Vancouver’s Korean Catholics: a Church of the laity

Our look at Vancouver’s Korean Catholic community is centred around the words of Pope John Paul II, who remarked when he canonized the Korean Martyrs in 1984, “The Korean Church is unique because it was founded entirely by laypeople. This fledgling Church, so young and yet so strong in faith, withstood wave after wave of fierce persecution. Thus, in less than a century, it could boast 10,000 martyrs.”

The death of so many martyrs, said John Paul II, “became the leaven of the Church and led to today’s splendid flowering of the Church in Korea.”

Over the next half century, the rapidly growing Christian community of Korea was sustained in the sacraments by only two priests from China, until 1836, when, after years of pleading, a group of French missionary priests were sent to Korea. These priests all numbered among the martyrs.

At the end of the 18th century and throughout the next, there were six great waves of persecution in which 10,000 martyrs shed their blood for the faith.

Saints Andrew Kim Taegon and Paul Chong Hasañg, were leaders of the Catholic Church in Korea.

Andrew Kim Taegon was born to Korean nobility, and his parents converted when he was 15-years old. He travelled more than 1,000 miles to study in a seminary and became the first native Korean priest. He was tortured and beheaded in 1846.

Paul Choñg Hasang was a Korean Catholic lay leader who defended the faith before the government of Korea and reunited the Christians in the midst of the persecutions, encouraging them to stay strong in the faith. In response to his direct appeals, the Pope, Gregory X, confirmed the validity of the Korean Church and sent more priests to Korea. He was martyred in 1839.

On the following pages we look at some of the lay-led initiatives of the Korean Catholics in the Archdiocese of Vancouver.

Caring for the suffering

By Father Peter Sooback Jang

Unlike anywhere else, Catholicism in Korea was begun by lay people. The Catholic faith was introduced to the people of Korea along with a school of Confucianism focusing on realism. Although they approached Christianity as a branch of academics, soon our ancestors found the light and the truth of God.

Coming from our ancestors, the Korean Catholic community continues to have strong lay leadership supporting the clergy’s pastoral work. Life in a foreign land away from their homeland is not easy. When someone is dying  or going through a time of loss, St. Andrew Kim Parish has a strong network of support led by the laity: the Hospice, the Funeral Committee, and the Support Group for the Bereaved to name a few. 

When the parish learns a community member is terminally ill, hospice members pay a visit. They are group of dedicated and trained people helping the dying and their families to prepare for the passing in the Lord’s way. Their devoted care does not end with the passing. They also care and support the bereaved by sharing lovely memories and pray together for the deceased’s everlasting life and salvation. 

What’s unique about the Korean Catholic funeral is that we have a chant for the deceased called Yeondo. This prayer is offered after the passing and whenever we want to remember and pray for their salvation. Upon the passing, the parish Funeral Committee begins its service to the bereaved with Yeondo, offering their support and devotion. 

Although all this support is under the guidance of the pastor, it is only possible through the laity’s strong leadership and devotion for the community. I am very proud of their service. 

Father Peter Jang is pastor of St. Andrew Kim.

Korean History and Culture Leadership Camp

On June 25, students attended the 2022 Korean History and Culture Leadership Camp with Korean school students in the Vancouver area.

Hosted by the Association of Korean Schools in Western Canada (KCSAWR) under the theme of “History makes the future,” the camp helped Korean school students acquire the skills to shape the future by acquiring academic awareness of the past through a variety of historical and cultural experiences.

Activities included learning about the creation of the Korean system of writing, Hangeul, and Hunminjeongeum Haeryebon (literally,: “Explanations and Examples of the Correct/Proper Sounds for the Instruction of the People”), a commentary on by Hangeul’s creator, King Sejong wrote. Students also learned about Korea’s March 1 Declaration of Independence, the origin of the Taegeukgi (the Korean flag), and the Korean War, which ended nearly 70 years ago leaving the North and South divided and still technically at war.

Almost 70 years since the end of the Korean War, the two countries remain divided and technically still war now. They explored the Miracle on the Han River, the period of rapid economic growth in South Korea following the war during. During a special performance, students enjoyed traditional Korean melodies and rhythms through a folk janggu (traditional Korean drum) performance. On June 29 and 30, a total of six intensive hours of online classes were held.

The students who participated in the camp showed special interest in the Korean War and shared their feelings afterward.

“It’s very sad and heartbreaking,” said one. Others expressed hope that there will never be a war in Korea again. 

2022년 6월 25일 대건교육관과 야외에서는 밴쿠버지역 한국학교 학생들이 함께하는 “2022 한국역사문화 리더십캠프” 를 진행했다. 역사는 미래를 만든다” 는 주제로 캐나다 서부지역 한국학교 협회(KCSAWR) 주최로, 한국 학교 학생들이 과거의 역사를 통해 올바른 역사의식을 바탕으로 미래를 설계해 나갈 수 있는 힘을 기를 수 있도록 돕는 역사 문화 체험으로 구성되었다.

6개의 소주제로 구성된 체험활동에는 한글창제와 훈민정음 해례본 , 3.1 운동 독립선언서 제작, 태극기 유래와 티셔츠 디자인, 저항문학과 책갈피 만들기, 끝나지 않은 한국전쟁 6.25 , 한강의 기적 표어 만들기로 이루어졌다. 특별 공연으로 민속장구공연으로 한국 전통 가락과 장단으로 한국의 흥을 체험했다.6월 29일과 30일에는 온라인 수업으로 총 6시간의 강의로 밀도있는 수업도 병행하였다.

캠프에 참가한 학생들은 6.25 한국전쟁에 많은 관심을 보였으며 다음과 같은 느낌을 표현하였다.

 ”매우 슬프고 마음아프다.”, “ 캠프에 참가하게 되어서 감사하고, 다시는 한국에 전쟁이 일어나지 않기를 바란다” “ 한국이 평화로운 나라가 되기를 바란다.”

St. Andrew Kim Early Childhood Education Centre

St. Andrew Kim Early Childhood Education Centre has been providing a safe, healthy, and creative space for children since 2014. The curriculum is based on the child’s interests, with St. Andrew Kim ECEC educators as play partners and project collaborators. The children take part in Bible stories and songs, family phonics, sign language, creative music, science activities, Stretching and balancing, flower arrangement, clay activities, and more.

Several parents whose children attended the centre shared their experiences in these testimonials. 

 Caring, Loving, and Future.” Those are just three of the many words we could use to describe the team at St. Andrew Kim Early Childhood Education Centre. We have been very fortunate to have our daughter and now our son enrolled at St. Andrew Kim. Our daughter spent four years, graduating in 2018, and our son is now in his fourth and final year.

Caring: from Day 1 the teachers provide a classroom environment that is safe, interactive, engaging, and creative – all valuable foundational building blocks.

Loving: here’s a quote from one of the teachers: “Taylor is like my son.” When your child is at daycare 9+ hours a day, you know he is in very good hands when you hear something like that.

Future: as Asian parents, academics are very important to us and we were worried that we hadn’t enrolled our daughter in preschool before kindergarten. However, Cecilia and Agnes reassured us that nourishing the child’s right side of the brain so they can be creative and imaginative is critical to developing their left side. Our daughter is now reading one level above her current grade, is excelling and loving math, and is considered the most artistic by her classmates. We have full confidence our son will also excel in school given the foundation you and your team have built for him.

 We have been fortunate to have our son attend St. Andrew Kim’s childcare centre for four years, and it has been a wonderful experience right from the start. The teachers bring such care and thoughtfulness to the classroom every day and have created a positive environment for exploration, play, and learning. They have taken time to create a program with much variety in what the children are learning (cooking, art, yoga, among many others). The classroom itself is full of ever-changing materials and hands-on toys for the children to explore and interact with. We thank the team for being a big part of our son’s learning experience.

 I count my blessings every day and having found St. Andrew Kim Parish’s daycare is certainly one of them. The team is amazing. They are so attentive and caring that you can tell they love what they are doing. They really take each child’s interest to heart and make that part of their daily activities. I love that the teachers regularly document what the children are doing and the interactions they are having with each other, sending the documentations to parents along with pictures and quotes from books that explain their behaviours and learning stages. It’s all very interesting and demonstrates how much they care about the development of the children. My two little ones absolutely enjoy St. Andrew Kim Parish’s daycare, and their life will be so much richer from their experiences there.

 St.Andrew Kim education centre 是小朋友喜欢的乐园, Jerry 虽然是班上年龄最小的孩子，从来没有接触过英语环境，但是他在该 中心的适应期非常短，这里的老师非常亲切友善, 双语教学，努力帮助Jerry克服分离焦虑，帮助他大胆自信地表达需求和与 其他小朋友互动，二周后听见孩子愉快地要求我送他上学，我心里非常开心！目前Jerry已经上学三个月了，他学会了自己上 厕所和吃饭，每天都有惊喜和家里人分享，会经常蹦出英文字词，唱歌曲，打节拍，有礼貌地和老师小朋友问好，和老师们 建立了亲密的关系。更重要的是Jerry的兴趣爱好得到了发掘，老师会每天愉快地与我分享jerry在中心的所做的趣事和表现， 分享他的手工作品，对于家长来说见证他每一点的进步是难忘的体验。感谢Standrew Kim education centre 和老师们!

St. Andrew Kim Korean School

St. Andrew Kim Korean School has been dedicated to expanding Korean culture through innovative teaching methods and cultural activities since 1999.

The school has 12 levels of classes from pre-school to secondary school. 

“We have been providing an engaging classroom environment as well as an opportunity for students to grow into positive individuals with pride for their heritage,” said principal Cecilia Lee.

The school offers several Korean history and culture programs, such as traditional music and dance, poetry and essay writing, traditional painting, and Write4Change, a collaborative network of youth writers.