Epata Parish Church

Overview

Ephata Church is a parish for deaf Catholics in Majang-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, belonging to the Archdiocese of Seoul. The Seoul Catholic Deaf Mission Association, rooted in the deaf community that began at Donam-dong church in 1957, became a quasi-parish in 2017 and was raised to a parish with the dedication of its church building in 2019, becoming today’s Ephata Church. Yonhap News reported it as the first church for the deaf opened in the Seoul area.

History

[Deaf catechism class and deaf department at Donam-dong church (1957–)] The introductory page of the mission association states that the history of the Seoul Catholic Deaf Mission Association began when German Sister Heo Ae-deok taught catechism to deaf people at Donam-dong church in Seoul in 1957. The chronology on the same page records that the deaf catechism class began at Donam-dong church on April 6, 1957 under the guidance of Sister Heo Ae-deok and that a deaf department was established at Donam-dong church on October 10 of the same year, while the introductory text gives 1959 as the founding year of the deaf department. The chronology records that Sister Laurentius began deaf catechism instruction at the women’s hall of Myeongdong church in November 1962, and the Ephata Church introductory page states that a deaf community also began at Myeongdong Cathedral in 1965.

[Seoul Catholic Deaf Mission Association (1986–)] The two communities were united under the name Seoul Catholic Deaf Mission Association in 1986 (Ephata Church introduction). The mission association’s introductory page states that the Seoul Catholic Deaf Mission Association under the Seoul Catholic Social Welfare Association was founded in 1986, and the chronology records Father Jacob Choe Seon-ung as the first director priest and Sister Lucia Bae Suk-hui as the first director sister in 1986. According to the chronology, Ephata Sunday School catechism study began at Sejong-ro church in March 1982, Father Michael Jeong Sun-o was ordained a priest on February 4, 1989 and served as director priest (transferred to Nonhyeon-dong church in October 1992), and the blessing ceremony for the Seoul Catholic Deaf Mission Association office was held on April 16, 1989. On April 26, 1992, the association’s foundation anniversary was fixed as the last Sunday of April, and Father John the Apostle Kim Hyeon-deok was ordained a deacon on July 2, 1992 and ordained a priest on July 16, 1993. On April 18, 1999, signed Mass began at Nakseongdae church. In 1977, the Korean government (Camellia Medal of the Order of Civil Merit on March 24) and the German government (Cross of the Order of Merit First Class on November 7) decorated Sister Heo Ae-deok, Sister Heo Ae-deok passed away on January 24, 2005, and the unveiling ceremony for her bust was held on April 14, 2010.

[Signed Mass in Suyu-dong and Father Park Min-seo] The Ephata Church introduction states that signed Mass was celebrated in the Suyu-dong area from 1990 to 2019. Yonhap News reported that Father Park Min-seo, Asia’s first deaf priest and head of the deaf mission association, had been celebrating Mass in a borrowed building of a sisters’ congregation in Suyu-dong, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul. According to the chronology, Benedict Park Min-seo was ordained a deacon on July 6, 2006, ordained a priest at Jamsil Gymnasium on July 6, 2007 and celebrated his first Mass at Beon-dong church on July 8, 2007, and he is recorded as director priest from the 2007 officers’ list. On October 7, 2012, the 55th anniversary of the founding of the Seoul Catholic Deaf Mission Association was celebrated with Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk presiding.

[Church building project] Yonhap News and Herald Economy reported that about 500 believers were registered with the deaf mission association but only 150 people could join Mass together. According to the two newspapers, from 2011 Father Park Min-seo visited more than 150 churches to offer sponsored Masses to raise the building fund, and the faithful helped with charity bazaars and concerts. The chronology lists a one-day pub fundraiser for the church fund in December 2010, a charity concert for the church building on October 19, 2012, a flea market for the church fund on November 10, 2013, a sharing concert for the church building fund on July 3, 2015, a concert Ephata for the deaf church building on October 15, 2015, and a happiness concert for the deaf church building fund on September 6, 2017.

[Promotion to quasi-parish and parish (2013–2019)] The Ephata Church introduction states that it purchased land in Majang-dong in 2013 and purchased additional land in 2015 and celebrated the groundbreaking Mass in July 2017 (the chronology records it as the Ephata Church groundbreaking Mass on July 21, 2017). In August of the same year the deaf mission association was raised to a quasi-parish, which the chronology describes as the establishment of the Seoul Catholic Deaf Mission Association (quasi-)parish on August 18, 2017, incorporation into Central Seoul Region Dobong-Gangbuk District No. 6, and promotion of Father Benedict Park Min-seo to pastor. On September 24, 2017, it marked the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Seoul Catholic Deaf Mission Association. On August 20, 2018, the quasi-parish name was changed to Ephata Quasi-Parish. The church building was completed on August 15, 2019, and with the dedication ceremony (consecration) presided over by Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung on August 25, it was approved as a diocesan parish (Ephata Church chronology). The Ephata Church introduction states that it celebrated the blessing Mass for the church building in August 2019 and was raised to Ephata Parish.

[After 2020] According to the chronology, Mass was suspended on February 25, 2020 due to COVID-19, online Mass at Ephata Church began on YouTube on April 8, and Mass resumed on April 23. On June 19, 2025, signed Mass in sign language was offered at Ephata Church and the closing ceremony for the first-half sign-language class was held. According to the Catholic Newspaper, the sign-language class consists of a basic class, an advanced conversation class, and a Catholic sign-language class (each 6 months, 18 months in total) and is a program in which deaf people directly take part in teaching to train non-disabled volunteers, and on that day 21 in the basic class, 11 in the advanced conversation class, and 13 in the Catholic sign-language class, 45 people in total, received certificates. The parish has continued to hold the sign-language class, which began in the early 1980s at the Seoul Catholic Deaf Mission Association, since its promotion to a quasi-parish in 2017.

Building and Space

According to Yonhap News, the church was built on a site of 886㎡ with 2 basement floors and 6 above-ground floors, with a total floor area of 2,405㎡ (Herald Economy gives a different total floor area). It has a large chapel and a small chapel, a speech and hearing therapy room, and a small retreat house. The large chapel with 300 seats where Mass is offered was built in stepped form so that signing can be seen well from anywhere, and a large LED display 3 m wide and 1.8 m tall allows the presiding priest’s signing and subtitles to be seen together. Yonhap News and Herald Economy reported that 600 characters of John chapter 6, handwritten by Father Park Min-seo over a month, are engraved on the church wall, and Yonhap News added that his pen name Su-u (守愚) is attached at the end of the lettering. Herald Economy wrote that it was done at the designer’s suggestion. Ephata means be opened (Herald Economy).

Jurisdiction and Affiliation

The address book of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea lists Ephata Parish as belonging to East Seoul Region Seongdong-Gwangjin District No. 8 of the Archdiocese of Seoul, with foundation date August 18, 2017, 290 believers, and 0 Catholic mission chapels. The Ephata Church chronology states that at the time of the (quasi-)parish establishment on August 18, 2017, it was incorporated into Central Seoul Region Dobong-Gangbuk District No. 6.

Related Places and People

• Donam-dong church: the church where Sister Heo Ae-deok’s deaf catechism class and deaf department began in 1957 (mission association introduction of Ephata Church).
• Myeongdong Cathedral, Sejong-ro church and Nakseongdae church: places where the deaf catechism class (women’s hall of Myeongdong church), Ephata Sunday School (Sejong-ro church), and signed Mass (Nakseongdae church) took place (Ephata Church chronology).
• Sister Heo Ae-deok: a German sister who devoted her life to deaf people in Korea, introduced as the starting point of the history of the Seoul Catholic Deaf Mission Association (mission association introduction of Ephata Church).
• Father Benedict Park Min-seo: reported as Asia’s first deaf priest (Yonhap News, Herald Economy) and the first pastor of Ephata Church (Ephata Church introduction).
• Father John the Apostle Kim Hyeon-deok: listed as the 2th pastor on the Ephata Church introduction page. Father Callistus Kim Dong-jun is listed as the first assistant priest.

References and Sources

1. Ephata Catholic Church, church introduction. Beginning of the deaf community (1957·1965), integration in 1986, signed Mass in Suyu-dong, land purchase, groundbreaking, quasi-parish and parish promotion in 2013–2019, successive pastors and assistants.
   https://ephatha.org/about-ephatha/
2. Ephata Catholic Church, mission association introduction (Seoul Catholic Deaf Mission Association). Sister Heo Ae-deok and chronology of 1957–2020, quasi-parish establishment (2017.8.18) and dedication ceremony (2019.8.25).
   https://ephatha.org/%ec%84%a0%ea%b5%90%ed%9a%8c-%ec%86%8c%ea%b0%9c/
3. Yonhap News, Seoul Majang-dong: church for the deaf Ephata Church to open (2019.8.14). Size, large chapel and LED display, sponsored Masses, lettering of John chapter 6.
   https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20190814148900005
4. Herald Economy, First church for the deaf Ephata Church built: everyone is welcome (2019.8.16). Consecration, size, sponsored Masses, meaning of Ephata.
   https://biz.heraldcorp.com/article/2077593
5. Catholic Newspaper, Seoul Ephata Parish trains 45 sign-language volunteers linking deaf and non-deaf people (2025.6). Sign-language class and signed Mass.
   https://www.catholictimes.org/article/20250623500011
6. Online address book of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Ephata Parish. District, foundation date (2017.08.18), pastor and assistant, number of believers.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201007970&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011