By Mr. Pascual Park, ASC

Seoul, Korea, 23 November 2020 -- Ten years have passed since our loving Fr John Trisolini went to heaven on 22 November 2010. And our Salesian Cooperators Center held a memorial prayer moment and Mass for Fr Trisolini (1937-2010) in Seoul SDB Provincial House with some Salesians and 20 Salesian Cooperators amidst the precautions of this 2nd COVID19 wave.

Fr Trisolini (Korean name: Do-Yohan) is considered one of the godfathers of the second generation of Korean Salesian Cooperators since 1976. He used to invite the Catholic faithful to meet at the (Thursday) confessional in Seoul's Catholic Cathedral Church of Myong-dong, although he had never known them before. Some of them accepted his invitation for the Salesian Cooperator Aspirants encounter. In this way many from our Seoul City Center started their own vocation journey.

Many of our members give a similar testimony: “At first, we didn’t know what Salesian Cooperators were all about and also our Catholic faith was too weak, but Fr John awakened us, opened our eyes to the Salesian spirit and Cooperator identity. He made us strong to live in the world with the heart of Jesus' disciples like Don Bosco. As our Center delegate, Fr Trisolini was always with us when we were exhausted in our daily life and had some family or faith problems.” Our personal memories - letters - were read during the November 22nd memorial service by some of our members.

He worked in the Labour Ministry Committee of Seoul Archdiocese. Many of the poor and suffering workers were his good friends. He worked for their rights and interests and was a spiritual leader for them and for all of us. Since 1990 Fr. John held the regular lectures about the Social Teaching of the Catholic Church and many of us attended too.

We, Korean Salesian Cooperators, can never forget our loving Father John. We will continue to remember his teachings and promise to live as genuine Salesian Cooperators in the world!

Editor's note: Fr John Fitzgerald Trisolini (1937-2010), spent most of his life as a missionary in Korea, where he arrived in 1959, a few years after the end of the Korean war. He is most remembered for this preferential love for the working youth (esp. JOC - Young Christian Workers), contribution to the formation of the first generation of Korean Salesians and long term ministry within the Seoul Archdiocese - first for the Korean worker class, later for the numerous foreign migrant workers with other SF members and with other diocesan clergy.

• Related newsAustraLasia 2978: Memorial Album about Fr Trisolini (2011)
• AustraLasia 3351: Two very special works by late Fr. Trisolini (2013)

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