Practical Theology for Korean Youth Ministry: A Framework for the Korean Catholic Youth Ministry in the Perspective of the Evangelization and Education of the Salesian Youth Ministry
Abstract
This dissertation hopes to contribute to the further development and future of Korean youth ministry. Building upon the existing research, theory, and practice concerning Korean youth ministry, this work shows that Korean youth ministry can be more contextualized or inculturated when it is guided by the Salesian Youth Ministry. This ministry emphasizes the importance of evangelization in conjunction with education, the utmost concern of this project. Explaining the background of this study, the meritocratic system of Korean culture has negatively influenced Korean schools and led to an obsessive focus on individual improvement and achievement in Korean education. This kind of knowledge-centered approach to education in Korea has brought about many acute problems, such as adolescent depression, bullying and suicide. With this in mind, I explain where the Korean youth ministry is now, overall, and toward where it needs to go. The two Korean sources: “A Framework for the Korean Catholic Youth Ministry in the Perspective of the Pastoral Theology,” the Ph. D. dissertation by Fr. Cho Jaeyeoun (2009) and The Vision of Youth Ministry of the Diocese of Suwon approved by the Bishop of Suwon diocese (2012) were first compared and contrasted to discover the similarities and differences of their approaches to youth ministry. Secondly, I merged the insights from my ministerial experience with the Youth Helping Youth (YHY) movement (founded in 2012) and the teachings of the Salesian Youth Ministry, which is deeply concerned about evangelization in conjunction with education. Thirdly, I presented a theological reflection on the contextualized or inculturated changes and emergent issues in Korean youth ministry to provide a foundation for discussing how to respond to the current situation of Korean young people through youth ministry. Finally, all the findings of the previous phases were synthesized and new implications, insights, and recommendations for further ongoing development of the YHY movement and Korean youth ministry was made. This is with the hope of suggesting a distinctive voice for youth ministry in the Korean Catholic Church, which is more inclusive and life-giving in a contextualized or inculturated vision in the life of Korean youth ministry.
Subject Area
Religion|Theology|Religious education
Recommended Citation
Jun, JaeHyun, "Practical Theology for Korean Youth Ministry: A Framework for the Korean Catholic Youth Ministry in the Perspective of the Evangelization and Education of the Salesian Youth Ministry" (2017). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI10634576.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI10634576
