Word Retreat House

History & origins

The Jesuit House of the Word first opened in 1973. Material released by the Korean Province of the Society of Jesus for its fiftieth anniversary in 2023 clearly identifies that year as the beginning of the retreat house. At a time when the Catholic Church in Korea was growing rapidly, the establishment of a stable place for prayer and retreats marked the development of a form of spiritual ministry distinct from the founding of a territorial parish.

The House of the Word subsequently continued its retreat apostolate in the tradition of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Ignatian retreats place particular emphasis on silence, personal prayer, meditation on Scripture, reflection, and discernment rather than on classroom-style religious instruction alone. The house has provided the sustained time and setting in which these practices can take place. Its history is therefore defined less by changes to the building than by the continuity of spiritual accompaniment and retreat ministry carried on within it.

In 2023, the Korean Jesuit Province marked the fiftieth anniversary and released material looking back on the history of the House of the Word. Its history of more than half a century is also the story of a place that has maintained a consistent spiritual purpose over time. The house continues the retreat ministry begun in 1973, preserving a tradition of helping people discern important choices and the direction of their faith through prayer.

The history of the House of the Word therefore differs in character from a chronology centered on the construction of a parish church or the division of a territorial parish. From the beginning it was established as a Jesuit place for retreat and prayer, and its central historical feature is the continuity of that purpose across half a century. This continuity gives the house significance as a place where Ignatian spirituality and spiritual discernment have remained accessible within the Korean Church across generations.