Doctoral candidate embraces new country and new faith

By JEFF GRAHAM

When Inae Kim first found out that her name had come up as a possible candidate for a news story with The B.C. Catholic, she was surprised. New to Canada, and about to be welcomed into the Catholic Church this Easter, Kim wondered why her story was special, and even wondered if her English would be good enough to tell it.

Special to The B.C. Catholic Inae Kim with her sponsor for the Rite of Election.

"When I first found out about the interview, I asked, can I do that?" she told The B.C. Catholic in her soft, clear voice. "I don't think I'm special, but I thought, okay, I think I should do this because I got a lot from this community. I thought that doing the interview was a great opportunity to share what the St. Ignatius community has done for me, and pay back."

Inae's remarkable journey over the past two years took another turn on Feb. 23 at St. Monica's Church in Richmond where she made a significant step toward becoming Catholic by participating in the Rite of Election. That step was just one of many amazing changes in her life that has recently included getting married to her husband Kijoo, giving birth to her daughter Carolyn, moving from South Korea to Canada and re-learning English, and entering the forestry PhD program at UBC.

Inae said the road to becoming Catholic started with her mother and husband, who are also Catholic.

"When I was dating my husband, I started to think about becoming Catholic," she said. "My mother is Catholic, but she didn't say much about it, but she was always very nice to me, and so I always had a good impression of Catholics."

When Inae first arrived with her husband in Canada, something inside her told her that it was time to investigate Catholicism.

"I started to study here last fall, and thought it would be a good time to become Catholic," she said. "I told my husband and he smiled and said, `Okay, lets find a church near our house!'"

St. Ignatius of Antioch, which is attached to St. Mark's College at UBC, was the obvious choice for the couple, who live in the family housing area on campus. Kijoo, who is also studying for his PhD in forestry, also supported Inae's decision by signing her up for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) and by attending the sessions with her.

Inae explained that she went to the sessions every Wednesday with her husband, her sponsor Manneke, and with RCIA co-ordinator Annerose Sims.

"RCIA was beautiful. Every Wednesday my husband and I came to participate," she said. "Before, I didn't know anything about being Catholic, but I really started getting into it."

"The books and brochures that I was given also helped me a lot. Annerose, our leader, was not just our leader, she was my best friend that I could talk to about anything. I really appreciated the sense of community that I felt every time I went."

Inae said that the love that the St. Ignatius community had for her and her family was evident when she gave birth to her daughter Carolyn in December of 2005.

"When I delivered Carolyn I had some difficulties. I was sick and stayed in B.C. Women's Hospital for one week, and wasn't sure I would get my health back. During those days the people at St. Mark's prayed for me a lot, and I really appreciated that they prayed for me."

Inae also said she appreciated the support she got when her husband travelled to Afghanistan last summer to study for two months. She said that Annerose had asked her if she wanted a place to stay with Carolyn for a while.

"I stayed with Annerose for a week during the summer, and it was so nice of her," she said.

Inae said that her husband will be going back to Afghanistan again this summer for another two months, but is happy to know that she has the support of a strong Catholic community. By all indications, Inae is also the type of person that can handle a little adversity.

"In September of 2005, when I first went to school, I went to school with a big tummy," she explained, saying she was six months pregnant when the semester started, "but I still travelled with my classmates to Winnipeg and Tofino with my baby inside!"

Inae is happy with how things have worked out since then.

"The UBC campus is very nice and quiet; we live in Acadia Park, which is for families, and so there are a lot of children around the area. There are also baby immunizations and even parenting classes."

Conveniently, Inae and Kijoo even have offices located close to one another in the forestry building at UBC as they both work towards their PhDs.

"We were very lucky to both get in," she said.

Inae hopes to finish school by 2010; in the mean time she has a lot to learn about faith and forestry.

"It isn't very easy. This country is new to me and the language is hard, and what is written in the Bible isn't how people speak in everyday life, but I'm just beginning the journey, and at this point I'm just trying to believe and understand."