Late cardinal still alive in memory

Events mark 2nd anniv. of Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan’s death

By Chung Ah-young

It has been two years since Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan (1922-2009), a spiritual leader in Korean society, passed away on Feb. 16, 2009. But his legacy vividly remains within the hearts of many Koreans who seek peace and spiritual wellbeing.

The late cardinal played a crucial role as not only a religious leader but also as a social icon in Korea’s historical upheavals fighting against a military dictatorship for democracy during the 1970s and ‘80s. To commemorate the second anniversary of the passing of the Catholic leader, various events are being held nationwide.

Play ‘Cardinal, a Fool’

In time for the second anniversary, Kim’s life is revived on stage through a play “Cardinal, a Fool,” the first of its kind to commemorate his life presented by IMD, a Catholic drama company, which is now being performed at the Catholic Youth Center in Seoul until May 30.

The play is not a heroic story of the late cardinal but a story that recounts his life as a “seeker of truth” seen through the eyes of ordinary people.

Born in Daegu as the youngest son of eight children in a poor but devout Catholic family, Kim couldn’t live as freely as he wanted. He became a Catholic priest to satisfy his mother’s wish rather than God’s calling, and wanted to calmly live as an ordinary priest in a remote place but gradually had to take on the huge responsibility of being a cardinal. He was an ordinary man who felt fear when he faced death. The play shows the very process of how he overcame difficulties through prayer which led to a strong faith and spirituality.

He fought for human rights in the midst of socially and politically hard times and his life ended in solitude while suffering as a regular human being.

In the face of death, he called himself a “fool” as he didn’t fully appreciate God’s grace, urging people to become a fool for others and blame themselves first. He also left a message of gratitude reflecting his life together with God. The play focuses on his philosophy of a “fool” and at the same time his grateful attitude toward life, while dealing with his lifelong efforts to emulate the life of Jesus Christ.

After he passed away, a slew of commemorative works were promoted, provoking controversy over its commercial purposes. But the play is a proven work produced with religious motivations as it has been presented by Catholic organizations and all actors and staff are Catholics to better represent Kim’s faith and spirituality on stage.

The show will be staged in the United States in July. Tickets cost from 10,000 won to 30,000 won. Call (02) 2253-9191 or visit www.ccpimd.com for more information.

Photo exhibition

The Daejeon diocese is holding a photo exhibition which opened on Tuesday to display some 120 of his photos in five themes through Feb. 27, along with a DVD screening featuring his image and voice.

It is also an opportunity to appreciate the whole collection of photos that were exhibited at the Peace Gallery in Myeongdong Cathedral last year, which took place to mark the first anniversary of his death.

The first section, “Dream and Calling” traces his early days as a Catholic priest to the moments when he was appointed as a cardinal in 1969.

In the second part, “Church in Secular World,” the photos capture his social activities from his meeting with the late First Lady Yuk Young-soo to his comforting letter sent to a sexual torture victim in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province in 1986.

The third theme, “Wanted to Live With the Poor” displays the photos depicting scenes in which Kim met leprosy patients in Sorokdo in 1978 and lit a cigarette for a woman who sought shelter from a brothel and met residents who were expelled from their homes due to redevelopment.

The fourth section, “Peace for The Land” presents his images from the 1970-80s when the power of the Catholic church grew through a visit by Pope John Paul II to Korea in 1984 and the International Eucharistic Congress in 1989. The last section “Forever With You” shows scenes of an ordinary life for 10 years after retiring from Archbishop of Seoul in 1998.

Masses and more

The Seoul archdiocese said that it will hold special masses at Myeongdong Cathedral and at his tomb in Yongin Catholic Park Cemetery respectively on the day.

Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Yeom Soo-jung and diocese priests will jointly preside at the memorial mass in Yongin at 2 p.m., while Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk of Seoul will preside at Myeongdong Cathedral at 6 p.m.

Also, the archdiocese’s social organization, the One-body, One-spirit Movement (OBOS), which was established by the late Kim in 1989, will hold an organ donation ceremony at Myeongdong Cathedral.

A signing ceremony to attract potential organ donors, along with a fund raising campaign, will take place to help terminally ill patients who need organ transplants. The organization said that since the late cardinal donated his corneas, the number of organ donation pledges has increased in the past two years. In 2009, a total of 34,079 people promised to donate their organs and the number jumped to 36,569 pledges last year.

Also, Babo Nanum (Fools Fund), the archdiocese’s fund-raising agency, which was founded to commemorate his death, is now raising the funds from institutions and individuals to help the needy.