Korea's Daejeon diocese prepares to celebrate 14 new priests
Daejeon (AsiaNews) - The Catholic community in Daejeon will celebrate the ordination of 14 new priests on 15 January with a solemn Mass presided by their bishop in the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio in South Korea. "We must thank the Lord for these fruits," Mgr Lazarus You Heung-sik told AsiaNews, "because our Church needs young forces in view of the many challenges we face every day."
The bishop is currently leading a spiritual retreat for the future priests that will end Sunday morning. "I talked to them about how to be a good priest. I explained to them that it is not easy, that temptations and problems are many. I ended by saying that their real strength is Jesus and His Gospel. By relying on them, one can get so many good things. "
After the ordinations, the bishop will proceed to their assignments. "They will go to diocesan parishes, but some of them have already expressed their intention to become missionaries ad gentes. I am very happy with this choice, but I told them that before going on mission they have to prepare themselves from a spiritual and a technical standpoint. They have to study their country of destination, its language and customs."
The Diocese of Daejeon currently has about 343 priests, including 16 non-South Koreans, who are mostly in Mongolia, Japan and Taiwan, or in Latin America: Brazil, Ecuador and Bolivia.
In August, Mgr Lazarus You will host Asian Youth Day. For him, "It will be a beautiful moment for our Church: Many young people from across the continent gathered to pray together to the Lord. And I am happy that there will be many young new priests along with them."
12/02/2016 15:14
01/03/2023 11:56