The Korean Foundation In 1964, the Bishop of Seoul, Korea, found himself in the enviable position of having too many applicants for women?s religious orders. He appealed to the Adorers of the Blood of Christ in Wichita, Kansas. Would they consider accepting young Korean women into their congregation? The answer was, "Yes!" and the dream of Korean Adorers had begun. The dream moved toward becoming a reality on July 19, 1965, when ten young Korean women (Teresa Choi, Cecilia Song, Lutgartha Jung, Gemma Kim, Gemma Park, Julianna Kim, Clara Lee, Julianna Song, Christina Pai, and Sabrina Kim) arrived in Wichita to begin the process of becoming Adorers of the Blood of Christ.
In 1964, the Bishop of Seoul, Korea, found himself in the enviable position of having too many applicants for women?s religious orders. He appealed to the Adorers of the Blood of Christ in Wichita, Kansas. Would they consider accepting young Korean women into their congregation? The answer was, "Yes!" and the dream of Korean Adorers had begun.
The dream moved toward becoming a reality on July 19, 1965, when ten young Korean women (Teresa Choi, Cecilia Song, Lutgartha Jung, Gemma Kim, Gemma Park, Julianna Kim, Clara Lee, Julianna Song, Christina Pai, and Sabrina Kim) arrived in Wichita to begin the process of becoming Adorers of the Blood of Christ.
By 1971 Korean Adorers Yung Ja Clara Lee and Jin Sook Maria Song returned to Korea accompanied by American Adorers Florence May and Mary Clare Utz. Soon they were joined by Sister Soon Ja Julianna Kim and Sister Sylvia Gorges. In time it became evident that the the overwhelming demands of ministry and the resignation of some members from the Korean foundation made it next to impossible for the Sisters to build the strong sense of community necessary to sustain a successful foundation. Consequently, on August 10, 1973, the group returned to Wichita to give themselves time to study in order to prepare for religious formation work with the new members who would join them in Korea when they returned to their native country. The dream dimmed, but it would not die.
On September 15, 1977 the Korean Adorers returned to Korea with Sister Seong Soon Anna Kim as coordinator of the group and Sister Yung Ja Clara Lee as formation director. American Adorer Bernadine Wessel accompanied them.
When they arrived in Masan, they settled into their small house and moved among the people to see what needs they could meet. Within a short time, people joined the Adorers for prayer in their convent home. To meet their living expenses the Sisters taught English at a military hospital, held religious education classes, and taught in an alternative education program for young factory workers who had no other means of education. Soon the group was joined by Sister Hae Sook Columba Sim.
In 1978 American Adorer Mary Schoenecker joined the group and worked on projects for the welfare of women immigrant workers until she returned to the United States in 1999. In October of 1978 the group moved into larger quarters, making their small convent available as a home for eighteen girls who worked in the nearby factories.
The core group of Korean Adorers has now grown to sixteen: Sisters Yung Ja Clara Lee, Hae Sook Columba Sim, Seong Soon Anna Kim, Gun Choon Lydia Lee, Eun Sook Cecilia Kim, Gee Hae Cecilia Lee, Mi Sook Francesca Kwak, Young Ae Eugenia Lee, Myung Hee Gemma Shin, Hee Kyung Hildegarde Ahn, Sook Kyung Philippa Lee, Hee Kyung Julianna Kim, Eun Sil Veronica Kim, Bok Soon Agnes Kim, Kyung Mi Rosa Kim and Kyung Soon Josephina Lee. American Adorer Bernadine Wessel and Korean candidate Ra Mi Agnes Yoon are also with the group.
At present the Adorers in Korea operate a kindergarten, two study rooms, a home for girls from broken homes and a counseling center in the Catholic Social Center in Masan. Besides these ministries, they teach in the university, 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. Sister Hae Sook Columba Sim helped establish a family counseling center in Pusan and is an internationally recognized resource on the MBTI (Myers-Briggs personality indicator) in Oriental countries.
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 Yung Ja Clara Lee chairs that committee. 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. Recently Sister Clara has gone on a 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.
(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.)
More information about the Korean Adorers
US Mission Center, 4233 Sulphur Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63109, 877-272-1870 Vocation Office, 1400 South Sheridan Rd., Wichita, KS 67213 - Telephone: 877-ADORERS (877-236-7377)(Copyright 2005 Adorers of the Blood of Christ)
