By Pascale Rizk, Agenzia Fides*
For more than 50 years, the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd in Chuncheon, Seoul, and Jeju, South Korea, have prayed and worked for women and girls in difficulty: single mothers, migrants, pregnant women, and girls abused within the family. In recent months, they inaugurated a new facility for women in need at their provincial house […] in Chuncheon.
Founded in 1995 with the help of donations, the sisters’ house in Chuncheon continues to grow today with the support of old and new benefactors who value the sisters’ work on behalf of women and girls from all over the country.
At the inauguration ceremony last April, Bishop Simon Kim Ju-young of Chuncheon addressed the benefactors, saying: “You must be the happiest of all. You should know that while we priests sometimes neglect prayer, the nuns, on the contrary, always pray diligently.” It was he himself who, a year earlier, had invited the parishes of the diocese to support the fundraising campaign launched by the sisters.
“Since 1993,” reports Sister Marie Jean Bae, who served as Provincial Leader from 2014 to 2019, “the sisters of Chuncheon had used the land on which the new building stands free of charge. Then, in 2022, the owner put the land up for sale. If it had been sold and another building had been built on the site, the sisters would have had to abandon their project.”
“We and the sisters of the contemplative branch prayed together out of desperation. The merciful God heard our prayers, and just two days after we intensified our prayers, the owner of the land changed his mind and decided to donate it to the convent, apologizing for not having done so sooner,” the sister continued. “What is even more surprising is that he also thanked us for accepting the donation,” summarizes Sister Marie Jean, who has since become the South Korean coordinator of Talita kum, the international network of consecrated women against human trafficking.
This year, the Congregation celebrates the bicentenary of its contemplative branch, whose history dates back to the works and spiritual insights of Saint John Eudes (1601-1680) in the 17ème century, when prostitution was a social scourge punishable by imprisonment. Faced with the misery and injustice that prevailed during a time of spiritual and moral decline, Eudes was urged by the young Madeleine Lamy in Caen, Normandy, to found the first house of refuge, a true “hospital for these souls.”
From papal approval until the revolution of 1789, 150 years passed, during which the religious were dispersed and their houses closed. It was not until 1825 that the houses were reopened thanks to the courage of a young superior, Mary Euphrasia, the foundress of the Sisters of St. Magdalene, now the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd.
Religious sisters at the side of women in need
Between the 1960s and 1970s – immediately after the Second Vatican Council – changes in the lives of the sisters in Korea also began to emerge. In 1966, at the invitation of Bishop Peter Han Kong-ryel of the Diocese of Gwangju, four American sisters came to Korea to establish the spirituality of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. Han was shocked by the sexual exploitation of young girls and women by the US military in his diocese and, in the charism of their foundress, Saint Mary Euphrasia, asked the sisters to help these victims of oppression.
Thus, in 1968, the sisters established a dormitory and vocational school near the US Air Force base in Gunsan. This facility remained in operation until 1976. Inspired by the motto “One life is more precious than the whole world,” their commitment to supporting single pregnant women clearly demonstrated how important it was for the Catholic Church to create appropriate facilities for these women.
Thus, at the invitation of Bishop Park Thomas Stewart, the sisters began with a small house in Seoul and opened Mary’s Home for single mothers in Chuncheon Province in 1979, before moving to the current provincial house complex and the counseling and support centers for women in 1985.
With the entry into force in South Korea of the law against prostitution in 2004 and the significant increase in international marriages – mainly due to the establishment of diplomatic relations with China in 1992 – forms of support for women in distress have been strengthened to meet the urgent need for counselling for women who are victims of domestic violence and to improve communication between spouses of different nationalities, which is often hampered by language and cultural barriers.
Healing wounds of body and soul
Increased awareness of justice and the denunciation of abuse against women led to the adoption of the Framework Act on Women’s Development (여성발전기본법) in South Korea in 1995. In centers for pregnant women such as Mary’s Home, women are prepared for a safe birth and can then decide whether to keep their child or place it in foster care. The work of the sisters is crucial in this area, as they advocate for anti-abortion policies in favor of the dignity of life. By welcoming women into these homes, they also aim to protect them from social prejudice.
Mothers who have been victims of various forms of violence can also come from outside to seek refuge in the facilities run by the sisters, for example, at the House of Friends in Seoul or at another women’s shelter in Jeju. Support can be short-term (six months) – renewable – or long-term (two years). To facilitate their return to normalcy, programs are developed to help them heal their emotional and physical wounds. The women are guided through their personal and professional development and receive support in the form of free room and lodging, medical care, vocational training to achieve economic independence, and preparation for the GED, an exam equivalent to a high school diploma.
The center in Chuncheon, which is operated in cooperation with Caritas, offers special legal support and advice, for example, in filing lawsuits against the perpetrator or drafting a statement in civil proceedings. The sisters also run homes for girls who have been victims of domestic violence and family problems. In these facilities, such as the Good Shepherd House, they receive support from their families.
At organizations such as the Good Shepherd House in Seoul, efforts are being made to give young girls back the warmth of family, the feeling of love and acceptance in a safe and comfortable place, where they are given a sense of normality. “There is no greater pain than being abused at home by one’s parents. It is a long road to achieve healthy independence and psycho-emotional recovery, but they do it,” says Mariana Inea Young, a ‘Sand Play’ therapist and social worker. “So many come back to share their stories of recovery,” adds Sister Damiana Ham.
A hotline for women in need
Every Thursday, Sister Rufina Hwa Jung Shim – 66 years old and now retired after seven years as head of the “hotline” in Jeju – went to the neighborhoods to help women on the streets. Her zèle, the fourth vow of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, allows her to transcend the boundaries of space and time to continue her mission. “We begin every morning with a Bible reading, and even though the staff includes women from all Korean denominations, the Gospel remains the heart of the mission.”
Au 1366 Center, the sisters are commissioned by the diocese to manage the “Catholic Women’s Line” telephone counseling service, established in 1998 by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Depending on the case, women are supported locally or placed in women’s shelters and connected with the police, hospitals, or other facilities established for their protection. In recent years, increased awareness of women’s issues in South Korea has led to a substantial change in government-sponsored social welfare services. Social service agencies working in the field are consulted by the government before defining the most appropriate policies. Appropriate professional qualifications are also required.
Meanwhile, on July 1, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family passed a law implementing the Advance Child Support Payment System. The system provides for the advance payment of family allowances and contributions even if one parent (usually the father) evades their child support obligations. The unpaid contributions of the insolvent parent remain with the parent as a debt to public institutions, which must be settled by paying contributions to the social security institutions. The law provides for monthly maintenance of 200,000 KRW (equivalent to 125 euros) for each child until they reach adulthood. This is a form of support that also alleviates the economic difficulties of single mothers and women abandoned by their spouses.
*This article was first published by Agenzia Fides on July 3, 2025, and is reprinted here with their kind permission. Access the original article ici.
