Ex-catechist of Kwangju Salesian High hikes a group
of Mamma Margarets around Piedmont
TURIN: 25th January 2006 -- He was the Catechist in
Kwangju, Korea, but left that task in 1994. Fr Klement now finds
himself in another role which needs little explanation to readers, but
took the opportunity to re-live a brief period of his life on behalf of
a group of five mums from that school who 'won' a tour of Salesian Holy
Places for their many dedicated years of service as the core component
of the Mamma Margaret association. The group was also accompanied
on this occasion by Fr Michael Chang, the current Rector and principal
of the school.
The school is celebrating its 50th anniversary this
year, but it was in 1989 that it moved to a new site and the
aforementioned Catechist was appointed and began the Mamma Margaret
group. In those days the mums prepared meals for a 'small' group
of 200 boarders. These days they prepare a staggering 2780 meals
a day! That's lunch for all the boarder and day students, some
1600 plus teachers - and supper to boot,
since Korean schools finish rather late in the day, like between 9-10
pm. It is only the senior high school students of course,
who finish that late, but those of us who have struggled over the years
to keep the kids focused till 4.00 pm have something to learn yet,
obviously. Wonders will never cease!
But back to the Mamma Margarets. It has
been a very productive group quite apart from the culinary arts.
Catechetics has been another triumph. Not all of the mothers have
been Catholics (some 50 have passed through the group since 1989) but a
number have discovered the faith through the group and have been
baptised. The chief 'Mamma', Mrs Sabina Chong, the group's president,
teaches catechism to the catechumens in the school, and that amounts to
some 60 students annually who are preparing for Baptism.
The pilgrimage to Italy takes in seven weeks, but
fortunately their ex-mentor and founder does not have to trail along
for all of that time. He took charge of the
Capriglio-Becchi-Valdocco sector, in temperatures that reminded them of
a Korean winter anyway.
On return to base in Rome, Fr Klement was reflecting
on many things, but one that struck him - perhaps something an
enterprising iconographer might take up at some time - was the number
of new statues to Don Bosco popping up around the place, now almost
exclusively WITH his mother, three alone at Colle ('alone' in the
restrictive, not the lonely sense!).
VOCABULARY
to boot: no reflection on the food. It
means 'in addition', 'into the bargain'.
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