Columban Fr Kelvin Barrett works in the Formation Programme for Columban seminarians in Korea. He shares with us how God led him to this rewarding ministry.
After several years absence, I again find myself with a role in the Formation Programme in Korea for Columban seminarians - albeit temporarily. After some adjustment, I am back into the rhythm of formation life - community prayer three or four times a day with the seminarians and individual accompaniment sessions with them once a fortnight.
These sessions are designed to help the seminarians to integrate the various aspects of their lives - their academic life at the Seoul Catholic University, the pastoral placement where they go once a week, their social life, their life in the formation house community and the challenge of growing into the life of a Columban missionary priest. Their spiritual growth is handled separately through bi-weekly sessions with their spiritual director.
Overall there are 12 Korean Columban seminarians. However, in our community there only four at present. The remaining eight are engaged in either their first overseas missionary experience or are in Spiritual Year which is a special year of prayer, study and discernment. Three of them are in their first year. Even though the number in the community is small, there is a lot of action.
The dynamism arises as the seminarians deal with their struggle to develop a life of study after a number of years in the workforce, the dynamics of a group of people living together who are more used to living alone and the challenge of reflecting ever more deeply on their lives. They face these challenges in the context of the charism of being a Columban missionary priest who crosses the boundaries of language and culture, which calls for a mixture of 'stick-at-it-ness' and flexibility. In addition, there is free time for individuals to pursue their own recreational interests and outings together as a group.
Returning to this life after several years takes me back to the origins of my involvement in this ministry some 35 years ago, firstly in Australia and later in Korea. Were the events that led me into this life just the natural evolution of life or were they signs of God's call to this ministry?
Some 40 years ago, I was assigned to Yeongweol parish in Korea. Yeongweol is situated in the foothills of the Daebaek Mountain Range. It was a cool early autumn night. I had been suffering from quite a severe flu for several days and not feeling well I had gone to bed early with the next day's Sunday Masses in mind. In the early hours of the morning, I woke suddenly with a strong sense that I was moving out of my body.
Gasping for breath I came to and was able to struggle to the phone to call for help. The next morning I managed the main Mass, having cancelled the others, but I kept running out of breath. As it turned out, I was suffering from a case of double pneumonia. After 10 days in hospital I recovered physically.
However, the near death experience was a turning point in my life. During my recovery I never talked about nor understood that experience. In fact, I did not take it as in any way real until years later. To think that I might have had some sort of a 'death experience' was too unrealistic for me to accept.
However, my emotional reaction to this experience was going on regardless. It shook my faith in a protective God. The ensuing emotional turmoil highlighted what I thought was an embarrassingly immature faith and the shallowness of my understanding of my emotional and inner life. I was humbled before God and man but did not want to acknowledge this.
Upon returning to Australia some months later, I sought help. At that time, I also took the job as bursar in the former Columban seminary at Turramurra, in Sydney, while continuing to work on integrating my reaction to my Yeongweol experience. During that time, I noticed that quite a number of my companions from seminary days were having similar troubles. 
Thus I was led to think about the style of our formation programme - itself already undergoing some development. This development was the beginning of the emphasis on inner growth and integration of the emotional and the spiritual.
From my experience, this seemed to be a very necessary development in the seminary formation programme.
God's call seemed to be there to be a part of this development. The rest is now history. It has been a privilege to accompany many young men, Australian, New Zealanders and Koreans on their journey of the integration of their faith with the many different aspects of their life.
While travelling with them on this road to becoming missionary priests, I have always been inspired by their desire to understand how God is working in their lives and where He is leading them.
Some continued on to be priests and cross-cultural missionaries; others found their call in different paths - all valuable in the eyes of God. In recent years, I have also been no less impressed with the commitment of lay missionaries - Korean, Filipino and Fijian - whom I have had the opportunity to accompany in a similar way as they have prepared to join and take part in Columban Lay Mission.
Even though many years have now passed on this journey, I am still moved by the endeavour and commitment of these men and women who come to us seeking to follow Jesus as a priest or a lay missionary. I also look back with gratitude to God for my experience in Yeongweol, an experience for which I in no way was grateful at the time.
It was a fortunate event which has shaped my life and led me into a very rewarding ministry as a missionary. Nonetheless, I struggle with being humble before God!
Columban Fr Kelvin Barrett has been a missionary in Korea since 1970.
Read more from The Far East, March 2014