SPOTLIGHT 25/11/27 Korean nuns serve forgotten neighbors through ‘House of Love’

[성기화 요셉]

Nuns and volunteers in Incheon provide meals, care, and companionship to isolated elders and marginalized people

Sister Kim Geum-bun, head of the House of Love welfare support facility under the St. Joseph Province of the Sisters of Divine Providence, speaks to a beneficiary on Nov. 27. (Photo: Park Joo-hyun/Catholic Times of Korea)

By UCA News reporter

Published: December 11, 2025 07:00 AM GMT

Updated: December 11, 2025 07:10 AM GMT

Baek Han-rim, 82, is a senior South Korean citizen in Incheon who has been living alone in isolation for years due to mobility issues caused by leg problems.

Like many others in the area, he finds peace knowing that the Sisters of Divine Providence and the volunteers from the House of Love will come to his aid.

“When I'm alone, sad thoughts keep coming, but just knowing there are people who haven't forgotten me and genuinely care brings me peace,” says Baek.

For 10 years, Baek has been a recipient of the meal packets, care, and company provided by the volunteers and nuns.

“The dishes prepared by the nuns and volunteers warm my body and heart,” says Baek.

He is among the many others who are sometimes pushed to welfare blind spots due to issues beyond their control, rendering them unprotected and vulnerable.

But the House of Love, established in 1992 by the Sisters of Divine Providence, is like a “neighbor’s house” for these poor and the marginalized South Koreans.

Unlicensed to serve everyone

The facility is unlicensed to ensure that anyone in need can receive support without restriction, without waiting for government approval or documents, says Sister Kim Geum-bun.

“If we focus too much on meeting the conditions required for a licensed facility, we risk losing sight of the more important value of ‘preferential option for the poor,'” says Kim.

“So, even within the limitations of an unlicensed facility, we are doing our best,” she adds.

According to South Korean law, licensed facilities can only assist those defined by law as in need of support. Even the welfare activities and the recruitment of volunteers come with strict requirements.

Realizing such restrictions would exclude many who need support, the nuns chose to keep their facility unlicensed.

The facility is located in a house that was donated by a benefactor to Sister Lucia Shin Yun-seop in 1992.

At the time, she was caring for the poor in Incheon’s Jung-gu district.

Since its inception, the facility has consistently shared meals and provided emotional support to those in welfare blind spots — the elderly living alone, the disabled, and those struggling to become self-reliant.

Volunteer support

The nuns are not alone in their effort to care for those in dire need. Volunteers from across the diocese support the nuns, taking turns.

Volunteer team leader Sara Kim Gwi-bun and stir-fry specialist Columba Yang Deok-jin from Incheon diocese's Sanggok 3-dong parish have been regulars at the facility.

They have been coming to the facility every Thursday since 2019 to cook and pack meals.

Under Sister Kim’s guidance, the team carefully pours, packs, and keeps the food ready for distribution.

"I believe this isn't just about food, it's about sharing warmth. That's why I put in a little more effort,” one of the volunteers said.

Fulfilling charism

The nuns say their activities are grounded in the charism of their congregation, founded in 1851 by Bishop Wilhelm Emanuel von Ketteler of Mainz, Germany.

Guided by his spirituality, the congregation has responded to the needs of the times through education, healthcare, and care for the poor.

The congregation arrived in South Korea in the 1960s, responding to a request for medical mission work from the Diocese of Daejeon.

The Korean branch was named the Province of St. Joseph in 1995.

The nuns say they are dedicated to the socially vulnerable and laborers while emphasizing the Church's social responsibility — and their charism of “trust and openness to God's providence.”

They now engage in diverse apostolates covering education, healthcare, parish ministry, overseas missions, and Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) activities while fostering solidarity both within and beyond the Church.

“Through service and the practice of our mission, we religious women seek to bear witness to God, the Providence, in the world,” says Kim.

She says that charity is not something that one bestows on another person, but it is love that God “pours out through us as channels.”

“Please remember that even we, who were divided by indifference and pride, can ultimately be reunited as one ‘neighbor’ within that love,” reminds Kim as she continues her work among the needy.

* This is a translated and edited version of the feature that was published by the Catholic Times of Korea on Dec. 10.