Daejeon
(AsiaNews) - A priest's missionary effort can flourish even in the army. This is the case of Fr. Andrea
Choi Byung- kyu , a military chaplain at the Military Academy, who with his
example and witness has brought many young people to the Church. The
priest comes from the Diocese of Daejeon, led by Msgr. Lazzaro
You Heung- sik, who next August will host the Asian Youth Day.
Because
of the great tension with North Korea, military service is mandatory in the South.
It
lasts 21 months, during which the young soldiers may request the spiritual assistance
of Catholic, Protestant and Buddhist religious. It
is a good opportunity for the Church in Korea to approach and carry out its mission
among the many people it still has not touched.
The
military vicariate was erected in Korea November 22, 1983: on July 21, 1986 it
was elevated to a military ordinariate with Pope John Paul II's bull Spirituali militum curae. It is currently led
by the Franciscan bishop Msgr. Francis
Xavier Yu Soo-il, and has 80 diocesan priests. These include Fr. Andrew Choi, who leads
the parish of Chuel - Byuk. The
Military Academy near the parish is where soldiers undergo basic training: it
is five weeks of training, which end with a mountain trek of 330 miles on foot.
Every
time the tour starts, Fr. Andrea prays; "Lord,
stay close to me so that I can reveal You to the soldiers along the way, like
you did on the road to Emmaus".
While
trekking, usually no one speaks: every soldier has to carry a backpack of 20
pounds and a 4 pounds gun, and therefore does not have the strength to talk
with others. During
the trek all that can be heard is the heavy breathing and the commands of the officer.
And in the midst of all
of this the quiet voice of Fr. Andrew,
who asks the soldiers how they are and as how their service proceeds. During
breaks, the priest carries them water and something to eat (see photo): often a
candy, to raise the sugar levels and give them more strength. In
some cases, the young priest also takes the backpack for a particularly tried soldier.
With
this testimony of friendship and faith, Fr. Andrea wins over the respect
of the soldiers. Who
sometimes, by the end of their service, ask: "Father, I do not know the
Catholic Church. But could I come to your parish this Sunday?". Or:
"Father, I left the Church, but I would like to return to your parish to
attend Mass and confession".
And
the many soldiers who can not go personally to his parish because of the
location to which they were assigned - the many military posts close to North
Korea where they have no leave for 6 or 8 months - send many letters addressed
to Fr. Andrea Choi .
(translated from Korean by Fr. Jaedeok Peter
Kim )