How many winters have I passed in Korea, I muse. Too many or too few? As I come to leave it seems too few. In fact, it has been around thirty. Back in 1969, I remember being very happy when I was appointed to Korea. Even in my teenage years I had developed an affection for the country. My affection stemmed from reading Fr Philip Crosbie’s book ‘Pencilling Prisoner’. I was very inspired by his faith and courage as shown in his account of his experience of the Death March during the Korean War. Influenced by Fr Phil’s obvious love of the country and its people I began feeling a mysterious attraction to it.
In addition to the lure of the country and its people, I learnt that the Korean winters are very cold. I wanted to experience such cold even if only once. This was to be a challenge for someone who found riding a bicycle to school in winter on the West Coast of South Australia more than a challenge. I arrived in Korea just before the winter of 1970 and survived it! Then after spending one year in Korea I realised that aside from freezing winds to be avoided and the calm magic of winter snow to be enjoyed, Korea also has a sweltering, sticky summer accompanied by the cicada orchestra. In between, Korea has the radiance of the cherry blossom which welcomes in spring loaded with new life. Then there are the balmy evenings and crisp mornings of autumn heralding a sea of colour which sadly fades into the next cycle of winter redeemed only by the snow. For me this was a refreshingly new experience of four very distinct seasons – the wonder of God’s creation.
After language study, I was assigned to Sam cheok in Gangweon Province on the east coast of the peninsula. I still remember the warmth of the parishioners who were very understanding of my faltering Korean. As I met the sick people journeying long distances to St Joseph’s Clinic run by the Columban Sisters situated on the church grounds, I came to see with my own eyes how difficult life was for the people at that time. Nevertheless, they were very patient waiting in long queues to see the doctors. Indeed they were also patient with me as I hesitantly approached them to try out my limited Korean. I could not but feel for and respect for the courage these people who in many ways were still recovering from the Korean War. Their will to live was inspiring. It was in Samcheok that I first started to make Korean friends.
When I returned to Australia several years later I came to realise how deeply I had come to love the Korean people and their country. The next 17 years I spent on the formation team at Turramurra in Sydney. It was a time when I also came to see my own country in a new light. I came to see its strengths and weaknesses: its seemingly preference for individualism and excessive consumerism contrasting with its search for ways to build an inclusive multi-cultural society and concern to build a just society for all. Within the context of these and other competing values, I came to love Australia anew as my home. I love its vitality and sense of hope.
Subsequently, I returned to the country I had continued to miss, Korea. On my return, I first spent time in Gayang community which was an out-station of Dongcheon Parish on the western outskirts of Seoul. Here I lived a full life. I felt the comfort and peace one feels when one returns home. Korea is indeed my second home. I found it difficult to leave this small community where I had become close to the faithful even though I had only been there for a short time. Our Sunday liturgies and weekly small group ‘sharings’, as well as visiting the sick in their homes were particularly dear to me. The people taught me so much about the culture of Korea and the meaning of supporting each other in a small community.
From Gayang I returned to formation ministry, this time in the Columban Formation House in Seoul. How would I find formation with Korean seminarians? I was anxious. As time went on, even though our cultures are different, I found that we could share together at a very deep level. I came to know that God plants the seeds of a vocation in all peoples’ hearts, not just in theory but in reality. This experience filled me with joy. As the students shared their journey with me I became aware that we are indeed companions walking together on a meaningful and grace-filled journey – sharing the unfolding of our faith as we continually discovered God calling us forth to be missionaries.
Next I shared the responsibility for Columban Lay Mission together with an experienced lay missionary. We partnered in the ministry of recruiting, preparing and sending Korean lay missionaries overseas. In addition, we facilitated lay missionaries from other countries to come as missionaries to Korea. Rather than a responsibility I again experienced this work as a joy. In a sense this time was the most meaningful of my missionary life. Journeying with the lay missionaries was a new experience for me in that my ministry in formation had been with seminarians. Now I was accompanying lay people on mission - women and men, married and single. Through their deep faith and enthusiasm for mission I experienced a whole new and broader understanding of being a missionary. These young people wanted to become missionaries with a single-minded purpose often at significant personal cost They were prepared to commit themselves to live their lives in line with this aspiration. In this way, they inspired me to renew my commitment to God’s call.
Looking back over my time as a priest missionary - now 48 years have elapsed - I have a strong sense of being blessed. This blessing fills me with gratitude. I am particularly grateful to all our supporters here in Australia and New Zealand as well as in Korea. Through your prayers and support I have been able to live a fulfilled missionary life. I have been nourished by others and hopefully they have been nourished by my presence.
The time has come and I have returned to Australia. This is not the end of my journey. I now gather my experiences of Korea, reflect on them and bring them with me on the next chapter of my missionary journey. Thus far from forgetting my experiences of the people of faith in Korea (I include my experiences at Turramurra), I will treasure them in my heart as a source of hope for the future. I offer a big thanks to the people of Korea. I invite you to join me in praying that they may find the peace and harmony they so seek between the one people of North and South Korea. They will have a profound influence on my life as a missionary in Perth. Yes I am now heading to Perth to take up again my life as a missionary in Australia. As in the past I expect the mystery of my journey will continue there. I again expect to be surprised by many unexpected outcomes. Life is certainly a mystery. I look forward to meeting many of you on this alluring journey.
Columban Fr Kelvin Barrett is currently residing at the Columban Mission House in Essendon, Australia.
LISTEN TO: Leaving my second home
(Duration: 8:58mins, MP3: 4.11MB)
Related links
- Read more from The Far East - October 2017
