By Irene Lagan
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the issue of 12/12/02)
Upon the arrival of Father Simon Yong Sik Park from the Diocese of Wonju, Korea, on Sept. 25, 1986, a group of Virginia residents that belonged to St. Andrew Kim Korean Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Washington. organized a new mission parish in Northern Virginia.
St. Paul Chung Mission celebrated its first Mass on Oct. 5, 1986, with Father Park, who came to Arlington at the request of the late Bishop John J. Keating of the diocese of Arlington to serve as the mission’s first pastor.
On Jan. 22, 1996, the bishop issued a decree establishing St. Paul Chung as a national parish. National are those parishes without boundaries that are established to minister to the needs of ethnic immigrant communities. In the early part of last century, ethnic parishes were particularly common in New York and Boston, where large communities of German, Irish, Italian, Vietnamese and Polish immigrants often landed.
In Northern Virginia, the Korean population is estimated to be 70,000. While Korean Catholics are still a minority relative to other Korean denominations, the number of Korean Catholics continues to grow. Initially, numbering 325 families with a total of 1,112 members, the parish now boasts 4,700 members.
Felicia Kim is a fifth-generation Korean Catholic who emigrated 23 years ago to study accounting, Kim, who serves as parish secretary, has been an integral part of the parish since its inception. The parish, she said, had several "homes," including St. Bernadette Parish in Springfield, St. John Parish in McLean and St. Lawrence Parish in Alexandria before they were finally able to settle on a property and build a church in 1995. Before buying the four acres of prime real estate in Fairfax where the church is located, the parish faced a number of obstacles.
The land, originally part of a larger project by Hazel/Peterson Developers, was made affordable by Milt Person, owner and president of the company. The cost of building the church, which seats 656 and includes a large, multi-purpose room, nine classrooms and offices, was $4.9 million.
Father Francis Soon-Sin Park is the fourth pastor of St. Paul Chung. Father Park came to the United States in November 1998 at the request of the bishop in his home diocese of Wonju to replace then-Pastor Father Simon Hyun-Man Shin. Father Gregory Choi is the first parochial vicar, as previous pastors at St. Paul Chung have been alone in their ministry.
While the adjustment to American culture is challenging for all immigrants, Father Park said Korean Catholics have a strong sense of community that makes the transition easier. Language, he said, is the most difficult barrier. Because he studied in Austria, Father Park said adjusting to the American culture was easier for him than it is for many new immigrants.
"I have adapted without too much difficulty because I studied in Europe," Father Park said. But, it is still difficult to adapt and English is very hard to learn."
Because the majority of the Korean population earns a living in retail businesses such as grocery markets, convenience stores, cleaners and restaurants, virtually all parish activities are held on Sundays. Religious education programs, social activities for adults, youth activities and prayer groups run throughout the day. Four of the five Sunday Masses, including a vigil and a youth Mass, are celebrated in Korean. The 11:30 a.m. Mass in English is for children, most of whom are first-generation Korean-Americans whose primary language is English.
On any given Sunday, 40 or more adults attend Father Park’s religious education program, while hundreds of teens play basketball or engage in other activities as part of CYO. The Korean community has an astonishing number of adults who are initiated into the Catholic faith each year. Adult catechism classes are conducted twice each year, with an average of 50 adults baptized at Easter and in September. A weekly Legion of Mary meeting is by far the most popular program, with an average of 350 people of all ages gathering to pray the rosary and share spiritual reading. Lunch is served every Sunday to approximately 600 people, many of whom travel from significant distances.
According to parishioner Moon Kim, the popularity of the Legion of Mary among the Korean community comes from the influence of Maryknoll priests and Columban Fathers, two missionary groups who are active in bringing the Catholic Faith to Korea.
While Father Park insists that Koreans are "ordinary" Catholics, he admits there are several celebrations throughout the year that are unique to the Korean culture. The first great feast is Korean New Year’s, celebrated on the first of the year according to the lunar calendar. This New Year’s day will fall on Feb. 1, 2003, and will be marked by a special Mass and feasting. Members of the community, dressed in traditional garb, gather around the altar and bow to Christ in a gesture that signifies both giving glory to God for the gift and blessing of a new year. A second great feast day is Harvest Moon Day, which, according to Father Park is akin to American Thanksgiving and is celebrated with a Mass. According to Father Christopher Buckner, who taught English to many Korean families and who frequently assists at St. Paul Chung Parish, the vibrancy of faith and the generosity of the Korean community is the same in their native country. Their faith, he said, is rooted in the spirit of the martyrs who were persecuted for their Catholic beliefs. The parish is named after St. Paul Chung, a Korean martyr who was declared a saint by Pope John Paul II on May 6, 1984.
St. Paul Chung was a lay leader who is credited with establishing the Korean Catholic Church in the 19th century. After the persecution of Catholics under leader Shin-Yu, St. Paul Chung gathered scattered Korean Catholics, igniting their faith and reorganizing the structures and activities of the Catholic Church in Korea. Because there were no priests, he initiated a movement whereby priests from Beijing were sent to Korea. He crossed the Chinese border nine times, enduring many dangers, and wrote a document explaining Catholic doctrine and why the Catholic Church was not at threat to the Korean government. As result of his efforts, Pope Gregory X proclaimed the legitimacy of the Korean Catholic Diocese worldwide in 1831. St. Paul Chung was martyred in 1839 at the age of 45. At the time he was a seminary student.
Parish At a Glance
St. Paul Chung Church
4712 Rippling Pond Drive
Fairfax, VA 22033-5077
703/968-3010
Fax: 703/968-3013
Pastor: Father Francis X. Soon-Sin Park
Parochial Vicar: Father Gregorius Young-Geun Choi
Mass Schedule:
Sat. 7:30 p.m. (Vigil)
Sunday: 8, 10, 11:30 a.m. (English) 5 p.m.
Weekdays: Tues.-Fri.: 7:30 p.m. Wed.: 11 a.m.
Confessions: before Masses
Religious Education: 703/841-2572
DRE: Moon C. Kim
Youth Ministry: Father Gregorius Young-Geun Choi
Parishioners: 4, 776
Read Other Diocesan Parish Profiles
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