Fr Hon-ok Gabriel Lim SJ professes his Final Vows in Phnom Penh
In a joyful milestone for the Society of Jesus, three Jesuits of the Korean Province pronounced their Final Vows after many years of religious life, marking a deepened commitment to their vocation.
On 2 September, Fr Hon-ok Gabriel Lim, currently serving as pastor of the Korean Catholic Community in Phnom Penh, made his Final Vows during a Mass presided over by the Provincial Fr Yong-su Paschal Kim at the Prieb So Jesuit community chapel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
More than 36 years after entering the Society, Fr Lim shared that his Final Vows were a response to God’s invitation to belong more deeply to the Society through his vocational journey. He recalled how his path began with a single letter he sent to the Jesuit vocation office during his university years—a journey filled with countless choices, renunciations, waiting, and struggles. Through it all, God revealed to him the true meaning of freedom and belonging.
Fr Lim expressed gratitude and praise, acknowledging that his Final Vows signify a life no longer lived according to his own plans but within God’s plan, walking with his brothers and bearing witness to the love and glory of the Lord in the world.
Just over a week later, on 12 September, a Final Vow Mass was held at the Maria Chapel of the Jesuit Apostolic Center in Seoul for Fr Dong-il Andrew Kim and Fr Min Thomas Han.
Fr Dong-il Andrew Kim SJ and Fr Min Thomas Han SJ
Fr Kim, who serves as Formation Delegate, described his first reaction upon receiving a letter from the Father General granting permission for his Final Vows: a simple yet profound “Wow!” Unlike earlier stages of formation, he had not submitted a formal petition, yet the permission was granted.
During his retreat, he reflected on this unexpected grace and came to see the Final Vows as a moment of complete communion within the Society. Though the vows come with a sense of weight and fear, he recognised them above all as a sign of the Society’s trust and of God’s boundless generosity.
Looking back on more than 20 years of ministry and formation, Fr Kim gave thanks for the love and prayers that had sustained him and expressed his resolution to share that love as a Jesuit. He also offered heartfelt gratitude for his intimate bond with Fr Han, with whom he professed Final Vows, and prayed that they may continue to live joyfully in the Society.
Fr Han is currently the Director of the Jesuit Benefactors Association. He shared a memory from his long retreat while during the novitiate. In a prayer contemplating his own death, he envisioned himself as an elderly man whose face bore the peace and happiness of a life deeply loved. Through this, he received the assurance and consolation that he would continue to live as one beloved within the Society and among his Jesuit brothers.
Over time, he came to recognise more deeply the responsibility of faithfully carrying out his role for the good of the Society. Approaching his tenth year in the Benefactors Association, he reflected on seasons of zeal, fatigue, struggle, and renewal, and shared that he has now returned to his original fervour, recognising his mission as a profound blessing. He expressed gratitude to his fellow Jesuits, colleagues, and benefactors for their support and pledged to continue serving the Society with dedication in the mission entrusted to him.
The Final Vows of these three Jesuits are the fruit of long journeys in religious life and a new beginning that God has prepared for the Society and the Church. Their testimonies of responding to a vocation in companionship with their brothers, for the greater glory of God, offer encouragement, consolation, and hope as we continue on our own journeys of faith.
