About St. Andrew Kim [Korean] · Olney, Maryland
St. Andrew Kim Catholic Church is a Korean Catholic parish located in Olney, Maryland, a northern suburb of Washington, D.C., within the Archdiocese of Washington. Named for St. Andrew Kim Dae-Geon — the first Korean priest and martyr — the parish has served as the spiritual and cultural anchor for Korean Catholics in the greater Washington metropolitan area for fifty years. Canonically established in 1974 after Korean residents and students first gathered for Mass at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in October 1965, the community moved from College Park to its present church in Olney, which was dedicated on November 17, 2002. Today it serves roughly 1,250 households with Mass offered in Korean and English, a robust Sunday School, and a beloved tradition of sharing a Korean lunch together after the main Sunday Mass.
- Established
- 1974
- Patron
- St. Andrew Kim Dae-Geon (St. Andrew Kim Taegon), the first Korean priest and martyr
- Rector
- Rev. Matthew Moonseong Park (since June 2023)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Washington
Why belong here
St. Andrew Kim is far more than a place to attend Mass — it is the spiritual and cultural home of the Korean Catholic community in greater Washington. Parishioners come together for daily and weekend Mass in Korean (and one Sunday Mass in English), then stay to share a Korean lunch prepared by rotating volunteer teams — a tradition the parish credits with binding multiple generations together. With Bible study groups, a Korean catechism class, a Sunday School, a Young Adult Group (YAG), a Legion of Mary curia, an English Community Committee, and outreach programs from youth faith formation to senior care, it offers a genuine family — one that has built, fed, and prayed together for fifty years.
Mass times at St. Andrew Kim [Korean]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 20 minutes before every Mass (Saturday Vigil, all Sunday Masses, weekday Masses)
About St. Andrew Kim Catholic Parish
St. Andrew Kim Catholic Church is a Korean Catholic parish in Olney, Maryland, within the Archdiocese of Washington. Named for St. Andrew Kim Dae-Geon, the first Korean priest and martyr, it has been the spiritual and social center of the Korean Catholic community in the greater Washington metropolitan area since 1974. The parish is bilingual, offering Mass in Korean and English, and currently includes about 1,250 households.
- Location: Olney, Maryland (northern suburb of Washington, D.C.)
- Archdiocese of Washington
- Established: 1974 (Korean Catholic community since 1965)
- Patron: St. Andrew Kim Dae-Geon
- About 1,250 households
Parish History
Korean Catholics in the Washington area first gathered for Mass at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in October 1965. In 1974 the Archdiocese of Washington formally established the Roman Catholic Korean Church, which was elevated in 1980 to the Blessed Andrew Kim Korean Pastoral Mission and in 1984 to St. Andrew Kim Parish. Through decades of fundraising — notably the famous Kimchi Task Force, where parishioners rotated making and selling kimchi to raise money — the community moved into its newly-built church on Old Baltimore Road in Olney on November 17, 2002. The parish marked its 50th anniversary on September 29, 2024, with a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory, readings and songs in Korean and English, and a Korean lunch shared by hundreds of parishioners.
- 1965 — first gathering of Korean Catholics at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
- 1974 — formal establishment of the Roman Catholic Korean Church by the Archdiocese of Washington
- 1980 — elevated to the Blessed Andrew Kim Korean Pastoral Mission
- 1981 — moved to College Park, MD
- 1984 — elevated to St. Andrew Kim Parish
- 2002 — moved into the newly built church in Olney on November 17
- 2021 — statue of St. Andrew Kim Dae-Geon blessed at the parish
- 2024 — 50th anniversary celebrated with Cardinal Wilton Gregory
Clergy & Staff
The parish is served by a Korean-born priest as pastor, parochial vicars, visiting priests, and two religious sisters who assist with pastoral care and catechesis. The office manager and parish council chairman round out the leadership team.
- Pastor: Rev. Matthew Moonseong Park (since June 2023)
- Parochial Vicar: Fr. Sikyoon (Andrew) Yang (since September 2022, per parish bulletin)
- Parochial Vicar (per ADW directory): Rev. Stephen Chulyeon Choi
- Visiting Priests: Fr. Emanuel Magro and Fr. Raymond Nwabueze
- Pastoral Assistants: Sr. Clare Kim and Sr. Grace Yang
- Catechism Director: Sr. Grace Yang
- Office Manager: SangHyun Lee
- Parish Council Chairman: James Lim
Mass & Worship Schedule
Mass is celebrated daily in Korean, with one English Mass each Sunday and additional Korean Masses and devotions throughout the week. Confessions are heard 20 minutes before every Mass.
- Saturday Vigil 6:00 PM (Korean)
- Sunday 7:00 AM, 8:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 12:30 PM, 5:00 PM (Korean)
- Sunday 9:45 AM / 10:00 AM (English, Main Chapel)
- Tuesday & Friday 7:30 PM (Korean)
- Wednesday & Thursday 9:30 AM (Korean)
- Confession: 20 minutes before every Mass
- Rosary: Tuesday–Friday, 30 minutes before Mass
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation at St. Andrew Kim happens across the lifespan — from grade-school Sunday School and summer camp, to a Korean-language catechism class for older youth and adults preparing for Confirmation, to Bible study circles for adults, and RCIA for those becoming Catholic.
- Korean Catechism Class — Sundays starting at 9:30 AM, classroom #226, directed by Sr. Grace Yang
- Catholic Bible Life Movement (CBLM) — Genesis, Exodus, Gospel of Mark, Gospel of John, Acts study groups
- English Bible Study Group
- Men's Bible Study Group
- Sunday School (grades) with annual summer camp at Camp Round Meadow
Sacraments
The parish provides preparation and celebration for all seven sacraments, with bilingual support for English-speaking families.
- Baptism — 3rd Saturday of each month at 2:00 PM; English baptisms available; arrange through the Parish Office (301-260-1981, [email protected])
- First Communion — preparation through parish catechetical programs
- Confirmation — Korean catechism class for those already baptized but not yet confirmed
- Confession (Reconciliation) — 20 minutes before every Mass
- Marriage (Matrimony) — five-step process: office interview, documents, archdiocesan marriage class, pastor interview, and ceremony; schedule at least 6 months ahead
- Anointing of the Sick — contact the Parish Office
- Funeral Mass — arrangements through the Parish Office
- Becoming Catholic (RCIA) — for unbaptized adults
Parish Ministries & Community Life
Parish life at St. Andrew Kim runs on an impressive web of lay-led ministries. After most Sunday Masses — and especially after the 11:00 AM Korean Mass — rotating volunteer teams prepare and serve a Korean lunch, a tradition that often feeds 300–500 parishioners and guests every week. The parish also has an active Legion of Mary curia, small Christian communities (소공동체) that meet in members' homes, an English Community Committee, a women's sodality (성모회), a parish pastoral council, and a young-adult group that gathers for the 5:00 PM Sunday Mass.
- Korean lunch teams (rotating volunteers after Sunday 11 AM Mass)
- Legion of Mary (Legio Mariae) Curia — monthly meetings, outdoor rosary, Mass in chapel
- Small Christian Communities (소공동체) — zone-chief (구역장) meetings and home gatherings
- English Community Committee (EC) — Admin, Liturgy, and Retreats sub-teams (contact Heidi Song, [email protected])
- Young Adult Group (YAG) — Sunday 5:00 PM Mass and fellowship
- Seongmo-hoe (성모회) women's sodality — fundraising meals such as pork cutlet sales
- Parish Pastoral Council (chaired by James Lim)
- Altar Servers (includes freshman training program)
- Senior outreach ministries
Parish Identity & The Korean Catholic Lunch Tradition
Beyond the sacraments and devotions, St. Andrew Kim is widely known for the meal that follows the main Sunday Mass. Volunteers take turns preparing and serving Korean cuisine — bulgogi, bibimbap, janchi guksu, japchae, kimchi, and grilled mackerel — which a parish leader described as essential as prayer to keeping the community together: in Korean, 'family' literally means 'people who eat together.' This was the ethos that carried the parish through its Kimchi Task Force fundraising years and into the building of its Olney church.
- Sunday Korean lunch served after the 11:00 AM Mass
- Free-will offerings support parish operations
- Kimchi Task Force — multi-generation fundraising tradition
- Annual fundraising partnerships with Korean restaurants (e.g., Chosun Hwa Ro, Gah Rham, Hwa Gae Jangtur)
Contact & Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office by phone, email, or in person. The church is wheelchair accessible (per the Archdiocese of Washington parish listing) and is located on Old Baltimore Road in Olney, a northern suburb of Washington, D.C.
- Address: 17615 Old Baltimore Road, Olney, MD 20832, USA
- Phone: (301) 260-1981
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: standrewkim.org
- Wheelchair accessible
- Part of the Archdiocese of Washington
St. Andrew Kim Dae-Geon, Patron of the Parish
St. Andrew Kim Dae-Geon (Andrew Kim Taegon, 1821–1846) was the first native-born Korean Catholic priest. Ordained in Shanghai after journeying more than 1,000 miles through China, he returned to a persecuted Church in Korea and was martyred at age 25. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1984 alongside other Korean martyrs, and his feast day (September 20) is celebrated jointly as the feast of the Korean Martyrs. A new exhibition hall by the entrance of the parish church in Olney honors his life and legacy.
- First native Korean Catholic priest (ordained 1845 in Shanghai)
- Martyred 1846 at age 25
- Feast day: September 20 (Korean Martyrs)
- Patron of the parish and one of the patron saints of Korea
- Exhibition hall with statue at the parish entrance, blessed September 2021