Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres

History & origins

The Daughters of St. Paul began on June 15, 1915, in Alba, Italy. According to the congregation's official chronology, the sisters entered Korea through the Archdiocese of Seoul on December 13, 1960, and opened their first St. Paul Book Center in Chungmuro the following year, beginning apostolic work that included publishing and home visitation. From the beginning of their Korean mission, the congregation's identity was closely tied to using emerging forms of communication for the proclamation of the Gospel.

The Korean community later expanded its presence to additional dioceses. It became a province in 1981, and the official chronology explicitly records entry into the Diocese of Daejeon in 1985. In 1987, the congregation standardized its official Korean name as Seongbaoro Ttal Sudohwe, the Daughters of St. Paul. The history of the Daejeon community is therefore part of this broader national expansion.

The apostolate also developed as media changed. The chronology records successive use of video production, an online Catholic bookstore, e-books, and digital content. These developments show that, after establishing a presence in Daejeon, the congregation's purpose was not limited to one fixed activity but continued to adapt the communication of the Word to contemporary media.

Today the Daejeon community remains listed in the official Catholic directory as a community serving in the Diocese of Daejeon. Its historical context can therefore be understood through the sequence of the congregation's arrival in Korea in 1960, its entry into the Diocese of Daejeon in 1985, and its continuing regional participation in the communications apostolate.