CBCK News
Communications on Mar. 15, 2002
2009.08.24 12:09
* 2002 Spring General Assembly of the CBCK to Seek Pastoral Counterplan for 5-Day Workweek
At the 2002 Spring General Assembly of the CBCK(Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea) held from March 4-8, the Bishops agreed to prepare a pastoral counterplan urgently as the 5-day workweek system is to be introduced this year.
Foreseeing that the 5-day workweek might decrease the number of participants in Sunday Mass, which also can cause drastic changes in Church's life and pastoral environment, the Bishops agreed to look for pastoral methods to effectively and adequately respond to this change and implement them in each diocese, so that further discussion can be made at next Autumn General Assembly.
They also reached consensus on the necessity to computerize and standardize pastoral and administrative work of dioceses, so decided to animate meetings of relevant working level personnel of each diocese to pursue the project of integration of computerization.
At the assembly, the Bishops approved new Korean translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and its publication. This translation was carried out following the Apostolic See's final promulgation of Latin Typical Edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1997. The Latin Typical Edition revised and supplemented the French edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church published in 1992, which the Church in Korea has translated and used so far.
Besides, the Committee on Education of the CBCK resolved the "Ordinances on Catholic Universities and other Institutes of Higher Studies in Korea", which was arranged in keeping with the Apostolic Constitution "Ex Corde Ecclesiae" on Catholic Universities of Pope John Paul II, and will request its approval of the Apostolic See.
* Archdiocese of Kwangju Provides School Lunch for Poor Children
According to the report of the Social Pastoral Ministry Department of the Archdiocese, the Archdiocese of Kwangju supported 1,439 children's school lunch in 115 elementary schools in Jeonnam area last year thanks to supporters' collaboration and US$239,818 collected from 35 parishes of the Archdiocese.
The Archdiocese started the project in February, 2001 to help the poor children who cannot pay their lunch for only small part of such children(2%) can receive government's support. After the project was approved at priests' meeting, the office investigated the actual situation of poor children in collaboration with elementary schools officials and formed a supporters' association named "Five Loaves & Two Fish". To raise fund, it developed a drive named "Movement for Sharing Love" through the association and parishes that joined voluntarily and urged the government to allocate more budget for this purpose.
From this year, the project will be developed as district-initiated project, not diocese-initiated one, to pay more careful attention to such children by visiting schools and families with help of members of Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Legion of Mary in each parish.
* Movement to Send "Bible to Vietnam" Promoted
"Through 'Movement to Send Bible to Vietnam', promoted by priests who had joined the Vietnam War, US$10,000 was granted to Vietnam and thanks to it Old and New Testaments were provided to dioceses and religious institutes in Vietnam including the Diocese of Hochimin last year" said Rev. Francis Lee Mun-ju who iniciated the Movement. A volume of New Testament in Vietnamese costs about US$1(KRW 1,300).
"An appreciative letter from a professor-priest in Saigon University announced that 243 bound(Old and New Testaments) volumes and 3,150 volumes of New Testament were distributed among the faithful and catechists in three dioceses." said Rev. Lee.
Alongside of this, the Movement is promoting "100-Week Bible" program, a study program of Bible, to spread it to Vietnam, and for this purpose the translation of this program to Vietnamese is conducted.
At the 2002 Spring General Assembly of the CBCK(Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea) held from March 4-8, the Bishops agreed to prepare a pastoral counterplan urgently as the 5-day workweek system is to be introduced this year.
Foreseeing that the 5-day workweek might decrease the number of participants in Sunday Mass, which also can cause drastic changes in Church's life and pastoral environment, the Bishops agreed to look for pastoral methods to effectively and adequately respond to this change and implement them in each diocese, so that further discussion can be made at next Autumn General Assembly.
They also reached consensus on the necessity to computerize and standardize pastoral and administrative work of dioceses, so decided to animate meetings of relevant working level personnel of each diocese to pursue the project of integration of computerization.
At the assembly, the Bishops approved new Korean translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and its publication. This translation was carried out following the Apostolic See's final promulgation of Latin Typical Edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1997. The Latin Typical Edition revised and supplemented the French edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church published in 1992, which the Church in Korea has translated and used so far.
Besides, the Committee on Education of the CBCK resolved the "Ordinances on Catholic Universities and other Institutes of Higher Studies in Korea", which was arranged in keeping with the Apostolic Constitution "Ex Corde Ecclesiae" on Catholic Universities of Pope John Paul II, and will request its approval of the Apostolic See.
* Archdiocese of Kwangju Provides School Lunch for Poor Children
According to the report of the Social Pastoral Ministry Department of the Archdiocese, the Archdiocese of Kwangju supported 1,439 children's school lunch in 115 elementary schools in Jeonnam area last year thanks to supporters' collaboration and US$239,818 collected from 35 parishes of the Archdiocese.
The Archdiocese started the project in February, 2001 to help the poor children who cannot pay their lunch for only small part of such children(2%) can receive government's support. After the project was approved at priests' meeting, the office investigated the actual situation of poor children in collaboration with elementary schools officials and formed a supporters' association named "Five Loaves & Two Fish". To raise fund, it developed a drive named "Movement for Sharing Love" through the association and parishes that joined voluntarily and urged the government to allocate more budget for this purpose.
From this year, the project will be developed as district-initiated project, not diocese-initiated one, to pay more careful attention to such children by visiting schools and families with help of members of Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Legion of Mary in each parish.
* Movement to Send "Bible to Vietnam" Promoted
"Through 'Movement to Send Bible to Vietnam', promoted by priests who had joined the Vietnam War, US$10,000 was granted to Vietnam and thanks to it Old and New Testaments were provided to dioceses and religious institutes in Vietnam including the Diocese of Hochimin last year" said Rev. Francis Lee Mun-ju who iniciated the Movement. A volume of New Testament in Vietnamese costs about US$1(KRW 1,300).
"An appreciative letter from a professor-priest in Saigon University announced that 243 bound(Old and New Testaments) volumes and 3,150 volumes of New Testament were distributed among the faithful and catechists in three dioceses." said Rev. Lee.
Alongside of this, the Movement is promoting "100-Week Bible" program, a study program of Bible, to spread it to Vietnam, and for this purpose the translation of this program to Vietnamese is conducted.
