About this place
Gwangju Student Monastery of the Discalced Carmelites (O.C.D.) is a men's religious community in Nampyeong-eup, Naju, within the Archdiocese of Gwangju. The Catholic Church Directory in Korea records the house as "Gwangju Student Monastery" and gives the English name Order of Discalced Carmelite, while the archdiocese lists the Carmelite Order at the same address.
The Discalced Carmelites stand within the Carmelite contemplative tradition, in which prayer, silence, community life, and interior growth hold a central place. The Korean men's Discalced Carmelite community began common life in 1974 and has also participated in the Church's study of spirituality and spiritual ministry. The designation "student monastery" shows that this house is particularly connected with the study and formation of religious within the Carmelite life of prayer.
The site is therefore not primarily an independent parish church for the surrounding area. It is a monastery centered on the formation and common life of Carmelites, and is best understood in the context of Carmelite contemplation, prayer, fraternity, and spiritual service to the Church.
History & origins
The Korean male community of the Discalced Carmelites began communal life in Korea in 1974 when Korean Carmelite priests who had been formed in France returned home. The community later expanded through houses in Incheon and Masan and through a student community in Seoul.
The Carmelites entered the Archdiocese of Gwangju in 1999 and initially lived in a dormitory of Gwangju Catholic University while forming a student community. Construction of a student monastery in Nampyeong, Naju began in April 2001, and the present Gwangju Student Monastery was dedicated on October 29, 2002. The new house included a church, residential cells, a library, and lecture space.
The Nampyeong monastery was thus established as a formation house for the Korean Carmelite community, combining student formation with the contemplative life of the order.
Korean Catholic Places Encyclopedia
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Building information
- Passenger elevators: 1
- 3 above-ground floors · 1 below-ground floors
- Approved for use in 2004
- Total floor area: 2,995㎡
Building-register record · · Source
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- Official
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- Official source
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- Fresh
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- 한국천주교주교회의 온라인 주소록
Diocese
Gwangju Archdiocese (Archdiocese of Gwangju)
Official website: https://www.gjcatholic.or.kr/
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