Top Stories 25/09/27 Korean Church marks 50 years of ‘sharing priests’

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Korean missionaries are serving in various countries in Asia, Africa and Americas

Catholics join a procession with national flags to mark the golden jubilee of the Korean Missionary Society with a Holy Mass at the Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul, South Korea, on Feb. 26. (Photo: Archdiocese of Seoul)

By UCA News reporter

Published: October 08, 2025 06:36 AM GMT

Updated: October 08, 2025 09:56 AM GMT

It has been five decades since the Catholic Church in Korea transitioned from being a “receiving Church” to a “sharing Church” — from relying on foreign missionaries and aid to sending its own priests, religious, and laypeople to serve around the world.

In 1975, the Church founded the Korean Foreign Mission Society, marking the beginning of Korea’s formal overseas mission work. Since then, Korean missionaries have served in countries across Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

As the missionary society celebrates its golden jubilee this year, Church leaders and missionaries are calling for a renewed focus on lay missionary formation, emphasizing the need for an educational system that combines “professionalism and spirituality” to strengthen the missionary apostolate.

The importance of empowering lay missionaries was the focus of a meeting held on Sept. 27 in Seoul to mark Overseas Mission Sunday.

The event, titled “Discussion on Lay Missionaries of the Catholic Church in Korea,” was led by Bishop Stephanus Han Jeong-hyun of Daejeon, chairman of the Korean Bishops’ Committee for Overseas Mission and Pastoral Care.

The bishop said the Korean Church must seek “a new missionary vision through the participation and witness of lay missionaries.”

From receivers to senders

Father Michael Kim Hak-hyun, director of the missionary department of the Korean Foreign Mission Society, and Father Diego Kang, a Consolata missionary, discussed ways to improve missionary training and formation.

As the Korean Foreign Mission Society marks 50 years of service, its leaders say the Church’s future missionary vitality will depend on how well it prepares its lay members — not just priests and religious — to carry the Gospel across cultures.

Currently, the Korean Foreign Mission Society has 87 missionaries — including 85 priests and two lay missionaries — serving in nine countries.

“A Church that once received faith now shares it,” said Father Kim. “To keep that spirit alive, we must ensure our lay missionaries are well-formed — spiritually, intellectually, and pastorally. That is the mission ahead.”

When foreign missionaries first arrived in Korea more than two centuries ago, they built the foundations of faith under persecution and hardship.

Today, the Korean Church — once the recipient of global missionary generosity — has become a vigorous missionary force in its own right.

Across the globe, Korean missionaries now serve as pastors, teachers, healthcare workers, and development professionals. Many are engaged in interreligious dialogue, education, and community-building among marginalized populations.

Many Korean dioceses have sent their own priests overseas as Fidei Donum (“Gift of Faith”) missionaries, a practice initiated following the 1957 encyclical of Pope Pius XII, which encouraged diocesan priests to serve in foreign missions.

A legacy of giving

In addition to missionary work, the Korean Church has been a significant source of humanitarian assistance.

Between 2011 and 2022, Caritas Korea provided 45.21 billion won (some US$37 million) in foreign aid to 20 countries, supporting 625 development and relief projects, according to a 2023 report from the Korean Bishops' Conference.

“The Korean Church began with the laity,” said Father Kim, reflecting on the Church’s historical development. “But when we look at its growth, especially during the periods of persecution, it was foreign priests who came to Korea as missionaries and helped nurture the faith.”

Because of this, he added, many Korean Catholics have long associated the idea of mission work primarily with priests and religious.

“The concept of a ‘lay missionary’ itself may have remained unfamiliar for a long time,” he said.

Lay mission, a distinct vocation 

According to Father Kang, the Church must clearly distinguish between lay missionaries and volunteers.

“Lay missionaries are not simply volunteers,” he explained. “Becoming a missionary means becoming a full member of the religious order or institution to which they belong. Therefore, systematic and spiritual missionary training with professional expertise is essential.”

This, he said, requires dedicated formation programs that nurture both competence and spiritual maturity.

Veteran missionary Elizabeth Kim Yong-suk, who has served in Ecuador and Bolivia for more than 40 years, noted that the lay missionary vocation is still not widely recognized in many parts of the world, including within the Church itself.

“There are many cases where lay people themselves make a distinction and do not fully trust lay missionaries,” she said. “If the entire Church creates an atmosphere that welcomes and supports lay missionary activity, training will become more effective and participation more active.”

Bishop Han agreed that the Church must do more to clarify and promote the lay missionary role among the faithful.

“Our understanding of overseas missions is still centered on priests and nuns, and on religious orders, mission societies, and dioceses,” he said. “We need to broaden that vision.”

The bishop expressed hope that ongoing discussions and formation efforts would inspire more lay Catholics — who make up the vast majority of the Church — to embrace missionary service.

“That will serve as a reckoning for the Korean Church,” he said, “and as an important foundation for revitalizing the lay missionary apostolate.”

*This report is a translated and adapted version of an article first published by Catholic Times of Korea on Sept. 29.