On the cold evening of January 6, two Jesuits—Father Giovanni Park Jong-in and Father Andrew Lee Sung-gyoon—waited for visitors in front of Dream Tree Village, a four-story red-brick building in the Eunpyeong-gu neighbourhood of South Korean capital Seoul.
Soon, a young man approached the entrance and the priests greeted him gleefully. For some time they talked over a range of issues regarding his personal life and various challenges in their counseling room.
Then, the priests with their guest headed to Babjip Allo restaurant, a small soup kitchen, on the third floor of the building. They talked more, made fun and laughed as they enjoyed traditional kimchi stew, egg rolls, stir-fried anchovies, sesame leaves and pickled garlic—all prepared by the priests in advance.
“If you want to eat any other food, let me know. I’ll make it next time,” Father Lee said with a smile amid the warmth of the yellow light in the restaurant.
The happy young man took his leave by thanking the Jesuits for the wonderful hours spent in their company. He promised to revisit the centre soon.
This has been a common scene at Dream Tree Village since the centre opened its doors to young people from Seoul and other areas of the country. Most visitors are poor or orphans who are former and current inmates of state and Church-run children and youth welfare facilities.
Supported by the Joy Sharing Foundation, the Jesuits initiated the service in November 2021 and started welcoming young visitors from the end of December. It is open every day except Monday.
The restaurant opens in the evening. And visitors can have dinner by paying a token fee of 1,000 won [$6.50] or enjoy it for free. They can even rest up in the centre if they want.
It gives the feeling they are not alone and the Church is with them. They gain the courage and energy to become independent by overcoming difficult situations in life
Father Park
The priests offer valuable life lessons to young visitors who are in desperate need of help due to financial and emotional problems, as well as loneliness. They also receive guidance on how they can become self-reliant and independent one day in a friendly environment.
Tackling the psychological and emotional issues of adolescents and youth is vital in South Korea where studies show a rising number of young people suffer from mental health issues like depression.
Data from Statistics South Korea in 2020 showed that one out of four teenagers suffer from depression due to academic pressure and stress.
It reported that 25.2 per cent of middle and high school students aged 13- to 18-years-old experienced depression. Depression was higher among female students at 30.7 per cent compared to 20.1 per cent for males.
Twenty-one-year-old Andrew Ahn Won-sik has visited the centre several times already. He said he loves the place, the priests and the food.
“On the first day of the new year, we made rice cakes and soup together and learned life skills such as cooking from the priests. The soup was delicious. Above all, it is a comfortable and enjoyable place, like home, where you can meet and interact with friends,” Ahn said.
Father Park said it provides great satisfaction when young people gather and eat together.
“It gives the feeling they are not alone and the Church is with them. They gain the courage and energy to become independent by overcoming difficult situations in life,” the priest said.
Father Lee says he is happy to play a small role for young people by cooking food and befriending with them.
“The feeling that ‘I have a friend’ can give them strength to live in difficult situations,” the priest explained.
The centre is recruiting volunteers to help prepare meals and assist priests in providing counselling to young people.
At Dream Tree Village, the Jesuits continue to pray to God and St. Aloysius Gonzaga, the 16th century Jesuit who is the patron saint of young people, for the well-being of all young people in the country.
This article uses material from a Korean-language report published by the Catholic Times of Korea on January 16.
