A new parish has been established in the South Korean city of Cheongju, the capital of Chungcheongbuk-do Province, in honor of the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and other Bodiless Powers of Heaven. The parish was established at the request of residents of the city and nearby cities, where the Russian-speaking population lives compactly. The first service in Cheongju brought together not only Orthodox residents of the city, but also believers who came from the cities of Daejeon, Cheonan and other settlements of the provinces of Chungcheongbuk-do and Chungcheongnam-do.

The Divine Liturgy in the newly formed parish was celebrated by Archbishop Theofan of Korea, co-served by Hierodeacon Nektarios (Lim).

Before the Liturgy, the Archbishop performed a service of blessing of water and sprinkled the walls of the room where the service was held with holy water. The parish does not yet have its own premises; services will be temporarily held in the Radost Children’s Development Center. The parishioners began to receive the Sacraments of Repentance and Communion, some of them after a long period of time after moving to a permanent place of residence in the Republic of Korea.

At the end of the service, the archpastor addressed the congregation with a sermon in which he emphasized the need for Christians to regularly participate in the Church Sacraments, and also wished the parish further development. After the service, the Archbishop communicated with the parishioners over a joint meal.

Press Service of the Korean Diocese