1206 Korean 'special school' camps. Korea's entire delinquent cohort knows Don Bosco!
austraLasia 1206
Korean 'special school' camps. Korea's entire
delinquent cohort knows Don Bosco!
SEOUL: 21 July 2005 -- In various cultures 'special' has
special meanings. In Korea it simply means 'reformatory'.
In the late 1970's, under the military rule of the late General Park,
Fr Francis Kim SDB, then a deacon, was imprisoned for 24 months.
After his release and subsequent ordination, as a mark of gratitude, he
took up a prison ministry, now fully absorbed by the Salesian
provincial community. Fr Kim continues his work within that framework.
In the first fortnight of August, the Salesians will
hold five 'Summer Catholic School of Faith' camps in five different
reformatories throughout Korea: Kwangju (Aug 1-4), Daejon Shin Cheon
(8-12), Seoul (9-12, Daejon Won Cheon (9-12), Chuncheon
(8-12). Between 30-40 participants will take part in each
location. These summer faith camps, much anticipated by the young
inmates, are oragnised by Fr Stefano Yan SDB, provincial delegate for
the reformatory ministry.
This year's theme is Together Around One Shared
Table (The Eucharist). Clearly the reformatory situation does not
allow general freedom to head for the mountains or the seaside, so
camps are in situ, though for those who
recall the famous 'Generala' picnic
conducted by Don Bosco for an almost identical situation, it is good to
know that in Korea too, there are some 'off-campus' activities
permitted if the Salesians are running them.
It's a team effort. Fr Yang, seven prenovices
(the 2006 novitiate hopefuls), local SDB teams. South Korea has
five reformatories and three so-called 'discernment centres' (where
young offenders are held prior to Family Court proceedings). Each
of these places has a Salesian team assigned - one Salesians, some
aspirants, novices or prenovices, lay volunteers drawn from University
students (about 100 of them) plus some 'mothers', women
Cooperators. The team visits each place each week for a 2 hour
programme made up, rather typically, of games, catechesis and often
first evangelisation activities. Bascially, there isn't a
delinquent youth in South Korea who does not know Don Bosco!
It really is a heart-warming ministry. The
camps are just the icing on the cake. The real work is done week
by week, and there is follow-up for 'past pupils'. In the Seoul
discernment centre there is a fifteen year-old tradition now where the
mums from Chong Dam Parish prepare a monthly meal for the kids without
parents or from broken homes.
VOCABULARY
cohort: group
in situ: in the place
Generala: go to SELECT and look up 'Generala' in the
Italian index, for description plus Don Bosco's own comments on how to
apply the Preventive System in this situation.
_______________
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