Ten sisters in a community in Korea, five nationalities, and one Spirit: A firsthand account of witnessing God’s love in a divided world.
What does “unity in diversity” look like in your daily life in the Seoul community?
When I look around our provincial house here in Seoul, I see a group of “colorful faces.” We are ten sisters living together, and on the surface, our diversity is obvious. We come from five different nationalities: Korea, Indonesia, East Timor, China, and Romania.
But if you look closer, the diversity runs much deeper than our passports. Each sister is unique in her talents, her personality, and the way she serves. We are a living mosaic of cultures and gifts. Even when we pray, we experience this diversity in our languages and in the expressions of our spirits. When we share meals, the food reflects the background of the sister who is cooking, and we get to taste each other’s cultures.
Some of us are gifted in spiritual direction, others in advocacy, and others in hands-on service. Yet despite all these differences, we hold in our hands the future of our congregation. It is the same Spirit moving us to fulfill God’s mission right here where we have been sent.
How does this diversity influence the way you carry out your mission and apostolate?
It shapes everything we do. Even when our words fail us or lead to misunderstanding, we find ways to express our feelings and encourage one another on the journey. We live in a time when it is no longer possible to concentrate on just one task. We are all learning to be “multi-taskers,” and this requires us to protect unity not just as a community, but within ourselves as individuals.
In our apostolate, this looks different for each of us. One sister might be visiting the elderly and lonely in different parts of this huge city of Seoul. Another is caring for the spiritual growth of migrants who have come from Indonesia, East Timor, or China for work. Others are guiding groups of people searching for inner rest at our Retreat Centre here in the Provincial house, or fighting for the rights of women affected by human trafficking and sexual abuse.
At times we work alone on our tasks; at other times, we support, challenge, and learn from one another. We come home and share our stories and experiences. As a community, we join together to serve the homeless or prepare Christmas presents for our benefactors. In these moments, we experience with our whole being that we are one in the Spirit. Our differences become our strength because we learn from each other’s approaches to service.
Living with such diversity must bring challenges. How do you navigate them?
Unity is not the same as uniformity. Because we come from different cultural backgrounds, we have different ways of communicating and different expectations. We carry these diverse cultures within ourselves as we try to be faithful to our call. There are moments of misunderstanding. It can be challenging to be truly who we are while also trying to blend as a community.
But it is precisely through these challenges that we grow the most. We learn that we don’t have to be the same to be one. We learn to build a “culture of encounter.” We learn to forgive, to be kind, and to encourage each other in our uniqueness. It is in these moments of tension and reconciliation that we truly witness to unity in a world that is falling apart. We discover that the Spirit of love, forgiveness, and kindness which we received in Jesus is alive in our hearts, guiding us through the difficulties.
So this “unity in diversity” is not just an internal exercise, but part of your witness to the world?
Exactly. We cannot give what we do not have. By learning to live as one body with many parts here in the community, we are better prepared to serve a world that is longing for that same unity.
Whether we are at a public demonstration advocating for women’s rights or serving a meal to the homeless, our goal is the same: to make visible the Face of Love, the Face of God. We want people to see that differences are not a threat, but a gift. Each of us, in our own place, uses our unique talents to show that God is here with us—in our world—to give us joy and life in fullness.
What is the core message you would like to share with the wider community about your experience?
I want them to know that we are all different, but we carry the same call in our hearts: to live our lives entirely for mission. The same Spirit that inspired our founders is alive in us, enriching us through our sisters. When we embrace our diversity, we do not lose our identity—we discover it more fully. And in that discovery, we find true unity.
Sr. Cristina Evelina Gal, SSpS – Province of Korea
