His Excellency Kim Hee Joong Hyginus, Archbishop of Gwangju, South Korea formally accepted the request of the Rogationist Superior General, Fr. Bruno Rampazzo, RCJ to establish a Rogationist missionary presence in the said Archdiocese. In a meeting held on December 6, 2019, at the Archdiocesan Curia in Gwangju, Fr. Jose Maria Ezpeleta, RCJ, Vicar General of the Congregation, represented Father General in presenting the documents related to the said request. Fr. Orville Cajigal, RCJ, Provincial Superior of St. Matthew Province, Bishop Ok Hyun Jin Simon, Auxiliary Bishop of Gwangju, and Fr. Nicolo Rizzolo witnessed the signing of the agreement.
With the Archbishop signing the acceptance of the request of Fr. Rampazzo, the Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus is officially recognized in the Archdiocese of Gwangju. Previously, Fr. Rizzolo was present in the Archdiocese for several months a year to render pastoral service on a personal capacity.
Fr. Ezpeleta thanked the Archbishop for giving the Rogationists the opportunity to participate in the life and ministry of the Archdiocese. The Archbishop and his Auxiliary Bishop indicated the possible areas of collaboration, namely, in the apostolate with the poor and migrants.
The Archbishop will communicate to all the Archdiocese the presence of the Rogationists. The Congregation will also appear in the Directory’s list of the Religious Congregations present in the Archdiocese.
Moreover, the Archbishop also granted permission to keep the Blessed Sacrament in the chapel of the Rogationists in their apartment unit in Gwangju, South Korea.
As an act of recognition of the grace received, the confreres culminated the day with a Thanksgiving Mass in the room-turned-chapel of the apartment. On the following day, Dec. 7, after the celebration of the Mass, the confreres spent a moment of Eucharistic Adoration to thank the Lord for the gift of His Presence, which is concretely evident in the Sacramental presence in the tabernacle of the chapel of the Rogationists at Gwangju, South Korea. They recalled the experience of St. Hannibal Mary Di Francia on July 1st 1886, when the chapel of Avignone became sacramental. Welcoming Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament serves as an act of entrusting everything to Jesus the life and mission of the Rogationists in South Korea.
