Society of the Handmaids of Mary

About this place

The Suwon community of the Servants of Mary is a women’s religious community located at Jeongja Kkonmoe Catholic Church in Jeongja-dong, Suwon. The Catholic Church Directory in Korea lists both the parish and the congregation’s Suwon community at the same location, and the parish entry identifies the Servants of Mary as its religious sisters. The character of the place is therefore clearly that of a religious community serving within a parish rather than an independent parish of its own.

The Servants of Mary have maintained parish ministry as an important apostolate in Korea, and records connected with the Diocese of Suwon also confirm their service at Jeongja Kkonmoe Parish. The significance of this community lies in the way religious common life and service to parishioners meet in one place. When searching for the site, it is important to distinguish the Jeongja Kkonmoe parish church from the congregation’s Suwon community even though they share the same address.

Records connected with the Diocese of Suwon explain that the congregation has carried out educational and social apostolates as well as parish ministry. The Suwon community at Jeongja Kkonmoe is a present example in which the congregation is directly connected with a parish. The site's essential character is therefore not the operation of a separate religious facility, but a community of sisters maintaining religious common life while assisting the faith life and pastoral ministry of the local parish at close range.