Life After Columban Lay Mission…is a Time for New Beginning
Anything that I begin is always difficult. And life after Columban was more difficult. It is difficult because I said goodbye to Korea with a heavy heart. It was not easy to say goodbye to the ministry that I love to do. There was a feeling of fulfillment when it comes to mission work, however the good feeling was clouded by confusion, chaos, anger; I was burnout, I was in crisis.
A
Time to Stop…A Stopover with my Family
I did not know what to
do; the best thing is to do nothing. I
went home to Digos, Davao del Sur.
I felt the need of
having more space. So I built my dream
house; my retirement house. Managing the
construction of my small house, right in front of my parent’s house was a good
break and a good diversion.
It was funny, as soon
as I moved to my home; my 92 year old father followed me. He occupied the guest room without my
invitation. I thought he would last for
a week because we disagree in most of things but I was wrong; he would go back
to his house everyday for a visit. He
volunteered to be the care taker of my house while I am away. He lived in my house until his last breath
(two months before his 97th birthday). Now I am thankful to my father for his
initiative to spend time with me before he joined my mother in heaven.
A
Time to Renew
Few months of rest at
home were enough. I applied at East
Asian Pastoral Institute, EAPI, in Manila.
I was lucky to be accepted and granted a scholarship. I had been very thankful for the all out
support of EAPI. I maximized the chance,
I took all the courses. I even repeated some of my favorite modules.
As soon as I finished
my MA degree I was asked to work as an assistant to the coordinators of
Sabbatical and MA program for six months; it was like an extension of my good
time at EAPI and at the same time it was a good work experience.
My three years and a
half at EAPI was a time for healing, a time for reflection, a time for updating, a time for renewal.
A
Time to be in Crossroads
After the renewal at
EAPI, I was ready to go back to mission.
I was open to any places; I was ready to go anywhere.
There were two
possibilities that I prioritized. One is
to work in our diocese in Digos. I
talked with our bishop and he mentioned possible works that I can do. The second possibility is to go back to
Korea. Two months before I finished at
EAPI a sister introduced me to a diocesan priest who was looking for a Filipino
staff to work in a migrant center in the southern part of Korea.
After prayer and
discernment, it looked like local mission can be done in the future, so I chose
to go back to Korea. I got some big
question marks from my friends for my decision.
“Why Korea? Are you crazy to go to mission on your own?” they
commented. My answer was “why not?”
A
Time to be Back on Foreign Mission (part I)
I got one year
missionary visa. The Korean priest sent a
returned ticket. The day before my flight
I got a call informing that the migrant center needs me only for three months,
during the transition period: the migrant center will be turned over to a
certain religious congregation.
I had no regret taking
the risk. It turned out good. The three months was extended for another
month, then another month… I worked in that migrant center for nine months. They gave me good accommodation and a just
salary as a missionary worker, plus bonuses: bonus 1. A returned ticket and
financial assistance for the funeral of my father. bonus 2.
They gave me time to find mission work in Korea. bonus 3. Financial assistance to start working in
another place.
A
Time to be Back on Foreign Mission (part II)
I got an e-mail from an
EAPI alumnus who has been working in Japan.
She informed me that a migrant center in Tokyo needs a Filipina
staff. I did not respond to her e-mail
because I just presented myself to work as a volunteer in a migrant center in
Seoul. I already made a verbal
arrangement with the Filipino in-charge.
Unluckily, after six months I found myself in a wrong place, unluckily,
the slot in Tokyo was already taken. It
looked like Tokyo was not for me. So, I prepared to go back to the Philippines.
A
Time to be Back on Foreign Mission (part III)
A redemptorist priest
suggested to delay my decision to go home.
He introduced me to a diocesan Korean priest who wanted to make a
program for the Filipinas in his parish but he did not have time to do it. To make the story short he invited me to work
in his parish.
Working in a parish is
a new venture. It is full of
uncertainties; no contract, no agreement, no policies and guidelines, no salary…the
parishioners provide for my everyday needs….
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| Juliet (R) with Bishop Vincencio Ri of Jeonju Diocese and leaders of the Filipino Community |
My role as a missionary
in this parish is to help build Basic Christian Community, BEC. Majority of the BEC members are the Filipina
immigrants who are married to Korean farmers.
The Filipino OFW’s are also active members of the BEC. Being with them as they build their community
is a privilege. Being with them in their
community and personal journey is a privilege: it is a privilege to listen to
their stories; to be with them in their joys and especially in the lowest
moments of their life’s journey in the foreign land.
Another interesting
role is to give the homily (reflection) when the Korean priest says the English
mass to the Filipino community. He is
the second Korean priest who is open and trustful to give a female lay person
like me, the chance to stand and speak in the pulpit to give homily. (The first
one was the one who invited me to come back to Korea –part I.)
I would like to mention
my part time job. A job that supplies my
personal allowance, I called it ‘English ministry’. The English subject that I hated as a student
became my point of entry to the Korean people and culture. I teach few hours a week to all levels: from
kinder garten to senior citizen (adult education in a social welfare center),
Christians and non-Christians, believers and non-believers, from all walk of
life. Now English is fun: every day I
got dozens of hugs from the small angels, teaching with kids is
therapeutic. I teach free talking class
with the adults. We talk about life
experiences and cultures, we sometimes talk about faith; it is more of a
sharing. Through English, I encountered
good Korean people. Through English I
could say I am immersed with the Korean people and culture.
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| Korea, 2012, at the entrance of Nejangsan Mountain |
The countless enriching
mission experiences in this small parish keep me going. Yes there are many challenges: I cannot have
all that I want. I still have prayers
not answered, and it is not easy to be alone in facing difficulties, and yet, at
this moment I am at peace, happy and thankful for this privilege to participate
in the Mission – in my own little ways. I
believe that working in Korea as a missionary is a blessing and a calling.
More than two years had
passed, I am still here in the small parish in Korea, the priest who invited me
has already moved to another place. Lots
of new changes in the parish now: new priest, new sisters, new pastoral
council… I do not know what lies ahead… I have to trust… there is time for
everything…
Juliet Bacamante, a teacher by profession, was a Columban Lay Missionary assigned to Korea between 1998 and 2004 . She worked there primarily with Filipino and other migrant workers.
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