Milwaukee – St. Mary Magdalen Parish became the personal parish for Korean Catholics July 1, according to a June 30 press release from the communications office of the Milwaukee Archdiocese.
The press release stated that the parish, already home to many Korean families, will further preserve the language and culture of the Korean Catholic community within the archdiocese by allowing only Catholics who share the same language and nationality of the Korean community as members.
“According to Archbishop (Jerome E.) Listecki, Korean Catholic leaders asked that consideration be given to a new arrangement of pastoral care for members of the Korean Catholic community,” it said, noting that traditionally, parishes are divided into “territories,” each serving a particular region and the nearest parishioners.
“By becoming a personal parish, St. Mary Magdalen is open to anyone in the Korean Catholic community regardless of their location.”
Jesuit priests who had ministered at the University of Seoul, South Korea, were the first to minister to the Korean community in Milwaukee in 1994, which had before that time gathered at parishes including Gesu Church in Milwaukee, St. John de Nepomuk in Racine, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Kenosha.
For more information about the personal parish that will serve the Korean community that has been growing for almost 30 years, contact Eva Diaz at (414) 769-3397 or diaze@archmil.org.
