In remembrance of this beloved Salesian in South Korea and beyond, the Salesian province of Korea is preparing a broad variety of initiatives in order to keep his legacy alive.
The 10th anniversary will open with the Eucharist to be celebrated in the Salesian High School in Gwangju by Archbishop Kim Hee Jung Hijino, Salesian Past Pupil and Archbishop of Gwangju, on 12 January 2020.
Another documentary movie produced by KBS media (National TV station) “Don’t Cry, Tonj 2: Shukran Baba” is soon to be released this month. This movie will present the life and death of Fr John, after the successful “Don’t’ Cry, Tonj 1” that was watched by several million people in Korea and abroad. This movie is the result of cooperation (MOU) between KBS and the Salesian Society in Korea, supervised by SC delegate, Fr Samuel Yu.
The opening of the Fr John Lee Memorial Hall in Busan (second largest Korean city) is scheduled for 14 January 2020 on the day of the anniversary of his death. This memorial hall (4-storey building) is located in the Western part of Busan, within the “Tonj Cultural Park”, and was constructed by the local administration in order to keep alive the spirit of generosity and service of Fr John Lee in his home place.
Last November this Memorial Hall was entrusted to the Salesians of Don Bosco and one Salesian priest and one Salesian brother will be sent to this new apostolic work. The opening ceremony will involve another four organizations that care about the spirit of Fr John Lee.
The launch of a new biography (scheduled for December 2020) by the 10th year death anniversary commission, edited by Lee Chung Ryol (author of the late Cardinal Stephen Kim's biography) to be published and distributed by a major Korean publisher, namely “Kim Yong Sa”, is also on the calendar.
This process is under the responsibility of the Fr John Lee Memorial Foundation (chairman Fr Mike Chang, SDB – provincial delegate for missionary animation).
The Salesian Family open “Symposium on Retelling the Story of Fr John Lee” is scheduled for 24 June, his feast day (St John Baptist) in Seoul, with a photo exhibition and concert.
The whole one-year celebration is launched with the help of many well-wishers, Korea Catholic media (Pyong Hwa Broadcasting) and other major media. At the same time, the Salesians continue the process of collecting all related documentation about the life and mission of Fr John Lee (1962-2010).
Source: AustraLasia
