austraLasia #1776

Babel beware!  Economer General-cum-linguist adds Korean to the list

SEOUL: 7th December 2006 -- In what was only his second visit to Korea (he last visited in 2003 to help with planning of the new provincial house) Fr Gianni Mazzali, no mean linguist at the best of times, has done his best to add Korean to the repertoire.  The Rector Major had asked him to carry out the extraordinary visitation in his name, so the past month has seen that task in action.  It came to conclusion, fittingly, at a celebration in honour of Venerable Mamma Margaret, held on 1 December, together with at least 150 of the Salesian Family in Seoul's Shin Weol Dong Youth Centre hall - effectively part of the provincial house complex.  Whatever other miracles were achieved during the visitation, one was certainly evident to participants at that gathering - Fr Gianni celebrated the Eucharist in Korean with near perfect pronunciation.
    Confreres from Korea have been touched by the closeness and warmth of their Visitor. His efforts to learn Hangul well-enough to read it clearly was just one evident sign of the close attention he paid to all things Korean and confreres! It went both ways.  At the concluding celebrations, Fr Gianni said he had 'felt a brother amongst brothers, welcomed with sincere warmth and delicate attention'.  He had not only survived but enjoyed tasty dog meat, Shabu Shabu, and experienced Nanta.
    Since the last extraordinary visitation in Korea, the province has grown a little - by 16 confreres, and so has the average age - from 36 to 44.  Thre are now 113 Salesians of whom 61 priests, 22 Brothers, 12 Practical Trainees, 7 novices (3 of them intending to be Brothers), 19 prenovices.  Fr Mazzali highlighted the great gift of vocation, the need for discernment of the Salesian mission in the future in Korea, the strong missionary presence in Korea (8 still working there), the by now well-consolidated experience of social work involving prevention, recovery, education of young people in difficulties, the fact that the formation communities are all within a context of poor and abandoned youngsters, thus sharing their life in real ways.
    One notes that the celebration of Mamma Margaret had one special feature - Korea was amongst the first of the world's provinces to develop a Mamma Margaret Association many years ago. They were represented at the 1st December gathering.
   
GLOSSARY
Hangul: a revised form of romanization of the Korean characters - for reading, writing, obviously
Shabu shabu: Korean (and Japanese) hot pot - boiled meat.
Nanta: musical show loved by the kids.  Non-verbal performance of reckless rhythms which have reached the big stage at Broadway
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