Pentecost Peace Village Retreat House

History & origins

The origins of Pentecost Peace Village lie in a small shelter ministry in Busan during the 1980s. While serving at Choryang Parish in 1983, Father Oh Su-yeong became aware of the need for a place for people without support. After moving to Donghang Parish in 1986, more people came asking for shelter, and on August 3 of that year he converted a small storeroom in the parish into the “Pentecost House of Peace.”

As the number of residents quickly increased, the parish facilities were no longer sufficient. With the help of benefactors and his own resources, Father Oh acquired land in the Samnangjin area of Miryang. On August 15, 1986, he pitched a tent there and celebrated Mass, marking the beginning of “Pentecost Peace Village.” In March 1987, about sixty members of the community moved from Donghang Parish to Samnangjin, and in September of that year the village received authorization as a social welfare corporation, giving the community an institutional foundation.

The retreat house listed today operates as a spiritual space within this Peace Village. The sources reviewed do not give a separate opening date for the retreat house itself, but its background lies in the history of a community that settled in Samnangjin to welcome people who were poor or without support and gradually expanded its spiritual dimension so that service and prayer could be experienced together. For that reason, retreat at this place is difficult to separate from the spirit of hospitality and care that has marked Peace Village from its beginnings.