Fourth Korean Youth Day
concludes on August 15
 |
| Pope francis meeting Korean youth at the sanctuary of Solmoe in Dangjin on August 15, 2014. |
Some 2,000 young people from 16 Korean dioceses came
together in Seoul share their life experiences and reconfirm their faith in
Christ and to His call.
By Robin Gomes
The Catholic Church’s 4th Korean Youth
Day is concluding in the South Korean capital Seoul on Wednesday.
The Archdiocese of Seoul is hosting the Korean Youth Day,
August 11 to 15, on the theme "It is me; do not be afraid" (Jn 6:20)
).
Organized in the pattern of the international celebration of
the World Youth Day, the 3 full-day event brought together some 2,000
young people from 16 Korean dioceses who shared and exchanged their
life experiences, and recommitted and reconfirmed their faith in Christ
and to His call. The participants were hosted by local families who
volunteered through their parishes.
After the inaugural Mass on August 12 by Cardinal Andrew
Yeom Soo-jung, Archbishop of Seoul, the participants went on pilgrimage to the
sacred places in Seoul such as the Korean martyrs’ shrine, attended catecheses
by bishops, held a special cultural festival in Myeongdong Cathedral, several
concerts and an evening prayer vigil by the Taize Community and its prior,
Brother Alois.
August 15 - great significance
The 4th Korean Youth Day will conclude on
the feast of the Assumption of our Lady, August 15, a day that has great
significance for both the nation and its Catholics.
August 15 is National Liberation Day in
both the Koreas. It commemorates the victory over Japan on August 15,
1945, when U.S. and Soviet forces ended the decades-long Japanese occupation of
the Korean peninsula.
It was also on the feast of the Assumption on August 15,
1995 that the Catholics of the two Koreas agreed upon to recite the peace
prayer of St. Francis of Assisi in their respective countries at the
conclusion of the Mass for Peace and Reconciliation held every
Tuesday evening in Seoul’s Myeongdong Cathedral.
The first Korean Youth Day was held in Jeju in 2007, the
second was in Uijeongbu in 2010 and the third coincided with the 6th Asian
Youth Day in Daejeon in 2014, which Pope Francis attended,
August 13 to 18.
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