Communication on February 2, 2007
* Joint Prayer Meeting for Christian Unity
On January 23, 2007, the CBCK Committee for Promoting Christian Unity & Interreligious Dialogue (President: the Most Rev. Hygius Kim Hee-joong) held the 2007 joint prayer meeting for Christian unity in solidarity with the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) at the Anglican Sudong Church in Cheongju.
In the prayer meeting held with the theme "He even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak" (Mk 7:37), some 250 Christians, including Catholics, those from the member Churches of the NCCK, and Lutherans participated to pray together for the Christian Unity.
Bishop Kim stressed, "Today's meeting is intended to confess our sin and ask forgiveness. Even though we have the same faith, we cannot realize the unity because of different interpretations of the faith and prejudice towards each other. … Being a Christian does not mean that we belong to a particular church or that we are committed to a specific interpretation of doctrines."
The Most Rev. Gabriel Chang Bong-hun, Bishop of Cheongju, gave a congratulatory address, saying, "To practice together the commandment of our Lord, that is, 'to love each other' can be an important step toward the unity."
After the prayer meeting, both the Catholic and Protestant theologians discussed the preparation for the Resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2009 and decided to establish a preparatory committee composed of five members from both sides. The committee will prepare the first draft for the resources by the early April, 2007 and send them to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches. The resources will include a prayer formula to wish peace and reconciliation, reflecting the specific situation of Korea.
* Message Issued for the Consecrated Life
On the occasion of the Day for the Consecrated Life on February 2, 2007, the Rt. Rev. Abbot Simon Peter Ri Hyeong-u, O.S.B., President of the Korean Conference of Major Superiors of Men's Religious Institutes and Societies of Apostolic Life, issued a message and stressed that "the religious should devote themselves to their roles of living the life of service" in their respective places "for the qualitative growth of the Catholic Church in Korea."
Abbot Ri emphasized, "Christianity is characterized by the belief in what is witnessed, and thus the proclamation of the Word can have the genuine power when it is accompanied by the witnesses of life." He also added, "the religious can live the life of witness for God and the Gospel when they recognize their identity of being the servant of God and live it out faithfully."
At present, there are some 11,000 religious who are acting in some 150 religious institutes.
* Suwon Diocese Starts a Movement for the Sanctification of the Family
The Evangelization Office (Director: the Rev. John Moon Hi-jong) of the Diocese of Suwon launched a diocesewide, three-year movement for the sanctification of the family from the Ash Wednesday on February 21, 2007.
This movement recommends every family in the diocese to have a "day of family prayer" once a week, to attend Mass with all family members once a month, to have a "family-loving day" once a month for dialogue, and to practice a "day for sharing love" by sacrifice, working in charitable organizations and so on. To this end, the office will set up plans to help families practice these activities, for example, by preparing various prayer texts for families and distribute them to each parish.
This movement has significance in that it suggests practical and detailed ways for family sanctification, not being content with general appeals such as "to save the family" or "to make efforts to realize the ideal of holy family."
The Rev. Moon said, "The movement aims at reviving the values of the holy family which are increasingly being forgotten. The evangelization office will not save efforts to help every family in the diocese enjoy the happiness of the holy family."