Golden Jubilee Year of Don Bosco Youth Center - Seoul

By Fr. Benedict Kim, SDB

Seoul, Korea, 30 September 2017 -- On March 3, 1967 were enrolled free of charge the first 19 trainees to Don Bosco Youth Center, newly established (boarding) Vocation Training Center . Located amidsts of Seoul industrial sub-urban zone, in Yeoungdeongpo Gu, this second Salesian house in Seoul was started with d 60.000 dump truck of soil, filling in order to avoid the floods around the national road n.1 that was about 2 meters above our land level. For past 50 years about 3000 less privileged young people from all around South Korea received in this place a solid human, professional and Christian preparation for their life.

During past 50 years the DBYC community did journey with the youth in need in many ways. Under one roof (6 floor building) we find the 14 SDB strong religious community of 3 Salesian Brothers, 8 Priests and another candidates and confreres in initial formation. Together with 40 Lay Mission partners the Salesians animate four main sectors of this community – Oratorio (Healing residential care for the youth in need, 40 teenagers), Don Bosco Vocation Training School (80 young adults 19-32 years of age), Don Bosco Self Support Center (40 young workers or students, mainly graduates of the VTC) as well the local Children day care center open for the local district less privileged children’s after school activities. Among other services offered with the DBYC compound (shared with the SDB provincial house community) is also the DB Social Communication with the Alternative School).

Our journey with the young people goes also beyond DBYC, the community is in charge of the Juvenile prisons and other related institutions apostolate, where the Salesians visit regularly for past 45 years. Among the future dreams is to make the Vocation Training Center facilities open on the weekend for the foreign migrant workers living in the Seoul metropolitan area.

Although the DBYC is now largely subsidized by the government agencies (Labor and Social Welfare), good number of benefactors (including the past pupils) abroad and in Korea sustain this precious work also today. 

The Golden Jubilee of Seoul DBYC was framed with two main events – annual DBYC Festival in May (organized by the DBYC Past Pupils and the Jubilee conclusion in September (organized by the whole Educative Pastoral Community of DBYC) that brought together a large number of former volunteers (evening school), teachers, instructors, benefactors, past pupils and Salesians who served here over past 50 years.

Among the lasting fruits is also the ‘DBYC 50 Years History’ book of 500 pages, fruit of hard work done by Bro. Marino Bois, SDB (Italian missionary from Vale D’Aosta) and his collaborators. It’s a precious and deep insight in the growth of Salesian Charism in Korea, with a rich photographic documentation of all 3000 graduates of DBYC. Thanks to this publication many journalist are visiting in these days and the image of Seoul’s Valdocco is spread around the media with the face of Bro. Marino – a symbol of the roots – who arrived to Korea in 1963.

We wish the DBYC Seoul Salesian Community (Rector Fr. Simon Ahn) the same education - pastoral zeal of the first missionaries who started 50 years ago this Valdocco of Seoul.

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