When Cardinal Kim, the then Catholic archbishop of Seoul, met Brother Roger in Hong Kong in 1977, he asked for brothers from Taizé to come and live in Seoul, ‘to help the young people of Korea deepen their faith.’ The first brothers arrived in Korea in 1979 / 1980 and were later joined by others. Korea was the scene of a terrible, fratricidal war in 1950-53, which left deep wounds. Since then it has been divided into two countries with a completely sealed frontier between them. The churches, (...)
3 July 2008
Over thirty young adults came together on 29-30 March for some hours of prayer and silence at the Columban Mission Centre at Seoul. They were young professionals or students from very different backgrounds…. For the non-Koreans who have not been in the country for very long, the big challenge is learning the language. A “pause” was very welcome, for example, for someone who had come to work in Korea in order to support his family in the Philippines. Like many of his compatriots, he is strongly (...)
23 April 2008
Taizé brothers have been living in Seoul since 1979. Their activities involve them in teaching, art and care for prisoners. One of them was in Taizé in May 2004. He reflects here on their life together.“With my God I can scale any wall” Over the years we have developed a life together and put down roots. We are in touch with many people. If we try to understand our life, we are constantly aware of what is happing in the North, like the recent train disaster. We know that we are living in half a (...)
19 June 2004
In May 2002, one of the brothers spent a week in North Korea. Born and brought up in South Korea, he had never been able to make this journey before. In 1998 and 1999, the Community, through Operation Hope, sent over a thousand tonnes of corn to North Korea, for people suffering from famine.“It is not easy to tell about this visit. Geographically, it is so close to South Korea, but politically so far away. When I lived in South Korea it was never possible to go to the North. After many years (...)
11 June 2002
TAIZÉ