1554 Salesian High Kwangju invites illustrious past pupils
austraLasia 1554

Salesian High invites 54 past pupil priests, 1 bishop to join Golden Jubilee

KWANGJU (KOR): 7th May 2006 -- May 5-7 has been a special weekend at Salesian High School in Kwangju, a particularly productive school in terms of priestly vocations.  To be accurate, since three have since gone to their reward, 1 bishop and 51 priest past pupils were invited, at least on paper, to return to their old school for its celebration of 50 years of pastoral and educational service  in this city of 1.4 million people, and an archdiocese of 250,000 Catholics.  The priests and bishop are spread out across all seven dioceses of Korea and overseas, ministering to Korean communities, for example, in Melbourne, Australia and Tampa, Florida.  The number includes seven Salesians.
    Currently Kwangju Salesian High has 1,600 junior and senior students, a community of seven Salesians and around 100 staff.  It has a reputation for being amongst the best schools in the city in academic terms, and plays a leading role in youth ministry and faith education in South Korea's Catholic High School system, which includes 64 other schools.  Around 60 students are baptised annually, after a two year catechumenate.
    May 5th, the beginning of the Jubilee celebrations, was an important date in Korea anyway - the birthday of Lord Buddha (a movable 'feast' in the Buddhist world) - so it was also a national holiday.  It became an opportunity for  a special school festival organised by the past pupils with current students as volunteers.  The income from this day will go to two special projects: the East Timor scholarship programme, in response to a letter from the EAO Regional for support for all of East Timor's 88 Salesian schools in that small nation, and poor youth in Kwangju's Northern district, the chief administrator of which is also a past pupil of KSH.  An estimated 10,000 visitors contributed to these two projects.
    May 6th was the Feast of St. Dominic Savio, so this became an occasion for a feast of gratitude as the day also marked 'Foundation Day' for the school.  A Salesian Discovery Centre (museum) was opened to the public as the first event, followed by a Eucharistic celebration presided over by the Archbishop of Kwangju, Andrea Choi (Chang Moo), along with his Auxiliary, Kim Hijino (Hee Jun), past pupil.  Around 20 diocesan priest past pupils concelebrated, and of course there were numerous members of the Salesian Family.  The archbishop highlighted the school's motto in his homily - clean heart, clean body, clean environment, as the inculturation of Salesian spirituality within Korean society.  Present too was one of the two past pupil parliamentarians in Korea, Mr. Chong Jong Chae.
    May 7th has been a 'homecoming' day, an annual event, but this time focused around the 15th Graduation Batch.  It was marked by the 100 edition of The Big Gathering of Friends, a past pupils' production published annually on this occasion and now edited by Mr Kim Jong, poet and professor of Korean literaure at Cho Son University, Kwangju.
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