Magdalena House,
the first center in Korea for prostitutes, started humbly, in
1985, in one room that lacked even a bathroom, on the second floor of a
restaurant. Profiled by the Peace Weekly in their series on Catholic
Women Groups, Magdalena House was founded by a Maryknoll Sister and a
laywoman, with the help of the Seoul Catholic Women's Social Welfare
Association. Though the center had an inconspicuous start, for the women
who had no place to go, it was a welcome oasis among a generally
hostile environment. It was a place where they found respect and could
begin to build a new life, a place that
gave them the courage to dream and was more welcoming than the home of
their
parents, where some would have to go to have their first child.
Magdalena
House gave hope to these unfortunate women, who, it must be remembered,
were no less made in the image of God. They were encouraged at the
center to work on their strong points and against the stigma they were
branded with by society.
The center was named after Magdalena of
the gospels, a person who was freed of seven devils by Jesus. She loved
and was loved by Jesus and given the privilege of being the first to see
him after the resurrection. The center was intended to give the women
selling sex a dream that their life could change if that was their
desire.
Women could come to the center for counseling and for
legal and medical help. A literacy program was also set up for those
living in the Yongsan area who were in the sex trade, as well as for
other poor women. The center was also available as a shelter for the old
and handicapped women who had lived as sex workers.
Since many
societal voices were heard wanting to put an end to the sex trade, a
number of groups and individuals got together in the One Voice Movement
to try to stop the trade in 1985. In 1999, a documentary on the sex
trade was made with the help of a woman's club, under the auspices of
the President; Magdalena House contributed to the film.
In
addition to the in-house programs, the center began programs in field
work
for those women who were still active on the streets, and for those who
were not. Increasingly, efforts were made to prevent young women from
entering the trade and to counsel those who had run away from home.
Magdalene
House also gives lectures and publishes material on spirituality that
focuses on helping to change the thinking of those in the sex trade.
Their hope for the center is to ultimately have a place for those who
have left the trade and are looking for a place to stay, a home, as they
prepare to go out to a new way of life.
The
desk columnist of the Catholic Times says he has always thought of
himself as a calm person, not easily agitated by frustrating
circumstances, and that he usually doesn't budge from a decision once
made. He also considers himself more reflective than emotional, more
interested in the thoughts and beliefs of others rather than in their
appearance, and not at all interested in frivolous talk, liking to get
right to the point in a discussion. And then at the end of this
self-assessment, he tells us he has been deceiving himself all these
years.
The
reason he appears calm, he says, is that he dislikes moving the body
about, and is also lazy. The reason
he's not easily agitated is because he has slow reflexes and is not
practiced in how to show his emotions. Because he's not
perceptive, he doesn't notice details. He's able to control his
anger because he's not strong enough to fight, with fists or with
words, so the best thing to do, he discovered, is to remain silent. And
the reason he stays with a decision he's made is that he doesn't have
the creativity
to see another possibility. If being tactless and simple are considered
strong points, then at least he can say he has plenty of both.
Because
of his torso, he says he has the patience to stay in the same place
for some time. When his wife changes her hair style, he says he never
notices it. And at a 'gag concert', he says he has difficulty in seeing
the humor, the play on words and the wit, admitting to a very dry
disposition. He confesses that only discussions with topics that
interest him will keep his attention, otherwise he does not participate,
and realizes this is a form of selfishness.
With life full of
contradictions and conflict, he wonders about the possibility of
achieving harmony and unity. He looks within himself and sees a great
many contradictions, which he believes causes many to see him
differently than he sees himself.
In the pre-modern society,
stick-to-itiveness was considered a virtue; in the pluralist society of
today, this has changed and the 'live and let live' is in vogue. Since
we have difficultly understanding ourselves, he believes it's simply pride to think we can understand the other, which at times can become prejudicial thinking and discrimination.
The
Catholic Church has great difficulty with the relativism of
post-modernism but there is something positive in this viewpoint, he
says. It encourages us to leave our narrow way of
looking at life and accept or at least see the possible relevance of
other points of view. We should not be too quick to judge another's
intentions with our own measuring standards. Even if it's something we
do not understand or
agree with, it's a way of not closing the possibility of dialogue,
enabling us to relate more easily with others. Some skepticism is
understandable but when
it becomes cynicism the results can be lethal.
The Catholic Church
of Korea asked Catholics to
read 33 spiritual books a year during the three years from 2005 to
2007. The second phase of the program will start this coming June,
during the Year of Faith, with the same goal: reading 33 books a year
for three years--the 33 referring to the years of our Lord's life. For
the third year another book was added to make it 100 books
for the three years. The reading will not only benefit the person but
also promote our religious tradition and culture, as the the
Catholic Times' latest issue points out in its cover story.
The
results of the earlier program were very satisfying; it helped develop
the habit of reading, formed book seminars and clubs and, less formally,
parish discussion groups. Books were seen as a means of continuing
pastoral care of Christians, and of correcting the misunderstanding that
Catholics do not read very much. The Catholic Times, with the help of
the Seoul Diocese, took a poll of the readers to determine the
effectiveness of the program.
One of the main reasons for the
program can be summed up in the phrase: To read a book is ultimately the
process of reading life. In other words, what we read is going to
determine what we put into our heads and hearts, which will largely
determine what actions will follow. Consequently, the first step is to
prudently decide what to read. However, in our digital society many have
difficulty setting aside enough time to read because of easy access to
hypertext information, which militates against deep thought and
examination. Rather than reading to search for meaning and values, we
often prefer to read whatever provides the immediately useful. To
eliminate this difficulty, a book selection committee will select two or
three books each month for those interested, and set up programs to
encourage meeting with others to discuss what was read.
The poll
of 241 Catholics showed that 30 percent read from 3 to 5 spiritual books
during the year; 25 percent read 1 or 2 books; 19 percent read more
than 10 books; 16 percent read 6 to 10 books, and 10 percent read
nothing. Several reasons were given for not reading: not knowing what to
read (30 percent), difficult to understand (28 percent), difficulty finding suitable spiritual books (27
percent), books were not interesting (15 percent).
Korea has a community of Christians that is sufficiently united, making
possible this type of program, with expectations of achieving positive
results. Even though the Christians are being asked to do
something many will find difficult, there will be many who will
participate, making for a deeper and more mature level of faith life,
along with developing the leaders of the future.
We are in the habit of crediting only the mind for our knowledge,
forgetting the essential role of the bodily senses, especially the ears,
which seem to get the biggest workout. Some call this workout the
cramming method of education, a method not always seen as the most
helpful. A better teaching method, often used as an adjunct to the
lecture, relies on visual aids to retain what is being taught. But the
best.way, according to many educators, is to directly experience what is
to be learned, a hands-on learning by doing.
Over the years,
the programs using this third method have been enthusiastically received
and the results have been long lasting. On one occasion a professor
divided his class into two parts, showing one picture to those on the
left side of the class and another picture to those on the right, After a
few moments he told them to forget what they had seen; and made them
shake their heads to confirm they had indeed put the pictures out of
mind. All were then shown another picture, a composite of the other two
pictures, and asked what they were now seeing. Those on the left saw a
man, those on the left saw a woman. This third picture, though having
elements of the two other pictures, was a picture in its own right, but
not seen as such by either part of the class. Even though the class had
been told to forget the previous pictures, the memory of those pictures
was still too present in mind, resulting in an inaccurate perception of
the third picture. This was a lesson, the professor explained, to show
how susceptible we are to the conditioned response, which in many cases
programs us to see what we see, to experience what we experience.
This type of hands-on teaching is very effective in changing our
behavior and our values. A catch-all phrase we often use for this
teaching style is game simulation. Industry uses this as a hands-on way
of getting persons to experience something that would be expensive and
dangerous.
A Korean diocese using this hands-on approach was
recently written-up in the Peace Weekly. The diocese took as their
guideline 2:42-47 of the Acts of the Apostles, which explained how the
first Christians lived the message they received. This Christian
community was faithful to the teaching received, had fellowship, and
shared what they possessed. The following summary will give a rough idea
of what is being done by the diocese, as it attempts to model itself
after that early Christian community.
Two parishes of the same
diocese were involved in the program. In the first meeting, they shared
their thoughts on the scripture passage and what it meant to each of
them to live in the manner of these early Christians. In the second
meeting, they decided on what they were going to share, each one
expressing his or her opinion on the best way to do this. The discussion
continued until they reached unanimity.
The third meeting, three days later, was preceded by a lot of prayer, and it seems they decided to bring money. Each person expressed their need, after discussion, each one is assigned to deliver what was considered needed to the person who expressed the need.
In the last
meeting, a week later, each one shared what they felt about what they
had received, and discussed what they thought of the program, the
difficulties encountered, and their personal experience of God during
the time of the meetings. The diocese has plans to have this program,
deemed successful by the participants, in all the parishes next year
during Lent.
When speaking about investments we generally think about the world of finance, investing in stocks, real estate, precious metals, petroleum, even education as a way to insure a good paying job. Though investments of this kind are often motivated by a desire for prosperity and happiness, it's not unusual, as we know, that these goals are not achieved and our money lost.
On the open forum page of the Catholic Times, the journalist distinguishes between two similar sounding Korean words, one meaning investing money, the other investing the self. And it's the self that we invest in whenever we determine to do our best--at our workplace, in our family, in our relationships, and in our future. Religious people devote themselves to God, the Church and our neighbor. Isn't this investing? the columnist asks. He sees all these self-investments as investing in God, without any fear of loss.
Do we, instead, see our most precious treasure in our stocks, our property, our jewelery? When we are neglectful of our family, for instance, no matter how much money is made, a sense of regret, the columnist believes, is always present. God will be happy, he says, when we give ourselves, which is our most precious possession, to whatever we are involved in. This kind of investment has the best returns, he says, and it requires no analysis.
Living in a capitalistic system, we know that investments are a big part of this world view. As Christians, we also know of the existence of eternal life, and yet the time we spend investing in the life of our soul is minimal. We tend to say: "A little later, a little later," and keep putting off what is of the greatest importance. The world is not prodding us, of course, to find the time to devote ourselves to what is important. But we can easily check for ourselves our spiritual condition. All we have to do is see how much time we spend listening and talking with God. If we want to remain in this relationship we have to deepen our prayer life. Scriptures are words of promise that help us do this. Everything depends on God and the time we invest in relating with him will free us from all the fears that are likely to appear in our lives.
In our Lord's final words at the Last Supper, in John's Gospel, John tells us that Jesus leaves us with his love, the Holy Spirit, and peace. These three gifts should bring great happiness, and Jesus does exhort us not to be troubled or be afraid. Knowledge of what has been given should do much to prepare us to fully experience the gifts.
A
beloved village doctor, knowing death was closing in, decided it was
time to pass along what he had learned about health during his many
years of treating the sick. He was known for his intuitive ability and
quick assessment of what was bothering a patient. The face and walk
would often tell him what was wrong and what cure was necessary. When the
villagers came to be with him in his last moments of life, he told them
about the best doctors they could have. They would be much better, he
said, than he had been in keeping them healthy. They were Dr. Food, Dr.
Sleep and Dr. Exercise.
Food is needed to fill the stomach,
about 75 percent full; don't overeat, he said. Go to sleep before
midnight and get up at dawn. And exercise daily, walking
is one of the best. These three will take care of most of your
physical problems, he said. He stopped briefly to catch his breath.
Along
with the food, sleep and exercise, he continued, there are three
medicines that need to be taken daily to assure good results. Everybody
at the doctor's bedside came closer to hear. These medicines are food
for the soul; they're free and have no side-effects. Because the body is
only a part of what we are, he explained, we must care for the soul as
well. It's the reason we need Reflection, Prayer, and Love to be truly
healthy.
Reflection should be done regularly,
every day at a certain time throughout ones life. Prayer is a cure-all for whatever is bothering us. And Love never fails. Use
it often, he urged; it's our most potent medicine.
Having given his last prescription to the villagers, it was time to leave them, and he closed his eyes for the last time.
A diocesan bulletin, which recently carried the story, asks its readers
how much of the doctor's advice do we consider important and follow in
our daily lives.
Asians like to hear folk tales, legends, and parables--the ones with ferverinos
are especially welcomed. With the sophistication that comes with having
access to the news of the past as well as the present, we may have
outgrown the simplicity of these tales. But many of them contain enough
truth, such as the doctor's story, to make their retelling worthwhile.
Catholic University Hansen Disease Center has for over 50 years worked quietly in treating and working to achieve dignity for the sufferers of what we use to call leprosy. It is the sole professional research center working since 1956, in the care of those suffering from Hansen's disease. The Peace Weekly wrote of the beginnings of the Cura Association in Korea, with its Hansen clinic and laboratory. The first chairman of the Cura Association was a Maryknoll priest Fr. Joseph Sweeney and at his recommendation in 1961, the door for research on chronic disease began at the medical department of Holy Spirit University that became the Catholic University Medical School.
Fr. Joseph Sweeny after being expelled from China by the Communists came to Korea. He went to Carville Leprosarium in Louisiana to study what was the latest treatment of Hansen's disease patients. He brought back with him the Marianum antigen and a vaccine which he gave free to all those that came to the clinic. DDS was the only medicine used for those suffering from Hansen's disease and with the discovery of the Marianum antigen, which had no side effects, Fr. Sweeny spread its use in Korea.
Fr. Sweeney with a medical team would travel throughout the country helping the sick, and distributing food to the poor. In the year 1968, they treated 18,000 patients in 80 regions of the country. The mobile team would travel with the medical students to the different village headquarters for treatment. The total number of sick was considered to be 200,000.
At the start, it was only concern for the treatment of the sick, but they expanded to helping the sick become independent and to return them to society. Even if the treatment had been successful, and they had recovered, it was almost impossible to send them back into society. Prejudice towards those recovered remained, and they were often greeted with derogatory names and remarks.
In 2005, the research centered received support from the government for a study of the human rights of those with Hansen disease. The chief of the Institute for two terms and nearly 20 years said, distressed: "Those with Hansen's disease live with the shock of wanting to deny their own existence. Even if they have been cured, they can't return to their old jobs, they can't become independent. How can we say they are cured?"
Furthermore: "In over 40 medical schools the Catholic Medical School is the only one studying Hansen's Disease. It is because of the Catholic desire to have them live as our neighbors." There are 13 working on the research team, and an outpatient clinic goes out once a week for treatment and education.
On the 50th anniversary of the start of the Institute, they had a meeting of those studying the disease in Asia to explain what they have learned over the last 50 years on the treatment and their educational programs. As they look forward to the future, they hope to be a help to those throughout the world who are recovering from the disease by providing funds and relief services as they continue to work to increase their acceptance in society. There are now about 12,000 recovered Hansen disease patients who are old and have difficulty in rehabilitating.
