WYD Day Three recap

Bishop Michael Sheridan, with (l-r) Las Vegas Bishop Joseph Pepe, St. Paul Parish pastor Father Bob Jaeger and Total Catholic Education director Michelle Maher, greets a woman who asked for his blessing at a Starbucks coffee shop in downtown Seoul, South Korea, July 13. (Herald photo by Bill Howard)

As expected, we got a much better idea of Korean Catholicism today before we hop on our plane for a red eye flight to Sydney. The day began with Bishop Sheridan celebrating Mass for a nearly full sanctuary at Myeong-dong Cathedral. The cathedral was the first Latin-style cruciform church in Korea and was built in 1898. The remains of many martyrs are buried in a crypt underneath. The church is currently undergoing a major renovation and a huge scaffold with cloth covers the front half of the church.

Bishop Sheridan's homily at the parish's regularly scheduled English-language Mass was brief but very inspiring. He talked about the Gospel reading where Christ warns his apostles yet again that they will be persecuted for their faith. While there was a flurry of early interest in Jesus' ministry, he was abandoned by many during his final days -- including by many of his apostles. So it is the reality today in which we are sometimes called to spread the Word. Emotions that can come with the euphoria of being immersed in World Youth Day can quickly fade once it's over, so it is important that the Word be rooted firmly in our hearts.

Some interesting notes about the Mass:

-- There was an atmosphere of reverence prior to Mass. You didn't hear much loud chatter around the sanctuary and, just before Mass began, a clear, quick announcement was made for everyone to turn off their cell phones -- with a reminder of the sacredness of the Mass. Thought that was nice and I don't recall any ringtones going off during Mass.

-- For the offertory hymn, they placed baskets at the front and middle of the church and everyone got up and dropped off their tithe. And when I say "they," I mean pretty much everyone did get up... it took as long as the reception of Communion. I've this tried in the U.S. at times, usually with a request to make an intention for a campaign of some sort. Never seems to get a decent response, at least nowhere on the level of what I saw here with the collection. Here in Seoul, maybe there's an element where nobody wants to be seen not giving something... or maybe they really want to give (which I like better). I am curious as to why this works well here and not in the U.S. Regardless, it was very interesting.

-- There were lots of bad sightlines with the huge, gothic-style cruciform church (it wouldn't have been aided with in-the-round seating), so there were flatscreens every 10 or so pews along the sides of the church.

-- Didn't see much holding hands during the Our Father by the locals. For those who did, it looked more like immediate families and friends.

-- For the sign of peace, everyone turned and bowed to each other. I really like the bow, as to me it has a special sense of reverence for the dignity of each person, that we are created in God's image -- a reality so awesome that each of us should be respected and never treated like an object.

-- The priests and servers processed in and out from behind the altar and not down the center aisle. The residing priests were outside to greet everyone.

-- There were young women in white robes with a black cross who seemed to act as ushers. They sat on the ends of the front pews of their sections. One neat thing was, when the priests processed down the center to distribute Communion to the back half of the church, the women bowed until the Eucharist had passed.

-- During the Eucharistic Prayer, the jingling bells that we are used to in the U.S. were replaced with a single, long knock of a small gong. The lingering of the ring drew me in farther to the moment. This isn't to criticize our bells at all... I love them, but this was very different... mesmerizing and just very peaceful.

After Mass, everyone scattered for about three hours for last-minute shopping and sightseeing. Bishop Sheridan and a small crew sought out the nearest air-conditioned shop, which turned out first to be a Starbucks across the street and later to be an Italian restaurant a block away for lunch. Then it was on the bus to visit the Korean Catholic martyrs shrine, appropriately named "Beheading Mountain" ("Jeoldusan"), where we visited a chapel on top of the site where hundreds of Korean Catholics were brutally tortured and killed in the early decades of the church there (at one point in the 1800s, about 10,000 of the country's 23,000 Christians were killed).

Interestingly, Catholicism in Korea was started by a lay community, followed by its first priest, St. Andrew Kim Taegon (who was martyred at the age of 24). The shrine and museum held a lot of interesting artifacts from the 19th century, including letters and relics from St. Andrew Kim. After two days of jaunting around Seoul (which reminded me a lot of New York City with its neon-lit nightlife, tight streets and towering buildings over you), the shrine was an importance time to refocus on why we are going to Sydney. We will have fun, but if we don't come back from there with more zeal and confidence in sharing the Gospel, then one has to wonder if the trip was worth taking.

Talk to you soon from Sydney.