성령 강림 사도 수녀회

History & origins

The Apostolic Sisters of the Descent of the Holy Spirit began from a community founded by Sr. Oh Soo-young on August 15, 1986. Its earlier name was the Pentecost Peace Sisters, and it sought to live within religious life the prayer, sharing, and service to the poor associated with the apostles and the early Church at Pentecost. The congregation’s official account of its founder describes a community that developed its religious form while serving people facing hardship. The Eucharist, Scripture, and common prayer became central to its life as its apostolates expanded.

The Seoul branch was established early in the congregation’s history, on October 7, 1988. The congregation then developed a more stable structure of formation, with first professions in 1990 and perpetual professions in 1993. From 1994, retreats centered on reading and meditating on Scripture became an important apostolate. The sisters expanded their service beyond work with people in poverty in Korea to overseas communities and missionary activity. In 2017, through developments in ecclesial jurisdiction and community identity, the congregation came to use its current name, the Apostolic Sisters of the Descent of the Holy Spirit.

The current Korean Catholic directory lists the Seoul community at 15 Hangang-daero 98na-gil in Huam-dong, Yongsan-gu. Public sources do not establish, however, that the address used when the Seoul branch was first founded in 1988 was the same as the present Huam-dong site. It would therefore be inaccurate to imply an unbroken history in the same physical building since 1988. The documented continuity is that a Seoul branch community was founded in 1988 and that this branch tradition continues today at the registered Huam-dong location. Maintaining this distinction allows the congregation’s “Seoul apostolate” to be traced to 1988 without exaggerating the period of use of any particular building. The current Huam-dong branch carries that communal lineage forward and continues to support the congregation’s prayer, Scripture-retreat, and service mission in Seoul.