The Korea Reconciliation Committee of the Archdiocese of Seoul, along with the Reconciliation Committees of the Dioceses of Suwon and Uijeongbu, held a joint thanksgiving memorial Mass on Saturday, September 7, at the Catholic Church of Repentance and Atonement.
This was the first event co-hosted by the three diocesan committees with North Korean defectors.
The Mass was initially planned by the Korea Reconciliation Committee of the Archdiocese of Seoul, but it was expanded to include the other dioceses at the request of defectors living in Gyeonggi Province.
The Mass was presided over by Fr. Ignatius Sooyong Jung, Vice Chairperson of the Korea Reconciliation Committee of Seoul, and was concelebrated by Fr. John the Baptist Hyun Hur, Chairperson of the Reconciliation Committee for Suwon, and Fr. Timothy Eunhyung Lee, Dean of Deanery 6 in Uijeongbu.
During his homily, Fr. Jung emphasized the importance of remembering and praying for loved ones who have passed away, as well as for those who are distant or living in places that cannot be visited, including hometowns left behind.
He encouraged the congregation to seek God’s grace through their prayers.
Clara Moon, a North Korean defector, visited her mother’s resting place at Bongan-dang (Gate to Peace) in the church before the Mass.
She expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to see her mother before Thanksgiving and appreciated seeing other North Korean defectors attending the Mass and participating in ancestral rites as part of the early holiday observance.
Anna Han, another defector, shared her feelings after reuniting with friends from her hometown in Gyeonggi Province.
She reflected on the cherished memories of her family in North Korea and prayed for them during the Mass, expressing hope that she might one day return to her hometown.
Francisca Romana Mikyung Kim, leader of the North Korean Defectors Team of the Korea Reconciliation Committee in Seoul, spoke about her tradition of taking her children to places where they can see North Korea during New Year’s and Thanksgiving, sharing stories about their relatives still in the North.
She highlighted the deep emotional pain experienced by defectors separated from their families. Kim also expressed her commitment to organizing more programs next year to strengthen ties with North Korean defectors.
Fr. Jung pointed out that there are around 34,000 North Korean defectors in South Korea, with “more than 90% of them have settled in South Korean society for more than five years.”
He added, “If the Catholic Church’s support and companionship for North Korean defectors was more focused on initial settlement in the past, now it seems that pastoral and spiritual companionship is also requested. I hope that this joint memorial Mass was a chance for believers and non-believers to come together and pray.”
The Korea Reconciliation Committee was founded in 1995 by Cardinal Stephen Sou-hwan Kim.
