Communication on Sep. 5
* Frist Bishop of Ulaanbaatar Thanks Church in Korea for Support"
"Mongolia, a barren world of Catholic faith in the past, has begun to bear fruit of Evangelization. In this regard, we thank the Church in Korea for sending missionaries and supports,\\\\\\" said the Most Rev. Wenceslao S. Padilla, CICM(Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Marie), first Bishop of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Prior to this, His Eminence Cardinal Crecenzio Sepe, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, who presided with the ceremony of the episcopal consecration of the Most Rev. Wenceslao S. Padilla and the blessing of the cathedral of St. Peter and Paul in Ulaanbaatar on August 29-30 respectively, expressed appreciation for the role and contribution of Korean priests and religious in mission in Mongolia and asked further support and collaboration of the Church in Korea.
The CBCK has helped the Church in Mongolia since 6-7 years ago and now there are three priests and two religious congregations in mission.
Father Robert Lee Jun-hwa from the Diocese of Taejon, first Korean priest in the Mongolian mission, started his mission work by wheat farming and developing underground water by digging wells in 1997. Father Stephen Kim Seong-hyeon joined him in 2000 for the pastoral ministry for the Korean Catholic Community and Mongolian Catholics. Father Simon Lee Ho-yeol from the Society of St. Francis de Sales and Sisters of the St. Paul de Chartres are engaged in the education of the youth and children of poor families.
The Korean delegation including the Most Rev. Paul Ri Moun-hi, Archbishop of Taegu, the Most Rev. Michael Pak Jeong-il, President of the Episcopal Special Commission to Promote Beatification and Canonization of the CBCK and Rev. Paul Lee Chang-young, Undersecretary of the CBCK, visited the mission posts of Korean priests and religious and celebrated Mass at the Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres.
Archbishop Paul Ri, in his homily, thanked them for their dedication in hard condition and encouraged them to teach Mongolian people that "Human need cannot be satisfied with material only but by love of God."
In Mongolia, there are some 1,000 Koreans with various businesses and about 30 of them are Catholics assisting regularly to Sunday Mass.
"To help Mongolian Catholics the example of Korean Catholics is very important." said Father Stephen Kim and added, "we will do our best for it."
In additon, Father Kim expressed wishes to have a seminary in Mongolia to have local priests.
* Eight Seminarians Get \\\\\\'Onggi\\\\\\' Scholarships
On August 27, at the residence of His Eminence Stephen Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan located in Hyewha-dong, Seoul, 16 million won of scholarships were granted to eight seminarians including Sin Hyeon-u and Kwon Sun-hyeong at the Graduate School of Theology and the Faculty of Theology of the Catholic University of Seoul respectively.
The Onggi(meaning Korean pottery with a dark brown glaze) Scholarship Society was founded in September 2002 by the Cardinal Kim and Rev. Raphael Park Sin-eon with other ten lay people to train future priests for the mission to Northern region and help seminarians who cannot afford their studies.
\\\\\\"We have a special relationship with China. We have received Christian faith through China and our first Korean priest St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon and Father Choi Yang-up were trained and ordained to priesthood in China. Now, it is time to prepare ourselves to the mission to China and North Korea. We wish you who received the scholarships to think of Northern mission with a sense of missionary responsibility.\\\\\\" Cardinal Kim said.
* \\\\\\'Basic Ecclesial Community, Instrument to Realize God\\\\\\'s Will\\\\\\' - says Fr. Arthur
\\\\\\"When people ask me why we need Basic Ecclesial Community(BEC), my answer is; because it is the most efficient way to love God and our neighbors. We should not forget \\\\\\'community dimension\\\\\\' of salvation,\\\\\\" said Father Arthur P. from the Diocese of Mangalo, India, who came to Korea for the 3rd Assembly of AsIPA held from September 2-9, 2003 at Hanmaum Eudcation & Retreat Center in Yangju-gun, Gyonggi-do.
\\\\\\"Many lay people think that evangelization work does not regard them but it is the work of clergy and religious. This is wrong. We all are called for it, and the BEC is the most efficient way to realize God\\\\\\'s will.\\\\\\" he said.
As positive fruits of BEC father Arthur pointed out the seven steps of the Bible sharing to deepen biblical knowledge and Church\\\\\\'s teaching, the encounter with neighbors leading to deeper communion and training of lay leaders.
\\\\\\"In BEC lay leaders are not appointed by priest but chosen by the members of the BEC. In this way the lay people can positively participate in Church life,\\\\\\" he said.
Fr. Arthur was invited by the Dioceses of Taegu, Cheongju and Jeju to give lecture on the BEC. In the first assembly of Basic Ecclesial Community of Jeju held in Jungang Cathedral on August 30, over 2300 faithful from 23 Parishes participated.
\\\\\\'We are accustomed to pray and live our Christian life individually but it is through encouner, love and sharing with our neighbors that we can grow in faith, and for this we need the Basic Ecclesial Community Movement.\\\\\\" His Eminence Stephen Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan pointed out in his congratulatory address.
\\\\\\"What we want in BEC is to revitalize the first Christian community by sharing the words of God and practicing them together,\\\\\\" said Most Rev. Peter Kang U-il, Bishop of Jeju, in his key address and went on \\\\\\"for us, BEC is not a Catholic action movement but a movement to transform our Christian life by understanding words of God and living them out.\\\\\\"
* In Memoriam
Father Matthias Kim Sung-hun, 64, died of a chronic disease on September 2 at St. Mary\\\\\\'s Hospital in Yoido, Seoul.
Father Kim has much contributed to the democratization of Korea during the 1970s and 1980s under the authoritarian governments of former presidents Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan and served as a leading member of the Priests\\\\\\' Association for Justice that was formed with the detention of the late bishop Daniel Tji Hak-sun in 1974 by the military regime.
In 1987 he played an important role in democratization struggle of Korean people by disclosing the fabricated story of death of Park Jong-cheol, student of Seoul National University engaged in anti-military dictatorship.
Born in 1939 in Ginampo. South Pyeongan-do, now in North Korea, Father Kim was ordained a priest after graduating from the Catholic University of Seoul in 1962.
Father Kim was known for his devotion for St. Mary and warm heart for the poor and suffering people.
His funeral Mass was held in the Myongdong Cathedral, on September 4 and buried in Yong-in Cemetery for clergy of Seoul.
"Mongolia, a barren world of Catholic faith in the past, has begun to bear fruit of Evangelization. In this regard, we thank the Church in Korea for sending missionaries and supports,\\\\\\" said the Most Rev. Wenceslao S. Padilla, CICM(Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Marie), first Bishop of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Prior to this, His Eminence Cardinal Crecenzio Sepe, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, who presided with the ceremony of the episcopal consecration of the Most Rev. Wenceslao S. Padilla and the blessing of the cathedral of St. Peter and Paul in Ulaanbaatar on August 29-30 respectively, expressed appreciation for the role and contribution of Korean priests and religious in mission in Mongolia and asked further support and collaboration of the Church in Korea.
The CBCK has helped the Church in Mongolia since 6-7 years ago and now there are three priests and two religious congregations in mission.
Father Robert Lee Jun-hwa from the Diocese of Taejon, first Korean priest in the Mongolian mission, started his mission work by wheat farming and developing underground water by digging wells in 1997. Father Stephen Kim Seong-hyeon joined him in 2000 for the pastoral ministry for the Korean Catholic Community and Mongolian Catholics. Father Simon Lee Ho-yeol from the Society of St. Francis de Sales and Sisters of the St. Paul de Chartres are engaged in the education of the youth and children of poor families.
The Korean delegation including the Most Rev. Paul Ri Moun-hi, Archbishop of Taegu, the Most Rev. Michael Pak Jeong-il, President of the Episcopal Special Commission to Promote Beatification and Canonization of the CBCK and Rev. Paul Lee Chang-young, Undersecretary of the CBCK, visited the mission posts of Korean priests and religious and celebrated Mass at the Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres.
Archbishop Paul Ri, in his homily, thanked them for their dedication in hard condition and encouraged them to teach Mongolian people that "Human need cannot be satisfied with material only but by love of God."
In Mongolia, there are some 1,000 Koreans with various businesses and about 30 of them are Catholics assisting regularly to Sunday Mass.
"To help Mongolian Catholics the example of Korean Catholics is very important." said Father Stephen Kim and added, "we will do our best for it."
In additon, Father Kim expressed wishes to have a seminary in Mongolia to have local priests.
* Eight Seminarians Get \\\\\\'Onggi\\\\\\' Scholarships
On August 27, at the residence of His Eminence Stephen Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan located in Hyewha-dong, Seoul, 16 million won of scholarships were granted to eight seminarians including Sin Hyeon-u and Kwon Sun-hyeong at the Graduate School of Theology and the Faculty of Theology of the Catholic University of Seoul respectively.
The Onggi(meaning Korean pottery with a dark brown glaze) Scholarship Society was founded in September 2002 by the Cardinal Kim and Rev. Raphael Park Sin-eon with other ten lay people to train future priests for the mission to Northern region and help seminarians who cannot afford their studies.
\\\\\\"We have a special relationship with China. We have received Christian faith through China and our first Korean priest St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon and Father Choi Yang-up were trained and ordained to priesthood in China. Now, it is time to prepare ourselves to the mission to China and North Korea. We wish you who received the scholarships to think of Northern mission with a sense of missionary responsibility.\\\\\\" Cardinal Kim said.
* \\\\\\'Basic Ecclesial Community, Instrument to Realize God\\\\\\'s Will\\\\\\' - says Fr. Arthur
\\\\\\"When people ask me why we need Basic Ecclesial Community(BEC), my answer is; because it is the most efficient way to love God and our neighbors. We should not forget \\\\\\'community dimension\\\\\\' of salvation,\\\\\\" said Father Arthur P. from the Diocese of Mangalo, India, who came to Korea for the 3rd Assembly of AsIPA held from September 2-9, 2003 at Hanmaum Eudcation & Retreat Center in Yangju-gun, Gyonggi-do.
\\\\\\"Many lay people think that evangelization work does not regard them but it is the work of clergy and religious. This is wrong. We all are called for it, and the BEC is the most efficient way to realize God\\\\\\'s will.\\\\\\" he said.
As positive fruits of BEC father Arthur pointed out the seven steps of the Bible sharing to deepen biblical knowledge and Church\\\\\\'s teaching, the encounter with neighbors leading to deeper communion and training of lay leaders.
\\\\\\"In BEC lay leaders are not appointed by priest but chosen by the members of the BEC. In this way the lay people can positively participate in Church life,\\\\\\" he said.
Fr. Arthur was invited by the Dioceses of Taegu, Cheongju and Jeju to give lecture on the BEC. In the first assembly of Basic Ecclesial Community of Jeju held in Jungang Cathedral on August 30, over 2300 faithful from 23 Parishes participated.
\\\\\\'We are accustomed to pray and live our Christian life individually but it is through encouner, love and sharing with our neighbors that we can grow in faith, and for this we need the Basic Ecclesial Community Movement.\\\\\\" His Eminence Stephen Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan pointed out in his congratulatory address.
\\\\\\"What we want in BEC is to revitalize the first Christian community by sharing the words of God and practicing them together,\\\\\\" said Most Rev. Peter Kang U-il, Bishop of Jeju, in his key address and went on \\\\\\"for us, BEC is not a Catholic action movement but a movement to transform our Christian life by understanding words of God and living them out.\\\\\\"
* In Memoriam
Father Matthias Kim Sung-hun, 64, died of a chronic disease on September 2 at St. Mary\\\\\\'s Hospital in Yoido, Seoul.
Father Kim has much contributed to the democratization of Korea during the 1970s and 1980s under the authoritarian governments of former presidents Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan and served as a leading member of the Priests\\\\\\' Association for Justice that was formed with the detention of the late bishop Daniel Tji Hak-sun in 1974 by the military regime.
In 1987 he played an important role in democratization struggle of Korean people by disclosing the fabricated story of death of Park Jong-cheol, student of Seoul National University engaged in anti-military dictatorship.
Born in 1939 in Ginampo. South Pyeongan-do, now in North Korea, Father Kim was ordained a priest after graduating from the Catholic University of Seoul in 1962.
Father Kim was known for his devotion for St. Mary and warm heart for the poor and suffering people.
His funeral Mass was held in the Myongdong Cathedral, on September 4 and buried in Yong-in Cemetery for clergy of Seoul.