An honest account

27.08.2010

An interview with Columban Sr Kathleen McHugh in Korea.

Sr Kathleen McHugh came to Korea in 1974. Born in the west of Ireland, from a farming background, a nurse by profession, she has been involved in many other activities over the years. Semi-retired, Sr Kathleen still finds it stimulating to live with young Korean Columban Sisters in Seoul.

What people made a special impact on your life?

Sr K McH. First my family, parents, and some teachers. I came from a hard-working Catholic family. My mother had a great appreciation of nature and I learned a lot from her. My father was honest and straight-forward, a man of his word. Others who helped me on the journey were friends, and especially Columban priests and Sisters.

Then there were the people who trusted me to do the right thing, even when I was unable to trust myself; and people, who by their way of living and their values, challenged and inspired me. I have always marvelled at the goodness of ordinary people, and at their capacity to share with each other and especially with the poor.

Looking back now on your 35 years of mission in Korea, what was special for you?

Sr K McH. I really valued the opportunity to live in another culture, and to understand it to some extent. I have made so many friends in Korea. Sharing life and faith with many different people in diverse ministries has been very enriching. Exposure to other religions opened new horizons, and then there were the many people whom I was able to help.

What were your impressions of Korea when you first arrived in 1974?

Sr K McH. It was different from what I had expected. I had never seen so many young people, all of whom initially seemed to look the same. There were crowds of people everywhere and especially in the buses and on the side-walk. I was amazed at the scenic beauty of the country, and especially the mountains.

I recall the rice-fields in the autumn, with all the family working together in the fields. I used to visit Chun Chen once a month while I was studying the language. My older sister, Mary, was in our clinic there at the time. I was impressed by the industry of the people and by their natural goodness. I felt I was really standing on sacred ground.

How did you cope with culture shock?

Sr K McH. Culture shock was not talked about at the time; in hindsight now I become aware of how it affected me. I thought perhaps I was suffering from loneliness, or that I didn’t have a vocation. I sometimes wondered if I even had faith! I met a spiritual guide who helped me to see that perhaps, in God’s plan, it wasn’t what I would do in Korea that mattered, but what Korea and its people would do for me over the years. Indeed, there has always been someone to help me over the difficult spots.

How has your vision changed?

Sr K McH. I have witnessed Korea become a developed country, with all the advantages and disadvantages that development brings. The role and status of women has changed, in the workplace and in the home. Families are smaller now, as in the rest of the world. Two salaries are needed to be able to educate the children, and there is less emphasis in today’s society on taking care of the elderly and the disadvantaged in the home. The extended family structure is not as strong as it was. There is more money, but more loneliness as well: this is also a trend in the west, but it seems to have changed faster in Korea.

What was difficult for you?

Sr K McH. For me, since I was already 40 years old when I came to Korea, the language posed the greatest difficulty: because of this my inability to relate with people in my early years, was painful. Sometimes it was difficult to be an older foreign woman in a predominantly young Korean Church.

How do you feel as you come to the end of your mission in Korea?

Sr K McH. I feel really blessed. I have always been grateful that much of my ministry was a healing ministry. I am semi-retired, and I enjoy living in the formation house in Seoul with our young Korean Sisters. It has been a privilege to have lived long enough to see our Korean Sisters assuming leadership. Many of us are now the ones in need, the ones who experience the support of family and friends. It has been inspiring to see our Korean Sisters going to poor countries like Burma, China, and Peru. I can be of some help to them by teaching them a little English.

Have you a message for our readers?
 
Sr K McH. I would just say, be thankful and know that you are important to God whatever may be your vocation in life. At my age it doesn’t really matter what I am doing, but it matters how God has worked through us, and how we have responded to His love. Be true to yourself. You are precious, and there is only one you.

 Sr Kathleen McHugh has worked in Korea since 1974.