Catholic Extension has announced the 2023-2024 Lumen Christi Award nominees, including a nominee from the Diocese of Sacramento.
Since its inception in 1978, the Lumen Christi Award has been given to people who radiate and reveal the light of Christ present in the communities where they serve. While they represent different ethnicities, talents and geographic regions, they have much in common: They stand out as shining examples of communities of faithful Catholics who simply can’t do it alone. Read more about the Lumen Christi Award nominees here.
Stella Choi | Diocese of Sacramento
How a young Korean-American woman is encouraging youth to embrace their faith and culture
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free.”
These words, inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, could just as easily been said by Stella Choi. Stella is a young adult Korean American Catholic. She is a member of St. Jeong-Hae Elizabeth Korean faith community and she knows what it feels like to be a stranger yearning to be free.
St. Jeong-Hae Elizabeth Young adult ministry is a gathering place where local, resettling or visiting Korean young adults can find community and a bit of home. It is a hub where Korean young adults reach out to especially when they feel alone, are lost, or miss their Korean culture.
Stella and her fellow young adults not only gather for prayer, faith sharing and catechesis, they continually get involved in the parish community and beyond.
Stella is a bridge that crosses the generational gap between the older and younger generations. Passing on the cultural traditions and practices within the parish is a challenge. While the older generation is quite fluent in Korean, the younger generations are slowly losing it making it difficult for community members of different generations from connecting. Stella brings the voice of the younger generations to the older generations in order for the faith to be passed down to each generation effectively.
Recently Stella attended “Alive in Christ” as part of the synodal process organized by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. She shared that her community’s struggles, included racism, immigration for the older generations, identity issues with being Korean and American for community members born in the U.S, and more.
Stella shared the fire within her to reach out and bring in those who are lost, lonely or disconnected. She wants to let them know they belong in the Church. She continues to work on the cultural and generational concerns within her community. She has met with the Bishop Jaime Soto of the Diocese of Sacramento sharing her concerns and exploring pathways towards uplifting her community.
Bishop Soto says that “Stella’s love for the Lord Jesus and her generous service has helped the young people at her parish as well as the whole community to live the beauty and joy of the gospel incarnate in the rich traditions of Korean Catholicism.”
Stella’s joy is “being able to help young adults find a Christ centered community and belonging.” She has been a stranger too. She has lived through the experience of being lonely and disconnected and brings a level of empathy and commitment that is transforming St. Jeong-Hae Elizabeth Young and the diocese of Sacramento.