A Community’s Red Hat Day Cardinal Kim, 75, Greets, Energizes Koreans During Stop On U.S. Trip
FOR THE RECORD: 3-4-97 Cardinal Soo Hwan Stephen Kim, the archbishop of Korea, did not intend to invite non-Catholics to communion during a special Mass Friday in Spokane. His invitation to non-Catholics to “celebrate the Eucharist,” which was reported in Saturday’s newspaper, was translated incorrectly. Kim meant to welcome non-Catholics to the service, but communion is reserved for practicing Catholics.
Cardinal Soo Hwan Stephan Kim, the archbishop of Korea, stood in a modest chapel Friday night in Spokane and prayed in a mixture of Korean and English.
He prayed for the small group of Korean families who have been meeting for weekly Mass throughout the last year.
He prayed for the delegation of Washington State University students who drove up from Pullman just to attend the service.
And finally he prayed for the handful of people in the room who didn’t speak Korean.
“We ask that you will join us in this celebration of Eucharist with the spirit of patience,” he said. “There is always prayer even when understanding is absent.”
Then he broke the rules and invited everyone to Communion, Catholic and non-Catholic alike.
“He’s a cardinal, he can do that,” whispered Rosa Park.
Kim, 75, came to the United States last week to attend a meeting in Los Angeles. He has traveled to New York and Washington, D.C., celebrating Mass at large churches for thousands of Korean immigrants and students.
He detoured to Spokane to visit one of his diocesan priests and good friend, the Rev. John Kim, who is on sabbatical at Gonzaga University.
With no dignitaries present and little fanfare, Kim led the small but reverent crowd of worshipers through a traditional Mass.
“This is a celebration for us as Catholics and as Koreans,” Kim said during an interview Friday. “Wherever I go I say Mass for Korean Catholic communities. It is our way of expressing the joy of our faith.”
The Korean Catholic community in Spokane is tiny - about a dozen families. They used to meet monthly for Mass with the Rev. Alfred Carroll, a Jesuit priest who runs an academic program at GU for the children of American servicemen.
The community fell apart for several years, Carroll said. Then the Rev. John Kim came to Gonzaga to study. He began celebrating a weekly Mass in Korean and soon the community reformed.
Yurita Son, a Holy Names novice, drives in from her convent on the west side of Spokane every Sunday for the gathering.
“Korean people are looking for other Korean people,” she said. “We especially want it that way. We draw strength, peace from it.”
For most of the people in the congregation, the Mass was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. There are only 120 active Catholic cardinals in the world.
“This could be the only time in my life I get to see a cardinal,” said Steve Park, 14. “It was a different experience.”
Steve Park said he comes to the weekly gathering to honor his parents and to stay in touch with his culture.
“I have to pay a lot of attention to understand what’s happening,” he said. “For my parents, it’s very special. It’s easier for them to be spiritual in Korean.”
During the Mass, women from almost every family participated in the prayers. A tall, lanky and well-rehearsed altar boy coached a smaller, stockier partner through the ritualistic motions. A teenage girl played the piano.
Kim opened his homily by recruiting a man in the second row as a translator. Then he reminded the congregation that as Christians they are living within God as much as God is living within them.
“We don’t exist without God,” Kim said. “And if you truly believe, you will live with hope, strength, peace and enthusiasm.”
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo