By Gee-Gee O. Torres, assistant editor
In the famous confession of St. Augustine, “My heart is restless until it rests in Thee”, Augustinian Fathers Arlon Vergara and Adam Lasmarias realize the restlessness of their own hearts. Here I tell you how they find peace and serenity in the mountains of Kangwha, far away from the bustling city of Seoul.
Fr. Arlon Vergara, from Bicol, arrived in Korea in 1993. He was the first Filipino Augustinian missionary to be sent there. His superior asked him what apostolate would he like to be involved in: formation or parish work? He chose parish work. “Parish work for me is the actualization of being a priest because I am able to use all the faculties I learned in sharing the Good News.” In 1999 he was given his first parish assignment in Onsuri, one of the parishes in Kangwhado Island.
Normally in a Korean parish there are two office staff and two religious sisters to help the priest in running the parish. But when Fr. Arlon started out in Onsuri he was jack-of-all-trade. During that time the community couldn’t financially afford to support the staff. Needless to say it was difficult, but with a very supportive community Fr. Arlon couldn’t asked for more. His active parishioners were always involved in any of their church activities. One of the projects he initiated was the putting up of a beautiful Stations of the Cross at the hills at the back of their church.
Fr. Arlon misses home, too. “In my missionary journey there are lots of obstacles and difficulties along the way. Sometimes I’m even tempted to go back home because of convenience and comfort – I need not worry to adjust to another culture and learn a new language, I need not cook, clean and even wash my own clothes. With all these I realize that the cause of my restlessness is personal attraction to trivial things. I believe that what is important is to seek refuge first in Him, who have promised to provide everything we need. Therefore my personal view of mission is not a work for God but primarily the work of God. I am just His instrument to spread the Good News for those who do not hear God’s message yet”
Fr. Adam Bede Lasmarias in from Bais City, Negros Oriental. Since the opening of their Augustinian mission in Korea he has expressed his interest to go on mission in Korea like Fr. Arlon. And in 1994 three years after his ordination to priesthood he was sent to Korea. After almost four years he left t\for England to study Spiritual Counseling in preparation for his present assignment as Formator.
Fr. Adam stressed to me the importance of learning the Korean Language. He found his first few months in Korea very stressful. Often he had stomach trouble and muscle pain. He realized later on that it must be because of the pressure of learning the language. “Even in conversation,” he said, “my mind was unconsciously working on the grammar and the vocabulary at the same time. Somehow I lost confidence in myself because I dint have the command of language. But now that I can speak their language well, I have gained friends and this has helped me a lot in bringing me back the confidence I lost. This has also helped me in building relationships and rapport with the people. It’s not easy though. Most of the Koreans believe in Confucianism where they highly regard respect and deference to hose in positions of authority. In the Philippines it is easy to make friends with anybody he her or she elderly or young age, religious or not. Single or married. But in Korea social hierarchy matters.”
In 1993 our missionaries got together and set-up the Catholic Association of Filipino Missionaries in Korea. Fr. Willy Jesena of the Redemptorist Fathers was elected president. And this year we have Fr. Arlon and Maryknoll Sr. Norie Mojado, heading the association. They have a quarterly newsletter called Yoboseyo, meaning hello, which keeps the missionaries in touch with each other. Every season they get-together to take a break from their various work. The association serves as a support group which our Filipino missionaries could always count on.
A few years ago when a close relative of Fr. Adam passed away he felt sand and helpless. He really wanted to attend the funeral but he couldn’t. “I felt an emptiness in my heart because I wasn’t able to pay last respect to my cousin and mourn with the family.” True, it is sad that he wasn’t able to attend the funeral of his cousin. However he believes that his cousin has gone no further from us that to God and God is very near.
Indeed living away from home is difficult for missionaries like Fr. Arlon and Fr. Adam. Let us keep them in our prayer as they follow the footsteps of St. Augustine and find their way into the restless hearts of the People of Korea, in the Land of the Hermit Kingdom.