SEOUL (SE): The Vietnamese Catholic community in Seoul Archdiocese celebrated its 20th anniversary on April 23 with a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-Taick of Seoul, at the Seoul Archdiocese Labour Pastoral Centre, the archdiocese’s Committee for Communications reported on April 26.
Father Yoo Sang Hyeok, director of the archdiocese’s Migrant Pastoral Committee; Father Nguyen Cao Sam vice-Director of the committee; and Divine Word Missionarries Father Nguyen Van Hao and Father Vo Ta Thach concelebrated.
“I am very happy to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnamese Catholic Community with all of you.” Archbishop Chung said, expressing gratitude for the services of many priests and lay people for the development of the community in the past two decades.
“It is nice to feel more closely connected with you as the president of the pastoral committee for Migrants and Foreign Residents,” the archbishop said.
Archbishop Chung recounted anecdotes of his previous visits to Vietnam as a priest of the Carmelite Order. “At around five o’clock in the morning, I heard and saw the faithful from neighbourhoods come to the large church of the Carmelite Convent to attend mass, sing hymns and pray with all their heart. I was deeply moved by the scene and the impressive memory is still vivid,” he told the some 550 Vietnamese Catholics who attended the Mass.
“It may be the same for everyone, that living in an unfamiliar foreign country away from his or her beloved family and home is a difficult task that requires great sacrifice. All of you here are enduring various hardships for the sake of work or study. The resurrection of Jesus is an event that gives strength, grace, and blessings to all of us who are enduring difficult times,” he continued.
“As the disciples of Jesus were dispatched to various parts of the world after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you also are sacrificing yourselves and enduring hardships for your beloved families and for your own future, offering the love of Jesus. Let’s dedicate your resolve to live as apostles who practice the gospel,” the archbishop said.
It may be the same for everyone, that living in an unfamiliar foreign country away from his or her beloved family and home is a difficult task that requires great sacrifice
Archbishop Chung
Concluding the Mass, Archbishop Chung blessed the attendees. “I will pray that God bless you so that you can achieve what you set out to do. Thank you very much for welcoming me today.”
One participant, Nguyen Chi Hung, said that he joined the Vietnamese community “with a desire to go to the Lord’s house,” and that it helped him settle down in Korea. “[In that respect], today’s 20th anniversary Mass is very meaningful, and I hope that many people will attend the Mass in the future,” Nguyen said.
Currently majoring in computer information engineering, he said that he would like to continue living in Korea after graduation if possible. “I want to get closer to more Koreans in the future, and I want to be familiar with them,” he said.
The Vietnamese Catholic Community in Seoul Archdiocese was formally established in April 2003, when Salesian Father Pham Thanh Binh, started Sunday Mass at the Labour Pastoral Centre. Currently, it consists of six local communities based on the parish of origin in Vietnam. Most of the members are international students, migrant workers, and marriage immigrants.
In addition to the Vietnamese community, there are communities from the Philippines, South America, Mongolia, Thailand, China, and Indonesia in the archdiocese’s Migrant Pastoral Committee.
“There are foreign migrants in Korea who are living away from their homes for various reasons,” Father Yoo said, adding, “The Vietnamese community started as a small community with factory workers and marriage migrant women in Seoul, and now boasts the largest number of faithful among the ethnic communities of the Archdiocese of Seoul.”
He noted, “With the changing times, Seoul now has more international students rather than migrant workers,” he explained, adding that “there are many more non-believers.”
Father Yoo said, “I want all of us to remember that before they are migrants, they are also people loved by God,” adding, “Because the lifestyles are different in different cultures, various conflicts are occurring and will arise. I think if we first respect the new culture and share our culture with them, our society will naturally be integrated.”
