UIJEONGBU (UCAN): Ezenma John Amech left Nigeria with his family in 2008 due to a financial crisis and moved to South Korea for a better life. The Catholic father of three now lives in the area of Dongducheon parish in the Diocese of Uijeongbu Catholic with his family.
He is thankful to the Church-sponsored Dongducheon International Catholic Community [DICC] for helping with his resettlement.
“Thanks to DICC and parishioners, I was able to survive in an unfamiliar land for a long time,” Amech said.
After arriving in South Korea, Amech was forced to take up the job of factory worker to support his family. Despite having professional skills, it took a long time for him to find a better job due to the language barrier and lack of socialisation with local people.
The Church and DICC helped him fill in the gaps and better integrate into society.
However, he laments that immigrant children interact with Korean children in their school and slowly forget their mother tongue which “cut off” their communication with parents and elders.
Father Lee Jong-won, rector of Dongducheon parish, said the Church’s long-term goal is to build a community of immigrants and natives united in faith and compassion for one another amidst socio-economic challenges.
“We are trying to support the lives of these people with a long-term direction and flow while providing as much help as possible at the parish level,” Lee said.
Father Lee Jong-won, rector of Dongducheon parish, said the Church’s long-term goal is to build a community of immigrants and natives united in faith and compassion for one another amidst socio-economic challenges
“We are moving forward together within the direction we have been pursuing with DICC for over 10 years,” he added.
The DICC was established in 2012 after a Consolata missionary celebrated Mass for foreigners at the parish with the approval of the diocese.
The parish and its area have around 950 foreigners among its total population of 3,691 people.
The members of the immigrant group come from various countries including Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda, as well as the Philippines, India, Timor-Leste, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Japan, Cuba, and Ecuador.
One key reason for the large number of migrants concentrated in the region is due to the US military base located in Bosan-dong. The relatively low housing prices and the perceived safety due to the presence of US troops attracted most of the unregistered immigrants to the area.
The parish community approaches the immigrants with a non-discriminatory perspective and embraces them with various kinds of support. They are welcome to receive support from the diocese, through the efforts of parish priests and parishioners.
The members of the immigrant group come from various countries including Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda, as well as the Philippines, India, Timor-Leste, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Japan, Cuba, and Ecuador
However, assimilation into the sociocultural environment is not easy.
Father Clement K. Gachoka, director of the DICC, pointed out that the barriers of communication and cultural differences are overcome through cooperation, understanding, and acceptance among the members of the parish.
“Even if there are communication problems and cultural differences, parish priests and believers treat immigrants without discrimination. This is possible because we work together,” Father Gachoka said.
Father Lee stressed that regarding immigrants with compassion is important for their integration.
“It is important to not only see immigrants as objects of charity but to accept them as they are. We will continue to play the role of the parish in the local community as we do now without being swayed by the social atmosphere,” he said.
The DICC reports that many of the immigrant children born in the country lack citizenship and are not covered by insurance, and thus they are unable to approach hospitals for treatment.
Even if there are communication problems and cultural differences, parish priests and believers treat immigrants without discrimination. This is possible because we work together
However, the group constituted its own pastoral and social worker groups to take care of the pastoral, social, economic, and medical needs of the immigrants and refugees.
The DICC has its pastoral group for immigrants and is achieving unity through liturgy, choir, and home-visiting activities.
The group in cooperation with the parishioners operates the Raphael Clinic, which takes care of the medical needs of immigrants and refugees. It also provides free Korean language classes.
The services provided by the group are available to believers and non-believers alike making the parish a base for the faith and culture of local immigrants.
Father Gachoka pointed out that his dream of a united and helpful community is being achieved at present.“My dream is to create a community where immigrants and indigenous people help each other with their needs and live together, and it is already coming true,” he said.
The group had helped to clean as well as purchase supplies for the parish during the Covid-19 pandemic. It collected and donated around a million Won [$5,700] to the city of Dongducheon and delivered 500,000 Won [$2,800] worth of goods to public health centres during the pandemic.
Park Seong-han, a member of the pastoral group pointed out that coexistence under one roof is possible for everyone.
“Although cultures, languages, and skin colours are different, as long as we have the awareness that we are all children of the same God, we will accept each other as brothers and sisters,” Park said.
* This report was translated and edited from a feature that first appeared in the Korean-language Catholic Peace Broadcasting Corporation on September 20.
