* Auxiliary Bishop of Seoul Ordained
The episcopal ordination of the Most Rev. Basil Cho Kyu-man, who was appointed as the Auxiliary Bishop of Seoul on January 3, 2006, by Pope Benedict XVI, took place on January 25 at Myeon gdong Cathedral of Seoul. The Most Rev. Nicholas Cheong Jinsuk, Archbishop of Seoul, presided at the ordination Mass.
Among some 2,500 participants were His Eminence Stephen Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan, the Most Rev. Emil Paul Tscherrig, Apostolic Nuncio to Korea, Mr. Chung Dong-chea, Minister of the Culture a nd Tourism of Korea, and the leaders of brother Christian churches and of other religions in Korea. The attendance of many young priests was also remarkable.
In the ordination Mass, Archbishop Cheong asked the new bishop to become "a good shepherd who can lay down his life for his sheep," saying that whoever humbles himself would be exalted.
In the congratulatory ceremony following the Mass, H.E. Cardinal Kim said, "I know that the new bishop always had the motherlike love toward seminarians while he was teaching at the semin ary. I wish him, as a bishop, to love priests like a mother and listen to them carefully. When a bishop cares for priests like a mother and priests trust and follow him, the Church can grow in love."
The Apostolic Nuncio said to the new bishop, "You are not alone. It is Christ who invites you today to put your future and your new mission into his hands. He repeats to you the words spo ken to the Apostles at the Last Supper: ’Do not let your heart be troubled. Have faith in God and have faith also in me’. It is in this trust in Christ that your heart will always find a solid rock where it can stop and rest."
Responding to these congratulatory messages, Bishop Cho said, "Today is the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle, and Archbishop Cheong selected today for my episcopal ordinatio n. I think it is the will of God who wants me to convert and proclaim the Gospel to the world for God, taking examples of the enthusiasm of St. Paul."
Citing the words of St. Augustine, "For you I am a bishop but with you I am a Christian," he continued, "I will always remember that I am with you all." In addition, recalling the late Po pe John Paul II who said at his last moment, "I am happy and you should be happy too," he wished he also could complete his episcopate in happiness and called on the faithful to pray for him.
Born in 1955 in Busan, Bishop Cho was ordained a priest in 1982 and obtained the doctorate in dogmatic theology from the Pontifical Urban University in Rome in 1990. He has taught seminar ians at the Catholic University of Korea since 1991 and served as the Executive Secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea since 2004.
* Statistics of Overseas Korean Catholics Published
As of the end of 2005, there are 141,898 Korean Catholics practicing the faith in overseas Korean Catholic churches and missions.
The Statistics of Overseas Korean Catholics published b y the CBCK Committee for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants (President: Most Rev. Vincent Ri Pyung-ho) on January 25, 2006, shows that there are 103,853 Catholics in North America, 15,522 in Oceania, 8,134 in Asia, 7,194 in South America, 6,74 9 in Europe and 441 in Africa.
There are 160 parishes and 153 mission stations in 60 countries for overseas Korean Catholics, for whom 188 priests, 3 brothers and 140 sisters have been sent to provide pastoral care.
Many of the churches and pastoral workers are focused in North America (115 churches, 133 priests and 80 religious), followed by Europe (17 churches, 19 priests and 18 religious), Asia (1 5 churches, 19 priests and 27 religious), South America (6 churches, 8 priests and 8 religious), Oceania (6 churches, 7 priests and 3 religious), and Africa (1 churches, 2 priests and 7 religious).