CBCK News
2009-08-27 12:01
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Education for Ecological Evangelization

Education for Ecological Evangelization


 


The Subcommittee for Environment under the CBCK Committee for Justice & Peace (President: The Most Rev. Boniface Choi Ki-san) is going to give an education on the Ecological Evangelization in each diocese, with the theme 'The Ecological Healing and Christian Response to the Government's Four-River Refurbishment Project'.


 


The Education for Ecological Evangelization intends to reflect on the ecological reality of Korea and the future of the earth in the light of the order of God's creation and the salvation of Jesus Christ and to find a direction to solve the ecological problem. The education will be given in each diocese, beginning with the Archdiocese of Kwangju on May 28, 2009.


 


The Subcommittee for Environment explained the intention of this education, saying that "our society gets accustomed to neglect the order of God's creation and damage the precious values of the ecological system, as seen in the large-scale national projects like golf course construction in every part of the country, and particularly the government's four-river refurbishment project. In this situation, it is more urgent to transform the secular economy into the ecological economy of God in response to the order of creation.


 


The Subcommittee published a teaching material for the ecological evangelization, entitled 'Christian mission in the Creation I - towards the Ecological Healing' in 2008. This material was made to reflect on and respond to the actual ecological problem in the light of ecclesiastical teaching.


 


As a part of the education for ecological evangelization, given on national level, a seminar on ecological evangelization for the religious was held on June 1, 2009 at the Jeong-dong Francisan Educational Center, with the theme 'The Christian mission in the Creation - towards the Ecological Healing'.


 


In this seminar hosted by the Subcommittee for Environment under the Committee for Justice & Peace of the CBCK (President: The Most Rev. Boniface Choi Ki-san) jointly with the Association of Major Superiors of Women Religious in Korea, participated about 300 nuns from each women religious institute.


 


Bishop Choi said in his opening address, "It is opportune to hold a seminar on ecological evangelization for the religious in the time needed for ecological spirituality, which will contribute to recognize properly the Christian mission towards the ecological spirituality." He wished thus that "the seminar can be an occasion for the religious to face up to the ecological reality of Korea and learn and share the mission of the religious in it."


 


The seminar was proceeded with three presentations: 'River development in the light of the order of creation' by Prof. Kim Jeong-uk (Graduate School of Environmental Studies of Seoul National University); 'Adaptation of the Apostolate to the time and the Bible and the Sacrament from the view of the ecological spirituality' by Dr. Hwang Jong-ryeol, a member of the Sub committee for Environment; 'Sustainable development and the ecological healing from the point of view of the Green Martyrdom by Fr. Francis Lee Dong-hoon, Secretary of the Subcommittee for Environment.


 


Then, the case presentation was followed, such as the 'Practical case of the Franciscan Religious Institutes for the ecological apostolate' by Fr. Francisco Kim Jeong-hun, O.F.M (Order of Friars) and 'the East Asia Region's case of the International Association of Major Superiors of Women Religious' by Sr. Cecilia Kim Joo-hee (Blessed Sacrament Sisters of Charity).