Korean Martyrs Catholic Center (한국 순교자 천주교회) sits at 7655 Trask Avenue in the heart of Westminster's Little Saigon, the largest Korean American community in the United States. The parish is the first Korean Catholic community to receive official recognition from the Diocese of Orange and remains a home for roughly 800 households - about 2,000 people - who worship, form their children, and organize their social and spiritual life around the rhythms of the Catholic Church celebrated in the Korean language.
Forty-Seven Years on Trask Avenue
The parish traces its beginning to April 1977, when eleven Korean Catholic families met at the home of a parishioner named Mark Kim to discuss the need for a Korean-language Mass in Orange County. Los Angeles already had its Korean parish, but the growing Korean population south of it had nowhere nearby to worship in their own language. Within months, the group had organized itself into a community, and on September 22, 1977, the Diocese of Orange granted it official parish status - the date the parish still marks as its founding day.
From the start, the parish was led by Columban missionaries (골롬반회). Father Frank Myung (명 프랭크 신부) served from 1978 to 1990, Father John Chin (진 요한 신부) from 1990 to 1999, and Father John Kang (강 요한 신부) from 1999 to 2007. The founding generation's sacrifice laid the groundwork for two daughter Korean Catholic communities in the area, St. Thomas Korean Community and St. Elizabeth Korean Community.
Today the parish is pastored by Father Benedict Yang (양세용 베네딕도 신부), supported by two permanent deacons, Deacon Ursinus Moon Lee and Deacon Nicholas Oh, and a sister, Sr. Michelle Jeong.
A Logo Shaped by the Korean Martyrs
The parish seal is built around the image of the 칼 (kal) - the heavy wooden plank that Korean persecutors placed across the necks of condemned Christians in the early nineteenth century. The cloth that hangs from this implement of execution represents victory: the cross used to execute the Lord has become the foremost symbol of his resurrection. Through the logo, the parish invites every member to remember the courage and steady faith of the Korean martyrs and to let their witness accompany daily Catholic life.
Mass Times and What to Expect
Saturday vigil Mass is celebrated in Korean at 6:30 PM. Sunday mornings offer two Korean Masses, at 7:30 AM and 9:30 AM, with an English-language Mass at 11:30 AM. Weekday Masses continue as scheduled in the sanctuary.
Parishioners are asked to arrive about ten minutes before Mass to settle into a quiet frame of mind, with phones silenced. Modest dress is the norm; athletic wear and slippers are discouraged. While readings, the Gospel, and the homily are proclaimed, members are asked to set aside bulletins and prayer aids and to listen attentively. The traditional one-hour Eucharistic fast before receiving Communion is observed, and families with small children are asked to keep little ones attentive so the prayer of the assembly can unfold undisturbed.
Mass is livestreamed for those at home.
Children, Teens, and the Korean Language School
Faith formation at Korean Martyrs Catholic Center is structured by age group and runs alongside Sunday worship.
- Children Faith Formation (CFF) gathers kindergartners through eighth graders on Sundays from 9:30 to 10:45 AM, with classes divided into PreK and Grade 1, Grade 2, Grades 3 to 5, and a junior-high track called SWAT. Lessons during the pandemic period were delivered by grade-level catechists through recorded videos and Zoom, with grade-specific homework packets sent home.
- WITNESS is the high school youth ministry, meeting Sundays from 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM. WITNESS combines faith formation with Confirmation preparation for ninth through twelfth graders.
- 한글학교 (Korean Language School) meets Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM with classes named 평화반 (Peace), 희망반 (Hope), 사랑반 (Love), 소망반 (Wish), 믿음반 1 (Faith 1), and 믿음반 2 (Faith 2). It is the parish's way of passing on the Korean language and culture to a new generation.
The Mothers' Group (자모회) of both the CFF and the WITNESS programs supports catechists with snacks, retreats, and celebration events such as Christmas, First Communion, and graduation. The parish also maintains the 복사단, the altar servers' guild.
An Array of Circles: The Parish Groups
The parish life is organized into four streams - spiritual, fellowship, service, and education - and runs more than thirty named groups, almost all of them conducted in Korean.
Spiritual and Prayer Groups
- 푸른군대 (Blue Army) follows the Fatima message: members gather on the second and fourth Wednesdays after the 9:00 AM Mass to pray the rosary and offer sacrifices for world peace.
- 성령기도회 (Holy Spirit Prayer Group) meets every Friday at 8:00 PM in Room 213 for praise, teaching, intercessory prayer, and shared reflection on the work of the Holy Spirit.
- 레지오 마리에 (Legion of Mary) and the 성소후원회 (Holy Childhood Association) carry the parish's apostolic commitments to Mary and to children in mission territories.
- 봉성체 tends to perpetual adoration, while 선종 봉사회 prepares the funeral liturgy.
Fellowship and Age-Based Groups
- 대건회 (Daegun Group) gathers families in their thirties through fifties after the 10:00 AM Sunday Mass.
- 하상회 (Paul Group) brings together men in their forties through sixties on the third Sunday of each month after the 10:00 AM Mass.
- 요셉회 (Joseph Group) gathers the senior members - those in their sixties, seventies, and beyond - on the fourth Sunday after the 10:00 AM Mass.
- 로사리오회 (Rosary Group) meets after the Sunday Mass to sing and pray five decades of the rosary together.
- 울뜨레야 (Ultreya) is the Cursillo follow-up community.
- 크리스테 (Christe) is the parish's young adult fellowship.
Marriage and Family Life
- 부부애 운동 (Marriage Encounter) follows the program begun by Jesuit Father Gabriel Calvo in the 1950s. Couples attend a 2-night, 3-day retreat at a retreat house, share honestly, and return home to live out a deeper Christian marriage. The group meets on the first Saturday of each month.
- 성모회 (Marian Group), made up mostly of women, models itself on the life of the Virgin Mary of Nazareth and supports the parish through acts of service to neighbor.
- 빈첸시오회 (St. Vincent de Paul Conference) carries out the parish's outreach to those in need.
Education and Bible Study
- 성경 공부 (Bible Study) gathers parishioners around Scripture.
- 예비자 교리 (RCIA) forms adults preparing for baptism, confirmation, and first Communion, with classes offered in both Korean and English.
- 성인 견진반 prepares adults for the sacrament of Confirmation.
English-speaking adults find their own community in the 소공동체 (SFC, Small Faith Communities), an English-language Legion of Mary praesidium, a Bible Life study, and the RCIA track offered in English.
The Sacraments
Parishioners can prepare for every Catholic sacrament at home.
- Baptism (세례성사): Infant baptism (children through age 6) requires both parents to attend two preparation classes; adult catechumens enter the RCIA process that runs from August through Easter, attending the 9:30 AM Sunday Mass and weekly instruction in either Korean or English.
- First Communion (첫 영성체) is prepared through the CFF program.
- Confirmation (견진성사) is prepared through WITNESS for high school students and through the adult track for older members.
- Marriage (혼인성사), Anointing of the Sick (병자성사), and Funerals (장례) are coordinated through the parish office.
The parish subscribes to the Diocese of Orange's child and youth protection program, and the entire parish community is committed to providing a safe environment for its children.
Devotions That Mark the Year
Special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus runs through the parish's devotional life. Members are encouraged to make a personal interior devotion the foundation of their faith, meditating on Christ's life, passion, and presence in the Eucharist. On the first Friday of each month, parishioners receive Communion over nine consecutive months in reparation for the indifference shown to Jesus' Passion. The annual feast of the Sacred Heart falls on the Friday after the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, and the parish observes a Sacred Heart month with prayers and a renewed consecration of self and family to the Heart of Jesus.
During Advent, Lent, and the Easter season, the parish has produced video novena series, including the nine-day Source & Summit Corpus Christi Novena, available in both Korean and English.
Office, Office Hours, and Giving
The parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Sunday from 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM, and is closed Friday and Saturday. Office Manager Yoonmi Shin (kmcc@kmccoc.org, ext. 100) handles general inquiries.
The parish accepts Sunday and holy day offerings, stewardship pledges (교무금), thanksgiving offerings (감사헌금), Mass stipends, second collections, and designated gifts to the St. Vincent de Paul Conference, the Youth Ministry (WITNESS), the Children Faith Formation program, the Korean Language School, and the Christ the Light Campaign. Gifts can be made by check mailed to the parish, by credit or debit card through the online giving portal, or by automatic electronic transfer using the EFT registration form available from the office.
A Safe Place for the Next Generation
The parish, together with the Diocese of Orange, is committed to providing a safe environment for children and youth. Catechists, youth ministers, and all volunteers who work with minors are required to follow the diocesan child and youth protection protocols, and the parish encourages parents to be active participants in every step of their children's sacramental preparation.
Walk through the doors at 7655 Trask Avenue on a Sunday morning and you will find a parish where the Korean language, the Catholic faith, and the long memory of the Korean martyrs are passed carefully from one generation to the next.