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| Father Daniel Brendan O'Keeffe, right, formation programme director r of the Missionary Society of Saint Columban in Korea, bumps fists with Justice Minister Park Beom-gye after receiving a presidential citation for "Immigrant of the Year" at an awarding ceremony held in Government Complex Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, May 20. Yonhap |
By Lee Hyo-jin
Father Daniel Brendan O'Keeffe, formation programme director of the Missionary Society of Saint Columban in Korea, was honored as the "Immigrant of the Year," recognized for his over 40 years of dedication to supporting marginalized people in the Korean society.
The 70-year-old Catholic priest from Ireland was awarded with a presidential citation at an award ceremony organized by the Ministry of Justice, May 20.
"I was very surprised to hear that I was selected as the awardee, out of many other immigrants that have shown greater deeds than me. I appreciate the Missionary Society of Saint Columban for having sent me here, giving me an opportunity to carry out my ministry with the Korean people," O'keeffe said during an interview with The Korea Times.
The priest said he had known very little about the country before coming here in 1976. "I knew only three things: very cold winter, political turbulence under the dictatorship, and the fact that it was becoming export-oriented country."
He spent the first four years adapting to local Church culture, learning Korean language and interacting with local residents, while serving as an assistant priest in the southwestern island of Heuksan, and then in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province.
In 1980, Father O'Keeffe settled in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, having been appointed to work with factory laborers. "Many workers in small factories were teenagers from rural areas. As they could not receive proper school education, they felt a sense of inferiority and insecurity."
Along with religious sisters, he established an "open house" where young workers were invited for educational programs and gatherings.
"We made an environment where they could freely express themselves and share any stories about their lives," he recalled. "In addition, through studies on labor law and educational programs on critical thinking and self-development, many of the workers became key people in the formation of labor unions in the late 1980."
In the 1990s, Father O'Keeffe moved to a shanty town in Bongcheon, Gwanak District in Seoul, and lived with the tenants who had nowhere to go amid vast redevelopment projects. He worked with Urban Poor outreach of Seoul Catholic Archdiocese.
"We helped them form a tenants' association and ran educational programs with students from various universities, in order to help them demand bigger compensation and claim their rights in the reconstruction process."
After he was appointed as the director of the Missionary Society of Saint Columban in Korea in 1998, he engaged in various environmental activities, as he believed that the religious sector should be more active on the issue.
"Climate change is a challenge to everyone in the world. In Korea, roughly 50 percent of its population are religious, whether it be Buddism, Christianity, or other religions. If leaders of each religion raise their voice on these issues and spread the message to its members, it will move half of the 52 million people," he said.
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