407 Don Bosco makes his mark on Everes
From: "jbfox" <jbfox@is.com.fj>
To: <jbfox@is.com.fj>
Subject: 'austraLasia' #407
Date: Friday, 18 August 2000 9:45 PM

DON BOSCO MAKES HIS MARK ON EVEREST

Seo Jeongkwan SDB

SEOUL: 18th August -- A member of the Korean team to reach the summit of Mt
Everest, the first such group of the new millennium, has acknowledged his
debt to his Salesian education as one of the factors which gave him the
inspiration and the strength to do it - and gave the Salesian Family a
distinctive achievement in this Jubilee and Millennium Year.
Heon Ju Park, or 'Andrea' by Chrstian name, is an alumnus of the Salesian
High School in Kwangju.  He is now a journalist with the Kwangju Daily News.
He had already made two unsuccessful attempts 1993 and 1996 on the world's
highest mountain at 8,200 metres and was determined to succeed on the third
try.  This time, on 3rd May, just three days before his 33rd birthday he
found himself near to the summit but initially had to turn back.  Almost
ready to give up, he thought of his wife, his earlier failures at some
things, including an important examination, and of the meeting he had had at
the airport by chance with his past Salesian teachers Fr. Klement Vaclav and
Robert Folk. "They promised to pray for my expedition and that word gave me
great strength" Andrea said.  "I had a good feeling about it". So on he went
with a colleague and finally reached the summit.
Andrea's experience at Dominic Savio Salesian High School was one of warm
acceptance: "The principal would welcome us warmly at the school's front
gate; our RE classes had us ernestly and frankly discussing the meaning of
life.  Those unique school programs have coloured many aspects of my life
since".  And yet he struggled as an adolescent and at one stage became
wayward.  Mountain climbing enabled him to focus on the achievement of goals
through difficulty and even fear.  To other youngsters who ask him 'why
mountain climbing?  Why this mountain?' his answer is that the greater the
fear, the greater the vision possible when one sees things differently -
from the sumnmit of the world!