Hong Yuhan Retreat House (Ugok Sanctuary)

About this place

The Hong Yu-han Retreat House is officially listed by the Diocese of Andong as a retreat and educational facility and is registered in the Guide to the Catholic Church in Korea as a “retreat/prayer house.” Located on the same site as Ugok Shrine, it serves as a space linking pilgrimage with personal and communal retreats and faith formation. Ugok Shrine preserves the memory of Nong-eun Hong Yu-han, who practiced Catholic teachings before the formal founding of the Korean Catholic Church, and of martyrs among his descendants; the identity of the retreat house is therefore closely connected with the spirituality of the shrine. The diocese's separate classification of the facility as a retreat and education site clearly indicates its present function.

The key to understanding the place is to distinguish the shrine itself from the retreat facility. While Hong Yu-han's tomb and the memorial spaces for martyrs form the historical core of Ugok Shrine, the retreat house carries that memory into present-day prayer, education, and reflection. It is therefore better understood not as an independent parish or monastery but as a retreat and prayer facility associated with Ugok Shrine under the Diocese of Andong. Its relationship to the shrine and its spiritual function are more essential to its identity than changeable program schedules or personnel information.