Br. Abraham Eo, LC, to be Ordained a Deacon on August 25th, 2023

Biography

 Br. Abraham Eo was born on 12, 1991 in Seoul, South Korea. He entered the Center Harbor Vocational Center in New Hampshire, United States in 2007. He began his novitiate on September 15, 2009, in Cheshire. He made his first vows in Dublin, Ireland in September 2011. He then moved to Monterrey, Mexico where he studied classical humanities for one year. He studied Philosophy (acquiring a bachelor’s degree) in Rome from 2012 to 2015. For his internship, he did two years of mandatory military service in South Korea from 2015 to 2017. And then he went to Cincinnati, United States, supporting ECYD work and activities at Camp River Ridge for one year. After his internship, he went back to Rome to continue his studies. He furthered his studies in Philosophy for additional two years (acquiring a master’s degree), after which he studied theology for three years (acquiring a bachelor’s degree).

 Br. Abraham received his assignment to work as an assistant chaplain at the Holy Spirit Preparatory School in Atlanta as of the 1^st of July 2023. Br. Abraham will be ordained a deacon at his home parish in South Korea on the 26^th of August 2023.

 Vocational Testimony

 In theology, I learned that the term “mystery” has its weight. When we say that “God is a mystery”, we don’t mean that God is irrational, but that He is so wonderful and marvelous that we can always learn something new about him. In other words, We can never get tired of knowing more about Him. In a similar way, for me, my life is also a mystery. I can always find something new each time I reflect on my own history. It teaches me how wonderful and merciful our Lord is despite my shortcomings.

 I was born into a Catholic family. The family on my mother’s side is Catholic, whereas the family on my father’s side is Buddhist. My dad wasn’t a practicing Catholic but always supported my decision for becoming a priest. My mom has always been a very devout woman. As a kid, I often witnessed a dramatic change in my mom’s facial expression each time she entered the church. I think it was somewhat similar to what happened to Moses after his encounter with God, whose face began to shine. So much so that my sister and I would say that in case my mom gets sick we should bring her to a church instead of bringing her to a hospital. Like my mom, I enjoyed being at my parish. I knew that my dear Jesus was present in the Eucharist. As I grew up, I didn’t pray as often. But I was obliged to attend the Sunday Mass and I kept my relationship with God during my adolescence.

 When I was 16 years old, I came to know a legionary priest. He was the coolest priest I have ever seen. He spoke fluent English and used to talk in an unknown language with his fellow legionary which turned out to be Spanish. I started to get involved with the ECYD activities and get to know them better. Then a legionary priest asked me if I wanted to go enter the minor seminary (Apostolic School) in the US. I never thought about becoming a priest but the idea of studying abroad in the US and getting out of the demanding educational system of South Korea seemed very attractive. In the end, I did enter the Apostolic School in New Hampshire where I spent two years of my life. For me, those two years have been a life-changing experience. There I learned how to pray. We had a very disciplined life, which I’ve never experienced before. It was a real challenge to learn English and it was even more difficult to study in English. For me, all those difficulties have been a positive and formative experience. I was so happy to live my life to the full and I was even happier to get to know Christ who loved me. Priests and religious brothers taught me something about God both through their talks and examples.

 After two years of Mount Tabor-like experience, I decided to join the novitiate. I wasn’t sure about my vocation to the Priesthood but I wanted to be generous with God who has been so good to me.

 My seminary life has been a real adventure. Like Jacob in the Bible, I wrestled with God in the initial stage of my formation. I wanted to live like many of my friends who had their girlfriends and perused their careers. When I was in Monterrey, Mexico, I almost left the Legion. I was the only person among 200 seminarians who didn’t speak Spanish. I had ankle surgery right before going to Mexico and I had to walk with crutches for the first two months in a hot and humid climate. My relationship with my superior wasn’t good either. One day, I just called my mom and asked her to buy a plane ticket to Korea. My mom then spoke with a legionary priest in Korea who then spoke with my rector. Both my family and superior suggested me to calm down to make a prudent decision, which I accepted in the end. I remember spending a lot of time in the chapel after that incident. And one day, while I was praying, I heard an inner voice that said, “Abraham, do you know how much I love you? Do not be afraid. Trust in me.” After having spoken with my spiritual director about this experience, I understood that I was supposed to live my life to the full. I decided to be more generous with God. I stopped envying my friends and started to live in the present moment with more gratitude. Then I experienced so much joy and peace that I once knew back from my time in New Hampshire. I learned a little bit more about what it means to follow Christ, which is dying to oneself, to one’s ideas, and to one’s lower life. It was a Gospel paradox that teaches about dying to have life in Christ.

 My life is a mixture of light and darkness. It is a story of God’s mercy and my sin. It teaches me that I am both capable of loving much and forgetting God’s immense love for me. I know that the secret of my happiness is Christ. When I am united with Him, I am the happiest person in the world.

 One of my favorite Bible verses comes from the Last Supper Discourse from the Gospel of John, where Christ invites his disciples to remain in him. “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” (John 15, 4)

Br. Abraham Eo’s, LC, diaconate ordination will be August 25th, 2023 at 9:00 pm EST at Bundang St. John’s Catholic Church in Bundang, Gyeonggi-do province, presided by Fr. John Moon Hee Jong, Auxiliary bishop of Suwon Diocese.