Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Seoul (Fides Service) - How to share the Good news with young people of the third millennium, in this era of new technology? How to make a place of alienation like the Internet become a channel of evangelisation? How to use IT to build communion among people physically distant? These are questions which Korean Salesian Fr Stephen Yang is trying to answer at his “cyber-cafè” opened five years ago which is proving to be a great success and draws over 5,000 frequent visitors, Christians and non Christians many of whom have found their way to Christ.
ANS Salesian bulletin says the priest’s cyber-space Chong Jin Am is at the address http//cafe.daum.net/ggreen. Chong Jin Am is the place where the Church in Korea was born in 1784 when a group of scholars who had studied the Bible and a catechism in Chinese decided to become Catholics.
Fr Stephen aims to promote a Catholic presence in Korea’s cyber-space where there are all sorts of messages and to encourage contact among parishes and beyond: Chong Jin An encourages sharing of experience, Christian witness, prayer. However it also organises activities which are not on line: actions of solidarity, helping the needy in collaboration with Catholic institutions.
This Catholic cyber-cafè is part of a plan adopted by the Catholic Bishops of Korea to intensify the presence of the local Church in the media, the Internet in particular. In fact the Bishops may set up their own commission for media, public relations and projects connected with Information Technology.
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 28/7/2005 righe 27 parole 273)
