Observations from Another Parish
Today, I went to a different parish for Mass. I went to Daejam Catholic Church, where I was received into the Catholic Church two years ago. From that parish, a new parish, Idong Catholic Church, of which I am a member, later broke off. (In Korea, you're assigned a parish geographically.)
Anyway, it's been a while since I've been there and I noticed a few things.
First of all, I saw something that I had never seen before in Korea: an altar girl! (A different one from the one I saw is pictured below.) Oh my, Korea is changing. Maybe they exist and I just haven't noticed them, but this was surely the first time I remember seeing an altar girl in a Catholic church. There was no liturgical dancing, however, which I've heard exists some parishes in the US and is the bane of many traditionlists.
The second thing I noticed was the excellent homily of Father Alphonso Kim Yeong-ho (pictured below), the priest who received me into the Church. The homily was based on today's Gospel reading (Luke 17:11-19), in which ten lepers were healed, but among them only a Samaritan gave thanks to Our Lord, prompting him to say,
So, the theme of the homily was giving thanks. Father Alphonso explored the etymologies of the words for "thank you" in Korean, Japanese, and Russian (he had been a missionary priest in Russia). I would have gotten more out of it if I were more proficient in Korean, but it seemed amazing. Father Alphonso has delivered similar etymological homiles in the past using Chinese characters.
Father Alphonso's homily caused me to reflect on the Catholic ability to find and examine truth wherever it is to be found in God's Creation, His other great book in addition to Scripture. How different that is from the sola scriptura radicals who insist that no truth can be found outside of the Bible. (Fortunately, most Protestant denominations still contain enough Catholicity to avoid this error.) I've heard of folks who insist that Our Lord did or said nothing that was not recorded in the Gospels, a logical impossibility!
One last reflection was on liturgical music. The mass I attended was the "Youth Mass," so the music was "contemporary," i.e. with guitar, piano, and synthesizer (no drum-kit, thank God). It wasn't Palestrina or Gregorian Chant, but the music was not that bad. In fact, some of it was inspiring and almost holy. One hymn or two had the feel of a Protestant revival, but in a good way. I'd rather see the Tridentine Latin Mass be the norm and these "Youth Masses" require an indult, but they shouldn't disappear altogether. They serve their purpose.
Today, I went to a different parish for Mass. I went to Daejam Catholic Church, where I was received into the Catholic Church two years ago. From that parish, a new parish, Idong Catholic Church, of which I am a member, later broke off. (In Korea, you're assigned a parish geographically.)
Anyway, it's been a while since I've been there and I noticed a few things.
First of all, I saw something that I had never seen before in Korea: an altar girl! (A different one from the one I saw is pictured below.) Oh my, Korea is changing. Maybe they exist and I just haven't noticed them, but this was surely the first time I remember seeing an altar girl in a Catholic church. There was no liturgical dancing, however, which I've heard exists some parishes in the US and is the bane of many traditionlists.
The second thing I noticed was the excellent homily of Father Alphonso Kim Yeong-ho (pictured below), the priest who received me into the Church. The homily was based on today's Gospel reading (Luke 17:11-19), in which ten lepers were healed, but among them only a Samaritan gave thanks to Our Lord, prompting him to say,
- "Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?"
So, the theme of the homily was giving thanks. Father Alphonso explored the etymologies of the words for "thank you" in Korean, Japanese, and Russian (he had been a missionary priest in Russia). I would have gotten more out of it if I were more proficient in Korean, but it seemed amazing. Father Alphonso has delivered similar etymological homiles in the past using Chinese characters.
Father Alphonso Kim Yeong-ho of Daejam Catholic Church
Father Alphonso's homily caused me to reflect on the Catholic ability to find and examine truth wherever it is to be found in God's Creation, His other great book in addition to Scripture. How different that is from the sola scriptura radicals who insist that no truth can be found outside of the Bible. (Fortunately, most Protestant denominations still contain enough Catholicity to avoid this error.) I've heard of folks who insist that Our Lord did or said nothing that was not recorded in the Gospels, a logical impossibility!
One last reflection was on liturgical music. The mass I attended was the "Youth Mass," so the music was "contemporary," i.e. with guitar, piano, and synthesizer (no drum-kit, thank God). It wasn't Palestrina or Gregorian Chant, but the music was not that bad. In fact, some of it was inspiring and almost holy. One hymn or two had the feel of a Protestant revival, but in a good way. I'd rather see the Tridentine Latin Mass be the norm and these "Youth Masses" require an indult, but they shouldn't disappear altogether. They serve their purpose.
Redeemed by Our Savior, I work out my salvation with fear and trembling in Pohang, South Korea, where I live with my wife, daughter, and son and teach English at a science and technology university. Baptized a Methodist and raised a Missouri Synod Lutheran in Buffalo, NY, I spent six years as a guest of the Anglican Communion before being received by the Grace of God into the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church on the Feast of Saint Andrew, my patron, anno domini 2002.
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