About 103 Saints Korean Catholic Center · Torrance, California
The 103 Saints Korean Catholic Center (백삼위한인천주교회) is a Korean Catholic parish in Torrance, California, serving the Korean-American community of the South Bay area of Los Angeles County. Named for the 103 Korean Martyr Saints, the parish began in 1981 as a small Korean community sharing space at St. Philomena Parish in Carson before moving in October 2002 to its current home on a 4.3-acre campus with its own church and rectory in Torrance. The parish belongs to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (San Pedro Pastoral Region, Deanery 19), and its bilingual liturgical life in Korean and English is rooted in the motto: 'When we gather, we pray; when we scatter, we evangelize.'
- Established
- 1981
- Patron
- The 103 Korean Martyr Saints (백삼위)
- Rector
- Fr. Thomas Sang-man Han (한상만 토마스), in office since June 26, 2024
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Los Angeles (San Pedro Pastoral Region, Deanery 19); listed in the Archdiocesan Directory as a personal parish (M1 — The 103 Saints Korean Center, Torrance).
Why belong here
The 103 Saints Korean Catholic Center is a tight-knit bilingual Korean-American Catholic community of roughly 1,500 faithful served by a resident priest and an Olivetan Benedictine sister, with weekday and Sunday Masses in Korean and a bilingual family Mass in English and Korean. Members find here a parish grounded in three pillars — sincere joyful service, daily study of Scripture, and the family as the 'little church' of home prayer — together with a pastoral staff that walks families through the sacraments (baptism, marriage, anointing of the sick). It is an ideal home for Korean Catholics in the South Bay and for English-speaking family members who want to share in the same parish life.
Mass times at 103 Saints Korean Catholic Center
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 30 minutes before every Weekday Mass and the Saturday Vigil Mass
Parish Overview
The 103 Saints Korean Catholic Center (백삼위한인천주교회) is a Korean Catholic parish in Torrance, California, that takes its identity from the 103 Korean Martyr Saints. According to the parish's own 'About the Parish' page, it sits on a 4.3-acre campus in Torrance, the heart of LA's South Bay, with its own church and rectory. The parish belongs to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and, in the Archdiocesan Directory, is listed as a Korean personal parish (M1 — The 103 Saints Korean Center, Torrance) in the San Pedro Pastoral Region, Deanery 19.
- Korean name: 백삼위한인천주교회
- English name: The 103 Saints Korean Catholic Center
- Address: 2701 W. 237th St., Torrance, CA 90505
- Archdiocese of Los Angeles — San Pedro Region, Deanery 19 (personal parish M1)
History of the Parish
The parish traces its origins to February 1, 1981, when Korean Catholic faithful gathered as the St. Cecilia Korean Catholic Community (성 체칠리아 한인가톨릭공동체) at St. Philomena Parish in Carson under the founding pastor Fr. Francis Gwang-nam Kim. For more than two decades the community worshipped at St. Philomena while preparing for an independent home; in October 2002 the community moved to its current Torrance campus. The parish credits this growth to 'the unfailing, great love of almighty and merciful God' and to the material and spiritual help of benefactors in Korea and abroad, as well as to the dedication of successive pastors and parishioners.
- 1981 (Feb 1) — Founding as St. Cecilia Korean Catholic Community at St. Philomena, Carson, under Fr. Francis Gwang-nam Kim
- 1999–2002 — Continued growth under pastors Fr. Peter Kim and Fr. John Wook-jong Cho
- October 2002 — Relocation to current Torrance campus (4.3 acres with church and rectory)
Patron and Parish Identity
The name '103 Saints' honors the 103 Korean Martyr Saints, early Catholic converts of Korea who were persecuted and killed for the faith between 1839 and 1867 and were canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1984. Their feast day is September 20. The parish grounds its life in three faith guidelines and a single John 13:34 motto: 'I give you a new commandment: love one another.'
- Patron: The 103 Korean Martyr Saints (성인 103위)
- Parish verse: John 13:34 — 'Love one another as I have loved you'
- Parish motto: 'When we gather, we pray; when we scatter, we evangelize' (모이면 기도하고, 흩어지면 전교하는)
- Three faith guidelines: (1) serve God and the parish with a sincere and joyful heart; (2) study Scripture diligently and live it; (3) build up the family as the 'little church' through home prayer.
Sacraments and Sacramental Preparation
The parish website publishes a clear Sacramental schedule (성사 안내) that pairs each sacrament with a required lead time and point of contact. Confessions are heard 30 minutes before every Weekday Mass and the Saturday Vigil Mass. Baptisms, marriages, and the anointing and communion of the sick each have a designated procedure.
- Confession — 30 minutes before Weekday Mass and Saturday Vigil Mass
- Baptism — contact the parish office
- Infant Baptism — apply to the office 1 month in advance
- Confirmation (견진성사) — prepared through the parish
- Marriage — apply to the office 6 months in advance
- Eucharist of the Sick — apply to the parish priest or sister
- Anointing of the Sick — contact the priest or sister directly
- Communion to the Sick (병자영성체) — arranged through the small-group leader (반장)
Visiting and Contact
The parish's 'Location & Contact' (위치 연락처) page gives the Torrance address, phone, fax, email, and weekly office hours. The office is staffed Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday mornings from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm; Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday the office is closed.
- Address: 2701 W. 237th St., Torrance, CA 90505
- Phone: 310-326-4350
- Fax: 310-326-4360
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun — 8:30 am to 12:30 pm
- Closed: Monday, Tuesday, Saturday
Religious Sisters Serving the Parish
The parish's 'Our Sisters' (역대 수녀님) page lists thirteen Olivetan Benedictine Sisters (올리베따노 성 베네딕도 수녀회) who have served the community since 1999, in support of family ministry, faith formation, and outreach to the sick. The current sister is Sr. Mary Joel Choi (최지현 마리요엘), in residence since February 23, 2026.
- Religious institute: Olivetan Benedictine Sisters
- Current sister: Sr. Mary Joel Choi (최지현 마리요엘), since Feb 23, 2026
- Previous sister: Sr. Hilda Soon-yi Kim (김순이 히다), Jul 10, 2022 – Feb 9, 2026
- Earlier sisters (1999–2022): eleven Olivetan Benedictine sisters in succession
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Francis Gwang-nam Kim (김광남 프란치스코)Feb 1, 1981 – Dec 31, 1998
Founding pastor; served the St. Cecilia Korean Catholic Community at St. Philomena Parish, Carson.
- Fr. Peter Yun-geun Kim (김윤근 베드로)Jan 6, 1999 – Feb 25, 2001
- Fr. John the Apostle Wook-jong Cho (조욱종 사도요한)Mar 18, 2001 – Feb 18, 2005
Led the community through the 2002 relocation to Torrance.
- Fr. Mark Sang-dae Park (박상대 마르코)Mar 6, 2005 – Oct 4, 2009
- Fr. Martin Jang-hwan Lee (이장환 마르띠노)Oct 10, 2009 – Oct 10, 2013
- Fr. Peter Chang-geun Oh (오창근 베드로)Oct 11, 2013 – Sep 24, 2017
- Fr. Thomas Won-taek Shim (심원택 토마스)Sep 29, 2017 – Nov 1, 2020
- Fr. Moses Seung-sik Yoon (윤승식 모세)Nov 1, 2020 – Jun 30, 2022
- Fr. Alex Hyun-chul Jung (정현철 알렉시오)Jul 1, 2022 – Jun 23, 2024
- Fr. Thomas Sang-man Han (한상만 토마스)Jun 26, 2024 – present
Current pastor.