By Bro Bosco Park Kyengseok, SDB
The Guro 3 Dong Salesian parish, which celebrated its 50th anniversary a few years ago, has 5,200 Catholic organized in 24 zones with a number of vibrant small Christian Communities. Among the five Salesians serving the parish community are 4 priests, the Rector - parish priest Fr Philip Park, and former provincial Fr Paul Hwang, economer, and Br Bosco Park. Don Bosco would be happy with the parish's location as it is in the midst of the poorest districts with the highest percentage of migrants in the whole archdiocese of Seoul.
Any visitor or newcomer to the St Francis de Sales parish is immediately touched by the Salesian spirit that prevails in an environment that's developed since the first Salesian missionaries, Korean Salesians and the local Catholic community. The Association of Salesian Cooperators, organized in one Center with 4 teams - with a total of 59 members and 11 aspirants - is present throughout the parish - from pastoral council to catechesis, youth ministry to the new ministry for migrants.
An open missionary attitude is the striking characteristic of the Catholic community: every year, four groups of catechumens are formed; every Sunday, 10 Masses are celebrated – also in English and Chinese; there is a wonderful collaboration between the 5 FMA sisters and the 5 Salesians, and testimonies to the children and young people.
In order to realize the dream of Pope Francis's “Outreaching Church”, new frontiers were recently launched, still in the initial stages of discernment: ministry to the migrant population, the majority Chinese, with some 10,000 living in the parish territory and another 100,000 in the nearby Dae Rim Dong); local after-school activities for poor young people; services to the nearby 'Digital City Complex Catholics, with 160, 000 workers within the parish boundaries. This is how Korea's only Salesian parish shares the light of the Gospel and the spirit of Don Bosco!
