| Meet Sister Angela Yoon | |
|
Sister
Angela from Seoul, South Korea comes from a family of five
girls. She tells us her story: |
|
|
My name is Angela
(MinSook) Yoon. I am
from South Korea. I come from a very traditional Catholic family. My
mother’s family brought the Catholic from North Korea. I grew up
listening to the story of my great-grandmother’s faith. When the
Catholics were persecuted by the government in Korea, my great-grand
mother lost her rosary beads. Fortunately, her helper found it and to gave
it to her. He did not report her to the government. My grand mother told
us this story. Whether it was true or not, I was proud of my family’s
traditional faith when I was a child. My uncle was a diocesan seminarian
in North Korea but he died of illness. During the Korean War, my
mother’s family escaped from North Korea. Before the War my father, at
the age of nineteen, had escaped from North Korea. He was baptized when he
married my mother. 14 years ago, I joined Missionary
Sisters of St. Columban. Before joining the congregation, I had taken an
intensive one-year course in interior designing and had worked in an
architectural company for 4 years. I used to draw and to paint new plans
for new houses and buildings etc. As a young woman, I was ambitious to be
a professional worker and to earn lots of money. After 5 years of doing
commercial art I asked myself: ‘What gives meaning to my life? Is it
money? Or a good job?’ At that time, I was satisfied with my life but I
was still searching for something deeper. I always did voluntary work at
my parish Church. This gave me deep joy. I began to think becoming a
religious sister and I contacted the Columban Sisters who encouraged me in
my vocation. Later on I joined them. This has been one of the most
important life-giving experiences in my life. I spent 3 years in the Philippines.
After a language course in Mindanao, I joined local Redemptorist mission
team and took part in the catechism programme which they were offering in
a mountain area in Dipolog. There I lived with local people in order to
learn their life style, language and culture. Then I worked with drug and
alcoholic addicted young people, listening to them as they shared their
difficulties and problems. Next I taught deaf and mute children how to
paint. I found they had many talents in drawing and painting. Through the
medium of art, I was able to communicate with those children. During the
art class, the silence gave me a time to pray. I am sure that God was with
us while the children were drawing and painting. I read their feelings and
conditions through the art. In the Philippines, I learned very much
from the people with whom I worked. They taught me how God works in our
lives. Even though they were materially poor but they know how to share
with others. I have been privileged to experience God’s love through
missionary work. The missionary activities are not my own work; the
mission is God’s and I am trying to respond in faith. I try to bring
God’s love to all the peoples I meet on my missionary journey. At the present, I have just finished my studies in theology and anthropology at Milltown in Dublin, Ireland and I am looking forward to going on mission again. |
|
|
To contact the
Columban Sisters,
|
|