Dominican Religious Order

History & origins

The Order of Preachers was founded by Saint Dominic, and the Korean Catholic Directory records its date of foundation as December 22, 1216. The same directory gives May 25, 1990, as the date of the Order’s entry into Korea. From that period onward, the Dominicans developed religious life and apostolic work in Korea while forming Korean vocations and establishing stable communities.

The specific history of the Ansan community took shape in 2003, when a new monastery building was constructed there. The Catholic Times reports that for roughly the first two years the building was used as a novitiate for the formation of members. It thus served the Korean Dominican community at a stage when formation and apostolic preparation were being developed together.

In 2005, after an international novitiate was established in Hong Kong and the formation system changed, the Ansan monastery increasingly took on the character of an apostolic center. The friars assisted local parishes with the Eucharist and Confession, offered lectures and retreats, visited social-welfare institutions, and carried out various ministries according to their individual gifts.

This development shows how the Ansan Rosary of Our Lady Monastery became more than a residence. It grew into a local point where the Dominican vocation to contemplation and preaching meets the needs of the Church. Common life and prayer lead outward into parish assistance, education, retreats, and social service, forming the distinctive history of this place.