The Archdiocese of Seoul in South Korea ordained 23 new priests at Myeongdong Cathedral on Friday, January 28.
Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick presided over the ordination with Monsignor Fernando Reis, Chargé d’Affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature in Korea, and Cardinal Andrew Yeom.
The celebration was attended only by the parents of the new priests due to health restrictions brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, said a press statement from the archdiocese.
Among the newly ordained priests are members of the Seoul International Catholic Missionary Society, a group founded in 2005 that aims to send missionaries to Latin America.
Archbishop Chung said the ordination of the missionaries is a sign that the Church in Korea has become a “giving Church” from being a “receiving Church.”
South Korea has about 5.6 million Catholics spread across three archdioceses and 14 dioceses.
