ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - “Evangelisation on the streets” Summer esperience for new priests in Taegu

Monday, 29 August 2005

Seoul (Fides Service) - During the Summer months of 2005 a group of new priests of the archdiocese of Taegu in South Korea embarked on a new experience of ‘evangelisation on the streets’. A team of 26 newly ordained priests were sent on mission to villages and towns all over the archdiocese to give talks in public places and distribute information on the Church and invite people to learn more about Jesus Christ and his message. On their itinerant mission the priests were accompanied by Fr Joseph Lee Pan-seok, Spiritual director of a local Church movement “Mission on the Streets”, whose members are clergy and laity willing to dedicate themselves to this special pastoral activity.
The missionaries approach people on the streets and invite them to come to a nearby church to listen to talks to illustrate the Catholic with the help of film and tapes. The mission is proving to be fruitful, the priests say meetings are attended by an average number of 200 people. One of the priests said “I am happy to take part in this experience, to meet people and tell them about the good news of the Gospel. I think this mission will also help me with my future pastoral work in a parish”.
The Catholic Church in Korea has always given great importance to mission involving not only priests and religious, but also lay people and whole families. The laity are called to be authentic witnesses in the family, at work and in society in general. The Korean Bishops’ Conference said recently, like the clergy and religious the laity are called to strengthen their spirituality to help overcome secularisation and hedonism. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 29/8/2005 righe 24 parole 256)


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