Notre Dame Spirituality Center

History & origins

The history of Notre Dame Ecological Spirituality House reaches back to 2008, when it began in Ganghwa under the name "Achimgari Ecological Farm." Following the Sisters of Notre Dame's 2004 General Chapter, the congregation continued to discern how the demands of justice, peace, and the integrity of creation should be lived in its own time. The Ganghwa site emerged as a concrete place for that discernment to become daily life and education. Construction with earth began that same year, while the Sisters initially lived in a private house, adapted to the local area, and began farming.

In 2011 the community moved into the building and was able to operate programs in earnest. From 2013, Sisters with experience in education joined the community and developed and refined ecological-spirituality programs for children and young people. The apostolate took clearer form through experiences with soil, crops, and the rhythm of the seasons rather than through explanation alone.

As participation grew and the original earthen building became too small, the congregation added a new building in 2019. The new facilities were blessed on March 1, 2020, in the presence of Bishop John Baptist Jung Shin-chul of Incheon. This development shows how the house has sought to embody the Church's concern for ecological questions not merely in statements, but in caring for the land, educating for a change of consciousness, and shaping community life.