Local Parish Now Official Home of Korean Catholic Community

To further preserve the language and culture of the Korean Catholic Community within the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki announced that the faith community of St. Mary Magdalen will become a personal parish for Korean Catholics effective July 1, 2011.

According to Archbishop Listecki, Korean Catholic leaders asked that consideration be given to a new arrangement of pastoral care for members of the Korean Catholic Community. After careful examination, it was decided that St. Mary Magdalen - already home to many Korean families - would become a personal parish, meaning that members of that parish will only be Catholics who share the same language and nationality of the Korean community.

Traditionally, most parishes are divided into “territories,” meaning that each parish serves a particular region, with parishioners attending the parish located nearest their area. By becoming a personal parish, St. Mary Magdalen is open to anyone in the Korean Catholic community regardless of their location.

The Korean Community in Milwaukee has been growing for nearly 30 years. The first priests to minister to the community were the Jesuits who had ministered at the University of Seoul, South Korea. Prior to coming to St. Mary Magdalen in 1994, the Korean Catholic community had gathered at a number of surrounding parishes, including Gesu Church, Milwaukee; St. John de Nepomuk, Racine; and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Kenosha.

For more information, you are encouraged to contact Eva Diaz at (414) 769-3397 or diaze@archmil.org.