austraLasia #3026
KOR Volunteers depart on Feast of Sts Versiglia and Caravario
SEOUL: 27 February 2012 -- The Feast of the Salesian pro-martyrs, February 25th was the setting for a very meaningful celebration held at the provincial house in Seoul: Mass and the consignment of the Mission Cross to the three Korean lay volunteers for Poipet, in Cambodia for one year. The Mass was celebrated by Fr Isidor Hong, the Mission Delegate, who had followed them up for several months in preparation. The volunteers are Joseph Lee, a medical practitioner, 49 yeas old, Mr Edward Heo, a leading Chef, 25 years old, and Mrs Rosa Song, 24 years old, just graduated from Catholic University last February 17th.
Dr Lee is a specialist in emergency medicine, and has been working in a university's general hospital Emergency Department. But he also has a strong desire to return to the farm, in the countryside. He thought that it would be good if he spent some time abroad, where people suffer from poverty so he left work and joined the Salesian Volunteer Network last November.. It was not easy to decide to be a volunteer, leaving his wife and two daughters, one twelve the other eleven. Strangely enough, he has just discovered that he was a public high school classmate of Fr Michael Chang, the new Provincial Economer and in charge of the Mission Office in Korea, and graduated from the same medical university with the late Fr John Lee. Providence!
After taking a degree in Culinary Arts, Mr Heo took a job in a famous hotel restaurant. Despite earning well, he began questioning that money could say it all, and asked himself if there was something more important. This question about the meaning of life eventually led him to the Salesian Volunteer Program with intentions to remain for the longer-term. He too had earlier knowledge of the Salesians Society because he had heard something about it from his younger brother, currently in military service for two years. His brother had attended the alternative school managed by the Social Communication Center in Seoul.
Mrs Song has just graduated in Social Work at Catholic University on February 17. She has already had experience of volunteering in Cambodia for three weeks in January 2009. It was a Catholic Caritas program. She was deeply impressed by the purity of the people’s heart in Cambodia and felt very much that she was loved by the people. She sought the opportunity to go back there with the title of Salesian volunteer.
In his homily, Fr Hong referred to Pope John Paul II's ‘Redemtoris missio’: “Every member of the faithful is called to holiness and to mission”, and emphasized that “you have to inscribe it n your heart that even though you are going as a volunteer, you are a lay missionary; take advantage of this opportunity for your growth in faith rather than considering yourself as someone who will be able to do something for them. Especially since you will live in the Salesian community together with Salesians, be involved with the preventive system, and entrust all things to the protection of Our Lady.”
Of the three, for the Dr Lee will support the Salesians in Korea for his journey and living expenses in Cambodia; the other two volunteers will be supported by KCOC (Korea NGO Council For Overseas Cooperation) as participants in that program.
On this Feast of St. Aloysius Versiglia and St.Callistus Caravario, Salesian pro-martyrs these lay volunteers have departed for their mission territory. Pray for them that they can be faithful witnesses to the Lord, and that they may defend the dignity of young people and be good friends and collaborators of Fr Gabriel Kang who until to now has worked without another Salesian beside him in the very large institution at Poipet.
KOR Volunteers depart on Feast of Sts Versiglia and Caravario
Dr Lee is a specialist in emergency medicine, and has been working in a university's general hospital Emergency Department. But he also has a strong desire to return to the farm, in the countryside. He thought that it would be good if he spent some time abroad, where people suffer from poverty so he left work and joined the Salesian Volunteer Network last November.. It was not easy to decide to be a volunteer, leaving his wife and two daughters, one twelve the other eleven. Strangely enough, he has just discovered that he was a public high school classmate of Fr Michael Chang, the new Provincial Economer and in charge of the Mission Office in Korea, and graduated from the same medical university with the late Fr John Lee. Providence!
After taking a degree in Culinary Arts, Mr Heo took a job in a famous hotel restaurant. Despite earning well, he began questioning that money could say it all, and asked himself if there was something more important. This question about the meaning of life eventually led him to the Salesian Volunteer Program with intentions to remain for the longer-term. He too had earlier knowledge of the Salesians Society because he had heard something about it from his younger brother, currently in military service for two years. His brother had attended the alternative school managed by the Social Communication Center in Seoul.
Mrs Song has just graduated in Social Work at Catholic University on February 17. She has already had experience of volunteering in Cambodia for three weeks in January 2009. It was a Catholic Caritas program. She was deeply impressed by the purity of the people’s heart in Cambodia and felt very much that she was loved by the people. She sought the opportunity to go back there with the title of Salesian volunteer.
In his homily, Fr Hong referred to Pope John Paul II's ‘Redemtoris missio’: “Every member of the faithful is called to holiness and to mission”, and emphasized that “you have to inscribe it n your heart that even though you are going as a volunteer, you are a lay missionary; take advantage of this opportunity for your growth in faith rather than considering yourself as someone who will be able to do something for them. Especially since you will live in the Salesian community together with Salesians, be involved with the preventive system, and entrust all things to the protection of Our Lady.”
Of the three, for the Dr Lee will support the Salesians in Korea for his journey and living expenses in Cambodia; the other two volunteers will be supported by KCOC (Korea NGO Council For Overseas Cooperation) as participants in that program.
On this Feast of St. Aloysius Versiglia and St.Callistus Caravario, Salesian pro-martyrs these lay volunteers have departed for their mission territory. Pray for them that they can be faithful witnesses to the Lord, and that they may defend the dignity of young people and be good friends and collaborators of Fr Gabriel Kang who until to now has worked without another Salesian beside him in the very large institution at Poipet.
