Kkottongnae or the Flower Village is a special place of God’s love, which is not only a centre for the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Korea but also where 4000 poor and destitute people are tenderly cared for by hundreds of lay volunteers and a new religious order of 100 brothers and 230 sisters.

Like many works of God it began in a very small way. Fr John Oh, an idealistic young priest had recently arrived in his new parish at Mugeuk in South central Korea in September 1976. One day he saw an old beggar passing in front of the church carrying a can full of cooked rice, and a sack over his shoulder. Intrigued, Fr John followed the limping figure, who led him to a hovel under a bridge at the foot of the Youngdam mountain. Here he discovered the old man was looking after 18 other beggars and sharing what he had with them, because they were too weak and sick to beg for themselves.

He found out that the old man was called Choi Kwi Dong. He had once been a prosperous and happily married man, but he had been taken away by the Japanese military, tortured and forced to work in the coal mines. This had destroyed him physically and mentally but had not stopped him caring for others for over 40 years. His whole life was made up of small acts of love, from rescuing homeless drifters from the cold to clearing shards of broken glass from the playgrounds so the children wouldn’t cut themselves. Fr John was very moved by the old man’s Christ-like example and his simple joy and love. That night he couldn’t sleep, haunted by what he had seen. He said, “I became a priest to make my dream to live for the poor come true, but here this old man was already living a life of love, even though he was less educated than me, in worse physical shape and hardly had the strength to even beg.” Around dawn, he heard an inner voice saying, “Even if you have only the strength to beg for food, it is the blessing of the Lord.”

When he arose the next morning. He knew he had to do something to help the old man and his companions. Using all the money in his possession, which only amounted to one US dollar, he bought some cement and began to make bricks so he could build some kind of shelter for the group. Inspired by his example his parishioners came to help him. So it was a month later Grandpa Choi and his friends were able to move into a simple five roomed house at the foot of Youngdam mountain. This simple dwelling became known in the neighbourhood as the “House of Love.”

Other beggars began to hear what had happened and started turning up and Fr John did his best to help in whatever way he could. Then on 16th August 1978 he was driving his car over the Bantan Bridge when he noticed an old man dying by roadside as the traffic passed by. He stopped and putting the man in his car started to drive him to the hospital. As he did this he heard the words, as if from heaven, “Could another day be more joyful and delightful than today? With great joy indeed I thank you for saving the life of my beloved son. I will make a new covenant with you: I will take care of everything else if you receive the least of my brothers in my name.” Thus Fr John realised that God was calling him to work full time for the relief of the sick, the abandoned and destitute. Ignoring fears from some locals that their neighbourhood would be overrun with undesirables, as word got out about this new ministry, Fr John began to actively invite all the poor he came across to come, knowing that God would provide for all their needs. And in fact this has happened ever since then. However many sick and homeless people Fr John has taken in, everything he has needed for their care has appeared – food, clothing, volunteers, money and other necessities. He tells how sometimes he might have brought in someone dying from the streets after breakfast, even though there was no food in the house. By lunch time, however, someone would be sure to have dropped by with the food they needed.

As the numbers of destitute grew, he knew he needed somewhere bigger to take care of them. Visiting personally every parish priest in his diocese to share his vision, he got the backing not only of the general assembly of diocesan priests but also of the Korean Catholic hierarchy and in 1983 the Kkottongnae sanatorium was built on a 200 acre site. Over the years buildings have mushroomed here for people with different needs. These include not just beggars, but those with TB, the mentally ill, the homeless elderly, alcoholics, physically and mentally handicapped adults and children and a 99 bed hospital. Today the place is one of the major welfare facilities in Korea. But it has never been just a place to give physical care. At the heart is God’s love and this has a profound effect on all who come. “Only a life of loving makes us happy” he says, quoting the words of old Grandpa Choi. And it is this simple truth that the community live and teach to all those who come and visit or stay.

Fr John has been involved in the CCR since it first came to Korea in the 1970s and while he was still a deacon in the seminary he organised one of the first Life in the Spirit Seminars. Since he first arrived in the area, prayer and the charisms of the Holy Spirit have played important part in the development of Kkottongnae and healing services, charismatic prayer meetings and gatherings have always been a part of the life of the community and the activities here. More recently they also ran in 2006 a huge international charismatic youth conference. People often ask why the community is called Kkottongnae (“the village of flowers”) when there don’t seem to be many flowers around. This is because the “flowers” which bloom here are the lives of people whose lives are changed by the love they receive and give, says Fr John. He comments, “When beggars fall ill, they die on the street without anyone’s knowledge. What they need is a Kkottongnae – a house of love and salvation to prepare them to meet their death in peace”. One of the biggest miracles regularly seen at Kkottongnae are poor people whose lives have become hardened by rejection and lack of love who come alive. As they experience the love of God and the care of others, they let go of their bitterness, forgive their neighbours and then often want to serve others in the ministry too in whatever small way they can, either by helping or with small amounts of money. To become a member people are asked to donate one dollar a month. Fr John doesn’t want people to give more so as many people as possible - poor and rich alike - can feel they are part of this wonderful work of God.

Today the community has a very high profile and has received recognition from the Korean government for their work. Fr John himself has received numerous awards and Grandpa Choi was awarded the Grand Prize of the Catholic Church in 1986 before he died. The community has not only spread to other locations in Korea, they now also have other houses round the world where they love and serve the poor, notably in the Philippines, Bangladesh, India, Uganda and the United States. Their true and lasting legacy, says Fr John, is not all this recognition and the land, buildings and hundreds of thousands of members who donate to their work, but the charism of love that the Lord has given them.

Kristina Cooper is the Goodnews Editor.