Jesus Religious Order

History & origins

The Boeun community of Congregatio Jesu began in June 1967, when the sisters established a convent at St. Mary's Clinic in Boeun and started a local healthcare ministry. Medical services were still limited in the area, and the sisters provided medical and public-health assistance to local residents through the clinic. Begun only a few years after Congregatio Jesu established itself in Korea, this work shaped the original apostolic character of the Boeun community.

As medical facilities became more widely available in the region, St. Mary's Clinic closed in 1993. The existing building was then renovated, with the second floor used as the convent, allowing the religious community to remain on the same site. As the building aged, it was demolished in 2012 and a reconstruction project began for a new convent and a separate retreat facility.

The new Boeun convent and Mary Ward Spirituality House were completed in June 2013, and a Mass of blessing was celebrated with the Bishop of Cheongju presiding. The spirituality house was equipped with a chapel, lecture rooms, and accommodations so that it could host retreats and prayer programs centered on the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises.

In this way, the Boeun community began with healthcare service and, as local circumstances changed, gradually shifted the center of its apostolate toward spirituality and retreat ministry. The medical ministry of the 1960s and today's spirituality house take different forms, but together they show how Congregatio Jesu's mission of responding to the needs of the times has continued at this place.