3787_The Quinquennium Meeting in KOR

By Bro. Hilario Seo

Taean, Korea, November 2, 2015 - 15 young Salesian priests in quinquennium gathered in a two-days one-night program in a Salesian Retreat House in Taean, Neri. This meeting conducted by the Formation Delegator, Fr. Marcelo Baek started with a lunch last October 31 then a football game and other play for two hours to unleash energy and joy.

It was an awaited time for the young priests who greatly felt sense of kinship and sharing after a short escape from the busy daily ministry activities. Especially with the subject of the Digital Culture of the youth, Bro. Hilario Seo lectured for two hours on the reality of our present culture and the imminent future of the digital society. His speech made all to think together on what point we should pay more attention in the pastoral work and education of young people who must take responsibility for the future.

To give the goodnight speech there was Fr. Benedict Kim, a meeting member, who just returned from Australia and finished his study for the masteral degree in moral theology. It was followed by the sharing of experiences with a glass of beer. As everybody tries to meet and live together with the poor young, they had many things to say forgetting the advancing of the night.

On the morning of the next day, the provincial, Fr. Stefano Yang in his homily of the Holy Mass of the Solemn of All the Saints expressed his gratitude for the good job of the young priests who are mostly close to the youth in the pastoral field. He also requested them to pass the mercy of God to those young in need and live a life of the Good Shepherd. Moreover, he asked the graduating 3 priests from the quinquennium; Fr. Peter Im, Fr. John Lee and Fr. Joseph Cho to live like the young and share the love for the youth specially most in needed.

After the breakfast, they went to the nearby Anmyeon Island Arboretum and continued their sharing in walking a path in the beautiful natural environment by twos or threes. So it terminates the quinquennium meeting, emptying all the pressures of the daily pastoral tasks and rejuvenating themselves.