Gammul Ecological Learning Center

History & origins

The Diocese of Busan began preparing Gammul Ecological Learning Center in 2011 to create a place where ecological and environmental questions could be learned and experienced from a perspective of faith. The project was shaped by the desire to rediscover the order of God's creation and seek ways to preserve it, with education and retreat life planned together in the natural environment of Miryang.

After this period of preparation, the center opened on April 6, 2013. It included a main building, education facilities, a hall and dining area, residential space, and a prayer room. Solar power for the lodging units, natural wastewater treatment, reused structures, and an ecological pond were designed so that the facilities themselves would demonstrate a more ecological way of living. The intention to step away from competitive and consumer-centered habits and rediscover harmony with nature was reflected in both the architecture and the operating plan.

From the beginning, planned programs included basic and experiential ecology courses, youth training, education related to rural life, lectures on ecological spirituality, retreats, and meditation. In this way the center began not merely as an environmental education facility but as a pastoral space connecting care for creation with spiritual life, becoming a diocesan base for bringing prayer and direct experience of nature together.