Province of East Asia
Br. Damaso Chun professed his final vows as a Marist Brother on October 11, 2014 at the Korea-Japan Sector House in Seoul. The liturgy, which started at 11:00 in the morning, was presided over by Bishop Emeritus Joseph Lee, with 3 other priests concelebrating.
This very important day in the life of Br. Damaso was made more memorable by the presence of his parents and his brother, as well as the Korean brothers from the different communities (Sector House, Marist Education Center, Formation House, Chungju, and Jecheon), friends, benefactors and family members.
Incidentally, the Provincial Council of East Asia had the meeting in Seoul on October 9-10; so all the members of the Council, led by the Provincial Br. Robert Teoh, were also present to witness Br. Damaso’s perpetual consecration. The occasion became an opportunity for the people in attendance to realize the international nature of the Institute as a brother from Mexico (Br. Eduardo) and another brother from Ghana (Br. Francis) were also around.
Bishop Lee gave a very inspiring homily. He challenged Br. Damaso to overcome different kinds of temptation that consecrated brothers and sisters face throughout their lives. Moreover, the bishop encouraged him to listen to the Word of God and act on It as Mary did. On the other hand, Br. Robert, in his message just before the final blessing, reminded Br. Damaso about what the founder, Fr. Champagnat said, that “to become a brother is to undertake to become a saint”.
After the Mass, the congregation gathered at the 1st floor of the AFI (Association Fraternalle Internationale) residence next door for a simple fellowship meal.
Before joining the Marist Brothers in 2004, Br. Damaso was a very faithful Sunday school teacher and a leader of young adult group of the So-sa Catholic Church, Incheon Diocese. He made his first profession in 2007. At present he is working at the Marist Eco-Spirituality Center in Jecheon.