherhood, humility and peace." The Pope reminds us that fellowship within the  Church is an important part of mission.

The sermon on Layperson Sunday, using an example from Korean Church history in the last years of the 18th century, tells us that a catechist,  in order to save the life of the only priest in Korea, a Chinese priest, gave up his own life. The priest, six years later, seeing the suffering of the Christians, gave himself up to the authorities to help lessen their suffering. This is a good example of the traditional  fellowship within the Church, the sermon emphasizing that the fellowship of priests, religious and lay people is important and necessary.

A Religious Sister quoted in the Catholic Times mentions the challenges the Church has in Asia: increasing our solidarity with the poor, promoting interreligious dialogue, and moving forward with inculturation--making the Church more Korean. The challenges for the layperson are found primarily in how best to prepare for awakening to the call of mission in order to respond to the needs of the  present by a unified pastoral concern. Activation of the various lay groups and an understanding of layperson and religious as companions in the mission of Christ must be stressed.

A Singular Vocation to the Poor of Korea

A young woman of 23 came to Korea back in 1959 after a 5-week boat trip from England. She came with 7 pianos that she was going to give to the Taegu Catholic University music department that she heard lacked pianos. She was invited to come to Korea by the archbishop of Taegu and although she was engaged to a doctor, after arriving in Korea she sent the engagement ring back with a note expressing sorrow, but she had decided to give up marriage to work for the poor in Korea.

The Peace Weekly has an article on her receiving an award from the Paradise Welfare Foundation: a secular foundation that is awarding Susannah for her many years of service to the poor. Susannah is now 74 years old and will be given the award even though she is a foreigner. She is an example of service to the poor and a foundation stone for the social work that developed in the Taegu area.

Susannah comes from a wealthy and illustrious English Family. She converted from Anglicanism to Catholicism when in high school and desired to work for the poor. After graduating from Oxford and learning of the persecution of the Christians in Korea, she decided to come to Taegu to be part of this history.

During her time in Korea she was a teacher of English at the University, prepared meals for the shoeshine boys, helped homeless girls, and founded a vocational school for girls.  She felt a singular vocation to help the Archbishop in his work to help the poor.

The article mentions that it was not always easy for her. One of the irksome problems was to understand that 'yes'  does not always mean what it seemed to mean. The Koreans will often say 'yes' for reasons of politeness, not wanting to hurt  feelings, but in other ways indicating that they mean 'no'.  She finally came to understand this saying something and meaning something else. The words we use to express our feelings may be different for each of us but the feeling of love which prompted the expression is often the same.  

She is now a permanent resident of Korea and is present at the baptisms and weddings of many converts to Catholicism, for whom she has a special fondness. It can be said that England is her maiden-home and, in place of a conventional marriage, she found her marriage-home here, in her beloved Korea. Now the work is in the hands of Koreans and she intends to encourage them. "If we are to understand God's unconditional love," she says, "then human love is necessary. By means of human love we know God's love."

Pope's Words to the G-20 Summit in Korea

Following is a loose  translation of the message sent by Pope Benedict to Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who is hosting the  G-20 Summit of 2010, which convened yesterday in Seoul.

The Pope writes that this meeting, being held in Asia at the beginning of the 21st century, is a fitting acknowledgment of Asia's importance and responsibility to the international community. And that, in addition, selecting Korea, a first-time participant, to host the G-20--the first among those not belonging to the G-8 to do so--is also a recognition of Korea's significant economic development. After the recent crises, this will be a Summit that will take the lead, according to the Pope, in deciding many  complicated issues.  Future generations will  depend on your decisions, and therefore, will require the participation and agreement of all nations. Dignity of all people the primary and central value, is the ultimate goal. This is basic and will require the  cooperation of the international community.

The Catholic Church, in accordance with its mandate, wants to share in the concerns of the leaders who are participating in the Seoul Summit. The Pope encourages them to struggle with the serious problems we all are faced with, keeping in mind the deeper reasons for the economic and financial crisis, and come up with policies that will be just and sustainable. The policies that are decided, if they are to be ultimately and truly effective, will have to be for the authentic and integral  development of the whole person.

The attention of the world is on the meeting, the Pope said. He hopes that they will not decide on matters that will favor some countries at the expense of others. And hopes they will decide on appropriate measures to solve the problems we face.  We are all living together with many different cultures, financial systems, political groups, and  even though harmony will be difficult to achieve, history teaches that when we have respect for the person and work together to achieve this harmony, we will have satisfactory results. Thanks to the crises that we have today, we are able to recognize that civilizations, cultures,  economic, social and political systems, will come together in a vision we all can share, and show our maturity to the world and future generations,  provided, we respect the laws and demands of God the creator, in bedded in the  nature of things.

The Pope hopes the G-20, by considering the many and sometimes conflicting issues facing the world today, will respond to the expectations of all of us by showing a desire to search for the common  good and by a willingness to cooperate in achieving it. He ends his message by invoking God's blessing on all participants in the Seoul Summit. 

Violence of Words

On the spiritual page of the Catholic Times a columnist asks,"Do our words make others fearful? He recounts the story of a friend who lives with his mother and often has difficulty understanding her feelings; she continually upsets the emotional life of the family. The son would like to have his mother go for therapy but  is afraid this will develop into a problem and keeps quiet. The columnist indirectly asks what does he  fear?

From the time they were children, she would tell them, when they did not listen to her, that there was no reason to keep on living, or she would tell them it would  be better for her to leave. This so frightened them that they obeyed, but feelings of oppression and  despondency became part of their life.

When the columnist expressed sympathy for his situation, he broke down crying. He told the columnist how his mother had no relationship with others in the neighborhood, and that she would repeat many times during the day all that she had done for them. And how disappointed she was in them for not doing what she expected.

It was only in later years that he learned  his mother was taking medicine for depression. The columnist tells us that although the son was well-educated, he was suffering from the unhealed scars of his early years and was often overcome by feelings of  immaturity. When he saw the letter 4--to a Korean, a number associated with death--or someone writing a name in red, they would remind him of death and bring on feelings of despondency and fear.

The columnist  tells us that when we try to control another person's feelings with what we do or say we are using a form of violence. This would be especially true when dealing with children. We must learn, he says, to be more conscious of the power of the words we use. A person with a good heart will use words that give life, helping both the  speaker and  the hearer to live the resurrected life. Our Lord tells us in Luke, "Each man speaks from his heart's abundance."