About Holy Korean Martyrs · Baltimore, Maryland
Holy Korean Martyrs Catholic Church is the only Korean national parish in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, serving about 400 registered Korean-American families in the Woodlawn area of Baltimore County. Established as a Korean National Parish in 1989 (originally as St. Bernard's Korean National Parish from 1891) and re-named Holy Korean Martyrs in 1997 when it moved to the former St. Lawrence campus on Security Boulevard, it is celebrated as the first official Roman Catholic Korean parish in the United States. Daily and weekend Masses are offered primarily in Korean, with a vibrant Sunday school, eight Legion of Mary groups, a weekly Holy Spirit prayer meeting, an RCIA program, and 33 small community groups that meet weekly for prayer, Scripture, food and fellowship.
- Established
- 1989
- Patron
- The 103 Korean Martyrs (canonized by Pope John Paul II in Seoul in 1984)
- Rector
- Rev. H. (Hasang) Paul Kim
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Baltimore
Why belong here
Holy Korean Martyrs is the spiritual home of Korean Catholics across the Baltimore region — a parish where Mass, sacraments, devotions, RCIA, and faith formation are offered in the Korean language and cultural context, while welcoming anyone who wants to worship with the community. With about 400 registered families organized into 33 weekly small groups, an active Sunday school, eight Legion of Mary groups, a weekly Holy Spirit prayer meeting, a marathon-running faith-life group, senior housing through Catholic Charities, and a new church building underway, it is a tight-knit community that actively serves new Korean immigrants and older parishioners alike.
Mass times at Holy Korean Martyrs
Weekly Mass schedule
Adoration times
- First Saturday of the month, 10:00 am – 7:00 pm (성체조배, Eucharistic Adoration)
Parish History
Holy Korean Martyrs traces its roots to 1972, when Baltimore-area Korean Catholics began gathering for worship at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Baynesville. In 1976 the community moved to St. Bernard's in Waverly, and in 1989 was formally erected as St. Bernard's Korean National Parish — a milestone recognized as the first official Roman Catholic Korean parish in the United States. The community relocated in 1997 to the former St. Lawrence Parish campus at 5801 Security Boulevard in Woodlawn and took the name Holy Korean Martyrs. The parish retained St. Lawrence's western-style statues and Stations of the Cross, added its name in Hangul above the entrance, and has since grown to about 400 registered families.
- 1972 — Korean Catholics begin worshipping together at Immaculate Heart of Mary, Baynesville
- 1976 — Community relocates to St. Bernard's, Waverly
- 1989 — Established as St. Bernard's Korean National Parish
- 1997 — Renamed Holy Korean Martyrs; moves to former St. Lawrence campus, Woodlawn
Patron: The 103 Korean Martyrs
The parish takes its name from the 103 (sometimes counted as 104) Korean Catholics martyred in the 19th century for their faith and canonized by Pope St. John Paul II during his 1984 visit to Seoul. 'Parish Day,' held on the third Sunday of September, commemorates their feast and is marked with a parish festival and a music competition among the 33 small community groups.
- 103 Korean Martyrs canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1984
- Parish Day — third Sunday of September
- Universal memorial — September 20
Faith Formation and Sunday School
Religious education runs from the preschool 'little ones' class through higher grades and is housed in the former Catholic school building on the parish's eight-acre campus. The Sunday School also offers registration-based classes for the academic year, with separate fees per child. Korean language classes for children are taught on Saturdays and currently draw about 70 students.
- Sunday School registration through hkmccsc.com
- Korean language classes for children — Saturdays
- Religious education in the former parish school building
Small Community Groups (소공동체)
Every registered family is assigned to one of 33 small community groups that meet weekly for prayer, Scripture reading, food and fellowship. The groups also compete against one another each September in a music contest held as part of the parish's Korean Martyrs feast day festival.
- 33 small groups
- Weekly prayer, Scripture, meals, and fellowship
- Annual music competition in September
Legion of Mary and Other Ministries
Eight Legion of Mary praesidia are active in the parish, alongside the Manna charitable committee, which raises funds annually for international and local causes including Our Daily Bread. The parish also runs a faith-and-fitness running group (활기찬 몸과 신앙생활) that has taken members into the Baltimore Marathon, a vocations-promotion program, and a twice-yearly retreat held at the former St. Bernard convent.
- Eight Legion of Mary groups
- Manna charitable committee
- Faith & Fitness / marathon running group
- Vocations retreats and summer camp
- Twice-yearly retreats at the former St. Bernard convent
Outreach and Senior Community
Father Joseph Kim helped spearhead the creation of Catholic Charities of Baltimore's Holy Korean Martyrs senior community, a complex of 74 rent-assisted apartments for older adults that grew out of observations that elderly parishioners were aging in place. The parish also welcomes three to five new Korean immigrant families each year, helping with identification, housing, and banking.
- Holy Korean Martyrs Senior Community — 74 rent-assisted apartments (Catholic Charities of Baltimore)
- Welcomes ~3–5 new Korean immigrant families per year
- Annual Manna fundraising for local and international charities
New Church Building Campaign
The parish has long prepared to build a new church on its Woodlawn campus, raising roughly $3.5 million toward a reported $12 million goal. The project has its own architectural committee website with a design narrative, liturgical design plan, construction gallery, and Q&A page. Parish-wide spiritual support for the project includes a Million-Decade Rosary offering (currently reported at about 372,000 decades, or 37% of the one-million-decade goal) and a daily prayer for the building of the new church.
- New church committee website with design narrative and gallery
- Million-Decade Rosary offering — ongoing
- Fundraising toward a new church building
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph Kim1988–2021
Founding pastor; came from the Archdiocese of Daegu, Korea; previously served Korean communities in Boston (1984–88) and Montreal (1982–84); incardinated into the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 2002; retired July 1, 2021.
- Rev. Haechul Chung2021–2025
Former associate pastor; succeeded Father Joseph Kim as pastor on July 1, 2021.
- Rev. H. (Hasang) Paul Kim2025–present
Installed as pastor by Archbishop William E. Lori on December 20, 2025; sent by the Archbishop of Daegu.