Interview with Thomas Aquinas Lee
Seoul, Korea, 18 December 2018 --
What makes you happy as a Salesian Cooperator?
I’m happy to live the vocation of the Salesian Cooperator and am also content that my two daughters live this vocation. Both of them just made their promise and so the whole family became a ‘Salesian Cooperator family’. And my sincere joy is also growing more, since after 10 years, now some new members have made their promise and there are many new aspirants in our Amsadong Centre.
What keeps you going on the Salesian Cooperator vocation journey?
I became a Salesian Cooperator during my university studies, then my wife began attending our ASC Centre and our family began to take this vocation journey together. Aside from a few exceptional moments we have never missed our monthly meeting. Even during my busy professional life I was always journeying with Mary Help of Christians on pathways of Salesian spirituality, thanks to many SDBs and FMAs who showed us Jesus through the witness of their spiritual life.
What is your challenge on this Salesian Cooperator vocation journey?
In our ASC centre there are many who haven't wanted to continue as active ASC members (due to the heavier time demands than for the parish Legion of Mary, for example) and over the past 10 years there were no new members in our local centre, and not even new aspirants. We were also not able to discover a suitable apostolate. However, the deeper and truer reason was the lack of a truly loving heart or lack of sacrifice, lack of effort and the right attitude to dedicating time to work for God's kingdom. Thanks be to God now, after 10 years, we have been blessed with new promised members and a growing number of aspirants. Surely we need a humble and kindly loving heart, an awakened heart. When I contemplate the photos of Father Cimatti, it is at those moments that I feel the first roots of my vocation in my heart and feel the need of God’s grace today. Our centre is now trying to develop an adequate apostolate and we have succeed, at least partly. Formation to our true identity is also going well.
What is your contribution at the ASC Korea province level?
As the provincial councilor for social communication I also shared in the translation of the PAL (Project of Apostolic Life) from English to Korean. I missed many hours of sleep and needed a lot of concentration during that work. At the same time I excused my laziness with the accumulated tiredness from my professional work.
What is your dream for an exchange between the East Asia – Oceania Salesian Cooperators?
Yes, I would like to visit the Shizuoka Salesian High school in Japan, administered by the Salesian Cooperators. I would like to invite the Cooperators from other EAO countries to visit Korea and show them our ‘formation school’ and other interesting experiences of Korean Salesian Cooperators. Another dream is to invite outstanding Cooperators from other countries to speak at our annual ASC conference and sharing – and with this in mind I am already in touch with the Japan ASC! At present one of our Amsadong Centre aspirants is studying in Japan and will be a good help later on for translation from Japanese to Korean.
What do you expect from the EAO 2019 Formation workshop?
I would like to understand the present situation of the EAO formation experience and also be inspired for quality formation. I would hope to be in contact and friendship with Salesian Cooperators from every EAO country to get more help for our improved formation.
And what about your future dreams?
I believe, there is still 30% of my life time in front of me and I would like to make the effort to live it with commitment in communion with others. I would like to experience the broad spectrum of Salesian Cooperators from childhood to senior age and responsibly share my own experience and knowledge in order to contribute to others. And I’m also aware, that for the few remaining years of my life, after retirement from my job, I need to dedicate myself to the new challenge of reinventing myself through ongoing study and reflection.
