About St. Paul Chong Hasang · Fife, Washington
St. Paul Chong Hasang Parish is a Korean-Catholic parish in Fife, Washington, a small city just east of Tacoma in Pierce County. It belongs to the Archdiocese of Seattle (Pierce Deanery) and is designated Parish Family 57. All Masses are celebrated in the Ordinary Use of the Roman Rite in Korean, with the principal weekend Masses (Saturday Vigil and three Sunday Masses) sung in Korean and a bilingual Youth & Family Mass in English and Korean on Sundays at 9:30 AM. The parish is staffed by a Korean pastor and a small team of Korean-speaking lay pastoral associates and serves roughly 2,000 faithful.
- Established
- 1976
- Patron
- St. Paul Chong Hasang (성 정하상 바오로) — Korean lay martyr and patron of Korea
- Rector
- Rev. Sung Jun Park
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Seattle (Pierce Deanery, Parish Family 57)
Why belong here
St. Paul Chong Hasang offers Korean-speaking Catholics in the greater Tacoma area a place to worship in their own language and culture, with a full weekly schedule of Korean Masses and bilingual family liturgy on Sundays. The parish combines traditional Catholic devotional life — weekday Masses, monthly First Thursday Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration, and confessions before every Mass — with practical pastoral support for families, including a youth-and-family Mass, faith formation, and youth ministry. For Korean Catholics (and those drawn to Korean Catholic spirituality) in Fife, Tacoma, and the surrounding South Sound, it is both a parish and a gathering place for the Korean Catholic community.
Mass times at St. Paul Chong Hasang
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 20 minutes before each Mass
Adoration times
- First Thursday of the month — Holy Hour follows Mass
Parish Identity and Patron Saint
St. Paul Chong Hasang Parish (성 정하상 바오로 한인 천주교회) is a Korean Catholic parish named for St. Paul Chong Hasang (1794–1839), a Korean Catholic lay missionary and one of the 103 Korean Martyrs. He was beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1925 and canonized by Pope John Paul II on May 6, 1984, during the pope's visit to Korea. His feast day, along with that of his companion St. Andrew Kim Taegon and the other Korean Martyrs, is September 20 on the Roman calendar. He is honored as a patron of Korea.
- Patron: St. Paul Chong Hasang
- Feast: September 20
- Roman calendar memorial: Sts. Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions, Korean Martyrs
- Canonized: May 6, 1984, by Pope John Paul II
History of the Parish
The community was born in September 1976, when three Korean families in the Tacoma area began attending the Korean Mass celebrated at a Seattle parish by visiting priest Fr. Richard Parle (차미도 신부). That same month contains the feast of St. Paul Chong Hasang on September 20, which became the parish's patron. In July 1979 the community celebrated its very first Korean Mass at St. Peter and Paul Church, with Fr. Parle coming down from Seattle for the occasion. From 1976 to 1983 the group was a prayer-and-confession community rather than a parish in its own right.
- 1976.9 — three families begin meeting for Korean Mass in Seattle
- 1979.7 — first Korean Mass at St. Peter and Paul Church, Tacoma
- 1983.7 — Fr. Jo Byeong-gi (Paul) becomes first Korean-born pastor
- 1987.9 — Fr. Jo Jang-yun (Bernard) succeeds as joint Seattle/Tacoma pastor
- 1990.9 — Fr. Jo becomes full-time Tacoma-area pastor; church-building committee formed
First Korean Pastor (1983–1987)
In July 1983 Fr. Jo Byeong-gi (Paul), a priest of the Diocese of Daejeon, became the community's first Korean-born pastor. Because the congregation was still small, he alternated six months at a time between Seattle and Tacoma parishes. Under his leadership the parish organized its first lay associations, retreats, and seminars, establishing the institutional life of a true parish community.
- Fr. Jo Byeong-gi (Paul), Diocese of Daejeon
- 1983.7 – 1987.9
- Alternated between Seattle and Tacoma parishes
- Founded first parish organizations and retreat programs
Parish Identity Established (1987–1991)
Fr. Jo Jang-yun (Bernard) succeeded Fr. Jo Byeong-gi in September 1987 as joint pastor of the Seattle and Tacoma Korean communities. In September 1990 he became the full-time resident pastor of the Tacoma-area Korean Catholic community, which finally gave the parish its own leadership and paved the way for building projects, including the formation of a church-building committee and the acquisition of a rectory.
- Fr. Jo Jang-yun (Bernard)
- 1987.9 – 1991.8
- Became full-time pastor of Tacoma community in September 1990
- Established church-building committee and acquired a rectory
Parish Staff and Pastoral Team
The parish is led by a Korean-born pastor with the support of three Korean-speaking lay pastoral staff members who oversee administration, liturgy and youth ministry, and faith formation respectively. Together they coordinate the parish's worship, formation programs, and administrative life for the Korean Catholic community of the Tacoma area.
- Rev. Sung Jun Park — Pastor
- Sung Ok — Pastoral Assistant for Administration
- Yoonhee Roh — Pastoral Assistant for Liturgy and Youth Ministry
- Boksim Yang — Pastoral Associate for Faith Formation
Faith Formation and Youth Ministry
Faith Formation at the parish is coordinated by Boksim Yang, the Pastoral Associate for Faith Formation. Liturgy and Youth Ministry is led by Yoonhee Roh, supporting the parish's bilingual Youth and Family Mass each Sunday at 9:30 AM and other programs for younger parishioners. Information on registration, classes, and schedules is available through the parish office.
- Faith Formation: Boksim Yang, Pastoral Associate
- Liturgy & Youth Ministry: Yoonhee Roh, Pastoral Assistant
- Sunday 9:30 AM Youth & Family Mass in Korean and English
Location and How to Get There
The parish is located in Fife, a small city just east of Tacoma in Pierce County, Washington. Visitors from the Interstate 5 corridor are directed to exit I-5, drive north a short distance on the 99 highway, turn left at 62nd Avenue East (a small sign marks the turn), and the church is on the left shortly after. Korean-language driving directions are published alongside the English directions on the parish website.
- Address: 1316 62nd Ave E, Fife, WA 98424
- Phone: (253) 896-4489
- Fax: (253) 896-9468
- Email: [email protected]
- Directions: I-5 exit → 99 N → left on 62nd Ave E → church on left
Archdiocese of Seattle and Parish Family
St. Paul Chong Hasang Parish belongs to the Archdiocese of Seattle and is part of the Pierce Deanery. Within the Archdiocese it is identified as Parish Family 57. The parish is listed in both the Archdiocese of Seattle parish directory and the Catholic Tacoma deanery site, which together document its clergy, Mass schedule, and contact information.
- Archdiocese of Seattle
- Pierce Deanery
- Parish Family 57
Korean Catholic Directory Listing
The parish is also listed in the Korean Catholic Bishops' Conference overseas-Korean parish directory under its Korean name, 성 정하상 바오로 한인 천주교회, classified as an overseas-Korean parish serving approximately 2,000 faithful. The directory records the parish's previous website domain (spckcc.org) and an earlier email contact ([email protected]), both still referenced in older listings.
- Korean name: 성 정하상 바오로 한인 천주교회
- Listed in Korean Catholic Bishops' Conference overseas parish directory
- Approximately 2,000 parishioners reported in directory
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Richard Parle (Cha Mi-do 신부)1976 – 1983
Visiting priest from Seattle who celebrated the first Korean Masses for the Tacoma-area community and shepherded it through its formation period.
- Fr. Jo Byeong-gi (Paul 바오로) — Diocese of Daejeon1983.7 – 1987.9
First Korean-born pastor; alternated six months each between Seattle and Tacoma parishes; organized the first parish groups, retreats, and seminars.
- Fr. Jo Jang-yun (Bernard 베르나르도)1987.9 – 1991.8
Succeeded as joint Seattle/Tacoma Korean-community pastor; became full-time pastor of the Tacoma-area community in September 1990, establishing a church-building committee and acquiring a rectory.