(ANS – Seoul) – Among the many pilgrims travelling with Salesians to World Youth Day (WYD) there is a group of young Koreans. The Salesians in the Province have been involved in forming this group, aware that events such as WYD are a powerful catalyst in building groups of enthusiastic and motivated young people. The Salesian Youth Movement (SYM) in the country was in fact born on the occasion of the 2008 WYD in Sydney, and now has about 100 members.

Newspaper advertisements, presentations in youth clubs and schools, word of mouth... the Salesian Youth Ministry Team has tried many ways to involve the greatest possible number of young people in the expedition to Madrid. After months of effort, 36 young people have decided to take up the offer. They will be following an itinerary which will include visits to the most significant places in Salesian History before reaching their final destination.

Staying in these places will not be a simple break in the journey, but something very necessary for the group, given that most of them come from non-Salesian backgrounds. Three are students at Salesian schools and three are past pupils, but the others have not yet had any direct contact with Salesian ways: they signed up after reading an advertisement in a newspaper or other publication.

To make sure that the experience will bear much fruit in the hearts of the young people, the four Salesians travelling with them – Fr Marcello Baek, Delegate for Youth Ministry, Fr Bernard Lee, Delegate for the SYM, and the deacons Andrew Jang and Paul Kang – have been working for several months on preparations for the expedition. Once the group was assembled, the young people were given training sessions, a seminar, a retreat, some days of experience as leaders in a youth club, and on the evening of their departure, a showing of the 2004 film on Don Bosco. The Provincial of South Korea, Fr Stephanus Nam, will also be accompanying the group to Madrid.

The Salesians in Korea are hoping that the meeting with the Pope and young Catholics from all over the world, together with the discovery of Salesian joy in the context of WYD, will spark the interest of the young people in living the faith in daily life, involving themselves in the SYM and helping them to understand their own vocation in life. To this end, once they return to South Korea all the young people will be invited to keep the group alive through monthly meetings.

The young people in the group are proud that three of them have been chosen to be on the stage, with the Pope and other young people, during the Vigil on Saturday 20 August.

The group, which left Seoul on Sunday 7 August, arrived in Rome on Monday and visited the Generalate of the Congregation where they met Don Adriano Bregolin, Vicar of the Rector Major. Today, after seeing some of the sights of Rome, they are leaving for Piedmont to visit Turin and Colle Don Bosco. During the following days they will go to Annecy, and before reaching Madrid they will call at Barcelona and Saragozza.

Published 10/8/2011