The core group of Korean Adorers has now includes: Sisters Lee Yung Ja Clara, Kim Seong Soon Anna, Lee Gun Choon Lydia, Kim Eun Sook Cecilia, Lee Gee Hae Cecilia, Kwak Mi Sook Francesca, Lee Young Ae Eugenia, Ahn Hee Kyung Hildegarde, Lee Sook Kyung Philippa, Kim Hee Kyung Julianna, Kim Bok Soon Agnes, Kim Kyung Mi Rosa, Lee Kyung Soon Josephina and Yoon Ra Mi Agnes. American Adorer Bernadine Wessel and Korean candidate Han Gum Soon Rosaria are also with the group.
Korean Novitiate in Seoul (slide show)
Central House in Masan
At present the Adorers in Korea operate two study rooms, a home for girls from broken homes and a counseling center in the Catholic Social Center in Masan. Besides these ministries, sisters volunteer with the Young Christian Workers, the mentally challenged and immigrant women workers. They also direct prayer groups and instruct those wishing to join the Catholic Church.
The Sisters also guide groups through experiences of the Spiritual Exercises. The new Central House in Masan was designed to provide hospitality for day and overnight groups for retreats and other spiritual development programs. They had some persons for retreat even before the dedication. It is a comfortable building and a beautiful site for reflection. The Sisters in Seoul also provide hospitality and programs at the novitiate house, but to a lesser extent.
Through their many ministries, the Korean Adorers have helped to raise the consciousness of men and women concerning the attitudes and violence toward women that have permeated Korean society for many centuries. A major breakthrough occurred when the Major Superiors of Women in Korea were instrumental in getting the Korean Catholic Bishops Conference to appoint a committee to work with the bishops in identifying the needs of women and finding ways to improve their conditions. Korean Adorer Lee Yung Ja Clara formerly chaired that committee and is still very active. She has opened a hotline for victims of domestic abuse, begun educational programs for women, offered courses in feminine theology and Mariology. She has also trained women as parish leaders and counselors and has led projects for promoting just treatment and better pay for women workers. In a significant event, Sister Clara travelled by boat with 300 women from South Korea, to meet at the Diamond Mountains in North Korea with women from North Korea. It was the first meeting of its kind with women from South and North to meet around the topic of reunification. Sister Clara also participated in the first international women's conference in Beijing.
(Born of Courage and Gratitude: A Story of the Ministry of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ in Korea, by Loretta Gegen, ASC is the major source for the material on this page. Other Adorers contributing material for this page are Bernadine Wessell, Yung Ja Clara Lee, Diana Rawlings, and Janet Rowley.)PreviousThe Dream BeginsThe Dream StrugglesThe Dream Becomes a Reality
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