When the Serra Club of Hong Kong gathered at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Sept. 15 for its monthly meeting, members heard the story of a Korean missionary priest whose ministry reflects the changing role of the Church in South Korea.
Following a pre-meeting Mass, members heard the testimony of Father Andrew Kim, a priest of the Korean Missionary Society (KMS) who serves as parish priest at St. Margaret Mary’s Church.
Father Kim spoke about his missionary journey, the challenges of adapting to another culture, and the development of the Korean Church from a mission field into a Church that sends missionaries abroad.
From receiving to sharing
The Korean Missionary Society was founded in 1975 by Bishop John A. Choi Jae-seon, bishop emeritus of Busan.
For generations, the Catholic faith in South Korea was supported by foreign missionary communities, including Maryknoll, the Paris Foreign Missions Society (MEP), and the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME).
The establishment of KMS marked a shift in the Korean Church from what the article describes as a “receiving church” to a “sharing church.”
KMS now sends missionaries ad gentes — to the nations — following the missionary tradition of the international communities that once served in Korea.
Over the past five decades, KMS has sent nearly 90 missionaries across Asia, Oceania, Africa and the Americas.
In East Asia, KMS has missionaries serving in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Its priests live and work with local parish communities, learn local languages and support diocesan ministries.
A mission lived in Hong Kong
Father Kim’s own vocation reflects that wider missionary work.
He arrived in Hong Kong in 2000 and spoke to the Serra Club about the challenges he faced during his early years in the city, including adapting to the tropical climate and regional cuisine and learning Cantonese to serve his congregation.
Father Kim said those difficulties were outweighed by the joy of walking alongside God’s people.
After serving an initial seven-year term in Hong Kong, he returned to South Korea, where he spent 14 years in seminary formation, mentoring and preparing young missionary priests.
In 2021, Father Kim returned to Hong Kong and took up his current ministry at St. Margaret Mary’s Church, where he continues to serve the local community.
