About St. Ha-Sang Paul Jung · Apex, North Carolina
St. Ha-Sang Paul Jung Catholic Church is a Korean-language Roman Catholic parish located at 3031 Holland Road in Apex, North Carolina, within the Diocese of Raleigh. It is the only Catholic parish in the Carolinas dedicated to serving the Korean Catholic community, with all Masses and sacraments celebrated in Korean. The parish grew out of a small prayer group of Korean students and visiting scholars at NCSU and UNC-Chapel Hill in the late 1980s and has served Korean Catholics across the Triangle region for more than three decades.
- Established
- 1991 (as a community at St. Michael's, Cary); own church building completed 2011
- Patron
- St. Paul Chong Ha-sang (정하상 바오로) — Korean lay catechist and martyr, 1794/1795–1839
- Rector
- Reverend Matthew Dae-Hyun Park (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Raleigh
Why belong here
St. Ha-Sang Paul Jung offers Korean Catholics in the Triangle — and visitors from across the Carolinas — a rare and precious home: the only Catholic parish in the Carolinas dedicated to Korean Catholics, where every Mass and sacrament is celebrated in the Korean language. The community runs faith formation classes and a Korean language school for children, gathers for the Saturday Vigil at 5:00 PM and Sunday morning Mass at 10:30 AM, and offers weekday Mass on Wednesdays and Thursdays plus a monthly First Saturday Mass with devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a parish that consciously preserves Korean Catholic tradition — from the praying of the rosary in the traditional five-color Korean style to the catechesis of the next generation — while being warmly open to anyone who wishes to share in its life.
Mass times at St. Ha-Sang Paul Jung
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 10:00 AM–10:30 AM (Korean)
- Wednesday: 9:30 AM–10:00 AM (Korean)
- Thursday: 7:30 PM–8:00 PM — First Thursdays only (Korean)
- Saturday: 9:30 AM–10:00 AM — First Saturdays only (Korean)
- Saturday: 4:30 PM–5:00 PM (Korean)
Adoration times
- Thursday 8:00 PM Mass includes Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament on the first Thursday of each month
About St. Ha-Sang Paul Jung Catholic Church
St. Ha-Sang Paul Jung Catholic Church is a Korean-language Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Raleigh, located at 3031 Holland Road in Apex, North Carolina. It is the only Catholic parish in the Carolinas dedicated specifically to Korean Catholics. All Masses and the celebration of the sacraments are offered in Korean, and parishioners travel from across the Triangle and beyond to worship here. The parish is served today by Administrator Reverend Matthew Dae-Hyun Park.
History of the Parish
The community began in the late 1980s as a small prayer group of Korean students and visiting scholars at NC State University and UNC-Chapel Hill. In 1991 it affiliated with St. Michael's Catholic Church in Cary, North Carolina, and grew steadily over the next two decades. The first phase of the parish's own church building in Apex was completed in fall 2011, making it the second Korean Catholic church in the Diocese of Raleigh alongside St. Andrew Kim parish in Fayetteville.
- Late 1980s: prayer group of Korean students at NCSU and UNC-CH forms
- 1991: community joins St. Michael's Catholic Church in Cary, NC
- Fall 2011: first phase of the Apex church campus completed
- 2020: successful community petition (1,108+ signatures) opposing a Town of Apex road expansion
- 2021: Father Dongwook Thomas Lee welcomed as new pastor by Bishop Zarama
Patron Saint: Paul Chong Ha-sang
The parish takes its name from St. Paul Chong Ha-sang (정하상 바오로), a Korean Catholic lay catechist and martyr (1794/1795–1839) who defended the persecuted Church in Korea and helped secure recognition of the Korean faithful from Pope Gregory XVI. He is venerated along with the 103 Korean Martyrs, whose joint memorial is celebrated on September 20. Pope John Paul II canonized the group on 6 May 1984 during his visit to Korea.
- Born: 1794 or 1795 in Korea
- Died: 22 September 1839 in Seoul (Hanseong)
- Lay apostle who defended the faith before the Joseon government
- Canonized 6 May 1984 by Pope John Paul II
- Feast day: 20 September (with the Korean Martyrs)
Clergy and Pastoral Staff
The parish is currently administered by Reverend Matthew Dae-Hyun Park. He succeeds Father Dongwook Thomas Lee, a priest of the Archdiocese of Seoul who also studied in Germany and arrived in 2021, and earlier pastor Reverend Chul Ho Lee. Parish lay leadership includes a parish council president (사목회장) and a general secretary (e.g., John Bang and Theodora Kim in recent years).
- Administrator: Reverend Matthew Dae-Hyun Park
- Former pastor: Reverend Dongwook Thomas Lee (2021–)
- Former pastor: Reverend Chul Ho Lee
Faith Formation and Korean Language School
The parish runs faith formation classes for children and a Korean language school, both of which have been a central part of the community's mission to pass the Catholic faith and Korean heritage on to the next generation. The parish's 2020 campaign materials emphasized that many families were concerned about the safety of their children who attend these programs on the church campus.
- Children's faith formation (Catholic catechesis)
- Korean language school for parish children
- Family-oriented community life centered on the Korean Mass schedule
Community Life and Outreach
St. Ha-Sang Paul Jung functions as both a house of worship and a cultural sanctuary for Korean Catholics across the Carolinas. The parish council, the general secretary, and various lay ministries help coordinate worship, formation, and fellowship. In 2020 the parish demonstrated its civic engagement by mobilizing more than 1,100 signatures to protect its property from a proposed road expansion — a vivid example of the community's determination to safeguard its campus for future generations.
- Parish council (사목회장) and general secretariat
- Rosary prayed in the Korean traditional five-color style
- Active civic advocacy to preserve the church campus
- Long-term master plan that includes an education building and a new, larger worship building
Contact and Visiting
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Ha-Sang Paul Jung at its physical address in Apex. Because all services are in Korean, Korean-speaking visitors will find this an especially welcoming home, while non-Korean visitors should plan accordingly.
- Address: 3031 Holland Road, Apex, NC 27502
- Phone: (919) 303-6424
- Parish website: http://www.spjcc.org
- Diocese of Raleigh listing: dioceseofraleigh.org/parish/saint-ha-sang-paul-jung-apex
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Reverend Chul Ho Lee
Listed as pastor in earlier parish directories.
- Reverend Dongwook Thomas Lee2021–
Originally from Seoul, Korea; priest of the Archdiocese of Seoul who also lived and studied in Germany. Welcomed by Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama in July 2021. Presented the bishop with a handmade rosary using five Korean traditional colors and a traditional knotting method (about 10 hours of work by an expert to make the whole rosary).
- Reverend Matthew Dae-Hyun Park
Current administrator, listed on the Diocese of Raleigh parish page.