By LEIGH GREEN-THOMPSON
Blessed can’t even begin to describe the experience of getting to know Christ more through learning about and experiencing a new culture. Getting the opportunity to visit South Korea, the home of Skincare, Kpop, kimchi, our favourite Korean dramas and so much more, was itself a great privilege. However, for the opportunity to grow in faith, love and intimacy with Christ through our explorations and journey through South Korea, was an honour. Travelling and experiencing new places and cultures, always helps one to grow and gain perspective. You come to realise just how big the world is and how many, different ways of speaking, eating, and doing things there are. Through the exciting parts and the more challenging parts of our journey, we come to grow as individuals and learn just how much there is that we do not know.
So what did our pilgrimage entail? In a nutshell, it involved 18 pilgrims from New Zealand visiting Catholic and other sites in South Korea from November 2-13. The pilgrims were accompanied by three priests – Fr Thomas Park (Auckland diocese), Fr Isaac Fransen (Hamilton diocese) and Fr Patrick McMullan, a Kiwi Columban missionary who has lived and served in South Korea for the past 35 years. Fr McMullan was our translator and is very knowledgeable about Korean culture and the Church in Korea. He was our main guide, through the pilgrimage. Among the places we visited were Chong Jin Am (the birthplace of the Catholic Church in Korea), Mirinae (the site of the grave of St Andrew Kim Taegon, Korea’s first saint), Jeju Island (part of the UNESCO Global Geopark Network and the site of the first Mass on our pilgrimage), as well as Myeondong Cathedral in Seoul.
So what makes a pilgrimage different from other visits, you may ask? I came to learn that a pilgrimage is taking time out of the normal. To be able to reflect on life. Being challenged by the journey we experience together. What is God teaching me throughout this experience? We absolutely had the opportunity to explore Korea’s tourist sites and attractions before and after our pilgrimage. We got to shop and do what every other foreigner visiting Korea desires to do (like buying too much Skincare from Olive Young). However, to go off the beaten path and visit places that are out of the touristy norm, allowed for a new experience and journey.
Getting to learn about the Catholic Church’s beginnings in Korea and its impact on Korean society, and understanding the sacrifice and hardships that many of the first Korean Catholics faced, was truly inspiring. Getting to know the many martyrs and saints of Korea and how fervent they were in their faith, and being able to walk the very paths so many persecuted Korean Catholics walked, was an honourable and influential experience. It allowed us the opportunity to slow down and be present, to realise just how blessed we are. To come to know just how big God is, and encourage us in our journey of faith. The lay people of Korea have a large role in the Church as, for many years before priests were sent to Korea, and before the first Korean priest (Saint Andrew Kim Taegon) was ordained, the Church was run and led by lay people.
We had the blessed opportunity of visiting many beautiful churches throughout South Korea, both in the cities and in the countryside, where the Catholic Church started in that land and grew. We met wonderful people along the way, who helped and encouraged us. We got to recognise the deep reverence that the South Korean people have for God, and we experienced their great hospitality. This allowed us to reflect on our respect and devotion to God in the Church here in New Zealand, and how we may welcome others. We had the blessing of getting to know our own St Mark’s (Pakuranga) Parish family and our other Catholic brothers and sisters from other parts of New Zealand, more deeply and grow in friendship with one another. Having the great honour of attending the Holy Eucharist each day, and praying as a pilgrim family each morning and throughout our journey, was a great joy. Our relationships deepened, and we were able to grow in wisdom as individuals and as a community. The beautiful meal culture of South Korea was reflective of our Eucharist celebrations. Sharing delicious food together each mealtime gave us the opportunity to converse with one another about our joys and trials and reflect on who we are as a Church.
No matter where you go in the world, the Catholic Church is Home. We learnt so much from the Korean Catholic Church and have come home to New Zealand with grateful hearts and a new zeal to continue in faith and grow in vibrancy as a community. May we invite others to realise the blessings that we are given as a Church and join us on the great journey to life.
There is so much the Church can learn from its people, God is present in us all! I can’t wait for our young people to experience it all and continue to grow, as they prepare for the next World Youth Day in Seoul, South Korea, in 2027!
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