Priestly Formation in the Korean Church

What path will the Korean Church take in its formation of priests? How can it realize the teachings of the Bible and the Church by applying them to the current situations in Korea? Who exactly is this ‘priest’ that the Bible and the Church so present to us? The books of the New Testament introduce the threefold identity of those called to be disciples of Jesus as missionary disciples, shepherds, and prophets. And as history unfolded itself, the Church came to integrate this triple ministry into the priestly, prophetic, and kingly office of the priesthood. Pastores Dabo Vobis emphasizes that fulfillment of this ministry requires a personal encounter with Jesus, which in turn gives birth to total commitment to the Risen Lord. The document also suggests that an education encompassing the human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral dimensions has to be the standard program of formation for all seminaries. In Evangelli Gaudium, Pope Francis especially highlights among others the priest’s mission as a missionary disciple. What, then, is the historical feature that characterizes the Church in Korea? It lies in the fact that it was born solely through the toils of the laity, sans any help from foreign missionaries, and that it has always been a ‘Church of the Martyrs’ from its very birth. In this sense, martyrdom and mission can be presented as the historical locus of the Korean Church as well as its ongoing task. On the other hand, the Korean society today can be justly described as a ‘fatigued society’; with anxieties about a potential war looming around, the people are living in a typical capitalistic society that is suffocating in problems like economical and social inequality, crumbling of families, social alienation, and utter neglect for life. The Korean Church likewise carries the illness itself, as it constantly faces the danger of being devoured by these realities. Under such circumstances, the importance of priestly formation is being emphasized more than ever. Accordingly, this paper introduces the formation programs run by the seven seminaries in the Church of Korea from five different perspectives: the human, spiritual, intellectual, pastoral, and missionary formation. It then proposes some suggestions for future priestly formation and theological development. They are as follows: 1. ‘Fostering Vocations through Sanctification of Families and Spiritual Direction in Parishes’; 2.‘Scripture-centered Human and Spiritual Formation in Small Communities’; 3. ‘Integral Intellectual Formation’ that helps to understand the world in the eyes of faith; 4. ‘Pastoral Formation’ that prepares for fine preaching and cooperation with the religious and the laity in various pastoral fields; 5. ‘Formation of Missionary Pastors’ that sows and nurtures fervent interest in mission to different parts of the globe; 6. ‘Concentrating Formation Advisors and Deans of Community for Common Life and Professors for Teaching and Research’ to enhance efficiency in student direction and theological growth; 7. ‘Transition to a Pontifically Recognized College’ as to build a theological institution that provides professional education as well as formation for incoming foreign students; 8. ‘Integration and Globalization’ to arouse and strengthen international academic discussions; 9. ‘Ongoing Formation of Priests and Inter-Diocese Communication’. To sum up, priestly formation in the Catholic Church of Korea must always remain in its spirit of martyrdom and mission as it looks to engage itself more fully in the salvific Mission of God and His Church. It is indispensable that the formation of priests keeps this ultimate mission in mind at all times.