Little Sisters of Mary

History & origins

The Little Company of Mary was founded in 1877, and the Korean Catholic Directory records its arrival in Korea on November 23, 1963. Its early apostolate in Korea became closely connected with medical ministry in Gangneung within the Diocese of Chuncheon, and that work took concrete form when Calvary Clinic opened in Gangneung in 1965.

Calvary Clinic was opened in 1965 by sisters of the Little Company of Mary sent from Australia together with medical staff. At a time when the very concept of hospice care was scarcely known in Korea, the sisters and staff cared for patients approaching the end of life and continued a ministry of home visits. They also assisted poor patients and those who had difficulty receiving care, gradually developing an apostolate that joined medical service with care for the dying.

In 2015, Calvary Clinic marked the fiftieth anniversary of its opening. Its half-century of work accompanied the gradual development of hospice awareness in Korea, while the Little Company of Mary community at Calvary Clinic has supported this apostolate through religious common life and prayer. The history of this place is therefore best understood at the meeting point between the congregation's arrival in Korea and the medical and hospice ministry that began in Gangneung.