Message for the Overseas Aid Sunday

For the Overseas Aid Sunday on January 28, 2007, the Most Rev. Lazzaro You Heung-sik, President of the CBCK Committee for 'Caritas Corea', issued a message.

In his message Bishop You asked the Catholic faithful "to arouse the love of the Catholic Church in Korea for the oversea aid and the so-called 'Korean Wave of Love'." He said, "The children on the verge of alienation in Bangladesh, India, and Philippines will feel the 'Korean Wave of Love' through the hearty love of Korean faithful for them, even if they have no experience with the so-called 'Korean Wave' which indicates a phenomenal popularity of Korean pop culture sweeping through Asian area."

He added, "We have to live a life of love towards God and our neighbors," and mentioning the first Encyclical of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI Deus Caritas est, continued that "now the practice of ecclesial love faces various challenges of the changing modern social situation."

And he said, "Since the end of last year, Caritas Corea has been taking the responsibility of aiding North Korea on behalf of the whole church in the world," and called for "the participation and help of brothers and sisters in the Church to meet the ever increasing demands for the Church in Korea from the international communities."

'The School for the Laity'

The Seoul Archdiocesan Lay Apostolate Council decided to open the 'School for the Laity,' including 'School for the Vatican Council II' and rationalized the existing laity formation institutions and programs at the 37th annual general meeting on January 20, 2007, which was held at the Myeongdong Catholic Center.

His Eminence Nicholas Cardinal Cheong Jinsuk, Archbishop of Seoul, said, "Each parish must be a community of communion where the Catholic faithful encounter God, if the Catholic Church wants to achieve the deeper spirituality, not just the outward expansion. And the joint pastoral care, which the Archdiocese of Seoul is now about to set in motion, is a practical option to realize the image of the Church as a communion." With this words he reiterated the importance of the joint pastoral care for the personal communion and asked more intensive concern and cooperation of the Catholic faithful for it, which is going to be fully practiced in the Archdiocese of Seoul from the second half of this year.

In his opening address, Prof. Dr. Thomas Han Hong-soon, President of the Lay Apostolate Council of Korea, said, "With the help of you all we could accomplish many successive activities last year." Praising their help he asked them continuous concern and support for the council.

The Seoul Archdiocesan Lay Apostolate Council is going to also revitalize the pastoral care for family with many programs, and distribute actively Korean Traditional Hymn Book as a part of cultural pastoral activities. It will, furthermore, engage in the activity for the promotion of the culture of life with many appropriate programs.