Today's new words
안녕하세요 annyeonghaseyo Hello
미사 misa Catholic Mass
예수 그리스도 yesu geuliseudo Jesus Christ
알렐루야 allelluya Alleluia
아멘 amen Amen
Yes, these new words are in Korean, not Chinese!
After a few weeks of attending the afternoon English language Masses in Wangfujing and Xuanwumen, both in the south of Beijing, Randy asked me if we couldn't join the late morning Korean Mass that has started at our own parish, Beijing Seminary. With Brigid's soccer ending at 9:30 in the morning, an 11 am Mass closer to our home (which is still, I must note, far from everything) would make our Sundays, and Randy's drive, much less stressful.
The last few Sundays we've spent over an hour driving to Mass after soccer and lunch, and then another hour and a half to two hours from the churches to our home. From the school where Brigid plays soccer to the Starbucks in Wudaokou near our church where we stopped for coffee and a change of clothes, is about a thirty minute drive.
Today we attended our first Korean Mass. We recognized (and were recognized) by many of the Wudaokou-area Koreans who used to attend the regular 8:30 Chinese Mass until the Korean Mass was instituted Previously the only Korean Mass in Beijing was in Wangjing in the eastern part of Beijing. Once the seminary was able to help the community, a second regular Mass was added for the Koreans living in the western part of Beijing.
Mass in Korean for us was like any other cultural adventure we've been on through our Church. When we first started attending Chinese Mass, I still hadn't studied any Mandarin yet. In 2011, we found ourselves at Masses in Basque and Czech. The shape of the Mass, though, was the same throughout, the rhythms of the responses identical. I noticed Myles during the Confiteor, this morning, striking his breast with the rest of the congregation as though he was as familiar with the prayer in Korean as he is in Chinese (我罪我罪我的重罪). Just as in Mandarin, too, many of the words are transliterated, like Amen and Alleluia. As I talked briefly in Chinese before church with one Korean woman I knew from before (and I had no idea she was Korean because we always spoke Chinese), I reminded her that Amen and Alleluia were "一样的," the same, and Jesus was also "一样的."
Our next challenge will be to learn the Sign of the Cross in Korean. I have the text and a video. Between being able to pray that and say the proper greeting for the Sign of Peace, it's the least we can do to thank the Korean community for their hospitality.
성부와
성자와
성령의 이름으로
아멘.
미사 misa Catholic Mass
예수 그리스도 yesu geuliseudo Jesus Christ
알렐루야 allelluya Alleluia
아멘 amen Amen
Yes, these new words are in Korean, not Chinese!
After a few weeks of attending the afternoon English language Masses in Wangfujing and Xuanwumen, both in the south of Beijing, Randy asked me if we couldn't join the late morning Korean Mass that has started at our own parish, Beijing Seminary. With Brigid's soccer ending at 9:30 in the morning, an 11 am Mass closer to our home (which is still, I must note, far from everything) would make our Sundays, and Randy's drive, much less stressful.
The last few Sundays we've spent over an hour driving to Mass after soccer and lunch, and then another hour and a half to two hours from the churches to our home. From the school where Brigid plays soccer to the Starbucks in Wudaokou near our church where we stopped for coffee and a change of clothes, is about a thirty minute drive.
Today we attended our first Korean Mass. We recognized (and were recognized) by many of the Wudaokou-area Koreans who used to attend the regular 8:30 Chinese Mass until the Korean Mass was instituted Previously the only Korean Mass in Beijing was in Wangjing in the eastern part of Beijing. Once the seminary was able to help the community, a second regular Mass was added for the Koreans living in the western part of Beijing.
Mass in Korean for us was like any other cultural adventure we've been on through our Church. When we first started attending Chinese Mass, I still hadn't studied any Mandarin yet. In 2011, we found ourselves at Masses in Basque and Czech. The shape of the Mass, though, was the same throughout, the rhythms of the responses identical. I noticed Myles during the Confiteor, this morning, striking his breast with the rest of the congregation as though he was as familiar with the prayer in Korean as he is in Chinese (我罪我罪我的重罪). Just as in Mandarin, too, many of the words are transliterated, like Amen and Alleluia. As I talked briefly in Chinese before church with one Korean woman I knew from before (and I had no idea she was Korean because we always spoke Chinese), I reminded her that Amen and Alleluia were "一样的," the same, and Jesus was also "一样的."
Our next challenge will be to learn the Sign of the Cross in Korean. I have the text and a video. Between being able to pray that and say the proper greeting for the Sign of Peace, it's the least we can do to thank the Korean community for their hospitality.
성부와
성자와
성령의 이름으로
아멘.
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