By Vatican News
“It’s such a great responsibility that I feel very small, but I thank the Lord who has called me to serve the Church and the Congregation, and I thank my sisters for their prayers and their trust.” This is how Sister Mari Lucia Kim, a 60-year-old Korean sister, described her new role when speaking to Vatican Radio–Vatican News after being elected the new Superior General of the Daughters of St Paul on Thursday Oct 2 during the 12th General Chapter, held on the 110th anniversary of the Congregation’s founding. She met Pope Leo the day after her election.
Meeting with Pope Leo
The newly elected Superior General spoke about the audience with the Holy Father: “He invited us to look upward, to be moved by the Holy Spirit and to immerse ourselves in history.” Faithful to their mission of spreading the Gospel worldwide, according to the vision of Blessed James Alberione, who emphasized the evangelizing use of the media, the Daughters of St Paul received a set of spiritual guidelines from Pope Leo. “The Pope’s recommendations,” Sister Mari said, “are a guiding light that sum up the journey of our General Chapter. We want to hold close in our hearts what the Holy Spirit has told us through the Pope and to faithfully live out the path that lies ahead.” Her heartfelt appeal: “We ask for your prayers for our journey.”
Challenges of secularism and artificial intelligence
Sister Mari also spoke about the Church in South Korea, where she had served as Provincial Superior: “In Korea, the Church is growing, but it faces new challenges from secularism and from developments in artificial intelligence, which affect every aspect of our daily lives.” She noted that the Korean Church is joyfully preparing for World Youth Day 2027, a greatly anticipated event.
Working for renewal
The General Chapter assembly of the Daughters of St Paul entrusts Sister Mari with “the desire for a profound renewal — a ‘newness’ to be explored and embraced, a fraternity to be rediscovered, and a gift to be rekindled.” Today, the Daughters of St Paul number over 2,000 sisters across 52 countries on five continents, with more than 200 communities running publishing houses, bookstores, multimedia centers, and engaging in evangelization through social media. – Vatican News
