Danielle Alio

Today was my last full day in Seoul and last full day of this mission trip.

We had an amazing experience this morning and that was going to a Korean mass said by a newly ordained priest. He was just ordained last week and this was his very first mass. We sat near his family who were over flowing with joy at the mass. The mass of course was said in Korean but it is amazing how even though it is a different language you can understand what is going on and all the meaning.

This mass was just as alive as the Filipino mass we attended last week. The Koreans have a very strong faith in God and you can see it and feel it at the mass as almost every one of them participated by either singing or reciting the responses. Also, most of the women covered their heads with a veil. The church was packed with people and I was told it is packed every week and not just this time because of the special occasion.

After the mass was a short ceremony for the newly ordained priest where he was presented with gifts and flowers. He thanked the congregation by sinking into a deep bow on the floor which is a sign of great respect in Korea. This priest is going to be a missionary in Mozambique.

After the ceremony, the priest was carried out on a small throne adorned with flowers. I never saw anything like it. It’s a very cool custum that I am very grateful to have witnessed. We were then invited to a special lunch with the priest and his family and friends. The luncheon almost reminded me of what a family would have after a Baptism or a First Holy Communion. The food was all traditional Korean food which, by the way, is amazing. There isn’t one Korean food that I have tasted here that I can say I did not like.

The women who were helping with the buffet and helping at mass were dressed in a very traditional Korean dress. The dresses are beautiful and I loved the many different colors of blue, red, pink, yellow, etc.

The main thing that touched me the most was how welcome I felt at the mass and ceremony. These people just met us for the first time and they were extremely friendly and very grateful for our visit. I felt very humbled. The pastor of the parish came to our table to personally thank us for coming and he gave us three small Korean religious paintings and a beautiful Korean tile painting. Then, the newly ordained priest gave us each a first blessing.

I will never forget how amazing and kind the Korean people are and their strong faith in God.  I can not believe how many people have touched me on this journey. These people come from many different cultures/countries but they all had the same generosity and kindness towards us when we visited either their country or mission.

This evening we had a community prayer and dinner with the Maryknoll priests who live in Seoul. They expressed to us how grateful they were that we came to visit. I will miss each one of them. They say here that we will meet again in our prayers and I honestly believe that.

We have a very early flight to Tokyo tomorrow where we will meet our connecting flight back to New York City. I will post again once I arrive home to close out everything I have learned and experienced while in Asia. To see some pictures from our journey and read some other experiences from those I am traveling with, check out the Explore My Mission Blog.