By: Gabriella Shin

My Widowed Mother Objected
Before I left Korea, I worked on the parish catechetical programs in my spare time. My widowed mother really objected to my plan to go to the Philippines as a lay missionary. So I prayed and plotted the way o my mother’s heart- through my parish priest. Instead of helping me, however he thought I was crazy. He wanted me to continue working in our Korean parish, and said I should leave Filipinos alone, and not be imposing strange Korean ideas on them. He really teased me when he said they were poor and hungry, and that they would only have another mouth to feed and less food for themselves if I were there- he knew my appetite, it seems.

When You are Down: Pray
When I left for Manila in June 1990, I had my mother’s blessing- and my parish priest rosary beads. His parting words to me were “When you are down, pray, use these beads”. I kept all these things in my heart but the fears and the anxieties of my mother and my parish priest were there too. What exactly did being a lay missionary mean?

Gabriella, They Need You
Half way through my Tagalog language course, I visited Malate parish on the edge of the tourist belt. It has quite a number of young and old whose body, and sometimes whose minds, have been broken in struggling for survival. I felt a deep pain within me when I saw so many children sleeping out in the plaza besides the Church. When the Columban priest said to me “Gabriella, they need you” it was as if God had spoken. He empowered me. He gave me confidence in myself. I knew here was something I could do as Lay missionary. I could be a friend of these street children. In fact I tried it, and it worked.

The six Korean Lay missionaries who arrived here in the Philippines together with three Filipina lay missionaries who are now in Pakistan.

Filipina Lay Missionaries
Emma Pabera
Gloria Canama
Pilar Tilos

Korean Lay Missionaries
Justina Rhee
Cherina Cho
Gemma Son
Columba Chang
Isidora Kim
Gabriella Shin

The Angel Took Off the Black Veil
On Easter Sunday morning I joined the women as we went in procession behind the Dolorosa, the sorrowing Mother. When we met the lifesize statue of the Risen Christ, it was an emotional moment to me. The angel took off the veil from Mary and replaced it with a white one and proclaimed: “Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia,... Your Son has risen as He said, alleluia.” I remember then what I had been taught in Korea about the first joyful mysteries, about how my namesake angel Gabriel was also close to Mary. I remembered my rosary beads, and as prayed them that Easter day, I decided I would write and thank my parish priest, Fr. Pedro Kim. I think I will even send him this story.

He said I should leave Filipinos alone, and not to be imposing strange Korean ideas on them.