SEOUL ((UCAN): The Marian Society in the parish of the Korean Martyrs, the Archdiocese of Seoul, South Korea has been caring for the needy and isolated by providing them food, financial assistance, and companionship ever since its establishment in 2017, according to a June 2 article in the Catholic Times of Korea.
“After my wife passed away 15 years ago, I felt lost, but thanks to the interest and love of the parishioners, I am now bright enough to attend Mass every day,” said 92-year-old Camillo Jo Ju-il. He lives alone and has a spinal disorder and the outreach of the society saved him from loneliness.
The society’s volunteers prepare food in the parish’s basement kitchen in the Geoyeo-Machon New Town area and carry it to the needy in containers. The meal distribution is an opportunity to meet and support the needy and isolated people.
It collaborates with local community centres and health centres in the area, where the parish is located, to identify individuals living alone and those unable to meet basic living expenses.
Volunteers say that these regular visits have resulted in saving people’s lives.
In 2022 and 2024, they saved some seriously ill and isolated individuals who could not afford to go to the hospital. The parish donation, collected through the society, helped meet their costs of surgeries and treatment.
Jeong Jong-seok, president of the Marian Society, said they “were able to practice love with great strength,” due to the support from the archdiocese and the parish.
Some of the elderly beneficiaries are those unable to receive help from either their families or the government system, says Maria Kim Jung-ae, secretary of the parish.
“There are many cases where children are also vulnerable groups that need to receive the same care,” Kim, who also serves as a social worker, said.
The problem of lonely and isolated elders is further aggravated in the “super-aging” nation.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s latest data, there were 3,559 and 3,661 lonely death cases in 2022 and 2023, respectively, The Korea Herald reported. This accounted for 1.04 per cent and 0.95 per cent of all deaths during the corresponding period.
The number of lonely deaths has steadily increased, recording 2,949 deaths in 2019, and 3,279 in 2020, and 3,378 in 2021.
According to government data, the number of single-person households in the country has grown from 7.17 million in 2021 to 7.5 million in 2022 and 7.83 million in 2023, The Korea Herald reported.
