CBCK News
2009-08-25 14:16
2009-08-25 14:17
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Communication on February 4, 2005
* Newly Established “Catholic Seoul Mission" to Strive for the Mission to America

The Archdiocese of Seoul approved on January 26, 2005 the "Catholic Seoul Mission" (Director: Rev. Louis Kim Taek-gu) as an official body of the Archdiocese to boost the mission to America.

In addition to the existing Korean Foreign Mission Society (Established by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea in 1975) and Korean Foreign Mission Sisters (Established by the Diocese of Pusan in 1986), the Mission will involve wider range of the faithful, from clergy and religious to the laity.

Unlike the Korean Foreign Mission Society's focusing on mission to Asia, the Mission will concentrate its energy to the mission to America. It will form clergy, religious and lay missionaries to be sent to foreign countries and develop programs and initiatives for foreign mission.

As the first step, the Mission plans to send three missionaries to the Archdiocese of Panama this year. They first learn the language and culture and then enter into the seminary there to carry out missionary work.

With the establishment of the Mission, the Archdiocese of Seoul gains momentum in its foreign mission and contributes to raising the status of the Catholic Church in Korea from being a receiving Church to a giving Church.

* Religious Seek New Types of Apostolate

Responding to the calling of the time, religious are looking for new types of apostolate, such as a common ministry transcending the walls between institutes and a ministry of being present with the poor, all of which foretell a new image of religious.

In particular, "Friends without Borders," and "House of Sunrise" are worthy of mentioning. Friends without Borders is a center for migrant workers, which is run by four different women religious institutes. It attracts good reactions and positive evaluation within the Church because different institutes work together for a common purpose and religious put their strength together to respond to the emerging problem of migrant workers. It is evaluated as a witness of response to the calling of the time and as an open image of religious institute.

House of Sunrise, belonging to the Order of Friars Minor (Minister Provincial: Rev. Paul Oh Sang-seon), is an attempt of making a new kind of religious community. This community does not have a specific direction of apostolate but just lives out its calling in the daily lives. Three brothers living in the House of Sunrise do not promote special kind of ministry; rather, they live along with their poor neighbors and give their hand to neighboring parishes. In this way, they practice the "poverty" inherent to their charisma.