Catholic Mission Stations of Korea

To raise a child requires more than a family, says Hillary Clinton in her  book It Takes a  Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us. The Catholic villages of the past have been good examples of the effect they can have not only on the children raised there but on the other inhabitants as well.

A professor of Korean history, in the "View from the Ark" column of the Catholic Times, writes that the early Christians lived in these villages, and pasted on the walls of their homes were liturgical calendars specifying the feast days of the year, which gave a direction to their daily  activities.  Each morning and evening, the sound of prayers would come from their homes and often the evening prayers would be said in common. On Sundays they would have the mission station liturgy.

The children grew up without knowing any  great difference between their daily life and their religious life. They would play their games to the accompaniment of hymns they had learned. The food left over at mealtime would be shared with others, knowing that  they would receive it back in kind. Talents and knowledge were also shared. The village was an inexhaustible storehouse for living, sharing, and spreading the faith.

Many of these village mission stations have produced vocations for the Church. One mission station over the past 60 years gave the Church 14 priests and 16 religious. Another produced 1 bishop, 15 priests and 11 sisters. Overall, counting the bishops, priests and religious who have retired, the number is quite large of those who after being raised in these villages then went on to dedicate their lives to the Church. 

Looking at the villages from the viewpoint of the greater society, the villages would be seen as very insignificant places on the map. Some going back to the persecution, but most of them beginning after 1890, at the end of the persecution. And gradually non-Catholics moved into these villages, the Sunday liturgy became the Mass, the mission stations became part of the parish, and the stations began to disappear.

The writer tells us about a trip to one of these old village mission stations, with a friend raised in the village. A number of grandmothers were selling apples at the entrance to the village. The professor had a desire to eat an apple and was told that a container of apples would cost 10 dollars. After much haggling, his friend was able to get the cost reduced to 5 dollars. When it came time to pay, however, the woman wanted 10 dollars--no doubt responding to the influence of a commercialized society, the professor mused.

Society does change us, the professor laments. When it comes to losing a small benefit we hesitate, and have little patience when it comes to trifles. She would like to see a return to the spirit that was present in the Catholic villages of the past, and have this spread throughout society.  

Knowledge vs Understanding

Efforts to move away from preparing students for specialized roles in the marketplace are being replaced, according to recent media reports, by efforts to educate the whole person for the many challenges of life. Though the attempts to express this latest trend may be different, the idea is clear: a person is more than the head and mental faculties. A priest, profiled in a recent issue of the Peace Weekly, is doing more than just talking about these efforts; he has started his own research center to help in the process (pess.kr/rb/). "The goal of PESS," he says, "is the harmonious development of the physical, emotional, spiritual, and the study/service dimensions of a person. Such development," he believes, "will prepare teenagers to become whole persons actively creating their futures, living spiritual lives, and contributing to a future society we all would like to see."   He bases his program on the teaching of Jesus. The hint, he says, came from I Thess. "May the God of peace himself sanctify you through all things, so that your whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved without blame unto the return of our Lord Jesus Christ." Though currently retired, the priest is still involved in efforts to make this happen by changing the thinking about what education should mean.   For many years he was a principal of a country high school where he developed his ideas with great success. Bullying disappeared, and with the renewed interest in the aptitude of individual students and by providing programs that met their needs, the atmosphere in the school changed.  Students who hadn't shown an interest began to appreciate education and find satisfaction in its pursuit.   The money spent on education in Korea, he says, is enormous but the more money spent the more problems appeared.  The direction we are going in and the current efforts expended will only make, he says, the breakdown come quicker. The central need to be appreciated, he stresses, is to help students increase their capabilities.  When their creativity is unleashed, when feedback and the joy of learning is experienced, they will come to terms with what they can do. He would like to see this effort applied more consistently and aggressively in the Sunday school programs.   Another matter that needs to be addressed, he added, is that students are presented with too much to learn. Reducing it by half will help them, he believes, to internalize what they will learn. And when they become aware of the potential consequences of what they are learning, the learning becomes living, and they will be better able to take possession of what they have learned. What about memorizing? he asks. Will we lose this ability? His answer: "We all have smartphones." What is critically important, he says, is not knowledge, but raising our awareness--understanding.

One World Language

October 9th of this year was proclaimed a national holiday, commemorating the invention, in 1443, of the Korean alphabet by King Sejong the Great.  

A professor of foreign languages, writing in the  Catholic Times, discusses some interesting facts about languages. Going back to the story of Babel in Genesis, where God punished humankind for their pride and freed the world from one language. The professor shivers at the thought of a world with one language. We would tend to forget others, he believes, and sow the seeds of a world mired in fundamentalism.
 

In one way, the lack of a world language makes communicating on an external level more difficult, he believes, but liberates us from arrogance and actually enables us to speak to others at a deeper level. 

A Spanish grammarian, Antonio de Nabrija, in 1492, when presenting his new grammar to Queen Isabella, said, "Your highness, language is the companion to internationalization." A few years later the Italian explorer Columbus, sponsored by the queen, landed in a new and distant land with a new weapon, language. Spanish would, it was thought, replace  all the native languages in this new world, which would have created another Tower of Babel, according to the professor.

A few years before Isabella was born, in 1446, a wise king of Korea, who loved his people and wanted to help the less educated to read easily, put together the new language, Hangul. Those who work with languages appreciate the merits of what King Sejong had done.  However, with globalization, and the need to learn English as the common language of commerce, the influx of other languages, the cultist  language of the Internet, the vulgarity that supports much of popular culture, and the self-serving, partisan language of politicians, the Korean language, the professor says, is being destroyed.

We often can't distinguish between globalization and the spread of the  English language, he says. The learning of different languages helps us to extend our knowledge, but if this doesn't help us to sympathize and meet the other heart-to-heart, we are building up walls that will militate against communication and lead us again, he insists, to the arrogance of the Tower of Babel.

Does that mean learning our own language and a foreign language can't co-exist? he asks. He assures us they both can thrive together. He mentions that at an international meeting of scholars, he met with a linguist who spoke 10 languages fluently. When he asked him for the secret to learning so many languages, the linguist said,"Knowing your own." An answer the professor wholeheartedly agrees with, having devoted his own life to the study of languages. Being able to speak and write your own language well is the seedbed, the professor says, to learning any new language.

He concludes the column by asking readers to take time out to read something in Korean slowly, savoring the beauty and simplicity of the language created by King Sejong out of love for his people, and to thank God for the fortuitousness of the destruction of the Tower of Babel.

     

Abortion in Korea

What is the position of religious believers and non-believers on the issue of abortion in Korea? it's the question being asked this month by the Catholic Times, together with a Korean polling organization. Members of three religions--Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists--and those who have no religious belief were polled. Over all, Catholics did a little bit better in opposing abortion than the other three groups. Against abortion: 14.7 percent were Catholics, 6.9 percent were Protestants, 2.4 percent Buddhist, and 1.5 percent non-believers. When it came to mitigating circumstances that might be present, complicating the decision to abort, Catholics did not do as well in mirroring the Catholic position as did the other three groups. The majority of Catholics, 82.9 percent, had no difficulty with abortion in any circumstance. 

The polling was conducted scientifically, with 1000 respondents divided up as they are in the population: Buddhist 210, Protestants 202, Catholics 98 and non-believers 490. To the question: Should abortion be allowed to unmarried mothers and to those who have an unintended pregnancy, the survey found that Catholics, more than those in the other three groups, answered yes.

A person's religion, the editorial laments, seems to have little significant relevance in determining how a person will act. This fact not only has been seen in recent times but has been the reality for decades. The Church has been speaking out forcefully, the editorial points out, from the time of the Mother-Child Health Act, and continues to do so by promoting a culture of life, hoping in this way to change the thinking about  abortion. However, as Catholics have clearly shown, in this recent survey, they have not been moved much by the teaching of the Church in how they conduct their lives.

All surveys show the same results. The Church, undaunted by these results, believes the first step in changing the current "culture of death" continues to be programs that urge Christians to follow a lifestyle that promotes a culture of life.

Korea is beginning to see the same results that other countries have noticed in the past about many troubling issues faced by our modern societies. The culture of many societies today is much more determinative of what many of our Christians will be doing than the teaching and precepts of the Church. In this particular survey, what is surprising is that some of the  unbelievers have a better understanding of what abortion should mean than Catholics do, which forces one to think of possible solutions. If there is something in our cultures that has a more powerful influence on a number of people than the teachings of any one group or religion, it might be a wake-up call to all religions that more effort is needed in reaching the minds and hearts of their members, if the current situation is to change.  In Korea, complicating the issue, it is important to remember,  the majority of Catholics are not cradle Catholics but converts to the faith at a mature age, having been influenced for many years by a culture quite different from that which nurtured the Catholic faith. 

In Essentials Unity, in Non-essentials Liberty in All Things Charity

"In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty; in all things charity." A familiar expression especially relevant today, when differences of opinion, both within society and the Church, seem to be the rule rather than the exception. The Korean Church is also well aware, and has been for some time, of the divisions within the Church, and has sought to overcome them by stressing the importance of working for unity at all times. The problem is that what some think essential is considered non-essential by others. And what some think non-essential, others consider essential.  The editorial in the Catholic Times addresses this issue for the readers.

Benedict in his last sermon as Pope said, “Show the face of the Church and how that face is sometimes disfigured. I am thinking particularly about sins against the unity of the Church, about divisions in the body of the Church. Overcoming individualism and rivalry is a humbling sign.”

The editorial also mentions the breakdown of negotiations in the parliamentary probe of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) that were investigating allegations that the NIS interfered in last December’s presidential elections. Many in society see the interference as an illegal maneuver by the government agency, and want this acknowledged, while the government wants to ignore the issue. 

Recently, the NIS has uncovered a plot by members of Congress who have purportedly aligned themselves with the North against the South. The news media in the South does not make it easy to learn the facts of issues facing the country, but in this instance it diverted attention away from the issue of interference with the elections last year and the reasons for the public's opposition to the NIS.

The editorial attempts to show that in times such as ours, when government cannot be trusted to always act for the benefit of its people, the Church has good reasons to become involved in society, and not silently and uncritically repeat the mantra of Church and State separation. It does require prudence, but when we see amorality within government, there is a need to expose it. Popes have given us examples in recent history, and now Pope Francis is showing us the present need of helping the poor by getting more involved in society. 

The editorial ends with a plea for better and more frequent dialogue between the contenting factions within the Church. The unity of the Church and Christian fellowship demands that we work toward more fruitful debate, it emphasized, for continuing health of the Church, and added that this can be best achieved if more Christians were to take a more active role in learning what issues are currently being debated.

Counseling in all Catholic Parishes

There is a need, says an article in the Catholic Times, to set up permanent places in parishes for counseling. Many of our Catholics are seeking psychological and spiritual help but not only are there few counseling centers but the number of those who have the training to help are few. It becomes a problem of supply and demand.

In our complicated society  our problems are not limited to the psychological realm, but include the spiritual as well, perhaps both being best addressed together. The solution suggested would designate certain parishes in a deanery, or some other area, where qualified persons, on a voluntary basis, will be available for those  seeking help. At  present, such places that offer qualified volunteers the opportunity to serve this much needed function is missing.

Where this function is available as part of parish life, not only Catholics are served, but everyone in the nearby vicinity looking for healing is also served. As of now it depends on the disposition of the parish leaders whether to allow this or not, with many believing it should be universally systematized within the Korean Church.

A priest of the  Korean Catholic Counseling Psychological Association is quoted as saying: "At present, within and outside the Church, the precise nature of the qualifications of the volunteers has to be solved to the satisfaction of the public. The continuing  education of the members and support for their activities will  not only be helpful to the individual but to parish life as a whole." Less than ten percent of those who are qualified, he said, are now working in the diocese, in parishes, and in the institutions of the Church.

Many of the dioceses have successfully incorporated these programs into the infrastructure of the diocese. One of the leaders in the Seoul diocese hopes that in each of the parishes there will be a permanent place for qualified counselors to spend some time during the week to help those that want it.  There will continue to be a need, the priest says, to gain the public's confidence and support that psychological and spiritual counseling is more necessary than ever before, as living in the modern world becomes more challenging and stressful for all of us.

External Beauty and Society

Korea leads the world in the percentage of the population who have had cosmetic surgery. In Seoul, it is estimated that 20 percent of the women have undergone some type of cosmetic surgery. The possible changes are many, with doctors able to do pretty much what the patients want. Helping to enhance the emotional life of someone who is troubled by their appearance by providing a more attractive appearance is a modern phenomenon. And the public's acceptance of the procedure is growing: who would not want a more attractive appearance? 

The stigma once associated with the procedure seems to have disappeared, and those who have had the procedure openly discuss what they have done. One beauty queen, after receiving some  criticism on taking unfair advantage of her competitors with her surgery, freely admitted she never said she was born beautiful.

The women of Korea are, by most standards, considered beautiful, and when a woman feels less than beautiful the prospects of feeling comfortable living in Korea may not be easy. "La bella figura" (a fine appearance) is obviously not  only an Italian trait; Koreans are also no slouches in their desire to put forward the best they can be. In fairness to the Italians, the expression also means presenting a good image and proper behavior, but it's understood that physical appearance is what comes first to the eyes of the beholder, and perhaps is the most important trait to have.

In the "Seoul Catholic Bulletin," a short article describes how women have no difficulty in competing with the men when it comes to higher civil-service  examinations. However, the writer mentions an article he recently read that left him bewildered. Many women who have been among the elite in their field, passing the government higher examinations and entering the Judicial Research and Training Institute, have opted for cosmetic surgery. To find a job, even in fields requiring a high degree of competence, where appearance would seem not to matter, ability is not the only asset, he was surprised to learn, that is desired by the employers. The competition is stiff and to lure clients the appearance of the lawyer is of no small value.
 
As Catholics it is not easy to talk about the subject of cosmetic surgery. It is often a very subjective area of a person's life, which can make a big difference in the quality of life that develops after the surgery. What can be said is that vanity, a lack of personal self-worth, wanting to impress, and a desire to heal psychic wounds may not be the best of reasons for surgery. They may be very good reasons to work with less invasive and more rewarding internal procedures for the desired changes we would like to see in our lives.