Filipino bishop thanks Korean priest for his missionary work

A Filipino bishop thanked a South Korean missionary for his service to the poor in the country.
 
Bishop Pablo Virgilio S. David of Kalookan diocese praised Father Andreas Chang and his service to the poor. 
 
Father Chang, clergy of the Archdiocese of Seoul, returned to South Korea on April 20, 2022, after finishing his stint as a missionary in the Philippines. 
 
Bishop David thanked the priest for “bringing out the best in us with your messages of love, prosperity, and righteousness.”

“Thank you Fr. Chang! Thank you for your undying support and help to the Diocese of Kalookan. We continue to pray for your ministry,” the bishop said.
 
The prelate also wrote a thanksgiving letter to the Archbishop of Seoul for allowing Father Chang to work in the Philippines and his parents.
 
As he left the Philippines, Father Chang said, “I am recalling my past ministry in the Philippines.” 

It was a great pleasure for him to live in the Southeast country as one of the priests in the Kalookan Diocese. He resided as a guest priest of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish at M. H. Del Pilar Street, Maysilo, Malabon City.
 
He was the director of the St. Joseph’s Clinic in Malabon on the outskirts of Manila.
 
The major initiatives of the priest were to provide health care services to the poor, scholarships to needy students, and build houses for vulnerable families.  
 
“Since I was ordained priest in 2009, I was serving in the parishes of the Seoul Archdiocese. I was hoping to serve in another country as a missionary,” he recalled.
 
And then he heard about St. Joseph’s Clinic in the Philippines needing a priest since Father Choi, a South Korean priest who was working in the Philippines got sick. 
 
He had expressed his desire for it but he was not prepared for anything. “I cannot speak English or Tagalog. And I did not get any information about St. Joseph's Clinic,” he said.
 
So, he thought he was supposed to learn English and prepare himself for the US, but that did not happen to him.
 
Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Seoul was so concerned that no priest was available to manage the clinic. So the prelate wanted Father Chang to go there directly.
 
In 2015, the priest arrived in the Philippines. “As I expected, I was so embarrassed and frustrated with my communication skills,” he said. 

There were many difficulties for him to adapt to the new place such as hot weather, different foods, personalities, and cultures. 
 
“I had many challenges and I got angry very easily with myself and with others,” he said.
 
Sometimes he could not sleep at night. Gradually, many people helped him to learn everything, and to solve problems. Then, fortunately, he moved on with his life and missionary work in the Philippines, Asia’s largest Catholic country.
 
Over the years, many people impressed the South Korean missionary. One of them was Bishop David who impressed the priest with the prelate’s pastoral zeal and guidance.
 
“He [David] is the most passionate and considerate bishop that I have met. I have learned so many things from him. Because of his help, everything is going well in St. Joseph’s Clinic,” Father Chang said. 
 
All the priests in the Diocese of Kalookan are dedicating their lives to people and mission. That made him so overwhelmed.
 
Father Chang also thanked all priests, nuns, medical professionals, volunteers, men and women, youth, and children who helped him in carrying out his mission at St. Joseph’s Clinic.