About this place
The St. Francis Friary in Jegi-dong, Seoul, is a Franciscan religious community at 498 Gosanja-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, and the base of the “House of Francis” ministry for people in poverty. Both the Korean Franciscan Province and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea directory identify the same address as St. Francis Friary and a meal service for the poor.
What distinguishes the place is the direct connection between Franciscan prayer and community life and social ministry among vulnerable neighbors. For many years the House of Francis has provided meals to elderly people without support and to people experiencing homelessness; Church sources also describe a broader ministry of shelter, counseling, bathing and laundry assistance, and medical volunteering.
History & origins
The apostolate of the House of Francis in Jegi-dong began in 1988. According to a report quoting its director, a community was formed in May 1988 and opened a meal service for homeless people in rented premises in Jegi 1-dong. Franciscan Church sources likewise record that the friars have kept serving meals there since 1988.
In May 1992 the ministry acquired a building at 793 Jegi-dong and moved into what became its present base. St. Francis Friary and the House of Francis subsequently developed as a single site where religious community life and ministry among people in poverty are carried out together.
Today, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea directory still lists 498 Gosanja-ro as the “Seoul Jegi-dong St. Francis Friary / meal service for the poor.” The current directory therefore confirms the continuity of the social apostolate that began in the late 1980s as a defining identity of this place.
Korean Catholic Places Encyclopedia
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Building information
- Passenger elevators: 0
- 4 above-ground floors · 0 below-ground floors
- Approved for use in 1967
- Total floor area: 597㎡
Building-register record · · Source
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Sources and updates
- Information Status
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- Source
- Official source
- Data freshness
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- Source
- 한국천주교주교회의 온라인 주소록
Diocese
Official website: https://aos.catholic.or.kr
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