Korean Newsletter June 2011 Contact details Email - Editor@koreannewsletter.org Please visit our website for a more complete online version of the Newsletter www.koreannewsletter.org Hello and welcome! In this edition of the Korean Newsletter we have reports from the Lay Mission, Vocations, and Associate Priest Programs. Judging from the reports things are going well and all involved seem to be busy in their respective fields. We also have a report from Joseph Yang outlining his recent undertakings regarding things and people Chinese: a trip to a formation centre in China and an exposure trip to Jeju for young Chinese people living in Korea. And while we are on the subject of Jeju from Jeju we get news of Michael Riordan s recent celebration for his twenty-fifth anniversary of ordination. He is now looking forward to his fiftieth! Patrick McMullan, writing from the Mission Research Office, provides us with some insights on the debate surrounding GM foods and the biotech industry. He also delves into the world of Wikileaks to highlight the political toing and froing involved in such issues. Pat, in his capacity as Education Officer, also provides some more food for thought in the form of suggested reading for the summer before you head for the novels that is! And of course we have our regular input from the Director of the Region, Donal O Keeffe. Donal gives us a rundown on recent happenings in the Region and even supplies hope for those suffering with arthritis. Enjoy the read! 1
CONTENTS Is it just me? Page 1 Greetings Page 2 Contents & Editor s Corner Page 3 From the Director Page 4 Lay Mission Page 5 China Outreach & Jeju Report Page 6 Summer Reading Page 7 Vocations & Associate Priests Page 8 Mission Research Office round my mind. So, here goes The Editor Have you ever sat through a lecture wondering if there is actually some content in it or if you re simply being bamboozled with slick presentation but precious little else? After a moment of soul searching you eventually come up with the courage to ask the simple question: what exactly is your point? Over the past few years I ve had one of those what exactly is the point? questions floating In our present day Columban Society, what is it with this unending emphasis on St. Columban? It seems that at every turn around these days St. Columban and his legacy are on the agenda. It has almost reached the point where if you don t have an interest in St. Columban, you re perceived as being not quite at the society races anymore a bit of an exaggeration perhaps, but an odd embellishment is the editor s privilege! Now, before I get berated, let me unequivocally state that I admire St. Columban both as a missionary and as a Christian witness. And while I m at it, I should also mention that I hold the place and role of history in high regard. So, no problem with St. Columban or the story of his life; therefore, what is my problem? To all those with an abiding interest in St. Columban I wish you well! However, for me St. Columban is simply the patron saint of our society. Since I first set foot in Dalgan in 1984 and up until the present, St. Columban has never played a major role in my spiritual, missionary or theological journey, and, in truth, I cannot foresee any major role for him in the future. While others may despair at such an attitude, I am quite content with it and in no way does it prevent me from affirming those who have an interest in or devotion to St. Columban. My question is a simple one: I wonder if the energy, money and time invested in trying to create or invent a St. Columban myth within our society might not be better spent on other more urgent and important twenty-first century missionary challenges? I wonder, are there others who also ponder this niggling question or is it just me? Eamon Adams 2
From the Director Here in Korea summer is fast approaching and already we have had some hot humid days. Thankfully we had cool spring weather for our regional meeting which was held on April 26 th and 27 th in the Mission Centre at the Columban House in Seoul. The first day and a half was an open meeting format attended by Columbans and LMs. Columban lay staff were also with us for the forenoon of Day 1 when we heard reports from the different sectors in the region. The meeting went on to discuss the three issues identified at local area meetings, namely, the provision of adequate facilities for Columban formation; fundraising and Columban mission today in Korea. We switched to Regional Convention Mode for the final afternoon. Trevor Trotter attended from the General Council. In other news the region said goodbye to Teresa Huh Myongjin the assistant editor of the Mission Magazine. Teresa had worked with the Columbans for 10 years. The new assistant editor is Jung Hwa Byun (Eva). The region welcomes Lee Kyongja (Christina) from the Philippines. She will take up her appointment on the LM Coordinating Team as of August 1 st. Son Sonyoung (Catharina), who held that position for the last three years, will be doing a sabbatical before taking up an overseas mission assignment. Congratulations to Columban Sister Suh Illang (Angela) of the Korean Province who was elected on to the new Columban Sisters leadership Team. Other members are Ann Grey, Patricia Quigley and Ann Carbon best wishes as they begin their new term together. A rather worrying situation for everyone here is the downgrading of Korea s international press freedom rating by Freedom House in its 2011 Freedom of the Press report. In it, South Korea tied Hong Kong for 70 th place and was assigned a partly free status. The report noted that an increasing number of online comments have been removed for expressing either pro-north Korean or anti-south Korean views. It stated that the current conservative government has also interfered in the management of major broadcast media, with allies of President Lee receiving senior posts at large media companies. Another indication that people are uneasy with present government policies was the defeat of the ruling party in two significant elections in late April that of the Governorship of Kangwondo and the parliamentary seat for the new city of Bundang which were both won by the opposition. To end with an item of good news for everyone! At a press conference held in the Catholic St Mary s Hospital, Seoul on May 19 th, it was announced that researchers had made a breakthrough in controlling and curing rheumatoid arthritis by picking up the gene that controls the development of the disease. According to the press release from the hospital, Professor Kim Wan-uk and his team succeeded in proving for the first time that the NFAT5 gene in human DNA controls rheumatoid arthritis. The research was jointly done by Kim s team and the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH). By Donal O Keeffe 3
Lay Mission News Among many changes taking place in the Lay Mission Program the major one is the official appointment of Christina Lee Kyung-Ja as the replacement for Catharina Son Seon Young on the Lay Mission Coordinating Team. Christina arrived back in Korea on May 25 th. She will begin on June 1 st. From then until Catharina finishes, July 31 st, Christina (Kyung Ja) will familiarize herself with the workings of the Region, the Lay Mission Program and the various personnel here. She will also be preparing material for the Columban Lay Missionaries International Meeting, which she will attend as our representative. Meanwhile, Catharina has applied for an overseas appointment which she will take up after her regular holiday. Welcome then to Christina (Kyung-Ja) and we will have a further opportunity to farewell Catharina. Speaking of farewells, we will be holding a farewell for Necita Fetalvero in the Centre House on June 13 th. Cita is leaving the Columban Lay Mission program to look after her ageing parents both of whom are not in good health. We thank Cita for the great contribution she has made to Columban Mission in Korea. You will be sorely missed, Cita. Cita s farewell Mass will also be a welcome for Christina Lee Kyung-Ja. Maira San Juan has completed language studies and has taken up full-time ministry in the area of HIV/AIDs, working out of the New Light Community. Maria Rosa Vuniivi and Losena Biau continue to work in their respective ministries. We will soon be welcoming home the K11 Team from Chile. Stephano Park Jeong-Ho and Veronica Kim Kyou Hee along with their son Shi-u and Silvia Kwak Whoo-Shin will be arriving on June 17 th. The other member of the team, Genovio Cho Sung-Kun, will arrive later in July as he will first be attending a meeting of Korean missionaries in Latin America at which he has an official role. We look forward very much to their return. We will be having a re-entry program with them early in August. We will also be having a shorter re-entry program on May 30 th with Noelle Kim Soon Ho who is presently home from Japan and discerning about renewing her contract with CLM. Clara Lim Kyung-Sook and Roberta Kim Jung-Hae are presently doing sabbaticals - Roberta in the Philippines and Clara here in Korea. Both will soon complete their sabbatical and they will be returning to Japan in June. The International Columban Lay Mission Meeting has already been mentioned above. Four Korean lay missionaries will be attending as representatives of their various missions. They are Christina Lee Kyung-Ja (Korea) Columba Chang Eun-Yeal (Myanmar), Roberta Kim Jung-Hae (Japan) and Silvia Kwak Hwoo-Shin (Chile). Please keep that meeting in mind as there will be several important issues discussed at the meeting in relation to lay mission. By Kelvin Barrett 4
News from China By Joseph Yang (Yang Chang woo) In May I visited Taiyuan in China for a few days. Throughout my visit I experienced a great deal of hospitality. China has changed a lot since I was last there. There is a lot of construction going on and many new roads have been opened. Taiyuan used to be very dusty with high amounts of pollution, but recently the government closed most of coal based factories and as a result the air has become much clearer than before. The Formation Centre in Taiyuan is full of students who are studying theology. The students are all sisters from thirty-six different congregations. While at the Formation Centre I received much encouragement when I saw the enthusiasm and spirit of those studying there. During my time in Taiyuan I met with many different priests and sisters and I visited a parish in which the church building had collapsed because of age. Thankfully no one was injured! If anyone would like to make a donation to the rebuilding of the church please let me know. Last week I ran an exposure program for Chinese students to Jeju. Ten students participated, among them there are three Catholic students and seven non-catholic students. It was a great experience to spend time with them. The students joined in the celebration for Our Lady s Night ( 성모의밤 ) as part of our trip. The purpose of this exposure program was to give the participants an opportunity to experience the universal love and friendship of God through experiencing Catholic culture. Most of the students said that they appreciated the natural beauty of Jeju, the sharing of friendship and the hospitality of the Catholic Church. News from Jeju: Island News I (Michael Riordan) was ordained twenty five years on January 25 th. Two Jeju priests were ordained on the same day as me - they held their celebrations in January and February so I held off until after Lent and celebrated on 14 th May. Bishop Kang Woo-Il preached at the Mass which was attended by most of the priests on the island and over four hundred laypeople. Frank Ferrie was at home for most of the month of May and is due to return to Jeju May 31 st. Visitors to Jeju included Michael McCarthy with his brother and sister-in-law; Donal O'Keeffe was also here with his siblings and some of their partners. By Michael Riordan 5
Summer reading! Looking for something interesting to read during the summer daze? Tired of a diet of mysteries and thrillers? Then, perhaps you might be interested in Albert Nolan's Jesus Today: a spirituality of radical freedom (2006). This satisfying book, published 30 years after Jesus, before Christianity, reflects the author's lifelong task of pondering the meaning of the Gospels in its contemporary context. Following on from a positive and insightful analysis of the signs of the times, Nolan fleshes out what he believes to be the genuine spiritual challenge that the follower of Jesus has to offer in today's world. That is, the reader is challenged to become radically free; to manifest God's will and actively participate in God's work. As the author says, God's work...is revolutionary. It turns the world upside down. We participate by adding our voices to the many prophetic voices that are speaking out boldly in our day and age. Further good news, in March of this year a Korean translation was published. If spirituality is not your thing, then perhaps you might be interested in economics. This year, highly regarded Cambridge based economist, Ha-Joon Chang published 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism. The author, in this easily readable text, delves into such issues as the free market, disparities of wealth, underdevelopment, big government, financial markets and much more. A hint of his perspective can be seen in his title for thing 4, The washing machine has changed the world more than the internet has. In his final chapter, Chang gives eight principles to guide the creation of a healthier global economic system. I do recommend spending a few hours with Professor Chang over the summer months. Finally, if you are interested in understanding why we seem to be getting increasingly more extreme weather events, then a good place to start is James Hansen's Storms of My Grandchildren: the truth about the coming climate catastrophe and our last chance to save humanity (2009). Hansen is, arguably, the world's leading climate scientist and is credited with having been the first to formally publicise the science of climate change. In this book, he both outlines the scientific consensus on climate change and its implications for future generations. In particular, the task is not just to develop fuel efficiency but that all remaining fossil fuels must be left in the ground. On that, Hansen argues, the scientific consensus is clear and unequivocal. By Patrick McMullan (Education Office) 6
VOCATIONS NEWS By Joseph Yang (Yang Chang woo) First, Vocations Sunday was held in May. It provided us with a great opportunity to promote the Columban Society. We opened our house to young interested people; altogether 120 middle school, high school and college students visited our central house in Seoul. As part of the day s program we staged different games, exhibitions and Mass. Both the Formation House and the Columban Sisters cooperated in hosting different events and activities which meant that the young people got the opportunity to visit different houses. Thankfully, the weather was great and all the young people participated very well. I would like to express my special thanks to the Formation team and seminarians who helped to make the day such a success. I would also like to thank all the Columban family, especially those living in the centre house, for their cooperation and expressions of interest. Second, recently I held a retreat for perspective candidates to the Columban Society. Those young people who have demonstrated a continued interest in joining the Columbans participated in the retreat. During the first night we prayed together, celebrated Mass and socialized. The following day we took time to share experiences and life journeys. I concluded the retreat by conducting some interviews with the participants. Finally, I would like to request your prayers for vocations and the Vocations Ministry. They are always a great source of support. Associate Priests Associate Priests: Fr Pak Chan In, Daejon Diocese, is doing very well here in Seoul. At the moment he is studying English at language school. This month he will undertake his final evaluation before his appointment to overseas mission. He hopes that he will be assigned to the Philippines. At present there are a few priests showing interest in joining our Associate Priest Program for next year. Hopefully, we will manage to attract some more perspective associates for next year. We continue to advertise in Catholic newspapers in order to promote the Associate Priest Program we thought that most Catholic priests have access to these publications, hence our choice. Thanks for your continued support and prayers. 7
From the Mission Research Office Advocacy work can often be a frustrating experience. Never more so than dealing with Church officials who tend to operate (as the ongoing sexual abuse crisis too often demonstrates) with a different set of criterion for accountability: somewhat akin to cotton wool, where everything is sucked in and nothing given back. Thus, as seen through the eyes of U.S. Diplomats and published by Wikileaks, it has been fascinating to get a glimpse of the internal debate at the Vatican concerning the genetic engineering controversy that irrupted around 2005. My own reading of the cables leaves me with the following thoughts. Firstly, the advocacy campaign that many Columbans were involved in around 2005 was quite successful in not only making a number of Vatican functionaries uncomfortable but also preventing an outright endorsement by the Vatican of biotech foods. That campaign is described in the following way, There remains vocal opposition among some Catholic laypeople and clergy to biotech food, and signs are not strong that the papacy or other Vatican entities with which Post [US Embassy to the Vatican] has worked are ready to issue a stronger endorsement of these technologies. And, in another place, Elements of the Catholic population, primarily in the English-speaking world, peppered the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and J and P with hostile emails when they moved forward on the issue in the past two years. It is noticeable how principled and informed opposition can be discarded as hostile. A second significant issue is the detachment, if not cynicism, displayed by some Vatican officials. One official is quoted as joking that the Filipino Church would "go into schism" if the Vatican came out any stronger for biotech food. It could be said, especially in light of the proposal to establish our JPIC Co-ordinating Team in Rome, that it has been far more effective and beneficial to advocate from a standpoint of living in solidarity with the periphery rather than trying to dialogue in the comforts of Rome. Indeed, as the memo notes, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace has not only taken the official lead on biotech issues at the Vatican but has also been quite active in recent years, often working closely with Post. Whose voice is going to be listened to at a Roman diner party? On a positive note, Vatican functionaries have been aware of the economic implications of biotech and they do seem to fear that widespread use of GMO food in the developing world would subjugate its farmer population and become a form of economic imperialism simply serving to enrich multi-national corporations. Nevertheless, in contrast to a significant body of scientific 8
research, Vatican officials asserted that the safety and science of genetically modified foods would eventually be non-issues at the Holy See. Sadly, the whole debate seems to have been dominated by expediency: A [Cardinal] Martino deputy told us recently that the cardinal had cooperated with Embassy Vatican on biotech over the past two years in part to compensate for his vocal disapproval of the Iraq war and its aftermath -- to keep relations with the USG [US Government] smooth. and here was me thinking that situation ethics was a moral no-no! Finally, it is important, I believe, to note how the U.S Government, in its on-going efforts to push biotech foods, has appropriated religious language: what we have called the "moral imperative" of biotech food. Such appropriation is, of course, nothing new; one only has to look at what Tony Blair has done for interreligious dialogue! Nevertheless, we should be alert to the dangers inherent when our ecclesial intellectual heritage is appropriated by marketeers, opportunists and corporate interests. What is most disturbing to me is that there seems to be little overt engagement with US Government officials about the profound moral implications of biotech foods, not just for humans but for the whole Earth community. The smell of tacit agreement is an affront to all those who reverence the gift of life as a gift from God to be nurtured and protected not genetically modified and engineered. But don't take my word for it. You can research the cables for yourself, starting at: http://www.wikileaks.at/cable/2005/08/05vatican514.html. By Patrick McMullan 9