(ANS – Rome) – Yesterday, 23 January, Fr Pascual Chávez, Rector Major of the Salesians, with the approval of the members of the General Council, appointed Fr Stephen Yang Sung Kook new Provincial of the Korean Martyrs  Province of Korea.

Fr Yang was born in Tae Gu, South Korea, on 8 September 1959. He joined the Salesians in Kwangju in 1986, made his first religious profession on 24 January 1987, also in Kwangju, and his perpetual profession on 17 January 1993 in Seoul. He received his priestly ordination in Seoul on 24 June 1994.

He was in charge of the aspirantate and the family home at Shin An Dong in Kwangju (1995-1996), and was made Bursar of the Shin Weol Dong house in Seoul (1997-1998). He did a Licentiate in Spirituality at the Salesian Pontifical University (UPS) Rome (1998-2000). When he returned home he served as Vice-Rector at the Dae Rim Dongm house in Seoul (2000-2005), and then at the Chon Lim Dong house in Daejon, both as Master of Novices (2005-2011) and as Rector (2009-2011).

He served the Province in the Commission for youth at-risk from 2001 to 2006, and the Commission for ongoing formation from 2004 until the present. He was a Provincial Councillor from 2003 to 2008 and in 2010 he was appointed Vice-Provincial. He was also Delegate for the Salesian Family and the Salesian Co-operators, and Assistant to the Volunteers of Don Bosco.

Fr Yang will attend the 27th General Chapter

Published 24/01/2014