About this place
Yeongbo House is a retreat and prayer facility of the Diocese of Suwon in Munwon-dong, Gwacheon, operated by the Sisters of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its identity is closely linked to the legacy of the congregation's founder, Father Seon Jong-wan, who devoted his life to the study and translation of Scripture, and it has a distinctive character as a place where people can remain for retreat, biblical study, and meditation.
Today, Yeongbo House is more than lodging for retreatants. It is a setting for the congregation's apostolate of prayer and Scripture, where individuals and groups can step away from daily routines, listen to the Word, and examine their lives near the community of the sisters. In this way, the memory of the founder's biblical apostolate continues through retreat and faith formation.
Among facilities associated with the congregation, Yeongbo House is especially marked by the history of the Munwon-dong site and the memory of the biblical apostolate. Because the prayer life of the sisters and the stay of retreatants continue on the same grounds, the place is best understood not simply as an educational facility but as a spiritual setting where the congregation and the faithful meet around the Word of God.
History & origins
The Sisters of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary moved their motherhouse to Makgye-ri in Gwacheon in 1967 and completed a convent and church there the following year. When the development plan for Seoul Grand Park made another move necessary, the congregation acquired a new site in Munwon-dong in 1978 and began construction for the relocation in 1979.
The new complex included a church commemorating the founder, Father Seon Jong-wan, and a retreat center for biblical study. “Yeongbo House” was blessed on May 11, 1982. At the time, the Catholic Times described it as a house intended to give priority to people seeking a place for retreat while studying Scripture. The congregation moved into the new Munwon-dong convent that same year.
The history of Yeongbo House therefore brings together an external circumstance—the relocation caused by urban development—and the congregation's deliberate effort to continue its founder's biblical apostolate. Completion of the new facility was not merely the end of a move; it gave lasting form to a place whose identity was centered on the Word of God and retreat.
The move to Munwon-dong combined the relocation of the congregation’s living base with a renewed organization of its retreat apostolate. The record that a memorial church and a retreat center for Bible study were prepared together shows that the new site was planned not merely as a residence but as a place for continuing the founder’s biblical apostolate. The history of Yeongbo House therefore carries both the story of the congregation’s relocation and a memory of biblical ministry in the Korean Church.
Korean Catholic Places Encyclopedia
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Building information
- Passenger elevators: 0
- 2 above-ground floors · 1 below-ground floors
- Approved for use in 1982
- Total floor area: 4,043㎡
Building-register record · · Source
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- 한국천주교주교회의 온라인 주소록
Diocese
Suwon Diocese (Diocese of Suwon)
Official website: http://www.casuwon.or.kr
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