성심의 프란치스코 수녀회

History & origins

The Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Hearts were founded on February 21, 1886, by the Franciscan Fr. Simpliciano. His ministry among vulnerable women on the streets, poor children, and people without social protection helped shape the character of the new congregation. The community placed Franciscan poverty, humility, and service at the center of religious life and eventually expanded its work to several countries.

The congregation entered Korea on July 22, 1989. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea directory records this as the official date of arrival, while Church materials relate that the Korean mission began following an invitation from Bishop Jang Byeong-hwa. The sisters developed apostolates suited to needs in Korean society, especially among people experiencing poverty, children, and others requiring support.

The Korean community later expressed the founding charism through practical ministries including free meal service for people experiencing homelessness and local children's centers. Such work was not simply welfare provision but a way of living Franciscan spirituality by remaining close to people in the most vulnerable situations. The congregation's nineteenth-century founding spirit thus took new forms in response to Korean social realities.

The place registered in MissaMap is the Jangwi-dong community, which the bishops' conference directory identifies as an active community in the Archdiocese of Seoul. Public official sources reviewed here do not establish the exact date on which this particular Jangwi-dong community opened or moved to the present address. The 1989 arrival in Korea should therefore not be treated as the foundation date of the Jangwi-dong house. Keeping these two histories distinct avoids overstating the chronology of the place.