Communication on March 5, 2004
| * Legion of Mary in Cheongju Marks 50th Anniversary On March 1, 2004, the Legion of Mary in Cheongju, Mother of the Savior, held a congress of faith to mark the 50th anniversary of its introduction into the Diocese. Some 5,000 legionaries from 77 curiae and 904 praesidia gathered and renewed their commitment to mission, especially to the evangelization of the family, through a life of serving, sharing and communion. At the congress, held with the theme "Let Us Be Reborn!", the attendants adopted a resolution expressing their will to live in the Word of Christ and sanctify themselves through prayer, action and study; to witness Christ to at least one person; to be reborn as Mary's beloved legionaries. The Most Rev. Gabriel Chang Bong-hun, Bishop of Cheongju, said, "The mission of legionaries in our time is to establish a sacred family and proclaim the Gospel, following the example of Mary who was faithful and obedient to the will of God." He also called on the legionaries to devote themselves to the evangelization of the local community and to the mission to North Korea and to Asia. * Church Proposes Directions for Just General Elections For the upcoming April 15 general elections in Korea, the Catholic Church in Korea proposes guidelines or directions for voters based on the teachings of the Church. The CBCK Committee for Justice & Peace (President: Most Rev. John Choi Young-soo) is to propose guidelines to the faithful so that Catholic voters can properly participate in the elections according to the teachings of the Catholic Church on the politics. For this purpose, the Committee will have a special meeting from March 8 to 9, 2004. Earlier, the Archdiocese of Seoul Committee for Justice & Peace (Chairman: Rev. John Lee Gi-woo) had its regular meeting on February 25, 2004 and discussed the criteria of upright, trustworthy candidates. At the meeting, the members agreed to present explicit guidelines on the basis of the teachings of the Catholic Church so that Catholic politicians can contribute to the reform and evangelization of political world and also Catholic voters can vote for proper candidates. The criteria of eligibility they proposed were: candidates leading healthy family life; candidates practicing the teachings of the Catholic Church on human rights, peace, environment and life; the party which is licit for the principle of common good. In addition, it is recommended to examine the attitude of candidates concerning abortion, the youth, education, social welfare and the family and their concern for the poor and marginalized people. * Archbishop of Seoul Urges Conversion of the Faithful and Political Leaders The Most Rev. Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk, Archbishop of Seoul, issued a message for 2004 Lent and urged the faithful to make a sincere conversion. In the message, titled "Let Us Be the Salt and Light of the World through Conversion!", he pointed out various problems of this society, such as "growing gap between the poor and the rich, group self-interest, materialism, excessive individualism, epidemic of divorce," and asked the national leaders "to overcome the crisis of our times by understanding and pursuing the common interest of people." With regard to the general elections in April, in particular, he said, "The political stability and development directly links to the happiness of people," and stressed, "We should hold transparent and fair elections and exercise prudence to elect reliable and devoted servants of people." He also urged the faithful to "reflect themselves first if they truly act as the salt and light of the world" and called on them to take the lead in the conversion of the society. * Sending Volunteers to Developing Countries to Be Activated The "One Body One Heart" Movement of the Archdiocese of Seoul had a joint meeting with the Seoul Catholic Social Service on February 27, 2004 and decided to activate volunteer services on the international level. In detail, starting with the dispatch of three volunteers in March, the Movement will send a team of youth volunteers to Mongolia for two weeks in July 2004, during the summer vacation, in collaboration with KOPION (KOrean Pioneers In Overseas NGOs). After that, in the second half of the year it will also send to China and Mongolia specialized volunteers, including teachers, professionals in agriculture, computer science and architecture, on a long-term basis in solidarity with KOICA (KOrea International Cooperation Agency). |