The parish in Incheon City where I am staying with my friend Paolo is located in an area of the city that is undergoing and will continue to undergo massive redevelopment. The area immediately surrounding the parish church and presbytery is largely unoccupied - the properties having been sold to the government. About 30% of the parish will be redeveloped (modern area, high rise). The church will be closed and demolished, as will the presbytery. A new site will have to be chosen and bought for a new church, parish centre, presbytery, etc. So all in all, a great challenge ahead for this community.
The parish church here is large (holds about 600 people) and was built about 30 years ago when Columban priests staffed the parish. There are four masses at weekends.
I arrived in Incheon on Wednesday of Holy Week. I stay in the presbytery with my friend Paolo, who is parish priest here since January. Also living in the same building is an assistant priest, Antonio, ordained last January. There's also a cook/housekeeper here 6 days a week - Susanna - who looks after me very well!
On Holy Thursday morning we went to the Diocesan Chrism Mass in the Cathedral. Very impressive gathering. Music was excellent. Very striking is the number of young priests in this Diocese.
In the parish we had the Holy Thursday Mass at 8 p.m. Very well attended, as were the Good Friday and Holy Saturday Easter Vigil liturgies.
A few things strike me very much: very strong participation in the singing; people come relatively early to the liturgy - to prepare to celebrate; you see many people carrying their own books.
The Korean catholics also very much bring the whole of themselves to the celebration of the liturgy. The joining of hands in prayer (which is considered outdated in our part of the world) is normal here and very impressive. It strikes me that people very much use the whole of their bodies at prayer. There is a great simplicity, dignity and personal faith every time I am present at the liturgy here.
The church here is located in a building that has four floors! Very large parish office, shop and coffee area, and many rooms of various sizes for different uses.
On Easter Sunday, after the 11 a.m., mass, there was lunch provided by parish volunteers in the area that we would call a parish centre. About 400 people came for the simple lunch. Quite amazing.
On Holy Saturday night, after the liturgy, Paolo invited a group of the parish leaders for a drink and some food in his apartment. A very pleasant gathering of women and men.
On Sunday night, after the evening mass, Paolo, Antonio and myself went to a local cafe/bar with a group of young people involved in the parish; about 20 of them, aged 19 to 30. Very interesting just to observe this kind of gathering. Some of the young people would be quite active in the mission of this parish.
I have to say that I am very impressed with what I see in the parish where I'm staying. Obviously things are not perfect, and great challenges lie ahead, but there is real spirit and interest. The people are very friendly, welcoming and gracious. You are always greeted with a bow, which you return. Very few people have much English, and therefore communication is very limited. But I had to learn very early on the importance of a greeting: pronounced "annyong hasseo"; and "thank you" - "gamsamnida" etc.
In fact, at the end of the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday (it lasted two and a half hours!), Paolo invited me to say a few words, which he translated. So I began the words with a Happy Easter greeting: it sounded like "pohal chuka hamnida".
That got me a round of applause, and many smiles!
