서울 영성의 집

History & origins

The development of Seoul House of Spirituality is closely connected with the Carmelite Missionary Sisters’ effort to expand formation in contemplative prayer in Korea. To introduce Carmelite contemplative prayer in a systematic way, the sisters brought to Korea in 1990 a program of prayer that had developed within the Discalced Carmelite tradition in Spain. On this basis they continued schools of prayer, retreats, and spiritual formation. The purpose was not simply to teach a method of prayer but to accompany Catholics in learning interior silence and a daily awareness of the presence of God.

The present House of Spirituality in Sajik-dong was established as a permanent setting for this ministry. According to Catholic Times, its blessing took place on March 19, 2003, in Sajik-dong, Jongno-gu. The building, with two basement levels and three floors above ground, included a chapel, lecture room, dining room, spaces for group sharing, retreat rooms, and a prayer room, and was arranged to support individual and small-group retreats and formation. This provided a significant transition by giving the prayer-school and spirituality apostolate a stable home.

Since then, Seoul House of Spirituality has continued small retreats, individual prayer, and spiritual accompaniment in connection with the sisters’ school-of-prayer ministry. The official description still places silence and prayer at the center, showing continuity with the contemplative formation developed since the 1990s. Its history is therefore not simply the story of a building opened in 2003, but the process by which the Carmelite Missionary Sisters introduced the Carmelite contemplative tradition to Korean Catholics and established it as an ongoing ministry of retreat and spiritual accompaniment. Its location in central Sajik-dong also made spiritual retreat accessible to Catholics seeking short periods of silence and prayer close to daily life, not only to those able to travel away for a long retreat.