“I shall become a friend to all who find themselves outside society,” signed Park Min-seo, 39, a hearing-impaired seminary graduate who will be ordained a priest next month.

Parks comments came during a press conference at Taepyeongno, Seoul, last Monday (June 25).

“I am to become a priest after much hardship thanks to so much love from my parents and the Lord. From now on, I too shall live for those in need and serve them for the rest of my life.” Once ordained, he will be the first physically challenged priest in Asia, joining 14 others worldwide.

Park, born in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do (Province), lost his hearing at age two due to medicinal side effects. Once he lost his hearing, he also lost the ability to acquire speech.

Park's father was a military officer constantly assigned to various posts. Consequently, Park missed chances to study at schools for the deaf and had to mix with ordinary kids who teased him mercilessly. “You have no hope,” he remembered reading from the lips of class bullies.

His parents cried bitterly when their son was obliged to attend Seoul National School for the Deaf instead of ordinary high school. Park, on the other hand, felt like he had gone to heaven, having finally found a place where he could fit in.

He became close to an art teacher who was also deaf and mute. Touched by this man's faith in Christ, he too was christened a Catholic. His parents and sister soon followed suit. It was the start of his dream to become a priest and serve others.

He majored in industrial design at Kyungwon College and got a job doing backgrounds for animation the following year. He still hadn't completely given up his dream of priesthood and felt out of place with his work. He settled for doing volunteer work at Seoul Catholic Association for the Deaf.

Father Jeong Soon-o, 54, the priest at Bundong Catholic Church, sympathized with Park and interpreted sign language for him. Jeong had parents who were deaf and mute. It was he who suggested Park study in the United States. He sent a letter to Father Thomas Coughlin, the first deaf Catholic priest in North America, to ask for advice and assistance. Kim Sou-hwan, 80, Korea's first cardinal, also sent encouraging words to help Park realize his dreams.

Park took off to the States in August 1994 and there began his grueling journey abroad. After majoring in math and philosophy at Gallaudet University, a school for deaf, he entered St. Joseph's Seminary in New York in 1999.
 
“I studied English sign language just like any foreigner would start with ABC. There is over 90 percent difference from Korean sign language,” Park explained, adding how he had to hire part-time typist to type his words at the time.

Then a year later, Cardinal John J. O'Connor, New York's archbishop who was interested in training deaf priest passed away. St. Joseph seminary closed down the program for deaf trainees shortly after.

“I thought my world had come to an end after receiving the notice to leave the school,” Park recalled. Father Coughlin was again there for help. He, after much contact, helped Park transfer to a graduate school at St. John's University. The new seminary, also in New York aided him with two professional sign language interpreters and a typist. Father Jeong provided money for most of his school expenses.

He became a top student there, representing the class to receive his master's degree directly from the dean. All in all, it took him 10 years to finish his studies abroad.
 
He returned home in 2004 to study at Catholic University in Seoul for two and a half years. He was ordained a deacon in July, 2006. “Last year, my father passed away just a day before my ordination. It made me realize I'm nothing without the love of the Lord.”

“My gratitude goes to so many out there who helped me along the way. I wouldn't have come this far if it weren't for them. All the credit goes to the Lord. I wish to help the 300,000 disabled in this country from now on. I hope people see how much God loves the disabled, through me.”

Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk will officially ordain Father Benedicto Park Min-seo along with 38 other deacons on July 6. Thirty-six priests from abroad will fly to Korea to observe his ordination and his first mass in sign language. Also at the ordination ceremony will be nine deaf Catholics from Nagoya, Hokkaido and other parts of Japan.