Communication on October 28, 2005
* Seoul Archdiocese Concludes the Eucharistic Congress with a Solemn Mass and Eucharistic Procession
To conclude the ten-day Eucharistic Congress of the Archdiocese of Seoul, a solemn Mass with a Eucharistic procession was celebrated in the major seminary of Seoul on October 22, 2005. The Most Rev. Nicholas Cheong Jinsuk, Archbishop of Seoul, presided at the solemn Mass which was concelebrated by His Eminence Stephen Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan, Auxiliary Bishops and priests in Seoul. Some 5,000 Catholics attended the Mass.
In his homily, Archbishop Cheong said, "The Eucharist, the source of the Christian faith, reminds us of the constant presence of our Lord among us and his command to love our neighbors. In the Eucharist, we can be united to Christ who brings us to salvation."
He also added, "Today, it is the mission of Catholic believers to build a society where everyone respects the value of life. Therefore, our Archdiocese is raising the "Mystery of Life" fund of 10 million won for the purpose of supporting adult stem cell research. With this, we hope to alleviate the suffering of the sick, especially those with incurable diseases, and to contribute to the defense and promotion of the value of life."
Prior to the Mass, the participants listened to the religious experiences of the faithful and revived the meaning of the faith nurtured with the Eucharist.
The Most Rev. Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, Vicar General of the Archdiocese, addressed the participants, "It is very happy to celebrate this meaningful event here in the major seminary of Seoul, the cradle of the priestly formation which celebrates the 150th anniversary this year." He also asked the faithful to convey to people the spirit of life which Christ taught us.
The offering of the day's Mass will be sent to the "Mystery of Life" fund, the Archdiocese revealed.
* French Pilgrims Visit the Relics of Their Ancestors of Faith in Korea
A group of 37 French pilgrims composed of Bishops, religious and the laity visited Korea at the invitation of the Archdiocese of Seoul. They are from the hometowns of three missionaries of the Paris Foreign Missions Society, who were martyred and glorified after serving the early Church in Korea during the persecutions.
The Most Rev. Claude Feidt, Archbishop of Aix, the Most Rev. Francois-Xavier Jacques Marie Loizeau, Bishop of Digne, and the Most Rev. Pierre Auguste Gratien Pican, Bishop of Bayeux-Lisieux, led the group of pilgrims. The three dioceses are the hometowns of St. Imbert (2nd Vicar Apostolic of Joseon), St. Chastan and St. Maubant, all MEP missionaries.
On arriving in Korea on October 19, the pilgrims first called at the Jeoldusan Martyrs' Shrine where the relics of the three martyrs are placed. Archbishop Claude Feidt stressed that "Now, we are one brothers and one family in one faith having the same martyr saints."
The same day, they met the Most Rev. Nicholas Cheong Jinsuk, Archbishop of Seoul, and His Eminence Stephen Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan. Archbishop Cheong said, "Since the canonization of 103 martyrs in 1984, the Catholic Church in Korea witnessed rapid growth," and asked them to pray for the Church in North Korea where no priest can reside yet.
Archbishop Claude Feidt expressed gratitude for sending the relics of St. Imbert to his diocese last year on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of his canonization, and the three Bishops all asked to send Korean priests for the Catholic Church in France, saying, "We hope that many Korean priests and Catholics can come to France and help French Catholics grow their faith."
They also participated in the Eucharistic Congress of Seoul Archdiocese. At the Mass, Bishop Pican addressed the Korean Catholics that "here, seeing many Korean Catholics, I can feel anew the love of God who sent three missionaries to Korea for evangelization of Korean people." They also visited Andong Diocese where they met the Most Rev. Rene Marie Albert Dupont, MEP, Bishop Emeritus of Andong. They also toured Andong and Gyeongju and experienced Korean traditional culture.
During their visit, the French pilgrims stayed at the houses of parishioners of Samseongsan Parish in Seoul and had communion with Korean lay Catholics. On this occasion, Samseongsan Parish tied sisterhood relationships with three parishes in each diocese and promised to promote communion through exchanges of information and culture, regular visits, and mutual help.
* Suwon Diocesan Symposium Focuses on Family, the Domestic Church
On October 20, 2005, the Diocese of Suwon held the 12th diocesan symposium with the title "Family, the Domestic Church." Some 1,000 participants listened to the presentation of the Rev. Casimir Song Yul-sup and reaffirmed that the future of the humanity depends on the family.
In his presentation, Fr. Song stressed that it is urgent to integrate the pastoral ministry focused on the family, saying, "The parish-centricity of the pastoral ministry in Korea may be an obstacle to family pastoral ministry. The members of the pastoral council and pastoral workers in parishes should plan every parochial event after sufficiently discerning if it strengthens the family unity or weakens it."
Based on the research of the Pastoral Institute of Korea, he added that Catholic families expect the Church to provide family counseling program and to arrange family-centered activities or programs.
For this, he proposed to include catechesis on the family in the curriculum of Sunday school, to activate "Marriage Encounter" and "Choice", to set up a family pastoral institute on the national level, to continue to celebrate the Family Sunday and to form experts for counselling and healing for families.
He concluded, "What's most important is that the families realize that they are not the object, but the agent of the family pastoral ministry."
To conclude the ten-day Eucharistic Congress of the Archdiocese of Seoul, a solemn Mass with a Eucharistic procession was celebrated in the major seminary of Seoul on October 22, 2005. The Most Rev. Nicholas Cheong Jinsuk, Archbishop of Seoul, presided at the solemn Mass which was concelebrated by His Eminence Stephen Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan, Auxiliary Bishops and priests in Seoul. Some 5,000 Catholics attended the Mass.
In his homily, Archbishop Cheong said, "The Eucharist, the source of the Christian faith, reminds us of the constant presence of our Lord among us and his command to love our neighbors. In the Eucharist, we can be united to Christ who brings us to salvation."
He also added, "Today, it is the mission of Catholic believers to build a society where everyone respects the value of life. Therefore, our Archdiocese is raising the "Mystery of Life" fund of 10 million won for the purpose of supporting adult stem cell research. With this, we hope to alleviate the suffering of the sick, especially those with incurable diseases, and to contribute to the defense and promotion of the value of life."
Prior to the Mass, the participants listened to the religious experiences of the faithful and revived the meaning of the faith nurtured with the Eucharist.
The Most Rev. Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, Vicar General of the Archdiocese, addressed the participants, "It is very happy to celebrate this meaningful event here in the major seminary of Seoul, the cradle of the priestly formation which celebrates the 150th anniversary this year." He also asked the faithful to convey to people the spirit of life which Christ taught us.
The offering of the day's Mass will be sent to the "Mystery of Life" fund, the Archdiocese revealed.
* French Pilgrims Visit the Relics of Their Ancestors of Faith in Korea
A group of 37 French pilgrims composed of Bishops, religious and the laity visited Korea at the invitation of the Archdiocese of Seoul. They are from the hometowns of three missionaries of the Paris Foreign Missions Society, who were martyred and glorified after serving the early Church in Korea during the persecutions.
The Most Rev. Claude Feidt, Archbishop of Aix, the Most Rev. Francois-Xavier Jacques Marie Loizeau, Bishop of Digne, and the Most Rev. Pierre Auguste Gratien Pican, Bishop of Bayeux-Lisieux, led the group of pilgrims. The three dioceses are the hometowns of St. Imbert (2nd Vicar Apostolic of Joseon), St. Chastan and St. Maubant, all MEP missionaries.
On arriving in Korea on October 19, the pilgrims first called at the Jeoldusan Martyrs' Shrine where the relics of the three martyrs are placed. Archbishop Claude Feidt stressed that "Now, we are one brothers and one family in one faith having the same martyr saints."
The same day, they met the Most Rev. Nicholas Cheong Jinsuk, Archbishop of Seoul, and His Eminence Stephen Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan. Archbishop Cheong said, "Since the canonization of 103 martyrs in 1984, the Catholic Church in Korea witnessed rapid growth," and asked them to pray for the Church in North Korea where no priest can reside yet.
Archbishop Claude Feidt expressed gratitude for sending the relics of St. Imbert to his diocese last year on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of his canonization, and the three Bishops all asked to send Korean priests for the Catholic Church in France, saying, "We hope that many Korean priests and Catholics can come to France and help French Catholics grow their faith."
They also participated in the Eucharistic Congress of Seoul Archdiocese. At the Mass, Bishop Pican addressed the Korean Catholics that "here, seeing many Korean Catholics, I can feel anew the love of God who sent three missionaries to Korea for evangelization of Korean people." They also visited Andong Diocese where they met the Most Rev. Rene Marie Albert Dupont, MEP, Bishop Emeritus of Andong. They also toured Andong and Gyeongju and experienced Korean traditional culture.
During their visit, the French pilgrims stayed at the houses of parishioners of Samseongsan Parish in Seoul and had communion with Korean lay Catholics. On this occasion, Samseongsan Parish tied sisterhood relationships with three parishes in each diocese and promised to promote communion through exchanges of information and culture, regular visits, and mutual help.
* Suwon Diocesan Symposium Focuses on Family, the Domestic Church
On October 20, 2005, the Diocese of Suwon held the 12th diocesan symposium with the title "Family, the Domestic Church." Some 1,000 participants listened to the presentation of the Rev. Casimir Song Yul-sup and reaffirmed that the future of the humanity depends on the family.
In his presentation, Fr. Song stressed that it is urgent to integrate the pastoral ministry focused on the family, saying, "The parish-centricity of the pastoral ministry in Korea may be an obstacle to family pastoral ministry. The members of the pastoral council and pastoral workers in parishes should plan every parochial event after sufficiently discerning if it strengthens the family unity or weakens it."
Based on the research of the Pastoral Institute of Korea, he added that Catholic families expect the Church to provide family counseling program and to arrange family-centered activities or programs.
For this, he proposed to include catechesis on the family in the curriculum of Sunday school, to activate "Marriage Encounter" and "Choice", to set up a family pastoral institute on the national level, to continue to celebrate the Family Sunday and to form experts for counselling and healing for families.
He concluded, "What's most important is that the families realize that they are not the object, but the agent of the family pastoral ministry."