SPOTLIGHT 24/01/26 Korean religious blame secularization for vocation decline

[성기화 요셉]

Korean religious blame secularization for vocation decline

Lack of familiarity with the religious 'may be a cause of disinterest among children toward religious life'

South Korean nuns head to join a Mass led by Pope Francis during his visit to the country on Aug. 16, 2014. A Church study found religious vocations are on decline in the East Asian nation. (Photo: AFP)

By UCA News reporter

Published: January 26, 2024 05:35 AM GMT

Members of Catholic religious congregations in South Korea have called for concerted efforts to tackle a decline in vocation and blamed secularization as a cause for the decrease in the number of novices.

The call was in response to findings of the Statistics of the Catholic Church in Korea 2022 report.

The report revealed religious vocations have halved in 10 years.

The total number of people in religious formation was 227 in 2022, a 53 percent drop compared to 486 people in 2012.

Sister Gemma Kwon Eun-hee, a vocation director for Sisters of the Blessed Korean Martyrs in Suwon province alleged that secularization in society has caused people to lose interest in religious life.

"Complacency and blurred identity in religious life have weakened the appeal of living in a fraternal community practicing poverty, chastity, and obedience," Kwon said.

She pointed out that the congregation has organized retreats, festivals, and monthly gatherings for youths to familiarize themselves and understand life in a religious community.

The total number of ordained or professed religious in South Korea has seen a slight decline of 1.36 percent from 11,736 in 2012 to 11,576 in 2022.

A decline in the presence of the religious sisters in parishes was one of the main factors for the decrease. The parish mission, which held a comfortable 34.8 percent share among all the other activities conducted by the religious, declined to hold only a 25.7 percent overall share in 2022.

An unnamed parishioner in Seoul suggested that a lack of familiarity with the nuns and other religious may be the cause of disinterest among children toward religious life.

"Children see nuns in the church and develop vocations, but they don't know the nuns themselves, so they can't develop vocations,” the parishioner said.

Religious congregations have called for more diocesan involvement to increase the vocations.

They pointed to vocation promotion efforts conducted by the Vocation Office of Suwon diocese which works in collaboration with 15 religious orders to guide prospective candidates in discerning their vocation.

Prospective candidates are allowed to participate in monthly meetings at the diocesan office and Suwon Cathedral, and the annual Prospective Candidates’ Promise Ceremony, on the third Sunday of October, helps them to discern their vocation better.

Fr. Samuel Yu Myong-il, director of the Salesian Vocations Office said that the congregation was strengthening their spiritual accompaniment of youth and young adult vocations by meeting them face-to-face.

"I believe that vocations will not disappear if each religious order reinterprets and practices the charism of its founder for today," Yu said.

The congregation has formed a vocations team and said that it will resume celebrating Salesian Youth Day in Korea in June 2024.

Olivetan Benedictine Brother Valentino Shin Kwang-hoon, chairman of the Special Committee for Novice Formation of the Korean Conference of Major Superiors of Men’s Religious Institutes and Societies of Apostolic Life, called for combined efforts from dioceses and congregations.

"The decline in vocations to consecrated life should not be viewed as a problem of a decline in one type of vocation," Shin said.

"Both the caller and the formator are God and while we must always be ready to receive and form vocations, we must also trust and wait for his other timely answers to the call,” Shin added.

*This is report is brought to you in partnership with Catholic Times of Korea