By Fr. Daisuke Kitagawa, SDB

Seoul, Korea, 31 December 2016 -- Since 2002 once in every two years is held the Quinquenium meeting for the young Salesian Priest and Brothers of Korea and Japan Provinces together. In 2016, the Korea Province took its turn to host the confreres from the Japan Province. 12 participants from Korea and 8+1 (one young diocesan priest from Oita as translator) from Japan came together in Seoul for the 4-day program, including one Salesian Brother, one from each side. We were quite intercultural group, composed from GIA province of four nationalities: Japanese, Vietnamese, Timorese and Korean!

When the meeting was held in Japan two years ago, we visited Fukushima and had a glimpse of the distress of the people affected by the tsunami and radioactivity leak. We were also able to share our experiences as young priests or lay brothers ministering to the young.

This time, at the request from Japan, the Korean Province had prepared visits to the communities where the Salesians SDB and FMA answer the needs of the young in need in Seoul metropolitan area. A temporary shelter for boys and girls running away from home, education programs to dropouts, a vocational training school for boys in difficulties, reformatory institutes for the young boys and girls in crisis, and so on. Since Japan province has chosen as its vision “to become a Province for the poorer youth” (cf. AustraLasia n. 4025), those visits were very enriching and inspiring moments to the Salesians of Japan. How the Salesians in Korea serve the young people and its history can be a model to follow along the way of becoming a Province for the poor young in Japan.

We had an opportunity to share a meal with the children in Dae Rim Dong, facility for the youth at risk (kind of reformatory). I asked one of the boys at the same table “Are you happy here?” and he answered “No.” We know that there are boys who feel unhappy, but when we hear them say so themselves it is quite shocking. Then, what we can do is to show them that we are living happy lives. But how? Well, the fraternal affection that we shared during these four days is one of the answers to that. I thank the Korea province confreres for their kindness, joy and passion that they showed to us.

The meeting happen in the family atmosphere. Basketball match, cultural outing and Korean cuisine were part of the program. Many thanks again to KOR Province for preparing a wonderful meeting for all 21 of us. I hope the Salesians of both Provinces feel encouraged and inspired through this meeting, and are determined anew to be good followers of Don Bosco.

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