Interview with Brother Mark Choi, SDB

By Our Own Correspondent

Chuncheon, Korea, 1 November 2017 -- What makes you joyful as Salesian Brother?

There is no burden coming from the sacramental ministry, it’s a life without a burdensome authoritarism or clericalism that is spread among the lay people through the sacramental ministry. Everytime I approach the others as a witness.

Who is your Salesian Brother model?

My model is Brother Jim Comino who is now working in South Sudan (before he was a missionary in Korea). I would like to learn from his peculiar sense of humour, fast grasp of the real situation and how to deal with it.

What is the specific contribution of the Salesian Brother to our mission & community?

With my confreres: I’m preparing the daily liturgy as reader and listening to the homily: sometimes even 1:1, we are a small community!

With our youth and lay mission partners: being present among them, trying daily to put myself in their shoes and become one of them. With this attitude is growing the close relationship and my life witness is more credible and effective.

How to make the vocation of Salesian Brother more visible in the Church?

We recognize that the Salesian Brother vocation in the Church is still rather ‘new’ and not-muchknown (if you look at the advertisement in the parishes, preaching or even Church structure).

Within the Salesian Congregation and the provinces, I think we need to foster more our role as those who accompany with responsibility our lay mission partners. Compared to our Salesian Priests, Brothers are more deeply immersed in the network of relationship with our lay people and have more necessary inner freedom in daily relationship.

How can the Salesian priest contribute to the Salesian Brother Vocation promotion?

Salesian Brothers are not competitors but those who accompany others. But if we look at Brothers as cooperators or partners, is not easy to grasp well the value of our vocation and become difficult to invite a young man to live as Salesian Brother. At any position in our educative - pastoral work we reveal the unity of Christ’s Body, since we are the members of one Body. In this way we can understand better the contribution and role of each Salesian special role. As Salesian priest our confreres have the authority. Instead of fostering jealousy or envy, they should treat the Brother not so much with the authority but with friendly fraternal concern. In this way they would bring many mission partners and young people to the Church community. The reason why Salesian Brother is closer to lay people is a fruits of his close and not threatening friendly presence.

What is the Salesian Brother spirituality?

I think that our role is like a bridge. Moving in silence with Mary and Jesus or remaining like Mary with the twelve in the Cenacle before the Pentecost to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is the cooperation style of Mary, the way, how the Salesian Brother is present today among the lay faithful. In this way the Salesian Brother is also a bridge among the confreres, among the youth among our lay mission partners and the Salesian religious community. We all are contemplative in action. Every time I get some request and try to help, I think about the way Don Bosco way of prayer amidst the daily life. Even I’m discouraged, frustrated or don’t’ feel or see any way forward, that same moment I think about the suffering and resurrection of Jesus. This become my source of energy in daily life.

Any suggestion for the path towards the 2018 Salesian Brothers Congress?

As in any international event, also the EAO 2018 Vietnam Congress, the language factor will be our challenge. First we need a good translation and simultaneous interpretation of each conference and within the group sharing. Every time we return from a regional event back to Korea, the Acts of the Congress are published only with 1-2 years delay in Korean version.

Timetable: usually for the Brothers there are less opportunities to travel abroad, would be good in include also some firsthand experience of the hosting country on our trip.

---

---