Korean Catholics Honour The Elderly With A Photo Contest

July 28, 2022233 views0

Korean Catholics Honour The Elderly With A Photo Contest

2022-07-28T12:17:10+01:00

By Church News

Seoul Archdiocese in South Korea’s capital has organized a photography competition as part of a program to honour elderly people in the Korean Church and society.The program in line with Pope Francis’ message for the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly 2022 is tagged “Let’s do things with grandfather and grandmother” and it runs from 1st -31st of July featuring photos taken with grandparents by people spending time with them.Selected photos will also be included in an exhibition at Myeongdong Cathedral in October this year.The archdiocese in a press release said the motivation behind the contest: “A long life — teaches the Bible — is a blessing, and the elderly are not outcasts to be avoided, but living signs of the goodness of God who gives life in abundance.”Father Esteban Na Jong-jin, head of the Pastoral Care for the Elderly in Seoul said, “I hope that many faithful would take advantage of this opportunity to spend quality time with their grandparents and capture those moments by taking photos together.”The priest explained that the goal of this contest is “to encourage the faithful to build a culture of love by promoting intergenerational solidarity, in harmony with Grandparents’ Day, established by Pope Francis in 2021”.Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick of Seoul celebrated a special Mass to mark the second World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. The prelate highlighted the valuable contributions of grandparents and the elderly to the Church and society.Archbishop Chung said initiatives like the photo contest are essential as these can help the faithful “to build a culture of love by fostering intergenerational solidarity.”Pope Francis established a Church-wide celebration of World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly on the fourth Sunday of July, close to the liturgical memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus, according to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life.ALSO READ Reverend Bakeni Ordained As The First Indigenous Catholic Bishop of Borno