SEOUL (Fides): Evangelisation is based on a dynamic of give and take; an exchange of gifts. The Catholic community in Korea, on the one hand, sends priests and religious to Japan [and many other nations], a country that has had times of war and hostility with Korea, and on the other, welcomes Filipino immigrants in its own parishes, who see themselves as missionaries of the gospel and continue to bring in new believers.
Among the Korean priests living and working as missionaries in Japan, where Catholics make up 0.3 per cent of the population, Father Jeon Won-cheol, is doing pastoral work “on tiptoe” in the Diocese of Fukuoka.
He began celebrating Mass where some Catholics were attending services, but found that there was no one to help prepare the altar and liturgy. Although he had to do everything himself, Father Jeon said, “Our work is service, I am here to serve God and the faithful.”
When he visits offices, he usually meets people who are not at all familiar with the faith. “Even when you introduce yourself as a priest, most people don’t know what kind of work you do,” he notes.
“In my daily life in Japan, I meet so many people who need a pastor, who want to be heard, who long for a word of compassion and love. I feel that the Lord has called me to be here and to use my strength to light the fire of faith in this place,” he said, referring to October’s World Mission Month, and the celebration of World Mission Sunday on October 22.
The daily lives of people in Japan are closely interwoven with Shintoism and Buddhism. Believing in Christianity can therefore mean a kind of disconnect from the daily lives of most other Japanese.
In my daily life in Japan, I meet so many people who need a pastor, who want to be heard, who long for a word of compassion and love. I feel that the Lord has called me to be here and to use my strength to light the fire of faith in this place
Father Jeon
Against this background, Korean missionaries constantly think about what it means to be a missionary and do mission work in Japan.
Father Lee Han-woong, another missionary remarked, “I think it is not a wasted effort; I see children and non-Christians embracing the gift and awareness of the preciousness of life when they hear stories about God. If we simply witness our faith in society, I think that is an important missionary initiative.”
In Uijeongbu, South Korea, mission is about giving and receiving, and being united in the circle of God’s grace. Lani Lo Rivas, a Filipino and president of the Catholic Community of Filipinos in Korea, attested: “The reason we are united is because we are based on love and mutual respect. We are united in Christ. In the Gwangjeok community we experience that we can become ‘one’ in faith and love, beyond nationality and language.”
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
https://www.Facebook.com/CFM-Gifted-to-give-101039001847033
The parish of Gwangjeok, part of the Diocese of Uijeongbu, is home to thousands of immigrants and, among them, many are Filipinos. These people do not feel like foreigners in the local Church, but are fully integrated. Some of them are on the pastoral council and actively participate in community management.
“In the Christian community I found a place where I could console myself for the difficulties I was experiencing at work and the loneliness of living far from my family. The community is our spiritual refuge, where we can meet and talk with people who give welcome and understanding, finding comfort in common prayer,” Rivas explained.
In the beginning, only 10 Filipinos attended the community, but gradually, thanks to a constant “missionary word of mouth,” the community grew and now counts more than 200 members who attend the services, cultural events and community meetings “just like all the other Korean believers and mingle with them,” she explains.
Thus the Gwangjeok faith community moves forward together in synodality, experiencing that differences in colour and language are not obstacles to faith life. “As St. Paul says, ‘there is no longer Jew or Greek,’ for we are all united in Christ Jesus. There is only one race, that of the children of God. There is only one colour, that of the children of God. There is only one language, that of the children of God, and that is the language of charity. This unity is a great testimony of God’s love and is itself a missionary work,” Rivas concludes.
